PCOS Treatment options for Cysters NOT trying to get pregnant!

Today I am going to discuss some treatment options for my PCOS buddies who are NOT trying to get pregnant. I will discuss options for pregnancy and infertility later on. There is some overlap but there are some very important differences in how you approach the disease if you are trying to conceive.

Diet is foremost as I mentioned in my last post but there are lots of conventional and natural treatment options to help deal with the symptoms of PCOS and it's underlying cause. These treatments below are in no particular order:

1) Liver Support: It is very important to support your liver so that it can effectively process and eliminate excess hormones and toxins. Starting your day with lemon in warm water primes the liver but more aggressive treatment is necessary. I recommend a liver support formula taken daily that combines common detoxifying herbs like milk thistle and dandelion. You want to make sure that it also contains alpha lipoic acid and N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC for short). These are both supportive of the liver but also lower blood sugar. I use Renew Life Critical Liver Support and swear by it. It is not cheap but it has everything in one formula versus having to by the components separately.

2) D-Chiro Inositol or Myo-Inositol: These are of paramount importance. D-Chiro Inositol (DCI for short) helps the body respond to insulin more effectively. It has been shown that women with PCOS are low in DCI. Taking it as a supplement at a dose of about 1200mg per day has shown to reverse insulin resistance and greatly decrease symptoms of PCOS (excessive hair growth, acne, skin tags, lack of ovulation etc). The issue is D-Chiro Inositol is VERY expensive. The good news is that taking Myo-inositol is an alternative. The body can convert Myo inositol into DCI. You have to take 2000-3000mg per day of Myo-inositol so I recommend buying a powder form. AOR and Metagenics both make this and it works out to be much more economical than DCI.

3) Chromium: This mineral helps to stabilize blood sugar and thankfully is very cheap. Chromium GTF 250 mg can be taken with each meal.

4) Birth Control Pills: I put this in here with hesitation because I had a hell of a time when I went off them. They will help to normalize your cycle but there are other more natural ways to do that as mentioned above. However if you are being completely ruled by your periods (as I was) you have to do what you have to do. I was having extremely heavy periods that would last a month or longer. It was debilitating. I was put on the pill when I was 13 and stayed on it for almost 18 years. Too long for sure.

5) Spirolactone: This is another option that I mention with hesitation and I would try D-Chiro Inositol first but Spirolactone is very effective at lowering testosterone and eliminating hair growth. This is a very embarrassing problem for women and can be overwhelming to handle. I am blessed that my issues in this regard are minor and can easily be taken care of with a strip of wax and a trip to the spa.. Many women end up shaving their faces making things much, much worse. Spirolactone, traditionally used for blood pressure, will eliminate these issues in extreme cases. You definitely cannot use this drug if there is a chance you could become pregnant because it can cause the baby to develop as a hermaphrodite.

6) Fish Oils: Everyone should be taking omega-3 fatty acids from fish oils but especially anyone with blood sugar issues. They have been proven to decrease insulin resistance. They also reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke which are all common in women with PCOS.

7) Metformin: This drug, traditionally used for treating type 2 diabetes, is now the go-to drug for treating PCOS. I am going to get into this more when I discuss pregnancy but this is a good option for people not responding to natural treatment (although it doesn't come without some side-effects). More on Metformin next time.