5 Symptoms of PCOS and Why They Happen

The first thing to remember with PCOS, is all of these symptoms are related, BUT not everyone will have the same symptoms or the same severity of symptoms. It is helpful to understand what is causing these symptoms, so you can be empowered and understand how to alleviate your symptoms. 

At the end of this article I will give a brief summary on how to address general treatments for PCOS. These are not intended to treat you specifically as each case is different.

1. Missed or irregular periods

Increased GnRH frequency release from the pituitary leads to elevated LH to FSH ratio in women with PCOS, this causes eggs each cycle to not reach full maturity. Without one dominant mature egg, ovulation does not occur, therefore no egg is released and progesterone levels are chronically low, because the egg release is what causes progesterone to increase. The withdrawal of progesterone, two weeks later, causes you to bleed each month. Without progesterone increasing after healthy ovulation, there is no progesterone withdrawal which would cause you to bleed. The chronically low progesterone continues to maintain the increased GnRH frequency. It is one big cycle. 

This is why birth control can potentially give you a normal cycle, if you have PCOS, but it does not treat the root cause. When you come off the birth control your symptoms will return. 

2. Excessive body hair/male patterned hair loss

Increased LH in PCOS causes the ovaries to make more androgens. Androgens are more predominant in males, although females produce them as well, just in lesser quantities. Having higher androgens will cause male hair patterns, this includes hair growth on the face, chest, and back, and hair loss on the scalp.  

3. Infertility

Infertility is predominantly caused by the lack of ovulation. The cause of this is described in the "missed or irregular periods" section. Without ovulation and a regular cycle, fertility is severely impacted. 70%-80% of women with PCOS have infertility. There are treatments available to address hormonal imbalances that can improve fertility in many women. 

4. Difficulty losing weight

With the increase in androgens your body will convert some of it to estrogen, the increased estrogen will increase body fat and make it difficult to lose weight. 

Insulin resistance is also a contributing factor to weight gain in PCOS. Not all women with PCOS have insulin resistance. Inflammation in the body can cause insulin receptors to not function normally, causing insulin to increase even more. When the insulin can't function properly at the receptor, your body will make more of it, thinking lack of insulin is the problem. Lack of insulin is not the problem, so you will just end up with more insulin. One of the jobs of insulin is to store fat. 

The elevated insulin levels will also increase the androgens made by the ovaries and this will in turn increase estrogen levels which will lead to more weight gain. 

Focusing on decreasing inflammation and improving blood sugar is imperative for improving insulin resistance. 

5. Oily skin/acne

Acne and oily skin is related to elevated androgens made by the ovaries from elevated LH levels. The same phenomenon that causes male pattern hair growth and hair loss, also causes the acne and oily skin.  

What to do about it?

The overall treatment goal for PCOS is to decrease inflammation, lower LH, raise FSH, lower androgens, improve insulin sensitivity. These things will improve ovulation, aid in weight loss, and improve fertility.

Improving diet, and moderate exercise, is necessary, typically a mediterranean diet is usually recommended, but not always the best in all cases, depending on your specific case. This will help with insulin resistance, weight, and inflammation. Adding cinnamon to your diet can also improve insulin sensitivity. Taking Gymnema botanically can improve blood sugar levels as well.

Lowering LH and raising FSH will improve ovulation. Paeonia lactiflora and Cinnamon are both botanicals that can lower LH. Myo-inositol and Tribulus, are great for raising FSH. 

 As you can see from the graphics in this post, PCOS "feeds itself" (meaning all of the imbalances going on in the body, loop around and increase the same imbalances). PCOS is multifactorial and can be complicated, so it is best to work with an expert. 

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