Healthy PCOS: Recent Episodes
HealthyPCOS
A safe space where women share their story with our host Cint, about their diagnosis, doctors, specialists, symptoms, blood tests, and learning how to manage their own PCOS. We speak about lifestyle changes; food intake, exercise routine, managing stress levels, getting enough sleep and supplementation.
TRIGGER WARNING:
This episode is about Miscarriage and PCOS. Cint sits down with Dr. Alison Gottschalk and go through questions from some of our members and followers about miscarriage and PCOS.
Dr. Alison Gottschalk is a Women's Hormone & PCOS Fertility Naturopathic Doctor, and the owner of The Health Group Inc. She is the creator of The Fertility Mentorship, an online guided course for preparing for and maintaining future pregnancies. The best way to connect with Dr. Gottschalk and learn more about The Fertility Mentorship is on Instagram @dr.alisongottsnd
There is no treatment option better than a holistic plan based on your individual PCOS needs and goals. Some common ideas backed by science and our community include;
✅ A low to moderate carbohydrate diet
✅ A low-GI diet
✅ A Mediterranean diet
✅ Regular exercise, specifically resistance training and walking
✅ A morning and evening sleep routine
✅ A daily stress-reduction practice such as yoga, walking or stretching
✅ Inositol, NAC, magnesium, berberine, L-carnitine for IR
✅ Omega-3, spearmint tea, zinc, CoQ10, Vit D for high androgens
✅ Joining a support group
✅ Continued education on PCOS
There are so many options outside of dieting that can truly help improve your PCOS xx
❤️ Free private support group on FB, search "HealthyPCOS (Support, Education, and Guidance)"
❤️ Full range of PCOS supplements & skincare
❤️ Make sure to be watching our stories daily for even more great PCOS content
It's so important to focus on lifestyle factors for your PCOS because, in this world where most things are out of our control, the only thing we can control is our own actions. Here are 4 lifestyle factors that can help improve PCOS symptoms, how many are you doing, and are they helping?
1️⃣ Keep your blood sugar balanced
Why? Helps to control insulin levels, the main underlying driver of PCOS symptoms.
How? Follow a moderate carb diet, start by aiming for between 2-% - 35% of total calories from carbohydrates. Ensure most of those carbs are low GI (check the GI index), reduce your intake of processed sugars. Also, look into supplements such as inositol, NAC, and berberine.
2️⃣ Eat testosterone reducing foods
Why? Can help to naturally lower testosterone, which is the driver of symptoms such as hair loss, excess hair growth, acne, depression, and irregular periods.
How? Make sure foods such as walnuts, almonds, high omega-3 fish such as salmon or tuna, spearmint tea, flaxseeds, and licorice root are all part of your overall diet. These are all known to help reduce testosterone levels in those with PCOS.
3️⃣ Don’t forget to get moving!
Why? Helps to improve overall hormonal balance, mood, and reduce stress.
How? Get in some regular workouts or just go for walks, maybe aim for 10,000 steps a day? try home workouts? The goal should just be some form of movement every day. It's the habit of moving that count!
4️⃣ Stick to a nighttime routine
Why? Helps to improve sleep quality, reduce inflammation & stress. Can also improve mood and reduce insulin levels.
How? Go to bed & wake at the same time every day, stay off technology 2 hours before bed, unwind at least an hour before bed, make your house as dark as possible as early as possible.
❤️ Free private support group on FB, search "HealthyPCOS (Support, Education, and Guidance)"
❤️ Full range of PCOS supplements & skincare
❤️ Make sure to be watching our stories daily for even more great PCOS content
This week Cint and Trista sat down and talked live in our VIP group on Facebook and answered questions about managing your PCOS on a budget.
From meal prepping, saving time and money on bulk buying food to managing supplements, and also exercising without a gym membership or spending a fortune on gym equipment.
- Free private support group on FB, search "HealthyPCOS (Support, Education, and Guidance)"
- Full range of PCOS supplements & skincare
- Make sure to be watching our stories on Instagram and Facebook daily for even more great PCOS content, also watch our account on TikTok.
Driven by the ever-changing hormonal environment PCOS can create, many women with PCOS notice that their body is storing body fat more around their mid-section. There are a few common causes:
⚠️ High levels of insulin
⚠️ High levels of active (free) testosterone
⚠️ High levels of cortisol (stress)
It's this hormonal combination of high insulin, testosterone, and cortisol that can lead your body to accumulate body fat in this hormonal pattern. Therefore, if you're wanting to reduce what's often referred to as PCOS belly, reducing levels of these 3 hormones will play a key role.
Once again, this is why 'just lose weight' is not the most effective advice as your weight loss plan may not be improving these hormonal levels as much as if your plan is also focusing on the hormonal aspects. Here are some hot tips:
To reduce insulin levels:
✅ Keep carbohydrates to 25%-35% of total calories
✅ Ensure most of your carbs are low-medium GI
✅ Always combine carb foods with either a protein or fat source or both
✅ Supplement with inositol, NAC, or berberine.
To reduce testosterone levels:
✅ Cut out any inflammatory foods (specific to you) this may be dairy, gluten, processed sugar, cigarettes etc.
To reduce insulin levels:
✅ Ensure your diet some of these; walnuts, almonds, salmon, tuna, pumpkin seeds or flaxseed
✅ Take spearmint tea, zinc, and saw palmetto
To reduce cortisol levels:
✅ Practise a daily stress-reduction technique (yoga, meditation, mindfulness, journaling, walking, stretching, taking a hot bath etc.)
✅ Get some sunlight during the day and start a sleep routine
✅ Take omega 3 or ashwagandha
Understanding what is driving your PCOS is so incredibly important. Why? because it shows you what is at the core of your PCOS, driving the hormonal imbalances which are triggering the symptoms you're experiencing.
Now while for the majority of women, insulin resistance will be at the core of their PCOS, for 20%-30% of women, adrenal dysfunction will be an underlying driver. Some common signs include:
Hair loss
Facial & body hair growth
Constant stress & feeling 'wired but tired'
High DHEA
Irregular periods
Ongoing fatigue
Sleep troubles
As you can see, these signs overlap with IR and chronic inflammation. This is why it's important to investigate and identify your specific PCOS. This will show you exactly what you need to be doing in order to improve the condition and taker control of your PCOS!
Blood tests
Free and total testosterone usually normal range for both
Serum DHEA will be elevated
8 am serum cortisol is generally high or high normal
Insulin resistance (normal insulin and blood sugar) although, some will find that IR is a factor, generally speaking though, it will not be.
Some helpful tips:
Write down anything in your life that is driving constant stress and then brainstorm ways to fix it, spend 20% of your time thinking about the problem and 80% coming up with solutions.
Practice a daily stress-reduction technique such as yoga, slow walking, taking a hot bath, journaling, spending time with a pet, mindfulness, meditation, stretching etc.
Limit inflammatory foods and load up on anti-inflammatory foods
No restrictive, low-calorie diets
Follow a nutrient-dense way of eating
Exercise is super helpful, even just a daily walk
Start a morning and evening sleep routine
Supplements such as ashwagandha, Rhodiola Rosea, magnesium, or L-theanine
Dr. Alison Gottschalk ND and Cint talk about all things PCOS and Fertility in this full episode.
Dr. Alison Gottschalk is a Women's Hormone & PCOS Fertility Naturopathic Doctor, and the owner of The Health Group Inc. She is the creator of The Fertility Mentorship, an online guided course for preparing for and maintaining future pregnancies. The best way to connect with Dr. Gottschalk and learn more about The Fertility Mentorship is on Instagram @dr.alisongottsnd
Have you experienced any of the things that were spoken about in this episode? Let us know in the comments below.
💜 Feel like you need more support? Feel free to join our Facebook group where there is 1,000's of people in there that have PCOS. If you'd like to join, simply search for 'HealthyPCOS (Support, Education and Guidance)'.
💜 The full podcast episode will be available to listen to on Spotify this Sunday.
💜 Reach out to us anytime at all if there's ever anything we can support you with.
When does your PCOS show up at the worst time?
Can you relate to the 5 habits that don't help weight loss with PCOS?
💜 Feel like you need more support? Feel free to join our Facebook group where there is 1,000's of people in there that have PCOS. If you'd like to join, simply search for 'HealthyPCOS (Support, Education and Guidance)'.
💜 The full podcast episode will be available to listen to on Spotify this Sunday.
💜 Reach out to us anytime at all if there's ever anything we can support you with.
Who suffers from Inflammation with their PCOS?
Inflammation is something that impacts a large amount of people with PCOS.
Common Symptoms:
👉🏼 Constant tiredness
👉🏼 Joint Pain
👉🏼 Headaches
👉🏼 Food Intolerances (such as gluten or dairy)
👉🏼 Frequent illnesses (colds, flu, bugs etc)
👉🏼 Bowel issues (such as IBS)
👉🏼 Androgen excess symptoms such as acne, hair loss, or hair growth
👉🏼 Menstrual cycle irregulataries
How do you test do Inflammatory PCOS? These tests will show as elevated inflammatory markers on blood tests:
💉 CRP
💉 Abnormal blood count
💉 Thyroid antibodies
💉 Gluten anti-bodies
💉Vitamin D deficiency
💉 Elevated DHEA or androstenedione
Natural Management Suggestions:
🎯 Daily stress reduction techniques such as yoga, stretching, slow walking, pilates, mindfullness etc.
🎯 Reduce exposure to environmental toxins such as plastics and pesticides.
🎯 Eliminate any inflammatory foods (possible; gluten, dairy, processed sugar or alcohol)
🎯 Maximise anti-inflammatory foods (kale, pineapple, wild salmon, mushrooms, broccoli, blueberries or bone broth.
🎯 Look into anti-inflammatory supplements/vitamins such as zinc, magnesium, turmuric or omega 3s.
Note: It is also possible to have another type of PCOS but still have elevated inflammation due to studies that show PCOS creates a pro-inflammatory state within the body.
Who here sometimes feels anxious or depressed?
Mental Health is a topic which needs to be more openly discussed amongst everyone, not just the PCOS community.
Dealing with mental health struggles on your own can be tough, and you shouldn't have to battle these alone. Seeing your doctor, coming up with a plan to help you manage your mental health is so important. Seeing a psychologist/therapist is another great part of people's support systems/circles as well as friends and family.
Cint and Trista spoke openly about some of their mental health struggles and some of the things that they do to help manage this.
💜 Feel like you need more support? Feel free to join our Facebook group where there is 1,000's of people in there that have PCOS. If you'd like to join, simply search for 'HealthyPCOS (Support, Education and Guidance)'.
💜 The full podcast episode will be available to listen to on Spotify this Sunday.
💜 Reach out to us anytime at all if there's ever anything we can support you with.
Who is your biggest support person in your life?
Or maybe you have a little group of people that are your support team?
In our Facebook Group, Cint & Trista go live in there and answer questions about all things PCOS and support our group members in any way they can, and they also share some of their own experiences, and also have a laugh together.
💜 Feel like you need more support? Feel free to join our Facebook group where there is 1,000's of people in there that have PCOS. If you'd like to join, simply search for 'HealthyPCOS (Support, Education and Guidance)'.
💜 The full podcast episode will be available to listen to on Spotify this Sunday.
💜 Reach out to us anytime at all if there's ever anything we can support you with.