Polycystic Ovary Syndrome – These are scary words.
Many women only find out they have PCOS after they start thinking about having children.
To make it even scarier, signs of PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) is becoming more and more of a regular occurrence in women.
But what is it? What causes it? And more importantly, what are the early signs of PCOS and how to do something about it?
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a type of hormonal disorder that occurs among woman of reproductive age.
The ovaries are enlarged and contain a lot of tiny growths that are found on the outer wall of each ovary. This is also where the name comes from, as there are many cysts or a “polycystic” appearance.
Women suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome usually experience Infrequent or extended menstrual periods, excessive body hair growth, acne breakouts,
- Acne breakouts
- Obesity
- In teenagers, infrequent or lack of menstruation may indicate this condition.
- In women past their teens, trouble falling pregnant or unexplained gaining of weight is often the first indicator.
The exact cause of polycystic ovary syndrome remains unknown. Early diagnosis and treatment may decrease the danger of long-term problems, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
The signs of PCOS
Menstrual abnormality:
This symptom is found most often. There are many forms of menstrual abnormality such as:
- Menstrual intervals longer than 35 days
- Eight menstrual cycles or less per year
- No menstruation for 4 months or longer
- Prolonged periods
- Excess androgen (Also referred to as the male hormone) in the form of:
- Excess Body Hair
- Adult Acne Breakouts
- Male-pattern hair loss
However, physical signs are not always seen early on. That is why it is especially important to be on the lookout for emotional or mental signs like:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Eating disorders due to mental or emotional difficulty.
Possible causes of polycystic ovary syndrome:
The exact cause of polycystic ovary syndrome is unknown, but these factors most possibly play a role:
Excessive insulin:
Insulin is the hormone generated by the pancreas that enables body cells to use glucose as your body’s main energy source. When a person suffers from insulin resistance the body does not respond effectively to insulin and the pancreas produces more insulin than usual to compensate for this. The result of this is that the ovaries might produce more androgen than it normally does.
Heredity:
If your mother or older sister suffers from PCOS, you are at a greater risk of developing it. Research is being done to determine if PCOS might be caused by mutated genes.
Abnormal foetal development:
Gene expression is a scenario where a fetus is exposed to high amounts of male hormones such as androgen which may result in the normal genes not working as they should. This could result in a male-pattern distribution of the abdominal body fat which increases the threat of insulin resistance and low-grade inflammation.
Low-grade inflammation:
White blood cells in the body produce substances to combat infection in a reaction known as inflammation. Eating particular foods can result in an inflammatory reaction in some predisposed individuals.
This can cause white blood cells to produce substances that can result in insulin resistance and cholesterol buildup in blood vessels (Atherosclerosis). Atherosclerosis leads to heart disease. Studies have revealed that women suffering from PCOS have low-grade inflammation.
How to naturally treat PCOS:
Early diagnosis and treatment, along with weight loss can reduce the risk of long-term health problems like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Unfortunately, early diagnoses are not always possible.
Luckily PCOS is reversible. But how?
On the one side, there are chemical medications which are prescribed for PCOS. In most cases, it will be diabetic medication.
But we suggest the natural route…
Blood Sugar Control, to reduce high insulin levels, curbs food cravings and suppress appetite in the process to lose weight the healthy way. You can lower high blood sugar and reduce high insulin levels successfully, by following a low GI diet, exercise, and taking a supplement like the Manna Blood Sugar Support.
Focus on digestive health, because we see that in most cases where women struggle with insulin resistance and PCOS, they also have digestive problems. By taking a good probiotic and digestive enzymes, like the Manna GUT Support, it can help to reinstate healthy bacteria and enzymes in your digestive system to help overcome food cravings and reverse the PCOS symptoms.
If you have Candida, we recommend taking the Manna Candida Support supplement to deal with the candida fungus in the digestive tract.
By following a good, Low GI diet, like the Manna Diet and taking the above-mentioned supplements, you can reverse Insulin resistance and PCOS, but it doesn’t happen overnight. You have to follow this protocol for at least 6 months.
