PCOS is a complicated condition; as helpful as a list of dos and don’ts would be, it is not possible. For a natural approach to work, you need to go a little deeper. In doing this, you first need to understand that there are different causes that might be driving your presentation of PCOS. You then need to understand what the possible drivers or causes your PCOS are.
The first step to doing this is understanding that PCOS is not one disease. It is a name that is given to a group of symptoms that are linked to androgen excess. Therefore, it’s described as a heterogeneous endocrine disorder (HED). A HED is a group of symptoms that can be caused by several – distinctly different – underlying drivers/causes.
Genetic Influence Causes PCOS
You are not born with PCOS, but you might have genes that put you at a higher risk of developing PCOS. These genes might influence one of the following:
- How your ovaries and hypothalamus communicate.
- How likely you are to develop insulin resistance.
- If your ovaries are more likely to overproduce androgens in certain conditions.
To sum it up, your genes influence how easily you ovulate and the likelihood that you might produce excess androgens. Expressions of these genes depend on your environment. An environment that is negatively impacted by the typical Western diet and environmental toxins.
Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Cause Your PCOS
Early exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals can also increase your risk of developing PCOS.
This may have been something you were exposed to as a child, or even before you were born. Exposure to these chemicals can change your sensitivity to insulin or how your ovaries and hypothalamus communicate. Both of which increase your susceptibility to PCOS.
Modifying Risks Of PCOS
These sound like big things that are out of your control – things that might have happened before you were born. But you need to realise something important here. Just because you might have an increased risk of developing PCOS doesn’t mean that there is nothing you can do. You might be at risk, but you can still make changes.
You can modify your genetic expression and ovarian function. It takes work but through diet, lifestyle, and other natural treatments you can change things. Either reducing your risk or, if you have been diagnosed with PCOS, reducing your symptoms. The best way to find out is an appointment with one of Ballarat naturopaths.
