Struggling to Lose Belly Weight?

While many women dread perimenopause and menopause, many breathe a sigh of relief that their periods will finally be over.

If you suffer from PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), you might hope that it could signal the end of symptoms like acne, excess hair, weight gain and hair loss.

But unfortunately, this is often far from the truth.

In fact, suffering from PCOS can make it harder to identify when you have entered the perimenopausal phase of your life, worsen your symptoms and increase your risk of suffering from many serious and potentially life-threatening health problems.

Today I want to explain exactly what PCOS is and how this can affect your perimenopause and menopause experience. Then I’ll share with you the simple lifestyle and habit tweaks you can make to feel better, glow with health and regain your confidence.

What is PCOS?

PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) is a hormonal imbalance that happens when your ovaries produce abnormal amounts of male hormones called androgens.

The symptoms can include:

• Irregular periods or heavy menstrual bleeding
• Excess facial or body hair
• Acne and oily skin
• Thinning hair or hair loss from the head
• Excess weight (especially about the midsection) and difficulty losing weight
• Problems getting pregnant
• Small cysts on the ovaries
• Mood changes including anxiety and depression
• Sleep disturbances

Many women don’t realise that they have PCOS because they’ve never been diagnosed, because if their symptoms are not severe enough to see a doctor or they didn’t believe that there was a problem. I see this often in my perimenopause and menopause clinic…

What happens when a woman with PCOS hits perimenopause?

Coping with the symptoms of PCOS can be emotionally and physically challenging for women, especially as many of them affect our appearance, energy levels and ability to have children if we want them.

Then, when we approach perimenopause and menopause, it can feel like an extra blow.

The hormonal changes can make symptoms of PCOS even worse, causing heavier bleeding, extreme anxiety, sleep problems, weight gain and worse sugar cravings.

If you suffer from insulin-resistant PCOS (more on that later 👇🏾) it can also be harder than ever to manage your blood sugar levels.

If that wasn’t enough, women with PCOS have an increased risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol levels and even cancer.

Additionally, it can be hard to identify whether your symptoms are caused by perimenopause, a flare-up of your PCOS or a combination of both as many of them overlap.

What type of PCOS do YOU have?

The good news is that you can take steps to ease your symptoms of PCOS and menopause naturally, using some simple lifestyle changes.

Of course, they’re unlikely to resolve your hormonal problems completely.

But they can make a huge difference to your quality of life, energy levels, mental health, confidence, and sleep quality, and protect you from developing more serious health problems.

Before we look into ways of easing your symptoms of PCOS and perimenopause, we first need to understand which of the four types you have…

👉🏾 Insulin-resistant PCOS

The most common type of PCOS is caused by insulin resistance.

It happens when we have higher levels of this hormone in our bodies because our bodies aren’t reacting as they should to normal levels. This means your pancreas needs to produce more of the hormone so your body ‘gets the message’ and you can better control your blood sugar levels.

If you have this type of PCOS, you’re likely to suffer from sugar cravings, fatigue or brain fog, struggle with your weight (especially around the middle), excess hair, male pattern hair loss and acne.

👉🏾 Post-pill PCOS

As the name suggests, this type of PCOS can happen when women stop taking the pill and can last for around 3-6 months afterwards. You won’t have experienced any PCOS symptoms before you took the pill but have developed them as your natural hormones start to rebalance.

👉🏾 Adrenal PCOS

Some women suffer from PCOS because their bodies react abnormally to stress and cause levels of androgens to spike. This type of PCOS affects around 10% of those diagnosed.

👉🏾 Inflammatory PCOS

If you suffer from chronic inflammation, your ovaries could make excessive testosterone (one of the main androgens) and develop symptoms of PCOS including headaches, unexplained fatigue, skin issues, digestive issues and problems with ovulation.

What can you do to help yourself?

Hopefully, the above information has helped you to understand your body better and perhaps identify which type of PCOS you might have. If you suspect you have PCOS, I recommend that you visit your GP for further investigation or book in for a DUTCH test. 

There are also many things you can do to ease your symptoms that will also help your experience of perimenopause and menopause.

Here are the general tweaks you can make to your lifestyle, followed by more targeted info based on which type of PCOS you have.

⭐ General lifestyle tweaks ⭐ 

Do resistance training

This has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation and boost your metabolism.

Add Omega 3s to your diet

Omega 3 fatty acids are essential for overall health and well-being and have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation. Consider incorporating foods high in omega 3s such as wild-caught salmon, flaxseed and chia seeds into your diet.

Enjoy lots of herbs and spices

Certain herbs and spices have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and metabolic-boosting effects, making them an excellent choice for women with PCOS. This includes cinnamon, turmeric, ginger and fenugreek.

Eat a high protein, high fibre, low carb diet

Include plenty of lean meat, fish, eggs, pulses seeds and nuts and keep your carb intake as low as possible. Also include slow-resistant starches such as oats, cooked and cooled rice, beans, lentils, vegetables and cooked and cooled potatoes once or twice per day.

Avoid endocrine disruptors

Personal care products like shampoo and moisturisers, household cleaning products and plastic water bottles contain chemicals that can interfere with the natural balance of your hormones. Switch to xenoestrogen-free products instead.

Take care of your liver

Help your body eliminate excess hormones and keep your liver healthy by including parsley, coriander and whey protein in your diet.

Manage your stress

Whatever type of PCOS you suffer from, if you have levels of stress, you are likely to see your symptoms worsen. Consider adopting new stress management practices such as meditation, visualisation, yoga or walks in nature.

⭐ Specific tips for your type of PCOS ⭐

👉🏾 Insulin-resistant PCOS

• Consider getting your fasting insulin levels tested by your GP 
• Ask me to help you make sense of your daily blood sugar levels
• Keep moving your body throughout the day
• Minimise your sugar and white carb intake
• Prioritise sleep and reduce stress
• Consider supplementing with magnesium, chromium, NAC and berberine

👉🏾 Post pill PCOS

Be patient and give your body several weeks to recover.

• Prioritise self-care. Make sure you’re getting enough rest, managing your stress levels and eating a healthy diet and your symptoms should soon resolve.
• Consider supplementing with magnesium, vitamin E, vitamin B6 and zinc

👉🏾 Adrenal PCOS

• Manage stress by practising yoga, meditation, mindfulness and journaling to help to support your nervous system and your hormones.
• Get enough sleep - make sure you’re getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night
• Limit or avoid high-intensity exercise
• Avoid caffeine from coffee, tea and fizzy drinks
• Consider supplementing with magnesium, vitamin B5 and vitamin C

👉🏾 Inflammatory PCOS

• Focus on your gut health to help ease overall inflammation. 
• Avoid foods that your body could be sensitive to (work with a professional to identify any potential sensitivities and intolerances.
• Consider supplementing with turmeric, omega 3 and NAC

P.S. Want to learn more about optimising your gut health so you can look and feel at your best during menopause? Contact me to see how I can help you.