Is PCOS to Blame For My Acne and Excess Body Hair?
Twice a month, Yahoo Health’s Hormone Whisperer Alisa Vitti, HHC, is answering the most common questions about hormones and how they relate to weight, sex, acne, bad moods, low energy, and everything in between. Read her introductory column to learn more about Alisa’s approach to stopping hormonal chaos and getting into hormonal flow.
THE QUESTION: For several years, I’ve been dealing with a bunch of issues and I can’t tell if they’re connected. I have everything from adult acne to excessive body hair and I can’t seem to get rid of these embarrassing problems. I’ve heard of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but I’m not sure if that’s what I have — how can I tell if PCOS is to blame?
ALISA’S ANSWER: As anyone who’s ever read my book, heard me speak, or signed up for my program knows, this is an issue that’s particularly close to my heart. When I was 20, I was diagnosed with PCOS and my whole world changed. I’d been suffering for several years, just like you, and by the time I diagnosed myself with PCOS (doctor after doctor failed to pinpoint the cause of my symptoms), I weighed 200 pounds, was covered in cystic acne, and was deeply depressed — not to mention my period had all but abandoned me, showing up only about three times a year.
To make a long story short, when I found out PCOS is considered incurable by Western medicine and the only “solution” is artificial hormones in the shape of oral contraceptives to mask the symptoms, I opted out of the traditional medical model and paved my own path. I studied herbology, naturopathy, homeopathy, acupressure, elimination diets, and more, and found that the only thing that worked was completely re-tooling my diet. When I found the right combination of medicinal foods to heal hormonal imbalances, I saw tremendous positive changes in my health, lost 60 pounds, cleared my skin, lifted my depression, and finally resumed having regular menstrual periods.
The moral of my personal story is that it took many frustrating years to nail down my PCOS diagnosis and even longer to figure out how to heal it. The good news is, I’ve been able to use my experience to spare other women in your position the pain and suffering I endured when trying to sort out my symptoms and regain my health.
The FLO Science: What is PCOS?
PCOS closely mimics perimenopause, but it affects women during puberty. Women with PCOS produce more male hormones, called androgens, than they should. This can affect ovulation and throw off the normal levels of insulin and cortisol — two majorly important hormones related to stress, weight, and much more. Women with PCOS also generally suffer from low progesterone levels — which inhibits both ovulation and menstruation — along with sky-high follicle-stimulating hormones (FSH). Additionally, many women (but not all) develop tiny cysts on their ovaries.
There’s a big spectrum of symptoms associated with PCOS. While some women with the condition who are not ovulating or menstruating can look perfectly normal on the outside, others experience the androgenic effects of the condition and develop insulin sensitivity, leading to issues like hair loss, acne, and lots of stubborn weight gain (especially around the middle).
This is the part that throws people (including doctors): Because PCOS is a “syndrome” and not a “disorder,” it isn’t a black-and-white issue, and the spectrum of symptoms can vary in intensity and presentation depending on the person. This can make diagnosis tricky, but there are tools you can use to determine your condition and how to address it.
The FLO Fix: Determining and Treating Your Type of PCOS
If you are experiencing two or more of the symptoms above, make an appointment with your doctor to run basic blood work looking at your hormonal levels. Even if you don’t fit the Western medicine textbook definition of PCOS, you may still be suffering from the condition.
In general there are two extremes types of PCOS: The classic kind that presents as obesity, hirsutism, amenorrhea, acne, and ovarian cysts, and the “thin” kind that includes amenorrhea and ovarian cysts, but excludes weight and skin issues.
While the thin type of PCOS has better efficiency of insulin and glucose in the cells (the reason there’s no extreme weight gain), there is still a miscommunication happening between the pituitary and the ovaries that blocks or delays ovulation. The classic type usually has little or no ability to get glucose into the cells and can lead to insulin resistance. Since the act of ovulation is very sensitive to insulin levels and glucose levels, this can pose a problem for menstruation and fertility.
The good news is, the treatment is simple and it’s the same no matter which case of PCOS you suspect you may have. In both cases, you need to eat to support proper endocrine functioning, including blood sugar stability, adrenal performance, and estrogen metabolism. It’s vital to improve your exposure to the right micronutrients that create hormones, stabilize them, and keep them moving in the blood stream.
Here are some specific steps you can take depending on your type of PCOS:
Classic PCOS:
Sprinkle cinnamon on just about everything. The spice is a proven insulin and glucose stabilizer and will help keep your blood sugar levels from spiking and crashing.
Try walking for five minutes after every meal. Gentle movement helps mobilize the glucose from your meal and get it into the cells more efficiently. Including short bouts of movement throughout your day and after eating can even be more effective than one marathon exercise session.
Thin PCOS:
Cut out extreme workouts. Excessive cardio puts additional strain on the adrenal glands and creates a stress response in the entire body, which is counterintuitive for ovulation and restoring your pituitary gland’s proper function. Try more gentle forms of movement like yoga to help balance your hormones and stress levels.
Try syncing your sleep to the moon cycles. Sleep in complete dark all month except for the three days before, during, and after the full moon—this is when you should let the light in to simulate moonlight. Eating in sync with the cycle phases is another great strategy for re-setting your hormones, particularly if you’re not menstruating regularly.
If you’ve been dealing with your symptoms for awhile and have tried everything — from diets to supplements to detoxes — to no avail, tune in to my free webinar, “Put an End to your PCOS Symptoms,” on Nov. 5 at 12 pm ET. I’ll be sharing my top secrets to putting PCOS in your past, including re-establishing monthly ovulation, dealing with acne and hair issues, and getting to a stable weight. Click here to register.
Good things come in threes: I want to hear from you in the comments!
First, tell me your PCOS story!
Second, what are your top health questions for me, your trusty Hormone Whisperer? Your question could be featured in my column!
Third, everyone you know is hormonal: Spread a little good ovary karma and share this article with your friends on social media, and be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Need more Hormone Support? If you’re ready to get to the root of your issues, it’s time you started dealing with your hormones. Get out of symptom chaos so you can get back into hormonal FLO. Sign up here for a free download of my 4-Day Hormone Detox from my book WomanCode.
ABOUT ALISA: Alisa Vitti, HHC, is an integrative nutritionist, best-selling author of WomanCode, creator of the WomanCode System, and the founder of FLOLiving.com, a virtual health center that supports women’s hormonal and reproductive health. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Alisa has been featured on The Dr. Oz Show, has a web series on Lifetime, and has been a regular contributor for CBS, Fox, Shape, Women’s Health, MindBodyGreen, and the Huffington Post. She’s also presented at TEDx, Talks@Google, Summit Series Outside, Hay House, WIE Symposium, and SHE Summit.