Polycystic Ovaries Epidemic

PCOS is the most common hormonal female ailment on earth. This condition is called polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS.  This even affects teenagers, so it is not an elderly illness. Officially, 8% of American women are known to suffer from this. 1 in 13 females over 12 are known to have multiple benign cysts on their ovaries. The actual figure is much higher. The probable rate for other countries runs about 5% (Japan) to almost 20% (Denmark). One third of women have at least one or more classic symptoms. Men, please read this article, as you have a woman in your life you love whether it is your mother, wife, sister, or daughter. This is very underdiagnosed by the medical profession Here, eggs stay on the surface of the ovary and form multiple, small (under ¼ inch) cysts, rather than be released. The three basic reasons for this are insulin resistance,  high testosterone levels, and obesity (70% of women with PCOS are overweight).

 It is important that all adult women get a inexpensive, non-invasive, safe, and very effective sonogram (sound waves), or even a color Doppler sonogram. Never get any form of x-ray. MRIs are very expensive. Also, any female with regular menstrual disorders should do this. There is a strong genetic factor here, but most women who have PCOS have no idea they do. The fact that this is often asymptomatic is disconcerting. You cannot depend on seeing outward symptoms here. This is why a sonogram or Doppler is called for. Take the photo home with you and keep it; you paid for it.

You should also test your insulin, HbA1c, blood sugar, and get a glucose tolerance test. All four give you a complete profile of your blood sugar/insulin axis. You should also test your cholesterol, triglycerides, CRP, homocysteine, and uric acid as well. These are all inexpensive, and they are vital diagnostics you want to know.

Your insulin should be under 5. Your GTT (glucose tolerance test)  should be 20 points less than the medical recommendation. The GTT is really the gold standard here. A GTT tells you how well your body cells react to a measured oral dose of glucose. Your actual blood sugar must be 85 mg/dl or less. An HbA1c test should show 4.7 or less, not the accepted 5.6 medical level. Insulin resistance is the major diagnostic factor. Like diabetes, any form of dietary sugar is the major cause of this. This includes honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, raw sugar, agave syrup, fruit juice, dried fruit, and sugar substitutes like stevia and sucralose. Take the concept of “desserts” out of your life. Please read the article Sugar is Sugar in our library. Limit yourself to one piece of fresh fruit a day if you want. Read the article Fruit has Almost No Nutrition. You can also read my book The Natural Diabetes Cure, as it also covers insulin resistance.

What are some of the symptoms when they do appear? Obesity, high insulin, high testosterone (and androstenedione), hirstutism (excess facial and body hair), acne, any menstrual disorder, oily skin, high triglycerides, HDL/LDL imbalance (but not necessarily total cholesterol), infertility, low progesterone, anovulation, low blood magnesium, high body fat, hypertension, depression, high homocysteine, high CRP, infertility, weight gain, and miscarriage. High LH and prolactin are also symptoms, but they can only be lowered with diet and lifestyle. PCOS is the most common cause of menstrual irregularities, and most women suffer from one kind or another. Remember, you may have no outward symptoms at all. This is the main reason it is so underdiagnosed and underreported.

The real cure, as always, is diet and lifestyle. A whole grain based macrobiotic diet is the central cure for all disease. (Proceedings of the Nutrition Society v 69, 2010). That means no saturated fat from meat, poultry, eggs or dairy foods.You do NOT treat this with laproscopy, laser surgery, ovarectomy,  HCG (human chorionic hormone), clomiphene, metformin, prescription drugs, or any other symptomatic ways. You treat this naturally with diet and lifestyle. Cure the CAUSE of the problem, rather than the symptoms. Read my books Macrobiotics for Everyone and Natural Health for Women. Then print out the Seven Steps article and tape it to your fridge. Do all seven.

A high testosterone level is the second major cause of PCOS. DHEA, pregnenolone, and melatonin are not different in PCOS. You lower excessive hormones with diet and lifestyle, not dangerous, toxic prescription drugs. You can easily test both your testosterone and DHEA with a ZRT saliva hormone test kit for $75. You must test your free testosterone, not bound or total. Read my book Testosterone is Your Friend and the article Testosterone for Women.

Since PCOS affects women of all ages, different supplement should be used according to how old you are. Women under 40 just need the Supplements for Younger People. Read the article under the same name. They should add  600 mg NAC, an extra 400 IU vitamin D, 500 mg of ALC. Also, two caps of berberine and two tablets of inositol for six months. Minerals are vital here. Studies show mineral deficiency is a major factor. Altered Mineral Milieu in Pathogenesis of PCOS was published in Biological Trace Element Research (v 152, 2013) Take All Your Minerals® with 17 elements. Flax oil is also vital. "Efficacy of Omega-3 in the Treatment of PCOS" was published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (v 33, 2013). Women over 40 should take Supplements for Over 40. Read the article Serious Supplement Program. Vitamin D is the most important supplement to take. Read the article Vitamin D is Vital. Do not take more than 1,200 IU total, and do not take any extra (other than your vitamin supplement) if you are in the sun regularly. The European Journal of Endocrinology (v 161, 2009) published "Association of Hypovitaminosis D in PCOS" which demonstrated the dramatic effect of low vitamin D levels.

Usually women under 40 do not need to be very concerned about their hormone levels other than using progesterone cream. With PCOS all women must balance their hormones. Read the Balance Your Hormones article. Test estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), estriol (E3), testosterone, DHEA, T3 and T4. Women over 40 should take melatonin and pregnenolone, and use progesterone cream. You don’t need to test progesterone; just use it. Progesterone Deficiency in PCOS  showed this (European Journal of Endocrinology v 135, 1996). High E1 and E2 are epidemic in western women. Almost all overweight women are shown to be low in E3. Read the two estriol articles under E in our library.

Thyroid problems are all too common here. An article Subclinical Hypothyroid in PCOS (Fertility & Sterility v 99, 2013) is a good. Thyroiditis (inflammation) is especially common. Read the article Thyroid Health. Obesity is the third major factor here. One half of American women are now overweight. You must lose weight! 60% of PCOS patients are not merely overweight, but outright obese. A study published in Best Practice Gynecology (v 29, 2015) was titled Polycystic Ovaries and Obesity is one of many articles demonstrating this. Make better food choices and you can eat all you want, never be hungry, and be slim all your life. Overweight women have far higher rates of PCOS. Americans eat twice the calories they need, twice the protein they need, eight times the fat they need, 160 pounds of various sugars we don’t need at all, and we rarely exercise. This is the cause of obesity. Just make better food choices to be slim. Read my book Macrobiotics for Everyone. Fat makes you fat, not food per se. Stop eating meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy foods.

Women with PCOS are at far higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CHD), diabetes, sexual dysfunction, uterine dysfunction (including cancer), acne, psychological and emotional problems, menstrual problems, alopecia, sterility, emotional problems, psychiatric issues, diabetes, hypertension, and various other diseases. CHD is by far the biggest cause of death in both men and women worldwide.

Again, the three big factors here are obesity, blood sugar and insulin dysfunction, and high testosterone. Print out the article Seven Steps to Natural Health and tape it to your refrigerator until you are doing all seven steps.  Diet and lifestyle is always the real the cure for illness. You should be able to cure this in only six months. Definitey get a safe, inexpensive, non-invasive sonogram or color Doppler sonogram. Read my book Natural Health for Women.