As I mentioned in the previous post, I’ve been plugging away this blog since 2012. It’s hard to believe it’s been seven years, but even harder to believe that in all that time, I’ve completely neglected the topic of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). I’ve written a ton about insulin, glucagon, thyroid hormones, digestion, cancer, and more, but not one word about PCOS, except for a brief mention in this post. This is a glaring omission, because PCOS is a huge issue for reproductive aged women these days, and, no surprise if I’m writing about it here, it’s intimately tied to chronic hyperinsulinemia and metabolic dysregulation.
A while back I wrote about the effect of elevated insulin on men’s
hormones, explaining the concept of a “male equivalent to PCOS,” and I didn’t realize that I hadn’t even yet
written about actual PCOS. I don’t know how such a huge gap has existed on
my blog for so long, but this is being corrected right now. Whew!
I’ve seen online in various places women saying that they’re at
increased risk for type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome because they have
PCOS. It’s actually the other way around: chronically high insulin (basically
metabolic syndrome, whether you know you have it or not) is the main driver of
PCOS. The reason so few women who have PCOS are aware of this is … surprise,
surprise … most doctors are clueless about insulin’s many functions unrelated
to blood sugar and they never bother measuring insulin levels.
Women with PCOS are often given unhelpful and condescending advice. There is a lot of "blame the victim" that goes on with this condition. I sincerely hope this post does not come off that way. That is the very last thing I intend. I have only one goal here: to provide information. Information that can be empowering to women who have PCOS. If you are living with this condition and you feel disappointed by the help you've gotten from healthcare professionals so far, please know that you can take control. You have more power than you might realize. I hope what follows here is helpful.
This is a long post (some of you are rejoicing now and others are groaning), so grab yourself a beverage of choice, a bag of pork rinds or some string cheese, and happy reading!
This is a long post (some of you are rejoicing now and others are groaning), so grab yourself a beverage of choice, a bag of pork rinds or some string cheese, and happy reading!