Introduction
Having irregular periods, stubborn weight, facial hair, fertility struggles, and persistent acne sounds like PCOS, and that is not for the weak. And on top of that, having a doctor trying to throw birth control and metformin in your face without explanation of the condition is low-key disrespectful... nah, actually it's very much high-key.
Those symptoms are not random—they are cues from your body telling you "I need some help in here," and your body dang sure isn't looking for another pill.
The PCOS Challenge
1 in 7 women of childbearing age are suffering from PCOS right now. What?
Yes! PCOS affects many women around the world. It's most common in women of African, Hispanic, and South Asian backgrounds. When you have PCOS, three main things happen: your periods become irregular, your body makes more male hormones than usual, and small cysts form on your ovaries.
All of this while mainstream treatments leave you feeling trapped in a cycle of medications and side effects, never truly addressing what's causing your PCOS in the first place—but from this day forward, we are going to do things differently. We are going to do it naturally.
But first, let me explain to you what causes PCOS in the first place.
Key Root Causes
Just like how you might inherit your eye color from your parents, you can also inherit a tendency to develop PCOS. Think of it like having a recipe book—some people have extra ingredients (genes) that make them more likely to develop the PCOS recipe.
In PCOS, several genes affect how your ovaries work, including:
CYP gene that controls how your ovaries make male hormones (androgens)
Insulin receptor gene which affects how your body processes insulin and regulates blood sugar
A change in the PAI-1 gene which is linked to higher risks of miscarriage and heart problems
You probably wouldn't know if you have these genes because your regular doctor isn't even checking. But these genetic differences explain why:
Your ovaries might make too many male hormones
Your body may have trouble using insulin
Some women have higher risks of certain complications like miscarriage and infertility
And these gene differences can trigger a cascade of other issues if you're not caring for yourself properly.
When you have PCOS, your body's hormone levels get out of balance. First, male hormones (androgens) increase, which affects your monthly cycle. Your female hormones (estrogen and progesterone) also become unbalanced. At the same time, your body starts having trouble processing sugar properly, a condition called insulin resistance.
When your body can't use sugar effectively, it produces more insulin to compensate. This extra insulin causes your ovaries to work overtime, leading to several problems:
More male hormones being produced
Small cysts forming on the ovaries
Problems with egg release during your cycle
Damage to ovary tissue
Inflammation in the ovaries
This chain reaction doesn't just affect your ovaries—it impacts your whole body. You might notice:
Weight gain that's hard to lose
Inflammation throughout your body
Higher levels of inflammatory substances in your blood
Risk of other health issues over time
BUT—big but. Just because you have these genes doesn't mean you have to suffer from them.
You can't change the genes you were born with, but you can control how they're expressed through your daily choices—with what you eat, what you do, and the nutritional info you pass to your body. Let's talk about it.
Major Contributing Factors
You've probably heard the saying "Your genes load the gun, but your lifestyle pulls the trigger." It's absolutely true. You can have genetic predispositions for 20-30 different conditions, but your lifestyle choices largely determine whether they manifest.
Whether or not you have PCOS-related genes, you'll want to focus on three specific things:
What you eat
How you move your body
How you rest
These are the key factors that help lower your risk of PCOS—and really, any condition, whether genetic or not. And here's how:
1. Eat Right
Everything you put into your body either promotes health or contributes to disease. Food is information for your cells—every single food and beverage item you consume gets transcribed into your DNA, tissues, and organs.
When you have PCOS, the goals are to:
Keep your hormones balanced
Prevent unwanted tissue growth
Keep your ovaries working properly
You can reach these goals by avoiding foods that stress your body:
What foods stress the body? I'm glad you asked:
Processed foods high in sugar and simple carbs make your blood sugar spike
Coffee and caffeine affect your fertility and reproductive health
Fried foods and unhealthy fats may increase heart problems and worsen PCOS symptoms.
2. Move More
Exercise should be intentional—at least 30 minutes every day of purposeful movement. This doesn't mean casual walking at work, mowing the lawn once a week, or occasional gardening. You need to be for real: get your heart rate up and your blood pumping. A 30-minute walk every day should suffice, and if you can talk while you walk, start running.
3. Stress Less
Our endocrine pathways and HPA axis are interconnected, which means stress directly affects our hormonal system. While exercise helps, it's important to manage stress through meditation, intentional stretching, and breathing exercises. These practices can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, lower cortisol levels, and improve overall life satisfaction and quality of life—all factors that can affect how PCOS shows up in our bodies.
And after you focus on those specific lifestyle changes, THEN you can start diving into a little natural support.
Herbal Support Protocol
When using herbs for PCOS, focus on herbs that help your body handle stress better, balance your hormones, improve cholesterol levels, control blood sugar, support liver function, and help reduce cysts.
Here are some specific herbs that may help:
Black Cohosh - Helps balance hormones by improving periods, supporting healthy pregnancy, and reducing inflammation
Cinnamon - Helps control blood sugar levels and makes insulin work better in your body
Licorice Root - Reduces male hormone levels, helps with stress, and decreases unwanted hair growth
Chaste Berry - Helps regulate periods and balances hormones
Fenugreek Seeds - Helps shrink ovarian cysts, makes periods more regular, and balances important reproductive hormones
Peony - Helps increase progesterone (a female hormone), decrease testosterone (a male hormone), and balance other important hormones like estrogen
How Will I Know It's Working?
When you start following this more intentional and natural way of healing, you'll begin to notice some positive changes in your body and how you feel. And if you do it right, you should see:
Your menstrual cycles will become more regular and predictable
Your energy levels will increase throughout the day
Your hormones will begin to balance, leading to clearer skin and reduced unwanted hair growth
Your mood will stabilize, leading to better emotional wellbeing
Your weight management will become more responsive to healthy habits
If you're trying to conceive, you may notice improved fertility signs
Remember, healing PCOS is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time for your body to respond to these natural approaches, but just be consistent and patient and you will see the changes.
Your body is a healing machine, you just need to learn how to set up your internal environment for peace, not war.
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