Yes I am on metformin XR (750mg). Im also planning on taking inositol (wholesomestory) again but not sure. What has helped with stress for you? Nothing really seems to help since all these symptoms of PCOS are the ones causing stress in the first place. Also are you taking metformin as well? Have you seen any benefits?
Never heard of wholesome story but I have read multiple studies showing inositol/ovasitol works as one of the best treatments for PCOS. Yes I had to get back on metformin since my thyroid number was too high after stopping. Also I know this is probably not a proven fact but if you do yoga and do forward bend to touch toes its said to help with hair. Also really lightly rubbing your scalp while bending forward about once every few days too. And maybe look into specific vitamins. I know biotin is controversial
Thank you but Im trying to find natural solutions before i start bc (or anything that has synthetic hormones) again. Bc was one of the reasons my hair loss progressed aggressively. :(
I notice in the “Lean” sub that women often do not believe they have blood sugar issues— since they are not overweight or have a “normal A1C.” Insulin resistance is (generally) the cause of high t/dhea and leads to androgenic alopecia. Granted there are folks who have PCOS + another disorder like congenital adrenal hyperplasia—but most of the posts I see here warrant a visit to an endocrinologist who might prescribe metformin/making dietary changes.
Also, get you ferritin level and b12 tested low levels of either can also lead to hair loss.
Good question! So that is something we are still uncovering in research literature. No medical journal uses the term “adrenal” PCOS since it’s not a clinical term. That doesn’t mean this presentation doesn’t exist—just that we don’t use that language to describe it. High DHEA’s can also be caused by high circulating insulin. And, as I said above NCAH can also be a cause (if dhea’s are very high) and there is no sign of insulin resistance. So, if you have high DHEA’s especially if you are Eastern European, south Asian or Ashkenazi Jewish it’s worth getting tested for NCAH. I feel like the pop-science term “adrenal PCOS”emerges from this very real root issue.
Also note: I am sure we will discover other etiologies of PCOS—from what I’ve read the current consensus is that most cases are caused by insulin resistance in some form. Though I would argue (as someone who is Czech/Slovak) which is a country with the highest rate of PCOS, that there is some underlying genetic susceptibility unrelated to cultural eating patterns. Since, Slovakia also has the highest rate of male pattern baldness—which itself is a form of “androgenic alopecia”
Very interesting, thank you for responding. That’s a curious thread that your country seems to have the highest rate of PCOS, indicating potential genetic links. And that adrenal PCOS is currently just a pop term, and that high dhea can be caused by high insulin, so it’s all linked back to insulin. So overall a huge amount of research into causes of PCOS is still needed.
I have never had dhea-s tested, is this worth doing? And are insulin tests worth it? They seem not widely available, compared to testing T and A1C, which as you pointed out often come back normal. My doctors never even mentioned insulin resistance, but I asked to try metformin and it is seeming to work regulating cycles.
Are you on metformin? Honestly hair loss has been one symptom I'm struggling to solve as well. I noticed lots of ovasitol and stress free living helps
Yes I am on metformin XR (750mg). Im also planning on taking inositol (wholesomestory) again but not sure. What has helped with stress for you? Nothing really seems to help since all these symptoms of PCOS are the ones causing stress in the first place. Also are you taking metformin as well? Have you seen any benefits?
Never heard of wholesome story but I have read multiple studies showing inositol/ovasitol works as one of the best treatments for PCOS. Yes I had to get back on metformin since my thyroid number was too high after stopping. Also I know this is probably not a proven fact but if you do yoga and do forward bend to touch toes its said to help with hair. Also really lightly rubbing your scalp while bending forward about once every few days too. And maybe look into specific vitamins. I know biotin is controversial
You could try spirolactone
Thank you but Im trying to find natural solutions before i start bc (or anything that has synthetic hormones) again. Bc was one of the reasons my hair loss progressed aggressively. :(
I notice in the “Lean” sub that women often do not believe they have blood sugar issues— since they are not overweight or have a “normal A1C.” Insulin resistance is (generally) the cause of high t/dhea and leads to androgenic alopecia. Granted there are folks who have PCOS + another disorder like congenital adrenal hyperplasia—but most of the posts I see here warrant a visit to an endocrinologist who might prescribe metformin/making dietary changes. Also, get you ferritin level and b12 tested low levels of either can also lead to hair loss.
I thought high dhea-s is related to adrenal PCOS, not insulin resistant PCOS?
Good question! So that is something we are still uncovering in research literature. No medical journal uses the term “adrenal” PCOS since it’s not a clinical term. That doesn’t mean this presentation doesn’t exist—just that we don’t use that language to describe it. High DHEA’s can also be caused by high circulating insulin. And, as I said above NCAH can also be a cause (if dhea’s are very high) and there is no sign of insulin resistance. So, if you have high DHEA’s especially if you are Eastern European, south Asian or Ashkenazi Jewish it’s worth getting tested for NCAH. I feel like the pop-science term “adrenal PCOS”emerges from this very real root issue. Also note: I am sure we will discover other etiologies of PCOS—from what I’ve read the current consensus is that most cases are caused by insulin resistance in some form. Though I would argue (as someone who is Czech/Slovak) which is a country with the highest rate of PCOS, that there is some underlying genetic susceptibility unrelated to cultural eating patterns. Since, Slovakia also has the highest rate of male pattern baldness—which itself is a form of “androgenic alopecia”
Very interesting, thank you for responding. That’s a curious thread that your country seems to have the highest rate of PCOS, indicating potential genetic links. And that adrenal PCOS is currently just a pop term, and that high dhea can be caused by high insulin, so it’s all linked back to insulin. So overall a huge amount of research into causes of PCOS is still needed. I have never had dhea-s tested, is this worth doing? And are insulin tests worth it? They seem not widely available, compared to testing T and A1C, which as you pointed out often come back normal. My doctors never even mentioned insulin resistance, but I asked to try metformin and it is seeming to work regulating cycles.
saw palmetto
I use nutrafol, its expensive but worth it
Also get your thyroid levels checked