PCOS & Weight Loss

Why It’s So Hard to Lose Weight With PCOS

If you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and find it hard to lose weight, you are not alone. More than half of all people with PCOS are overweight. (1)

PCOS affects more than your ovaries. It causes high levels of androgen, a male hormone, which leads to embarrassing facial hair (or male-pattern baldness), acne, and a wacky flow.

Then there’s the weight gain. PCOS messes with your hormone balance and often causes insulin resistance, which means your body isn’t so great at regulating blood sugar and energy stores.

The good news is that lifestyle changes, like getting to a healthy weight, can help. Even losing 5 to 7 percent of your body weight can make a big difference in your insulin resistance, androgen issues, irregular periods, and fertility.

With functional medicine we focus on restoring balance and getting you healthy and that includes the hormone system. We can’t help you lose weight unless we get you healthy and we can’t get you healthy unless we restore balance to the hormone system. So in the process of helping you lose weight we are going to help resolve PCOS as well.

References:
  1. Sam S. Obesity and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Obes Manag. 2007;3(2):69–73. doi:10.1089/obe.2007.0019
  2. https://www.verywellhealth.com/pcos-and-weight-loss-why-it-is-so-hard-2616492#citation-1