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Of the estimated 5 million American women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), between 40 and 80 percent find weight management a challenge. What gives? Well, as you know, PCOS is a hormonal disorder—and hormones affect many systems in your body, including those that help regulate body weight.
Of the estimated 5 million American women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), between 40 and 80 percent find weight management a challenge. What gives? Well, as you know, PCOS is a hormonal disorder—and hormones affect many systems in your body, including those that help regulate body weight. Let’s take a look at how this could impact your personal weight care journey.
Insulin is a hormone that’s made in the pancreas. When you eat or drink, insulin is released to help manage blood sugar levels—directing it to be used for energy or stored as fat.
People who are insulin resistant typically don’t respond to it properly. That means the hormone is less effective, and their body has to release more of it for it to do its job. This may cause problems with blood sugar regulation, which can worsen over time and lead to type 2 diabetes. High insulin levels also promote body fat storage and weight gain.
Women who have PCOS are at a higher risk for insulin resistance. Being overweight or obese is associated with insulin resistance, as well. So women with both may be at an even greater risk, resulting in a feedback loop that can make weight care and overall wellness more difficult to manage.
Androgens are a group of hormones that include testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Women with PCOS tend to have higher levels of these hormones, which actually contribute to some of the symptoms related to the condition. Androgens have also been linked to weight gain—particularly in the belly.
Sure, sleep is crucial to your overall health and well-being. But it has specific ties to metabolism, too. Because women with PCOS appear to be more prone to sleep disturbances, they’re more likely to experience the weight care challenges that result from inadequate rest. How does PCOS affect your Zzzs? Hormonal imbalances may play a role here, altering levels of cortisol and melatonin in the body that are known to impact sleep. Having PCOS also makes you over nine times more likely than other women to have sleep apnea—a condition that leads to breathing irregularities at night.
Plus there’s the fact that poor sleep in general can mess with hormones—like leptin and ghrelin, that help regulate appetite—further complicating weight care.
Finally, women with PCOS have been found to experience higher rates of anxiety and depression than those without the condition. There are a variety of reasons, but it’s clear that mental health struggles can impact sleep, quality of life, and the ability to consistently make lifestyle choices that can affect weight care.
The odds may be stacked against you when it comes to weight and weight loss, but impossible? No way! Start by talking to your healthcare provider to make sure you know precisely how PCOS is affecting you. And consider these lifestyle pointers.
Reducing insulin resistance is often recommended as a starting point for managing PCOS symptoms and weight. So focus on healthy, fiber-rich foods and try to keep hyper processed ones (which can spike blood sugar) to a minimum. While there’s some data that suggests lower carbohydrate diets may be more effective for those with PCOS, making nutritious food choices and maintaining a regular eating pattern are what matter most.
Being sedentary has been linked to many conditions, including PCOS, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and depression. So let’s move! Aim to fit in 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week—and do some sort of strength-building exercise at least twice a week. And make it a type of movement that you enjoy. That’s 1,000 percent key to sticking with it.
This one can be more of a challenge given the ways that PCOS can impact how well you sleep, but it also makes it that much more important. Here are some pointers:
What this looks like is totally unique to you. Maybe it’s seeing friends, taking a hot bath or going to an endorphin-boosting yoga class. Maybe it’s therapy. Either way, it’s important to prioritize your emotional well–being!
There’s no question that biology affects body weight for women with PCOS. At Found, we focus on your unique physiology and needs to help you during your unique health journey.
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