What Everyone, (Even Men), Should Know About Women's Health: PCOS

PCOS: What It Is and Why It Matters

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome affects 5-15% of women of reproductive age—approximately 6 million diagnosed annually in the US. Despite how common it is, most women receive inadequate explanations about what's actually driving their symptoms.

Common manifestations include irregular or absent menstrual cycles, subfertility or infertility, male-pattern hair growth (hirsutism—not just facial hair, but thick growth on arms, chest, abdomen), difficulty losing weight despite caloric restriction, low libido, and persistent acne on face and torso.

PCOS also correlates with increased risk for Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, endometrial hyperplasia, and endometrial or ovarian cancers. If you're reading this list and recognizing your own patterns, you're not alone. And more importantly: PCOS isn't a genetic sentence you're stuck with.

The Problem with "It's Genetic"

The prevailing medical explanation for PCOS is genetic predisposition. This is lazy medicine. Genes don't cause disease—they respond to environmental inputs. As Dr. Bruce Lipton demonstrated in The Biology of Belief, genes are transcription machines. They make proteins when signaled to do so by the cellular environment.

You can remove a cell's nucleus (where genes live) and the cell continues functioning until it accumulates enough damage that it can't repair itself. Genes matter for reproduction and repair, but they're not dictators. They're responders.

Dr. Jeffrey Bland states it perfectly: "It's not what our genes do to us, but what we do to our genes—especially in the first 20 years of life." What you eat, how you move, how you manage stress, your sleep patterns, your exposure to endocrine disruptors—these inputs determine which genes express and which stay silent.

If you eat processed food, your genes express a processed-food phenotype. If you're sedentary, chronically stressed, and sleep-deprived, your genes express that reality. PCOS develops when your metabolic environment—driven by diet, movement, stress, and sleep—creates hormonal dysregulation your body can't compensate for.

PCOS Isn't One Thing

PCOS is a syndrome, not a single disease. Stefani Ruper's work at Paleo for Women breaks PCOS into three subcategories based on primary drivers:

• Type I: Insulin Resistant PCOS - Elevated insulin drives androgen production, disrupts ovulation, creates cystic ovaries
• Type II: Inflammatory/Stress-Driven PCOS - Chronic cortisol elevation and systemic inflammation disrupt the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis
• Type III: Hypothyroid PCOS - Low thyroid function (often subclinical) disrupts sex hormone metabolism and ovarian function

All three types share a common thread: metabolic dysfunction driven by poor nutrition, inadequate or excessive exercise, chronic stress, and disrupted circadian rhythm. Fix the inputs, and the hormonal cascade normalizes.

How PCOS Gets Diagnosed

The "gold standard" is ultrasound visualization of multiple ovarian cysts. But that's backward—by the time cysts develop, you've had hormonal dysfunction for months or years. Better diagnostic approach: comprehensive hormone and metabolic testing.

Essential labs for PCOS evaluation:

Key diagnostic patterns:

• Elevated total testosterone (>50 ng/dL)
• LH:FSH ratio greater than 2:1 (normal is approximately 1:1)
• Disrupted cortisol curve (flat, inverted, or elevated throughout the day)
• Poor insulin sensitivity (fasting insulin >10 μIU/mL, glucose intolerance, elevated HbA1c)

Combine abnormal lab patterns with clinical symptoms, and PCOS diagnosis becomes clear.

The Foundation: Nutrition

There is no pharmaceutical solution to PCOS that addresses root causes. Metformin manages blood sugar. Birth control suppresses symptoms. Neither fixes the metabolic dysfunction driving the syndrome.

What to eliminate:

Sugar and refined carbohydrates - Blood sugar spikes trigger insulin release. Chronic hyperinsulinemia drives androgen production in the ovaries and disrupts the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis. Sugar also dysregulates cortisol, creating a vicious cycle of poor sleep, increased cravings, and worsening insulin resistance.

Soy - Phytoestrogens in soy (genistein, daidzein) bind estrogen receptors and disrupt normal hormone signaling. Soy is also ubiquitous in processed food, which means eliminating soy requires eliminating packaged food. The clinical observation I use: soy disrupts sexual differentiation and hormone balance in both sexes.

Grains (especially wheat) - Grains spike blood sugar, require massive amounts of B6 and B3 for metabolism (both critical for hormone synthesis and stress response), and contain anti-nutrients that impair mineral absorption. Gluten also increases intestinal permeability, triggering systemic inflammation that worsens insulin resistance.

What to prioritize:

Wild-caught fish and seafood - High in iodine (critical for thyroid and ovarian function), omega-3 fatty acids (anti-inflammatory, improve insulin sensitivity), and fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K—all essential for hormone production).

Quality protein and fat - The low-fat diet dogma is one of the primary drivers of PCOS. Healthy fats—coconut oil, olive oil, grass-fed butter, fatty fish, avocados, grass-fed beef—stabilize blood sugar, provide substrates for hormone synthesis, and deliver natural anti-inflammatory compounds. Protein provides amino acids for neurotransmitter production and tissue repair.

Vegetables - Non-starchy vegetables provide fiber (slows glucose absorption, feeds beneficial gut bacteria), micronutrients (cofactors for enzymatic reactions), and phytonutrients (antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds). If it grew from the ground and it's not corn, wheat, or processed into a product, it's likely beneficial.

For detailed nutritional guidance on anti-inflammatory eating and blood sugar management, see: Fuel Your Body: Nutrition Primer.

Movement Matters

Exercise affects PCOS through multiple mechanisms: improves insulin sensitivity, reduces systemic inflammation, supports healthy cortisol patterns, and increases muscle mass (which improves metabolic rate). But the type and intensity of exercise matter.

Chronic high-intensity exercise without adequate recovery worsens cortisol dysregulation and can suppress ovarian function. Sedentary lifestyle creates insulin resistance and metabolic stagnation. The balance: regular movement, strength training 2-3x per week, walking daily, and avoiding chronic cardio without recovery.

See: Move With Purpose: Movement Primer for specific guidance.

Stress, Sleep, and the HPA Axis

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis are intimately connected. Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which suppresses GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone) production in the hypothalamus. This disrupts LH and FSH release from the pituitary, which disrupts ovarian function.

Sleep deprivation worsens insulin resistance, increases cortisol, and disrupts leptin and ghrelin (hunger hormones). Seven to nine hours of quality sleep in a dark room with consistent timing is non-negotiable for PCOS recovery.

For nervous system regulation strategies, see: Regulate Your System: Lifestyle Primer.

How Applied Kinesiology Helps

Your nervous system controls every cell in your body, including ovarian cells. Biomechanical dysfunction in the pelvis and lumbar spine can affect nerve facilitation to the ovaries, potentially influencing cyst formation and hormonal signaling.

Applied Kinesiology muscle testing allows us to:

• Identify nutritional deficiencies affecting hormone metabolism
• Test specific food sensitivities contributing to inflammation
• Assess structural imbalances affecting pelvic nerve function
• Determine which supplements will actually help (rather than guessing)

Chiropractic care restores proper biomechanics. Applied Kinesiology identifies the specific nutritional and structural factors maintaining your PCOS pattern. Combined, they create a targeted approach that addresses root causes instead of suppressing symptoms.

PCOS Evaluation

If you're in Frisco, Texas or the surrounding North Dallas area and dealing with PCOS symptoms that conventional medicine is only managing with birth control and metformin, a comprehensive Applied Kinesiology evaluation can identify the metabolic, structural, and nutritional factors driving your hormone imbalance.

Call or text: (972) 989-4683
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