PCOS

https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos/how-pcos-treated

One strategy that may help some of you: Have a big breakfast. When a group of normal weight women with PCOS got a whopping half of their daily calories first thing in the morning, insulin levels dropped 8% and testosterone levels fell 50% in three months.13 And that’s not all. These women ovulated more frequently and had improved insulin sensitivity in comparison to another group of women in the study who more of their calories at dinner.13

Aim to fit in at least 30 minutes, five times a week – the basic recommendations from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.15

Getting three hours of exercise a week is enough to improve insulin sensitivity in women with PCOS, especially if you have been inactive up until now. Exercise can help you lose more weight, but more importantly, it can also help you lose the fat around your abdomen – that’s what contributes directly to insulin resistance, which fuels PCOS symptoms – even if you don’t lose any weight. That’s what happened in a 2017 small Monash University study.16 Women in this study added interval training (ie, short bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by regular or moderate intensity intervals) for part of their workout.16

Here are two strategies to consider but the best technique is the one that appeals most to you.
• Simple yoga poses ease tension, based a study of 90 teens with PCOS from SVYASA University in India that was published in the International Journal of Yoga.17
• Mindfulness-based stress reduction brings calm, lessening the sense of stress, and improves blood-sugar levels, according to a Penn State University study of 86 overweight and obese women. Although these women did not have PCOS, this simple technique – sit in a quiet, comfortable spot and follow your breath – could help you, too.18

Commonly prescribed medications include:
Commonly prescribed medications include:
• Combination birth control pills: Oral contraceptives (OCs) containing estrogen plus progestin help you manage PCOS symptoms by normalizing your menstrual cycle. By reducing levels of male hormones, OCs can help control excess hair growth and acne, too. You’ll usually shed the lining of your uterus every 28 days while taking an oral contraceptive, which also reduces your risk for endometrial cancer. Oral contraceptive pills are sometimes prescribed for women before they begin fertility treatment because these female hormones reduce the “male” androgen levels. But it’s important to know that they won’t help restore ovulation.19
• Insulin-sensitizing drugs. A particular medication, called metformin, is usually prescribed.20 Another medication, pioglitazone (Actos) may also be suggested for women with PCOS. These two medications are FDA-approved for diabetes treatment, but plenty of research shows they can be equally effective for women with PCOS, too. These insulin-sensitizing medications can help your body respond more readily to insulin, and better control your glucose levels. Both metformin and pioglitazone can reduce the insulin resistance and high insulin levels that commonly occur with PCOS, and in turn, can reduce high androgen levels.

• Combination birth control pills: Oral contraceptives (OCs) containing estrogen plus progestin help you manage PCOS symptoms by normalizing your menstrual cycle. By reducing levels of male hormones, OCs can help control excess hair growth and acne, too. You’ll usually shed the lining of your uterus every 28 days while taking an oral contraceptive, which also reduces your risk for endometrial cancer. Oral contraceptive pills are sometimes prescribed for women before they begin fertility treatment because these female hormones reduce the “male” androgen levels. But it’s important to know that they won’t help restore ovulation.19
• Insulin-sensitizing drugs. A particular medication, called metformin, is usually prescribed.20 Another medication, pioglitazone (Actos) may also be suggested for women with PCOS. These two medications are FDA-approved for diabetes treatment, but plenty of research shows they can be equally effective for women with PCOS, too. These insulin-sensitizing medications can help your body respond more readily to insulin, and better control your glucose levels. Both metformin and pioglitazone can reduce the insulin resistance and high insulin levels that commonly occur with PCOS, and in turn, can reduce high androgen levels.

The bonus: By reducing the high levels of androgens, these medications can also help take care of acne, excess hair growth, hair loss at the scalp, may promote easier weight loss, reduce high cholesterol levels, and may even reduce the risk for heart disease, too.