Lara Briden - The Period Revolutionary
Leading the change to better periods
PCOS is defined as a set of symptoms including androgen excess and anovulatory cycles. In simplest terms, PCOS is the condition of androgen excess when all other causes of androgen excess have been ruled out. It’s an umbrella diagnosis which can be caused by different underlying drivers or functional types. The four functional types of PCOS are insulin-resistant PCOS, post-pill PCOS, inflammatory PCOS, and adrenal PCOS.
Estrogen deficiency causes fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, depression, and insomnia. It also causes dry skin, recurrent bladder infections, and vaginal dryness.
Vaginal dryness is one of the most characteristic signs of estrogen deficiency and a good indicator that you do have deficiency.
PCOS cannot be diagnosed by ultrasound because polycystic ovaries are not cysts. They’re follicles or eggs which are normal for the ovary.
It’s normal for all women to sometimes have a higher number of follicles. It’s normal for young women to always have a higher number of follicles because young women have more eggs. That’s why the new international PCOS guidelines state that “ultrasound is now not recommended in diagnosis in those within 8 years of the start of periods.”
Phytoestrogens are a special group of phytonutrients that occur naturally in most plant foods. The two major classes are isoflavones in soy, and lignans in seeds, whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.
They’re called phytoestrogens because they interact with estrogen receptors but they’re not estrogen. In fact, they bind so weakly to estrogen receptors that they effectively block estradiol and are therefore better classified as ANTI-estrogen.
Struggling with hormonal weight gain around your middle? It’s a common problem with PCOS and menopause but it’s not caused by estrogen.
In women, estrogen is beneficial for weight loss. The abdominal weight gain of PCOS and menopause is more likely to be caused by insulin and testosterone.
Let’s take a closer look.
Read moreHelp for the Hormonal Weight Gain of PCOS and Menopause