PCOS and Adrenal Fatigue
One of the basic truths of Adrenal Fatigue is the fact that when stress is prolonged on your body, multiple systems in the body are impacted. Nowhere in the body is that more evident, then your sex hormone production. As a result, female (and male hormone) imbalances will develop. One very common stress-related relationship is that of PCOS and Adrenal Fatigue.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome typically presents with unwanted hair growth, male pattern baldness, and thinning hair. As well, irregular menstrual cycles, whether non-existent, inconsistent, too long, or irregular, acne on the face, chest, and back, anger, aggression, easily irritated
With traditional medicine, most doctors recommend basic advice like diet, exercise, and more than likely, a blood sugar medication to support lower blood sugar levels.
Failing to uncover and address the hidden, underlying causes of PCOS. As a result, hundreds of thousands of women continue to suffer.
The Relationship Between Stress, PCOS, and Adrenal Fatigue:
The impact of chronic stress exposure, on the adrenal glands, and ultimately contributing to PCOS, is seldom talked about.
Also, playing a major role leading to Polycystic Ovarian syndrome is that of genetic susceptibility. I’d be willing to bet (if I were a betting person), that your doctor has not connected these genetic and epigenetic dots to your polycystic ovarian syndrome nightmare.
That’s because, with the diagnosis of PCOS, you only need to have two of the following three criteria:
1. Confirmed androgen excess on labs and androgen excess symptoms,
2. Ovulatory dysfunction (absence, too long, too short, weird cycles, etc) and,
3. Multiple cysts on ovaries (PCOM) diagnosed via imaging.
Although insulin resistance, blood sugar issues, and obesity are all very common, known causes of the polycystic ovarian syndrome. But, the infinitely more common, unknown cause of PCOS is STRESS.
Massive, continuous, multi-dimensional, stress. Family life, job, finances, education, are probably the big three and are easily understood and identified by the sufferer. But also falling under the massive, continuous, multi-dimensional category of stress, is “environmental” stress.
Things like BPA’s in the plastics that we consume, act as estrogen disruptors. Genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) in the foods you eat every day. Like gluten (wheat), soy, corn, and other grains, are not only estrogen disruptors, but they are hidden sources of inflammation production, and therefore stress, in your body.
Adrenal Fatigue and PCOS: The Ignored Relationship:
One of the most common questions I get from women that are suffering from the classic symptoms of androgen excess (anger, aggression, hostility, irritability, hair thinning, excess hair growth, acne in unwanted places), menstrual irregularity, is:
Can Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Be Cured?
My response:
“Not If you aren’t focusing on identifying and correcting your adrenal stress mechanisms”
The role stress plays with PCOS is ignored, and flushes the baby down with the bath water.
Furthermore, because adrenal fatigue is not thought of as a legitimate diagnosis in western medicine, the consequences are analogous to flushing down the baby with the bathwater, especially as it relates to PCOS.
Meaning, although your provider may not believe in adrenal fatigue per se, by ignoring the physiological role the adrenal play in hormone production, they ultimately flush away any attempt for “curing” PCOS.
That’s because when you are under continuous high stress, the adrenals are constantly pumping out their hormones. Irregular periods ensues.
If you are looking for a functional medicine practitioner to troubleshoot your PCOS nightmare, and are not satisfied with your current approach, I do work with distant patients, click here for more information.
