One of my acupuncture patients shared some good news with me last week. For the first time in several years her menstrual period had begun without being induced with drugs. This represents a very positive sign for her improvement.

She also told me that her doctor had reduced the amount of medication being taken for insulin resistance for the first time in nine years.

Since the patient is a young female in child-bearing age and is hopeful to become pregnant, both improvements are welcome changes in her condition.

She attributes the positive changes to the fact that she is receiving acupuncture and is participating in a clinically-guided diet and nutrition program at our office. She reports that the acupuncture and dietary modifications are the only things that have changed in her life since she began care. This is the first time her condition has actually shown clinical improvement since her diagnosis years ago.

She has a history of polycystic ovary syndrome, otherwise known as PCOS. Since about 5-10% of women have the condition, you almost certainly know women that have it. (Please share this article with them.)

To say the condition is a complicated one is an understatement

PCOS is a multifaceted condition that often results in the ovaries developing multiple small cysts, but this is only a small part of the overall complex of symptoms. In fact, many women with PCOS never develop cysts at all, and there can be other reasons for ovaries to develop cysts.

Women with PCOS may be undiagnosed for a number of years. If a female has irregularities with her menstrual periods at the onset of puberty, PCOS may be suspected. Or a woman may be well into her 30’s or later before she is diagnosed.

Frequent symptoms of PCOS include absence or irregularity of menstrual periods, excessive body hair growth, acne, obesity and easy weight gain, insulin resistance, elevated cholesterol and blood pressure, elevated homocysteine, and of course, the presence of multiple small ovarian cysts. Over time, PCOS may result in pigmentation changes of the skin.

With exception of the absence or irregularity of menstrual periods, all of the other symptoms may or may not be present.

Fertility is often a problem for women with PCOS. Fertility problems are closely associated with the same aspects of the condition that are responsible for the irregular menses.

Women with PCOS are more prone to have trouble fighting obesity and are more likely to develop metabolic syndrome. About 60% of women diagnosed with PCOS are also obese according to medical definitions.

Another big issue for women with PCOS is the increased risk of insulin resistance and diabetes. This is particularly true if there is already a family history of diabetes.

PCOS patients face a number of increased health risks including vascular disease and strokes. Certain blood tests can identify specific markers that indicate an elevated risk of vascular disease and strokes. Although not often routinely ordered, these blood tests measure levels of the amino acid homocysteine and a substance called C-reactive protein in the blood. These two factors are closely associated with the widespread inflammatory reaction that is believed to be the cause of vascular damage that can lead to heart attacks and stroke.

One of the reasons that has been proposed for the fact that these two important tests are not ordered as routine blood tests is that there are no drugs on the market to treat them. However, both C-reactive protein and homocysteine levels can be controlled successfully through very specific dietary changes.

One of the most important changes a woman can make to improve her symptoms can be modification of her diet. The foods she chooses to eat can make a remarkable difference in how her body handles PCOS.

PCOS is thought to be a result of both hereditary factors as well as environmental and behavioral factors. One of the most significant factors affecting the symptoms is the selection of food choices based on glycemic index.

In addition to providing acupuncture, we recommend that women with PCOS adhere to a clinically supervised dietary program to improve symptoms as well as reduce the damaging effects of PCOS.