How to stay healthy and live longer with PCOS
More than one out of ten women has polycystic ovary syndrome. There is no cure. The hormonal imbalance can cause unpleasant symptoms including hair loss and weight gain. It affects ovulation and fertility. Millions don’t realize they have the condition. Yet many who have received a PCOS diagnosis are not only managing the condition but thriving. So, what’s the best way to live a long and healthy life despite PCOS?
What Are Common Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Symptoms?
Polycystic ovary syndrome symptoms are the result of a hormonal imbalance. Normally, when a woman is of child-bearing age she releases an egg from her ovaries once a month. If she has PCOS, her hormones are insufficient to cause ovulation. Instead of releasing the egg, the immature, unfertilized egg is retained. Meanwhile, tiny, fluid-filled cysts form along the ovary’s outer edge.
Although a PCOS diagnosis must come from your doctor, a number of signs can indicate a hormonal imbalance. Irregular periods are one of the more common PCOS symptoms. Other warning signs include losing hair on your head while gaining it on your face or other parts of your body where hair normally doesn’t grow. If you’ve gained weight around the belly, have darkened skin under the breasts, armpits, and back of the neck you may have PCOS. Struggles with infertility are another symptom of the condition.
If you’re concerned about a hormone imbalance, a simple at-home test can help answer your questions. Even if you are symptom-free, you could still have unseen issues. By taking a simple, at-home blood test you can discover not only if you have hormonal imbalances but a number of other causes of concern. Getting a full spectrum of tests can cost hundreds of dollars but Kyla charges just $99. This could be covered by insurance. Take a short quiz and choose the best test. You’ll receive both the testing kit and simple sample collection instructions in just a few days. After collecting a few drops of blood, mail the sample to our labs postage free.
When you receive detailed results, you’ll learn if your hormones suggest PCOS. There will also be information about inflammation markers that indicate a heightened risk for cancer along with the current state of your cardiovascular, liver, and kidney health. There’s not just tests that indicate brain health risks but downloading the Kyla app lets you access a new feature. Thanks to advances in home-health testing, data driven analytics and AI, the Kyla app lets you discover your expected lifetime duration.
No matter what the results, there are changes you can make to improve the results and lengthen your lifespan along with managing PCOS. By consulting with a Kyla doctor, you’ll be able to make the necessary changes. Here are some great ways to start.
Overcoming PCOS
Many of the things that can help with managing type 2 diabetes or your weight are also effective strategies for controlling polycystic ovary syndrome. Eating the proper diet is a vital first step. Many polycystic ovary syndrome symptoms can be controlled by focusing on enjoying nutritionally dense, healthy foods with every meal. This means eating lots of vegetables – especially leafy greens. You should also have whole grain, high-fiber foods including wheat-based cereals and steel cut oatmeal. Fruits including berries and citrus can help manage blood sugar spikes, an important component in pcos treatment.
Inflammation is frequently associated with PCOS symptoms. Chronic inflammation can lead to cancer and heart disease, which is why it’s important to reduce consumption of foods that increase inflammation. These include butter, margarine, fried foods, red meat, and processed lunch meat. Avoid store bought cookies and cakes as well as cereals high in sugar or sugar-laden drinks like sodas and fruit juices.
As clinical dietician Amanda Stathos pointed out on the John Hopkins website, as many as three out of four women with PCOS have insulin resistance. As she explained in an article on the best diet to manage PCOS symptoms, “Insulin is like a key that opens cells and lets glucose in. Glucose is fuel for energy. The body is very good at making insulin, but in people with insulin resistance, the insulin does not convey glucose into the cells properly. The result is glucose building up in the bloodstream and the fat cells, which raises the risk of diabetes. Not everyone with polycystic ovary disease has these complications, but for those who do, reaching and maintaining a healthy weight is our first concern and that starts with diet and exercise.”
So along with eating properly, it’s important to get at least thirty minutes of moderate exercise daily. A brisk walk, riding a bike, or swimming laps are all good places to start. The key is to exercise consistently while increasing the difficulty of the activity. Exercise can improve hormonal imbalances in addition to making it easier to maintain a healthy weight. Managing stress and getting at least seven hours of sleep a night are also a significant part of any PCOS treatment plan. Finally, you need to be working with a trusted healthcare professional who can help you manage PCOS symptoms. Both the length and quality of your life depend upon it.
PCOS Doesn’t Have To Shorten Your Life
Studies going back decades have shown that having polycystic ovary syndrome can reduce your lifespan. One reason is that more than half of all women who have PCOS are also overweight. In one recent study from Finland comparing almost 10,000 women with PCOS to those without, the women who had PCOS died an average of one year earlier – with heart disease, cancer, and diabetes the primary culprits.
As Finnish professor Terhi T. Piltonen, MD, PhD explained during a meeting of the Endocrine Society, “I think we need to acknowledge that this is a health burden and not just a reproductive problem. In many cases we deal with the reproductive problem, and then these women are left alone. … So I think the message is we need to look beyond the reproductive outcomes, which are … really good. We can manage that. I think the difficult part is [managing] the lifelong health for these women and supporting them to achieve the best health they can get.”
Extending life spans is Kyla’s primary goal. As one of the more common hormonal imbalances, PCOS requires regular monitoring of hormonal levels. However, the focus should be more than just testing blood. Instead, a holistic all-body approach can extend not just lifespan but healthspan. This is the years of healthy, disease free life that you can enjoy. It begins with managing your PCOS with a targeted approach.
Using AI analytics and advanced testing, you can gain insights into your health while controlling not just PCOS symptoms but the underlying reasons for the condition. This happens by tracking vital health indicators like primary care and hormone levels to see how your lifestyle affects your body. Not only can you monitor your data conveniently and remotely from the Kyla app, but you can even access a new feature which will allow you to estimate your expected lifespan.
As you improve your health you can visualize your progress through graphs for better insights while working with a Kyla doctor to create a tailored plan that will help you manage PCOS. It’s possible that with new advances in medical technology, that controlling PCOS is the first step in extending your life expectancy more than one year for each year you are alive. This is age escape velocity, and it means living a healthy, active life for many decades. The first step is up to you. Take a look at Kyla. Download the app today and learn how to live your best life.
Sources:
- “Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS),” Mayo Clinic. September 8, 2022. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pcos/symptoms-causes/syc-20353439
- “Polycystic ovary syndrome,” World Health Organization. June 28, 2023. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/polycystic-ovary-syndrome
- Kushner, Daniel. “Five Lifestyle Changes That Can Help You Manage PCOS,”https://www.drdanielkushner.com/blog/5-lifestyle-changes-that-can-help-you-manage-pcos
- “Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS),” John Hopkins Medical Center. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos
- Stathos, Amanda. M.S., R.D., L.D.N. “PCOS Diet,” John Hopkins Medical Center. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/pcos-diet
- Tucker, Miriam. E. “PCOS associated with shorter lifespan,” MD Edge (Endocrinology). June 16, 2023. https://www.mdedge.com/endocrinology/article/263676/mixed-topics/pcos-associated-shorter-lifespan
- Pierpoint, T et al. “Mortality of women with polycystic ovary syndrome at long-term follow-up,” Journal of clinical epidemiology. July 1998, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9674665/