With PCOS keeping your cool is critical. Stress tends to cause PCOS symptoms to flare up. Studies have shown that some women who don’t menstruate have higher levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) than do menstruating women. Cortisol actually interferes with progesterone. It impairs progesterone activity and can promote estrogen dominance. Low progesterone and estrogen dominance are typical of women with PCOS and contribute to infertility.
Too much stress can have a negative impact on anyone’s health, increasing the risk of depression, insulin resistance, diabetes, infertility, heart disease and even cancer, but if you’ve got PCOS you may be at even greater risk. Cortisol, the active form of the hormone, can be turned into cortisone, the inactive form, by enzymes in the body – but researchers have found some women with PCOS don’t have these enzymes. This means their bodies cannot process cortisol properly, which causes higher levels of testosterone to be produced. So it seems that they may not be able to deal with stress as effectively as women who don’t have PCOS.
Weight gain can also cause symptoms to increase. Lack of exercise is another piece in the puzzle which needs to be addressed if you find your symptoms getting worse.
Having a well balanced diet, regular exercise, sufficient sleep and controlling stress – assist in controlling the symptoms of PCOS.
Report this post
You must be a HealthShare member to report this post.
to your account or
now (it's free).