Help for PCOS in a Nutritional Supplement?
By Kate Winship
June 20, 2008
Clomid Pharmacy Blog
http://sochoc.blogspot.com/2008/06/help-for-pcos-in-nutritional-supplement.html
Medical research is discovering that selected nutritional supplements can be helpful for some women who have PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). PCOS is a complex glandular and metabolic disorder that affects 6%-10% of women of reproductive age.
Symptoms of PCOS include infertility, weight gain, acne, excess hair, hair loss, and depression. There is an increased risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease and possibly some cancers.
Conventional therapy for polycystic ovary syndrome includes birth control pills, medications and surgery. However, these methods do not provide a conclusive cure for PCOS.
Fortunately, there are natural therapies available that any woman can use such as a healthy diet, plentiful exercise, stress management and nutritional supplementation. One of the nutritional supplements worth considering is NAC (n-acetyl-cysteine).
NAC is a derivative of cysteine, an amino acid found in high protein and other foods. NAC is not found in the diet but is available as a nutritional supplement. It is also available as a FDA-approved prescription drug.
Some medical studies suggest that NAC could have the following health benefits for PCOS women.
It is also available as a FDA-approved prescription drug. Some medical studies suggest that NAC could have the following health benefits for PCOS women.
1) NAC reduces undesirable insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is the inability to efficiently utilize the hormone insulin and is now thought to be a primary cause of PCOS. So anything you can do to reduce insulin resistance helps to relieve PCOS symptoms, improve fertility odds, and reduce future risk of diabetes and heart disease.
2) NAC lowers homocysteine. Homocysteine is a blood protein. A normal amount is OK. But women with polycystic ovary syndrome tend to have higher levels. An excessive level of homocysteine is toxic and is associated with heart disease and other health problems.
3) NAC improves the effectiveness of Clomid, a fertility drug. Clomid is often the first thing your doctor will give you if you are trying to conceive.
4) Acting as an antioxidant, NAC may provide reproductive support and improve egg quality.
NAC is considered safe. Consult with your doctor before taking NAC, especially if you are taking the drug metformin. If you are taking a substantial dose of NAC, you may need to reduce the dosage of metformin. Although NAC has not been shown to have any adverse effect on the fetus, you should check with your doctor before taking NAC if you are pregnant. Do not take NAC while also taking nitroglycerin.
How much NAC should you take? The answer to that question depends on your unique health profile and needs. It’s best to consult with a qualified health professional for the dose most appropriate for you.
Bill Slater and Dr. Nancy Dunne are co-authors of The Natural Diet Solution for PCOS and Infertility.Visit http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/nac.html to get more information about NAC.Bill Slater is the former co-founder of an integrative medicine clinic and consultant to naturopathic physicians. He has 25 years experience in the holistic health field. Dr. Nancy Dunne is a licensed primary care physician in Missoula, Montana. Since 1989, her specialty is natural medicine for improving women’s health, especially PCOS and infertility.
PCOS, the Hidden Epidemic
The fundamental problem with PCOS is anovulation and not making progesterone for two weeks every cycle.
This lack of progesterone leads to hormonal imbalance in the ovary, causes the ovary to produce testosterone and leads to the irregular menstrual cycles and infertility. This is aggravated by obesity and insulin resistance.
Progesterone is missing, therefore replacing it makes sense.
To read more, click here:
Understanding PCOS, the Hidden Epidemic by Jeffrey Dach MD
Jeffrey Dach MD
4700 Sheridan Suite T
Hollywood Fl 33021
954-983-1443
my web site
Dear Dr. Dach,
Thanks for posting on our PCOS blog. We really enjoy hearing from other colleagues and appreciate you taking the time to contribute.
Although we agree that bio-identical progesterone is the preferred form of progesterone for women with PCOS with low progesterone levels, we also understand that progesterone may not be the only answer for many women. I included some information below as to how the low progesterone happens for those blog visitors who are interested.
PCOS is a complicated syndrome and in our experience, we have not seen that there is only one answer. Progesterone can and has certainly helped many women but it does not completely address the most common cause, insulin resistance. As we know, not all women with PCOS have the same symptoms, such as irregular or absent cycles.
PCOS is a major cause of infertility but many have not had lowered progesterone levels and have conceived successfully without fertility medications or other medications.
As insulin levels increase, androgen levels increase. Androgen production increases in the ovaries as insulin resistance develops. This also leads to less estrogen being produced in the ovary. This overall increase in ovarian androgens inhibits normal development of the follicle so that it does not mature and results in a cyst.
Without follicle development ovulation does not occur. Without ovulation, progesterone levels stay low as the corpus luteum would be the structure responsible for producing progesterone. (The corpus luteum is what is left behind after the egg is released from the follicle.) In a “normal” functioning ovary, the increase in progesterone after ovulation would influence another chemical in the brain to inhibit the rise in estrogen. This low level of progesterone not only encourages the estrogen levels but also leads to an increase in LH (lutenizing hormone) and in return FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) stays lower. The LH triggers ovarian androgen production. LH levels are also kept high by estrogen being produced in fatty tissue. In an ideal situation the levels of LH are lower than FSH; in PCOS we see the reverse. So without ovulation, estrogen levels stay elevated, progesterone is lower, and more androgens are produced.
Dr. Dach, thanks again for contributing and sharing what is working with your patients. We appreciate all those who show a commitment to this condition and look forward to hearing from you again on our PCOS support Blog.
–
Best Wishes,
Dr. Heather DeLuca, ND
Insulite Laboratories Medical & Advisory team
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this email
and the Insulite Labs website is for the sole purpose
of being informative. This information is not and
should not be used or relied upon as medical advice.
Always seek the advice of your physician, nurse or
other qualified health care provider before you
undergo any treatment, take any medication,
supplements or other nutritional support, or for
answers to any questions you may have regarding a
medical condition.
The information presented is top notch. I’ve been doing some research on the topic and this post answered several questions.
Hi there may I use some of the information here in this post if I provide a link back to your site?
Hello,
Yes, you can use some of the information posted here as long as you acknowledge the blogger by name and credit us for all content as follows:
From: Insulite PCOS Support Blog
Copyright: Insulite Laboratories
http://www.pcos.insulitelabs.com
Regards,
Catherine
Editor, PCOS Support Blog
And what I could do to lower my LH?
I have not insuline resistance but my LH is higher that my FSH.
Any supplement that could help?
Thanks.
Dear Elena,
Thank you for contacting the Insulite PCOS Support Blog.
Did your doctors diagnose you with PCOS? The mechanism of PCOS without insulin resistance is still not entirely understood in the medical community. As you may know, many women with PCOS do have insulin resistance, but some do not. Some women with PCOS hyper secrete insulin but do not yet manifest insulin resistance. Furthermore, in many women with PCOS, their ovaries are highly sensitive to insulin, so that even if their serum insulin levels are normal, the ovaries are highly reactive to that insulin.
How did your doctors determine that you are not insulin resistant? I am wondering if you have ever had your serum insulin checked.
Insulin resistance can be verified by looking at the insulin levels (fasting and random) and the insulin: glucose ratio. Some doctors hesitate to perform a fasting insulin test on their patients because the normal range (0-20) is so wide. However, we have found that a fasting insulin level of about 9 or higher is starting to indicate problems with insulin resistance. For the random insulin, results over 25 or 30 may indicate insulin resistance. Other factors that would make me suspicious of insulin resistance include high blood pressure, difficulty losing weight, skin tags, acanthosis nigricans (dark brown patches on the skin), and a family history of diabetes or metabolic syndrome.
The Insulite System is designed to reverse insulin resistance and correct the hormonal imbalances present with PCOS, including the LH to FSH ratio. Specifically, the PCOS+ product in the system helps with the hormonal imbalances. If you are certain that you do not have insulin resistance, you could email the customer service department about a special order (info@insulitelabs.com).
I hope this information answers your questions. Please don’t hesitate to contact us again with any further questions or concerns.
Best wishes,
Dr. Nicole Kellum, ND
Insulite Laboratories Consulting & Advisory teams
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this email
and the Insulite Labs website is for the sole purpose
of being informative. This information is not and
should not be used or relied upon as medical advice.
Always seek the advice of your physician, nurse or
other qualified health care provider before you
undergo any treatment, take any medication,
supplements or other nutritional support, or for
answers to any questions you may have regarding a
medical condition.