Dear Alicia,

Thank you for contacting the Insulite PCOS Support Blog.

Just to clarify, the Insulite PCOS System does not recommend a low calorie diet. We do recommend a low carbohydrate diet. We recommend gradually replacing simple carbs like soda, cookies, pastries, chips, and breads with more complex carbs (whole grains) and even more vegetables and lean healthy proteins and good fats.

We encourage a gradual reduction to reduce the carb cravings that can occur when someone does a fad diet and stops eating all/most carbs at once.

Eating balanced meals/snacks that contain complex carbs, vegetables, and lean proteins will also help reduce cravings and satisfy the appetite. A balanced meal slows the absorption of nutrients from the gut into the blood stream. This prevents a spike in blood sugar, which results in a spike in insulin and then rapid drop in blood sugar can result leading to hypoglycemic symptoms and cravings.

Our diet plan is a crucial element in the treatment of PCOS. We understand it can seem overwhelming during our busy lives, but it is very important to slowly make improvements in the diet for reversal of insulin resistance to occur. Exercise and nutrients, such as the ones in the supplements we recommend, are also crucial.

We can help with any dietary questions and offer you support. Eventually we hope that the diet and exercise changes will become a lasting part of your lifestyle.

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.

Dear Ilana,

Thank you for contacting the Insulite PCOS Support Blog.

Yes it is possible to develop PCOS after having normal periods for many years, but PCOS is not the only reason for irregular or missed periods. Your doctor can order some tests to help determine the cause of your missed periods.

PCOS is notoriously difficult to diagnose. It is a diagnosis of exclusion. In other words, it is important to rule out other diseases that can cause symptoms similar to PCOS (such as Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia). To diagnose PCOS, we use a combination of clinical symptoms (what you experience as the patient, such as excess hair growth, irregular menses, acne, skin tags, weight gain, infertility, etc.) and lab tests.

The blood tests to consider are:
- free testosterone- elevated in PCOS

- DHEA-S- often elevated in PCOS

- Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)- usually low in PCOS

- Fasting insulin- elevated in PCOS. Some doctors may hesitate to order this test because the normal range (0-20) is so wide. However, we find that results greater than 9 indicate insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is usually the underlying cause of PCOS, as you may have read about on our site. Some doctors may also order a 2-hour post-prandial insulin test, along with a 2-hour post-prandial glucose test. For the post-prandial insulin, results over 25 or 30 may indicate insulin resistance.

- Fasting glucose or 2-hour post-prandial glucose test- elevated in PCOS. Using this information in combination with the insulin levels helps to diagnose insulin resistance. Also, women with PCOS have a higher risk of diabetes so it is important to screen for this early and often.

- LH: FSH- Some doctors may also look at the ratio between these two hormones. In PCOS, we would expect LH to be elevated in comparison to FSH.

- You could get an ultrasound to check for the presence of ovarian cysts. Even if the ovaries do appear normal, the absence of ovarian cysts does not mean that you don’t have PCOS. Not everyone with PCOS has ovarian cysts.

- I would also check your cholesterol levels and liver function tests, as these can also be abnormal in PCOS (as well as in many other conditions).

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.

Dear Ilana,

Thanks so much for writing in to the PCOS blog! Obesity is one symptom of PCOS and yes, this can occur in teenagers. The underlying cause of PCOS in most cases is insulin resistance. This can be treated with diet, exercise, nutritional supplementation and lifestyle changes.

The Insulite PCOS System is comprised of supplements, diet and exercise guidelines, addiction awareness and customer support. We provide ample customer support because we advocate lifestyle changes, and we know that these types of changes can be difficult to make without some help!

I hope to hear from you again soon, Ilana! Please write in again with any additional questions.

Sincerely,

Dr. Shana Spector
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.

Dear Gwen,

Thank you for writing into the PCOS Support blog. I hope that you have found it to be a helpful community.

I think it is great that you are considering being a part of the studies that Northwestern is putting together. The focus of the research is really exciting and can provide us with information on why this is happening at such a high rate in women, the risk of heart disease, heredity, etc.

I also found it interesting that they will be also looking at a male phenotype or trait. I will be looking forward to the results of the published studies. We do see a pattern in men that can be compared to PCOS. With insulin resistance in men we see similar weight gain and risks of heart/cardiovascular disease and diabetes. And, we can also see a change in testosterone levels as well.

What is important to consider in any study is what is expected from you, tests, medications, follow-up. It seems that they are recruiting for a number of studies. If you consider one that will be using medications, just be sure that you understand the risks/benefits associated. Everyone should consider this when given medication.

I guess what I am not clear on is, your question about the study being a good place to start. If you are asking what can you do to help yourself and your experience with PCOS, there are quite a few things that you can do without being a part of a study.

First is to start to make nutrition and exercise changes. If this is something you have done and are still not seeing much in the way of change, you then have other choices… First evaluate your current plan with a person who understands what is happening in your body with PCOS to help you optimize nutrition and exercise. Then there are medication options that can help with symptoms but do not necessarily address the underlying problem.

You can also choose a non-pharmaceutical approach, that will address the cause, which is most often insulin resistance, with vitamins/minerals/herbs to help correct the hormone imbalance, support a decrease in other symptoms (irregular periods, acne, excess facial/body hair, weight gain, etc). If you are interested in what you can do, please visit: http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/. The Insulite PCOS System is a comprehensive approach to PCOS and insulin resistance.

If you do choose to be a part and you are chosen for the study, let us know how you are doing. Many times in a well designed study, you should not know what group you are a part of. But we would love to hear about your experience.

You may be a part of how we come to further understand this complicated condition. Gwen, please let me know if I answered your question.

–
Best Wishes,
Dr. Heather DeLuca, 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.

Dear Nicole,

Thank you for contacting the PCOS Support Blog.

Great question about exercise! There is not a specific type of exercise for PCOS. Try to do both cardio and weight training. Work up to exercising 5-6 days a week, for at least 20-30 minutes a time. Varying types of exercise is a good idea (pilates, yoga, jogging, swimming, biking…). Strength training exercises can be good cardio if you are using lighter weight, doing many reps, and taking little rest between reps and the next exercise. Our Insulite Customer Guide that comes with the Insulite PCOS System has more details of course. Don’t forget to allow time for stretching.

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

Please visit our PCOS community where you can share ideas, concerns and
issues and find additional information and support to reverse PCOS symptoms:
http://www.pcos.insulitelabs.com/blog/index.php PCOS Support Blog
http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/forums/index.php PCOS Forums

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.