{"id":1046,"date":"2015-07-19T00:01:40","date_gmt":"2015-07-19T05:01:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/natural-womanhood.local\/?p=1046"},"modified":"2025-05-15T17:44:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T22:44:39","slug":"opciones-naturales-para-el-tratamiento-de-la-poliposis-ovarica-poliquistica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/es\/natural-options-for-managing-pcos\/","title":{"rendered":"Opciones naturales para tratar el SOP"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few weeks ago I wrote about endometriosis<\/a> as a leading cause of infertility. PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, also linked to infertility, is actually more common than endometriosis. Prevalence rates vary based on the way it\u2019s diagnosed, but range from 4% to\u00a0<\/a> 20%<\/a> of women in reproductive age. It is consistent enough in its symptoms and management to be called a bona fide disease. Women who have it certainly would attest to it being really a pain.<\/p>\n

PCOS causes women to have irregular cycles, often long cycles that may or may not result in ovulation. From the standpoint of the ovaries and your reproductive system in general, ovulation is definitely a positive sign, a sign of health. Women who have trouble ovulating experience a \u201cbacklog\u201d in their ovaries that can result in pain. Roughly 50 percent of those with PCOS also have some degree of endometriosis, to make monthly matters worse.<\/p>\n

What bothers me about the general approach to this condition is that it\u2019s rarely discussed openly, nor are women offered in-depth analysis or different management options. Women just quietly go to their doctor and most of them take the artificial hormones they are prescribed\u2014without asking why or even if this is best option.<\/p>\n

Yet, breakthrough medical research from Creighton Model FertilityCare\u2122 System and NaProTECHNOLOGY<\/a> teaches something very different.\u00a0 Here is what I learned at their training this past April about the identification and treatment of ovarian cysts: \u201cThe overwhelming majority of [ovarian] cysts\u2026are functional cysts. In many cases, these women are treated with oral contraceptives to help suppress the function of the [ovarian] cyst. However, research\u2026suggests that these cysts occur as the result of hormonal dysfunction. Thus, the use of oral contraceptives, which make the hormone dysfunction even worse, can be counterproductive.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s bad news for millions of women who depend on oral contraceptives to manage their PCOS symptoms because their doctors don\u2019t know about other options.<\/p>\n

The good news is that coming off hormonal birth control and tracking the natural cycle of your ovaries (and their pesky cysts) can lead to complete elimination of benign cysts.<\/p>\n

The first step is therefore quitting the contraceptive (which may actually exacerbate the dysfunction) in conjunction with documenting the signs and symptoms of the cysts. There are many different types of cysts. Persistent follicular (pre-peak) cysts appear at the first part of the cycle, and persistent luteal (post-peak) cysts\u00a0 appear in the the second part.<\/p>\n

Cysts often cause regular, cyclic pain in the pelvic region. Charting helps the woman identify unusual cervical mucus discharge that pinpoints which type of cyst (follicular or luteal) she is dealing with based on when<\/em> the discharge appears. It\u2019s that simple.<\/p>\n

Follicular cysts are usually caused by prolonged over-production of estrogen. A trained\u00a0ob\/gyn can disrupt the estrogen dominance with targeted injections of progesterone, which usually alleviates the pain caused by the follicular cyst.\u00a0\u00a0As a general rule, women with these types of cysts\u2014called functional cysts\u2014do not need surgery. Hooray for natural, non-invasive health care!<\/p>\n

Luteal cysts, on the other hand, are also called luteinized unruptured follicles because that’s what they are\u2014a follicle that has matured but not release an egg. Sometimes surgery is recommended.<\/p>\n

Speaking as an integrative nutritionist, I definitely see management of PCOS as something that needs a lifestyle component. PCOS doubles a women\u2019s risk of \u201cmetabolic syndrome,\u201d a combination of heart disease risk factors that include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and a high waist circumference. (Remember how we talked about how the Pill could increase heart disease risk<\/a>?) Insulin resistance, a pre-diabetic state, and weight problems caused by insulin resistance also often go hand-in-hand with PCOS. Here\u2019s where the nutrition link becomes obvious.<\/p>\n

What to Eat to Help with PCOS<\/h2>\n

Managing blood sugar levels is the key to stopping the insulin resistance that is associated with PCOS. Eliminating refined carbohydrates is in fact the most effective nutrition strategy for managing PCOS. There are several foods that help with blood sugar and<\/em> help the body eliminate excess estrogen. They include:<\/p>\n