Treatments


According to PCOSFoundation.org:

Types of Medical Treatment

 You should consult with your doctor or practitioner to determine if you are diagnosed with PCOS. Because there is no cure for PCOS, medical management and lifestyle modification are the best ways to treat the syndrome. It is a very good idea to keep up with your doctor's monitoring protocols. Medical treatment should be based on your symptoms and goals. Treatment can depend on whether a woman is considering pregnancy, is menopausal, or does not want to conceive.
Some of the treatments you may receive:
Birth control pills:
  • Regulates or controls menstrual cycles
  • Reduces male hormone levels
  • Can help clear up acne
  • Some doctors may recommend these to help with ovulation and future conception
Metformin (Glucophase)
This medication has been found to help PCOS symptoms. Metformin has shown to affect the way insulin is controlled in blood glucose (sugar) and has shown to lower testosterone levels. Other signs and symptoms such as abnormal hair growth and weight gain have lessened or disappeared with the use of Metformin, and it can assist in ovulation after a few months. Metformin is used for Type 2 diabetes but can be useful to women with PCOS because many have insulin resistance. This mediation improves the cells response to insulin and helps move glucose into the cell, which allows your body to make less insulin.
Fertility
Lack of ovulation is usually found with women suffering from PCOS. Studies have shown that 70% of women diagnosed with PCOS have infertility.

Fertility Treatments:

  • Ovulation cycles
  • Inseminations
  • In Vitro Fertilization or IVF

Fertility Medications:

  • Clomiphene also known as Clomid- an oral medication which is typically a first choice to stimulate ovulation. This medication is determined by your practitioner and dosage and treatment protocols may vary depending on your doctor.
  • Letrozole- an oral medication that works like Clomid and may also be a first choice to stimulate ovulation. This medication should also be determined by your practitioner and dosage and treatment protocols may vary.
  • Gonadotropins- this is given in a shot form and used to stimulate the ovary to produce several follicles. Again, this medication is determined by your doctor and dosage and treatment protocols may vary depending on your doctor.
Surgery or Procedures:
  • Ovarian Drilling - This is when a doctor makes a very small cut above or below the navel and inserts a small tool (telescope) into the abdomen, also known as a laparoscopy. Then the doctor punctures the ovary with a small needle carrying an electric current to destroy a small portion of the ovary. This surgical procedure may lower male hormone levels and help with ovulation, but it also carries a risk of developing scar tissue on the ovary and the benefits may only last a few months. Both the risks and the benefits of ovarian drilling should be discussed with your doctor to determine if it is the right treatment for you.
  • Oophorectomy – Your ovaries contain eggs that produce hormones to control your menstrual cycle. An oophorectomy is a surgical procedure where one or both ovaries are removed. It is called a bilateral Oophorectomy when both ovaries are removed. This surgery is typically performed with other procedures such as a hysterectomy. Your doctor can determine if it is the right treatment for your case.
  • Hysterectomy- During a hysterectomy, a doctor removes a woman's uterus and cervix. Your doctor may chose to remove the uterus only, which is called a partial hysterectomy. This procedure should be discussed and determined by your doctor
  • Cyst Aspiration
Medications for increased hair growth or extra male hormone:
  • Vanique- a cream that helps reduce facial hair. This medication's risks, dosage and side effects should be discussed with your doctor or practitioner.
  • Aldactone- blocks androgens, or male hormones. This medication's risks, dosage and side effects should be discussed with your doctor or practitioner.
Lifestyle Modifications:
  • Getting educated with nutrition- finding someone that specializes in PCOS or Diabetes
  • Learning about nutrition labels
  • Glycemic Index (GI and Glycemic Load (GL)) – learning the GI and GL
  • Modifying your diet
  • Eating and learning about well balanced meals
  • Exercise- both cardiovascular and weight training
  • Meditation for Anxiety, Breathing, Depression and Stress
  • Non Smoking
Weight Loss:
  • Medically supervised weight loss programs- General medical studies indicate that lowering weight can lower disease risk factors.
  • Bariatric surgery- In some cases this surgical procedure may help women suffering and considered Obese. Check with your health care professional to see if this is right for you.
Other Treatments:
  • Laser hair removal
  • Hormonal treatments
  • Alternative methods
  • Vitamins and Minerals


Alternative Treatment

Alternative medicines include many modalities, such as 

  • Kinesiology is an advanced and holistic therapy that is based on the science of energy balancing and uses muscle monitoring or bio feedback to identify imbalances in the body that may be causing health concerns. It looks at health as a whole, addressing not just the symptoms in the physical body, but the biochemical and emotional environment of each individual. Kinesiologists use a process of gentle muscle monitoring techniques to gain an insight into muscle patterns and are able to assess how the body is functioning and can locate imbalances within the body. The process indicates whether stress is directly related to the muscle or is linked to a particular organ/gland or energy pathway.Various methods may be employed during treatment including tapping, emotional release, massage, magnets, oils, crystals, homeopathic remedies, acupuncture, nutritional advice and/or affirmations. Because kinesiology reveals the body's overall state of structural, chemical and emotional balance, it may be able to help the body heal a wide range of health issues.These may include:

  1. Physical problems such as headaches, migraines, ligament, muscle, bone or joint pain or strain.
  2. Chemical imbalances such as food allergies/sensitivities/malabsorption, hormonal imbalances (PCOS, endometriosis, infertility), nutritional toxicity or deficiency.
  3. Emotional issues such as anxiety, depression, recovery from emotional overload (e.g. verbal abuse, death of someone close to you, severe accident, diagnosis of a disease)
      • Herbalism - Unlike western medicine, herbalism works to heal one's body by addressing the underlying issues. PCOS is an intense condition full of underlying issues. Until you address them, you will constantly be plagued by its symptoms. Herbalism is a safe, incredibly efficient way to manage PCOS. 
      • Homeopathy - remedy capable of working on the ovaries and the entire endocrinal system.  This approach usually helps in correcting the pathology associated with PCOS.
        There are numerous remedies capable of influencing this condition. The remedy prescribed is chosen after carefully understanding your entire constitution, which includes:\
      1. Presence of any genetic predisposition
      2. Physical makeup (obesity)
      3. Physical makeup (obesity)
      4. Your entire physical and personality characteristics
      • Reflexology  use of gentle pressure applied to specific areas of your hands, feet and body that are believed to correspond to a particular condition. Practitioners of reflexology claim that application of the therapy can restore hormonal balance, 
      • Acupressure is based on the same ideas as acupuncture, but without the needles. It involves applying pressure with the fingers to specific points on the body. The stimulation of these points signal the body to increase circulation and energy to another area of the body.
      • Acupuncture - The needle is inserted into the skin and underlying muscle. The needle and electric stimulation causes the muscle to send information to the brain, via the spinal cord. If the needle is inserted into the area that sends sensory information about the ovary to the brain, it leads to a decrease in the release of male hormones from the ovaries.
       Acupuncture is the most common modality. The benefit acupuncture seems to have for PCOS sufferers is in helping them regulate and manage their periods. However, it has also been shown to aid in weight loss and reducing headaches as well as improving patients’ moods and outlooks. Women with PCOS will have needles placed along the acupuncture meridians related to the reproductive system. This will help stimulate the organs, improve blood flow to the area, contribute to normalizing hormone levels, and promote the proper functioning of the reproductive system.
      Because it is only in the last 20 years or so that acupuncture has started to be widely practiced in the West, few studies have been performed on women with PCOS receiving acupuncture. In 2000, a study was carried out by researchers at Göteborg University in Sweden involving 24 women with PCOS who received acupuncture for 2–3 months. At the end of the study, nine women (38%) had regular ovulation. However, the study also found that those women with more severe PCOS cases, particularly those participants who had high testosterone and insulin levels and were obese, did not have any luck with the acupuncture treatment. Recently, a randomized controlled trial proved the efficacy of electroacupuncture in treating women with PCOS.

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