The purpose of this blog is to provide you with an insight into PCOS. The purpose is not to treat PCOS. The purpose is awareness rather than any kind of prescription and this should not be used as medical advice in any way. If you believe you have PCOS, we encourage you to speak to your trusted health professional and seek guidance from them.
The female reproductive system is highly sensitive to physiological stress, and exercise-induced menstrual dysfunction occurs in a wide range of female athletes and across a wide spectrum of sport activities.
PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) is a common problem among female athletes caused by a multitude of reasons. These being high testosterone levels, lack of quality nutrition and sleep, hormonal dysfunction caused by malnutrition and incredibly high levels of insulin sensitivity.
This can lead to the following menstrual cycle disruptions.
Amenorrhea (lack of 3 consecutive menstrual cycles or more)
Oligomenorrhea (irregular periods at intervals of more than 6 weeks) has been found to be more prevalent among athletes than in the general population and is primarily due to hypothalamic amenorrhea.
How can PCOS sufferers meet their nutritional needs?
Due to their unique nutritional needs, each athlete with PCOS could think about meeting with a consulting with a dietician that has experience in sports nutrition and with PCOS to develop an individualised plan of attack to continue to optimise their performance while managing their overall health.
The main nutritional concerns for PCOS sufferers are:
Should I still be having carbs? The answer is yes, if you are a female and participate in regular physical activity and hope to maintain/regain a regular, healthy period then yes, you need carbs in your daily intake. What you need to be doing is looking into what kinds of carbs are suitable for PCOS sufferer. In most cases they are low GI (sweet potato, quinoa and buckwheat) are atop their shopping lists.
A diet that is high in processed and refined carbohydrates such as white bread, sugary cereals, crackers, lollies, cakes, and cookies can increase insulin levels and worsen insulin resistance which can cause more pain and inflammation to the cysts caused by PCOS.
Whole, unprocessed carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables, rolled oats, quinoa, brown/wild rice and sprouted grain bread tend to have more fibre and a slower impact on insulin levels.
Why low GI? Eating lower GI has proven greater effects in an attempt for weight loss for PCOS sufferers, improved menstrual regularity, reduced insulin resistance which means lowered levels of inflammation (important for regular exercisers as inflammation = joint/body pain), quality of life and reduced depression levels/increased self-esteem.
PCOS sufferers tend to experience more cravings for carb-rich foods, often due to problems regulating blood sugar levels due to exercise. To reduce these cravings they can focus on spreading carbohydrates evenly throughout the day, and combining carbohydrate foods with protein and fat-containing foods can help to manage cravings and blood sugar levels.
What about supplements to avoid deficiencies? Sure, why not. PCOS can cause females to become deficient in both omega 3 fatty acids, B12 and vitamin D.
Omega 3s can help with the lowering of testosterone levels which when high in the female body can cause things like hyperandrogenism which reduces the likelihood of a regular period.
B12 supplementation can help with it’s absorption as birth control and medication for PCOS interfere with B12 absorption.
Vitamin D can help with bone formation as it is often low in females with PCOS, low levels of vitamin D can decrease physical performance and increase the incidence of stress fractures.
In conclusion, we can't stress the benefit of recording and experimenting with your nutrition around your signs and symptoms in PCOS to see what works best for YOU!
To learn more about women’s specific nutrition, contact us today.