October 30th, 2007
by Dr. Sari Cohen
From PCOSA Today, September/October 2007
Are you confused about your diagnosis of PCOS because you are thin? Many people think that everyone with PCOS is overweight, but this is not the case. In fact, at least half of women diagnosed with PCOS are of normal weight or lean. Some women with PCOS are even underweight.
While insulin resistance is generally thought to be the underlying cause of most cases of PCOS, there is disagreement in the medical community about whether thin women with PCOS suffer from the same degree of insulin resistance as their heavier counterparts.
Some studies support the presence of insulin resistance in both lean and obese women with PCOS. Furthermore, lean women with PCOS do seem to struggle with insulin-glucose regulation, even though it is not classified strictly as “insulin resistance.” Thin women with PCOS have higher insulin levels in their blood than thin or normal weight women without PCOS, according to researcher Vrbikova and associates in the 2004 article “Insulin Sensitivity in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome” published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Moreover, even if the serum insulin levels are normal, the ovaries of women with PCOS tend to be over-sensitive to the effects of insulin, thereby leading to increased ovarian androgen output.
Oral contraceptives are commonly prescribed to women with PCOS, regardless of whether they are overweight or of normal weight. However, using oral contraceptives in women with “lean PCOS,” as it is termed, may increase the risk of weight gain in this population and put them more at risk for insulin resistance or other negative effects on insulin and glucose metabolism.
Women with lean PCOS have much in common with their heavier counterparts. For example, lean women with PCOS may still have the same risk factors for cardiovascular disease as overweight women, according to a study conducted by Kravariti and colleagues and reported in the September 2005 issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. They conclude that all women with PCOS, regardless of weight or BMI, should work to prevent cardiovascular complications.
Another article by Tarkun et al published in The Endocrinology Journal in October 2004 suggests that lean women with PCOS were at higher risk of cardiovascular disease and anovulatory infertility compared to age-and weight-matched healthy women without PCOS. Therefore all women with PCOS should work to prevent complications like hypertension and diabetes mellitus. This can be accomplished through a whole foods, low carbohydrate diet, an exercise plan tailored to you, and certain nutritional and herbal supplements.
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About the author
Dr. Sari Cohen received her doctorate in naturopathic medicine with High Honors from the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, and graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College. A clinical practitioner in New Hampshire, where she sponsors a PCOS support group, Dr. Cohen is the author of the prize-winning article “Melatonin, Menstruation and the Moon” published in The Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients. A contributing author of the Board Review Study Materials for the Naturopathic Physicians Licensing Examination, she is also a member of Insulite Laboratories’ Medical & Advisory team where she undertakes research and provides professional guidance to individuals with insulin-related disorders. Dr. Cohen has developed the company’s 52-week Customer Protocol and has co-authored The Insulite Guide to Reversing Insulin Resistance and its Related Conditions.
October 30th, 2007
Sponsored by Insulite Laboratories
October 29th, 2007
by Angi Ingalls
PCOS in ConnecTion
You may know someone that was diagnosed PCOS when they were trying to have a baby. Many others are on birth control pills. And even more have menstrual problems.
Because of these common situations for women with PCOS, many think that this is a reproductive problem. I am here to tell you – that is definitely not the case. PCOS is an endocrine and metabolic disease. These issues, from which many women suffer, are only side effects to the underlying cause – which is directly correlated to our hormonal system.
We need to get the message out there that any female can have PCOS. PCOS does not discriminate. The disease affects all walks of life regardless of race or religion, young or old, whether you are lesbian or straight, and the list goes on. It doesn’t matter who you are, how old, where you came from or how you were raised. Any female can suffer from PCOS.
Many women are unaware of the risk factors associated with PCOS that go beyond reproductive. When we don’t take care of ourselves – with diet, exercise and for some, medications and/or nutraceuticals – we put ourselves at greater risk of:
Heart Disease Heart Attacks Strokes
Cancer Hypertension High Cholesterol
Sleep Apnea Kidney and Liver problems Vision and Hearing Issues
Circulation Problems Worse/more Symptoms Diabetes
PCOS also affects all aspects of life. Many of us have issues caused by hormones. Patients dealing with insulin resistant conditions have increased incidences of lesbianism or bisexuality, attention dysfunction, increased anxiety or stress, eating disorders, depression, bipolari disorder, dementia and other mental disorders.
The most important necessity of having PCOS is getting the disease under control as much as possible. The rest should fall into place or at the very least, improve and prevent further damage.
Angi Ingalls; PCOS in ConnecTion
PCOS Consultant for Insulite Laboratories
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this article and the Insulite Labs website is for the sole purpose of being informative. Information obtained 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.
October 26th, 2007
The Times
Oct. 25, 2007
By Mark Henderson, Science Editor
Britain’s first babies conceived with a new infertility treatment that does not require powerful hormonal drugs have been born to a couple in Oxford.
The healthy twins, a boy and girl, were delivered at the John Radcliffe Hospital on October 18, paving the way for more couples to benefit from a technique that offers a safer, cheaper and quicker alternative to IVF.
Both babies were conceived using eggs that were removed from their mother’s ovaries while still undeveloped and then matured artificially in the laboratory before being fertilised with their father’s sperm.
The procedure, known as in-vitro maturation or IVM, allows infertile couples to conceive without giving the woman fertility drugs to stimulate her ovaries before collecting the eggs.
While about 400 babies have been born worldwide using IVM, the twins, whose parents wish to remain anonymous, are the first to be born by the procedure in Britain. The John Radcliffe Oxford Fertility Unit was awarded the first licence to offer the treatment in January.
The boy, who was delivered at 10.46am, weighed 6lb 11oz, and his sister, who arrived a minute later, weighed 5lb 14oz.
To continue reading click:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article2733624.ece
