Normal insulin levels question.

[Britty85]

Can a woman with PCOS have normal insulin levels? :confused:

[drheather]

Can a woman with PCOS have normal insulin levels? :confused:

Thank you for writing in. This is a great question and the short answer is yes.

There is a small group of women with PCOS who do not seem to be insulin resistant. It seems that this group of women without insulin resistance is often lean.

If you are overweight and/or have difficulty losing weight, have skin tags, have acanthosis nigricans (a condition of dark or thickened patches of skin), have a family history of diabetes or metabolic syndrome, and have PCOS I would still suspect insulin resistance despite normal insulin levels.

However, regardless of their weight, most women with PCOS do seem to have some sort of insulin-glucose dysregulation. Studies show that thin women with PCOS secrete more insulin than thin women without PCOS. Furthermore, the ovaries in women with PCOS seem to be much more sensitive to insulin's effects than women without PCOS, regardless of weight. This is probably why even lean women seem to benefit from using the Insulite PCOS System.

If you are interested in a comprehensive, non-pharmaceutical approach to PCOS, please visit our website: http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/.

I hope that this answers your questions. Please let me know if I can help further.

[Britty85]

Thank you very much, you answered my question and then some. I never would have guessed I could still be insulin resistant with normal insulin levels. I am overweight (5'4" and 210lbs) and I do have a family history of diabetes. My grandmother had it and my twin sister was just diagnosed with diabetes. The only thing I don't have that you mentioned is skin tags. Yes, I'm very indescribably excited about all that I read about the system and I'm definitely looking forward to when I'll be able to try it. :D

[drheather]

Thank you very much, you answered my question and then some. I never would have guessed I could still be insulin resistant with normal insulin levels. I am overweight (5'4" and 210lbs) and I do have a family history of diabetes. My grandmother had it and my twin sister was just diagnosed with diabetes. The only thing I don't have that you mentioned is skin tags. Yes, I'm very indescribably excited about all that I read about the system and I'm definitely looking forward to when I'll be able to try it. :D

Great, I am glad that this was helpful. And even though you may not be able to use our System right now, this is a great time to make some other crucial changes that will support lowering insulin levels and helping decrease the insulin resistance.

First, I would recommend starting to reduce any refined, processed, high carbohydrate foods. Your meals should focus on lean protein, lots of veggies and health fats. Minimizing carbohydrates can be key to supporting weight loss, reducing insulin and helping support a more normal hormone balance (even though it is not showing up).

Then exercise!!! If you do not have a routine, you can start walking 2-3 days a week for about 30 minutes and then start building on that. Or you can get some DVD's from the library that use weights, stretching, light cardio and yoga.

I hope that this helps. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help.

[drheather]

i wana know that dibete patients really needed to take insulin ? can't they manage it with other drugs . because some patients really dont wana use it . i just knew it doctors prescribed it for those patient that can't be handled with other drugs . like my mother suger lvl stays up like at 350 that's why she use insulin .

Thank you for writing in. The use of insulin depends on a many different things.

First, if a person has type 1 diabetes, they absolutely need injected insulin. There bodies do not produce any insulin.

If a person is type 2 diabetic, initially they can be managed with medications but there are times when insulin may be more appropriate. Also, medications often have side effects and ultimately, it will come down to the changes a person is willing to make. Nutrition and exercise need to be the cornerstone of treatment and there are also many other options that can be incorporated to help reduce the glucose and insulin levels. Some people are better managed with insulin over the use of different meds. It really depends on the situation.

As you may know, it is our goal to work with individuals to help reduce and reverse these processes and support people through the changes.

I hope that this answers your questions. Please let us know if we can help further.

[Sheeta2586]

Hi there,

I asked my doctor if it was possible to have a fasting glucose test as a glucose test I had about a few months ago came up normal. She said that glucose levels often fluctuate so there would be no point having another glucose test. Is there any true way of finding out if you actually have insulin resistance or not? Diabetes runs in my family and Iam overweight now and have gained it rapidly since I was 19. I used to be very thin when I was younger. I'm not sure what skin tags are? Could you describe?


thanks,

Sheeta

[drheather]

Hi there,

I asked my doctor if it was possible to have a fasting glucose test as a glucose test I had about a few months ago came up normal. She said that glucose levels often fluctuate so there would be no point having another glucose test. Is there any true way of finding out if you actually have insulin resistance or not? Diabetes runs in my family and Iam overweight now and have gained it rapidly since I was 19. I used to be very thin when I was younger. I'm not sure what skin tags are? Could you describe?


thanks,

Sheeta


Hello Sheeta,

Thank you for posting. If your fasting glucose levels were normal a couple of months ago, it is likely they haven't changed too much, unless you have been eating more processed foods, exercising less, etc.

You can ask for a fasting insulin level, however, this will give you a much clearer picture of insulin resistance. If your levels are greater than 9-10, it is likely you are showing signs of insulin resistance.

Skin tags are little flaps of skin that often appear on the neck, under arms, breasts and can appear on other places on the body. This is often a sign of insulin resistance.

With your family history of diabetes and the excess weight, I would ask for the fasting insulin test know if you are insulin resistant. Even if the tests are normal, you are still at an increased risk for developing diabetes and I would recommend taking the necessary steps to support weight loss and optimizing your health.

I hope that this helps. Please let me know if I can help further.