Tired all the time

[janet1305]

Hello Dr. Nicole,

I was diagnosed with PCOS awhile ago and one of my symptoms that frustrates me the most is severe fatigue. I was a student with a 3.8 GPA, but the lack of energy has forced me to discontinue my studies. I enjoyed school and now feel a bit depressed.

Do you have any suggestions in how I can address this PCOS animal and get back my energy?

I've been told that my problem is my hormones, but my doctor doesn't seem to know what to do about it. I wonder if that is the price I pay for living in a small community. I am thinking I might need to make an appointment with a doctor in the larger city a couple of hours away.

What do you think? Any suggestions?

[drnicole]

Hello janet1305,

I'm sorry to hear that you had to stop your studies. I do hear from other women with PCOS who are very fatigued. I think one reason why this happens is that the root cause of PCOS is insulin resistance, in which the cells of the body do not respond to insulin efficiently. This means that your cells are not being "fed" the glucose required to produce energy. This, of course, would make you tired!

The other hormonal imbalances (testosterone, progesterone, estrogen) that are associtated with PCOS could also be related to your fatigue. As a naturopath our view on the pharmaceutical treatment of PCOS is that there is no one drug on the market that will change your condition. The only way to reverse the disorder is to reduce elevations in insulin which directly affect testosterone and other hormonal changes that are responsible for causing PCOS. Although there are some medications given to women to treat PCOS they do not address the underlying metabolic processes which allowed insulin resistance to develop.

There are certain nutrients and botanicals that can address insulin resistance, the cause of PCOS. These symptoms can be partially controlled by diet and exercise changes. The addition of nutrients will help you become more sensitive to your insulin and reduce the symptoms of insulin resistance and PCOS, including your fatigue.

Let me know if you have any other questions.


Hello Dr. Nicole,

I was diagnosed with PCOS awhile ago and one of my symptoms that frustrates me the most is severe fatigue. I was a student with a 3.8 GPA, but the lack of energy has forced me to discontinue my studies. I enjoyed school and now feel a bit depressed.

Do you have any suggestions in how I can address this PCOS animal and get back my energy?

I've been told that my problem is my hormones, but my doctor doesn't seem to know what to do about it. I wonder if that is the price I pay for living in a small community. I am thinking I might need to make an appointment with a doctor in the larger city a couple of hours away.

What do you think? Any suggestions?