Guide authored by PCOS supplement provider, Fertility Family.
Living with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) can be challenging and if you’re one of the approximately 1 in 10 women affected by this condition, you’re not alone. PCOS is a hormonal condition that affects how a woman’s ovaries work. It’s characterised by irregular periods, elevated levels of male hormones (androgens), and ovarian cysts.
While PCOS is frequently associated with fertility issues, its effects go beyond reproduction. The hormonal imbalances of PCOS can impact various aspects of health. Though fertility challenges can often be addressed with treatment, PCOS may have wider implications that require ongoing attention and care.
One frequently overlooked symptom of PCOS is fatigue. (1) The hormonal imbalances caused by this condition can lead to persistent tiredness, affecting daily life. Whether you have PCOS or not, understanding its various effects is crucial for managing your health.
If you’re dealing with PCOS-related fatigue, there are steps you can take to boost your energy:(2)
- Follow a balanced diet
- Stay hydrated
- Exercise more
- Improve sleep
- Cut down on caffeine
- Take supplements
What is PCOS?
PCOS is a complex hormonal condition that affects many women, but it’s important to understand that each woman’s experience with PCOS can be unique. If you’ve been diagnosed with PCOS or suspect you might have it, you may feel overwhelmed by the variety of symptoms and information out there.
PCOS is often described as a ‘mixed bag’ of signs and symptoms, which can make it challenging to diagnose and understand. There is no ‘typical’ case of PCOS – some women might struggle with weight gain, while others remain slim. Some may have visible skin issues, while others don’t. This diversity is what makes PCOS frustrating for many women and healthcare providers alike.
To bring some clarity to this complex condition, specialists developed the Rotterdam criteria (3). These help diagnose PCOS by looking for at least two of the following three signs:
- Menstrual cycle disturbances (irregular or absent periods) – this tends to indicate unreliable or absent ovulation (anovulation).
- Raised testosterone levels or signs indicating raised androgen levels, such as hirsutism (unwanted hair growth), male pattern hair loss, acne/overactive sebaceous glands in the skin.
- Polycystic ovaries: This is typically diagnosed through ultrasound imaging, where multiple small follicles are visible on the ovaries.
Ultrasound plays a crucial role in PCOS diagnosis. It allows doctors to visualise your ovaries and count the number of follicles. Another tool that can be helpful in understanding PCOS is the Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) blood test. AMH levels are often higher in women with PCOS, reflecting the increased number of small follicles in the ovaries.
It’s crucial to remember that while fertility issues are a common concern with PCOS, they’re not the whole story. PCOS can present lifelong challenges that may require ongoing management. These might include skin issues, hair growth changes, or metabolic concerns.
If left unaddressed, PCOS can potentially lead to complications in later life, such as weight gain, type 2 diabetes and a higher risk of heart attack. However, with proper care and management, many of these risks can be avoided. The condition can often run in families and tends to affect different women in different ways. Some women will experience symptoms much more acutely than others.
Does PCOS cause fatigue?
There are many reasons why people experience fatigue, and amid the hectic lives that we all lead it can be too easy to put it down to simple day-to-day tiredness. However, if you are experiencing total exhaustion on a regular basis, it can affect every aspect of your daily life.
The hormonal imbalances that are linked to PCOS can cause you to feel sluggish and lethargic, which can be linked to insulin resistance – a condition many women with PCOS experience.
Sometimes women with PCOS experience heavier bleeding during their menstrual cycle. The technical name for this is menorrhagia, and it’s caused by low levels of progesterone associated with PCOS. Menorrhagia is characterised by severe bleeding that lasts for seven days or longer. The excessive bleeding may cause a decrease in iron levels enough to increase the risk of iron deficiency anemia, symptoms of which include pale skin, weakness and fatigue.
However, there are ways to combat fatigue, with just a few simple lifestyle changes and supplementation:
How to fight PCOS fatigue in your day-to-day life
Try to balance your diet
Achieving the right balance of food groups on your plate can make a real difference to how you feel.
- Try to cover half your plate with low-starch vegetables like leafy greens, cauliflower and carrots, and cover a quarter with complex carbohydrates like beans, quinoa and root vegetables.
- Make up the other quarter with protein-dense poultry, fish, eggs and plant-based proteins or occasional grass-fed beef.
- Try not to worry too much over exacting quantities, but the above is a good guideline towards achieving roughly the right balance.
- Eat at regular intervals – roughly every four hours – without snacking in between.
- Always ensure you eat a good breakfast, including a reasonable number of calories, to balance your blood sugar levels early in the day. Combine this with some form of exercise no more than 90 minutes before or after.
- Eat foods rich in Iron and pair these foods rich with vitamin C. Vitamin C has been shown to enhance iron absorption. It captures non-heme iron and stores it in a form that’s more easily absorbed by your body.
Stay hydrated
Drinking enough water throughout the day may sound obvious, but it’s one of the very best ways to keep yourself energised. Drink at least eight glasses of water per day in order to maintain a steady level of readiness for whatever the day might bring.
Take more exercise
You don’t have to be out running miles every day in order to feel a real change in your energy levels. Just doing some physical exercise for 30 minutes between three and five times per week – little and often – will make you feel better. Finding something you really enjoy doing is the key to maintaining an exercise regime, so keep experimenting with different activities until you find the one for you.
Improve your sleep
Making a few small changes to your sleeping routine will mean that you start getting the benefits that sleep provides:
- Try going to bed and getting up at the same time each evening and each morning
- Avoid screens for up to two hours before going to bed
- Avoid heavy meals before going to bed and don’t drink caffeine after midday
- Do something you find relaxing during a ‘wind-down’ time before bed such as taking a bath or reading a book
- Invest in better quality bedding, getting rid of lumpy and uncomfortable mattresses and pillows
- Get darker blinds for better quality sleep in the lighter months
Cut down on caffeine
If you’re willing to try going without caffeine, you may find that you’re not as reliant on it as you thought. A cup of green tea may have just the same effect in the morning as a cup of strong coffee – but if you must include caffeine in your daily routine then drink no more than one cup of coffee per day.
Take supplements
If you have PCOS and experience symptoms of fatigue, supplementation can help to bring your body back into balance. Supplementing daily with Inofolic Alpha might help.
If you suffer from chronic fatigue, always speak to a healthcare professional. Your doctor may also recommend taking vitamin D and iron tablets to combat any anemia by sustaining a good blood iron level month-on-month.
To see how Inofolic Alpha has helped our customers, have a read of our real life success stories.
Start your journey with Inofolic Alpha, today
The PCOS supplement for women for life
Sources
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos/symptoms/
