PCOS…Finally a treatment option that really works

PCOS, or Polycystic Ovarian syndrome, is a disorder in which a woman’s ovaries become filled with cysts due to a hormonal imbalance. This hormonal imbalance causes many follicles within the ovaries to reach semi- maturation, but doesn’t allow for one to dominate, and ovulate, resulting in no ovulation, or very infrequent ovulation. The semi-mature follicles form cysts, which fill the ovaries. PCOS is a very broad diagnosis, and can include high testosterone levels, as well as insulin imbalance. We do not know the exact cause of PCOS, which results in Western medical treatment being very limited and with low success rates when it comes to pregnancy achievement.

Most women with PCOS usually notice an absent or infrequent menstrual cycle soon after puberty, and are most likely prescribed birth control pills to simulate some sort of normalcy in their cycle. When they decide to go off the pill and try to become pregnant later in life, they experience a lot of difficulty and not many treatment options. Most OB/GYNs will prescribe an insulin-regulating drug, which has a mediocre success rate with PCOS. This drug (Metformin), usually causes nausea and digestive upset, and is class C (there hasn’t been enough evidence to say if it is safe or not during pregnancy). Most OB/GYNs advise women that are taking Metforman pre-pregnancy to stay on it throughout their pregnancy. This to me is an alarming treatment option. The only other treatment option in Western Medicine for PCOS is to do an IVF or an IUI. Although these options can be successful, they are expensive, invasive, and are more dangerous for women with PCOS.

In my practice, I have seen so many women with the PCOS diagnosis become pregnant naturally and carry healthy babies to term after being told that they either will never get pregnant, or must do IUI or IVF to do so. It seems a little crazy that such a seemingly untreatable disorder in the eye of Western Medicine can be so successfully treated with acupuncture and herbal medicine. “How is that even possible?”

Acupuncture is amazing when it comes to balancing hormones. With PCOS, there is a hormonal imbalance that is not letting a mature dominant follicle release. Without this dominant follicle releasing, there is no chance for pregnancy, as a sperm and egg cant get together if there is no egg. With consistent acupuncture visits, the body’s hormones become more normalized, resulting in more frequent ovulations. The Hypothalamus and Pituitary glands (the body’s hormone control centers) become reset, allowing for the ovaries to respond to the ovulation hormones, and a woman has a much higher chance of conceiving.

If you have been given this seemingly hopeless diagnosis, please broaden your treatment options and give Acupuncture a shot. You will realize that your body is actually capable of ovulating on its own, and conceiving as a result