All About: PCOS
Updated: 28-10-2025
An irregular cycle, skin problems, or a lack of ovulation – these are signals your body gives for a reason. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal imbalance that many women face, often without immediately realising it. What causes it? And more importantly: what can you do to restore your hormonal balance? In this blog, you will learn what PCOS is, the symptoms associated with it, and the lifestyle choices you can make today to feel energetic and balanced again.
What is PCOS?
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder in women. In PCOS, women produce more androgenic hormones such as testosterone, and the levels of oestrogen and progesterone are reduced. This leads to a hormonal imbalance that manifests in various symptoms. Due to the increased presence of testosterone, the follicles in the ovaries do not fully mature and turn into cysts. As a result of the follicles not maturing, ovulation does not occur, leading to a lack of menstruation and fertility issues.
PCOS characteristics at a glance:
- Irregular cycle or no menstruation at all
- Painful heavy periods
- Cysts on the ovaries
- Increased testosterone
- Fertility issues
- Overweight (sometimes underweight)
- Insulin resistance
- Excessive hair growth
- Skin problems
What causes PCOS?
PCOS can be caused by insulin resistance, being overweight, stress, and (low-grade) inflammation, but it is also suspected to be partly genetic. It is therefore a combination of various factors that influence each other and can lead to the manifestation of PCOS.
In particular, insulin resistance is a significant trigger. When your cells become less sensitive to insulin, your body produces more insulin. This stimulates the production of LH (luteinising hormone), which in turn increases testosterone levels. Furthermore, insulin inhibits the production of SHBG (Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin), a protein that inactivates testosterone. The result: more active testosterone in your body.
What to do about PCOS symptoms?
Fortunately, insulin resistance can be well managed or resolved with a healthy diet and daily exercise. It is important to keep blood sugar levels stable by:
- Adjusting the number of eating moments, for example, 3 meals a day without snacks
- Reducing carbohydrate intake: replace bread, pasta, and rice with seed crackers, broccoli or cauliflower rice, and pasta made from courgette
- Adding more proteins (quark, tempeh, fish, tofu) and healthy fats (nuts, seeds, avocado, fatty fish) to the diet
- Exercising on an empty stomach: take a walk of at least 30 minutes after waking up before having breakfast
- Intermittent fasting: fasting for more than 18 hours helps to make body cells insulin sensitive. You can choose your eating window, for example, between 12:00 and 18:00 or between 14:00 and 20:00.
By adjusting the diet and increasing physical activity, weight will eventually decrease, which helps to tackle insulin resistance. Lifestyle adjustments alone can often improve the health of women with PCOS.
Supplements for PCOS
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Note: this article is informative and does not replace medical advice. Always consult your treating physician or another medical expert.
