The Role of Insulin Resistance in PCOS

Let’s talk about PCOS – a hormonal disorder that affects women of reproductive age all around the world. It’s pretty common, affecting about 10% of women, and comes with a range of symptoms like irregular periods, excess androgen production, and cysts on the ovaries. But what causes PCOS? While we don’t know everything, one thing we do know is that insulin resistance plays a big role.

Insulin resistance is when your body’s cells don’t respond as well to insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas to regulate blood sugar levels. This means your body has to produce more insulin to get the job done. But when there’s too much insulin in your system, it can throw off the balance of hormones in your body, contributing to the development of PCOS.

So how exactly does insulin resistance lead to PCOS? Well, for one, it can increase the production of androgens. Androgens are hormones that are present in both men and women, but typically at higher levels in men. Women with PCOS may produce too many androgens, which is what causes many of the characteristic PCOS symptoms including; irregular cycles, hair growth and acne.

Insulin resistance can also mess with the normal functioning of the ovaries. In women without PCOS, insulin helps to regulate the production of hormones that are critical to ovulation. But for women with insulin resistance, their ovaries may become less responsive to these hormones, leading to irregular periods and even anovulation (no ovulation at all).

And there’s more! Insulin resistance contributes to weight gain, which is often linked to PCOS. So, how do you manage PCOS if you have insulin resistance? The answer is in your day to day nutrition and lifestyle habits!

The bottom line? Insulin resistance is a major factor in the development of PCOS and its associated symptoms. By managing insulin resistance, you can improve the symptoms of PCOS and reduce the risk of related health problems.

References:

1. Dumesic, D. A., & Lobo, R. A. (2013). Cancer risk and PCOS. Steroids, 78(8), 782-785. doi: 10.1016/j.steroids.2013.02.019
2. Legro, R. S., Castracane, V. D., & Kauffman, R. P. (2004). Detecting insulin resistance in polycystic ovary syndrome: purposes and pitfalls. Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America, 31(4), 907-919. doi: 10.1016/j.ogc.2004.08.002
3. Yildiz, B. O. (2015). Diagnosis of hyperandrogenism: clinical criteria. Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 29(1), 89-98. doi: 10.1016/j.beem.2014.09.008