I'm too thin to have PCOs. Right?

There's an epidemic happening that doctors are overlooking.... big time.

Thin women with PCOs.  I suffered for years with painful ovarian cysts with doctors only telling me that they were "normal" and would pass.  About 12 years ago, I was in New Orleans and seen by one of the country's top fertility specialists and he informed me that I had PCOs, Polycystic Ovarian Disease.  I came home to Washington to tell my own family physicians only to be given a lot of run around and as a result didn't get any treatment.  Occasionally, they would prescribe birth control pills which actually made it worse or made me really ill in other ways.  After a few years passed, I went in to be seen for another outbursts and told the doctor of my diagnosis.  He looked at me and said, "you don't have PCOs."

I stared at him with my eyes wide open.  Now keep in mind, this was before examining me as a patient.  "Why do you say that?"  I asked him.  "Because you don't look like you have PCOs.  You have a period every month.  You're too thin, you don't have hair on your face, you're not even pudgy."

You're not even pudgy.  Um, thank you?  Wait, is that a compliment or insult.  I was frustrated, I had just spent the last few years of my life trying to treat myself at home with diet and supplements only to be told that I didn't even have PCOs.  Somewhat close to tears, I said quietly but deathly, "if I don't have PCOs, then you better do some thorough tests on me to find out what I have been suffering from for the last decade of my life...."  He stammered a bit, threw out a bunch of baloney statistics and facts and performed the exam and repeated that the cysts were normal and would pass.  Fortunately a nurse was in the room with watchful sympathetic eyes as she could see my internal rage and sadness.  No, fortunately a nurse was in the room, because a doctor was spared from being strangled.

Now, only another 7-8 years later, I know better and I think about that doctor a lot.  And I wish I remembered what his name was so I could write him a letter and tell him the truth.  The truth being this:  thin women get PCOs.  In fact, it is estimated that about 50% of women with PCOs go undiagnosed and my estimate is that most of those women are like me.  Thin with PCOs and their only symptom being this:  we get repeated ovarian cysts.  We almost always have regular monthly cycles and yet we get cysts. 

We almost always have regular monthly cycles and yet we get cysts.... Think about it.  Does that even sound right?  In order to have a period.  You know... where you bleed once a month, you should be ovulating.  Because you can't have a period until you have ovulated.  Right?  Well okay, then chew on this:  If you are getting ovarian cysts than you are not ovulating.  But how can you be getting a period of you are not ovulating?  Confused yet?  Well, this is the kind of crap I get from doctors (or used to get) all the time.  And this is what I have to tell them in third grade language so they don't get too confused and have a stroke.

"Each month, when I am scheduled to ovulate, I don't ovulate.  Instead my ovaries hold onto the egg thus causing the cyst.  However, my uterus and brain don't quite make the connection and my uterus still sheds it's lining thus causing me to bleed.  Also known as: having a period.  This repeats itself each month and after a few months, I have a cyst rupture." 

Ahhhh, I see, says the now newly enlightened doctor.  Now, that I see that I've talked sense to them and they remember their basic anatomy and realize that our uterus shedding has nothing to do with us ovulating and that it all can happen separate of one another, I further explain...

"The reason I don't have any of the classic symptoms of PCOs is because there are different kinds of PCOs.  You are thinking of the one that causes excess androgen in women.  Excess androgen in women causes facial hair, excess weight gain and sometimes even balding.  My problem is not excess androgen.  My problem is not enough estrogen and  sometimes too much testosterone.  Women with this type of PCOs tend to have regular monthly periods and our only symptoms are repeated ovarian cysts and sometimes, but not always... infertility."

Ahhhh.... says the doctor.  It all is starting to make sense now.   New lights have been turned on in the hippo campus part of the brain! 

What people and doctors all need to start saying out loud in wonderful harmonious unison is this, "PCOs is not a fertility disorder."  Yes, you heard me right and before all of you cysters start beating me because you went through years of infertility, please hear me out.  First of all, not all PCOs sufferers have infertility.  I've known several women who successfully had babies and even breastfed them with no issues (PCOs can cause low milk supply for some).  So, now everyone repeat after me.... "PCOs is a metabolic disorder."  And this is how I can tell a good enlightened doctor from a non-enlightened one.  If I say that to a doctor and they say, "yep, it's a metabolic disorder."  Usually, right away I know I am in good hands.  They've done their homework.   If you are having a hard time finding support from a doctor, go see an endocrinologist specialist.  Or even better, a reproductive endocrinologist.  These people know their stuff.  And more regular family physicians are starting to refer their patients to them rather than an ob/gyn.  I also recommend a Naturopathic MD that is familar with assessing lifestyle and eating patterns.  It's really a matter of finding a doctor or specialist that understands PCOs.  I know within five minutes of meeting a doctor if I want to work with them or not.  It can be discouraging to meet with a doctor, get no help.  But you need to move on and keep looking for a good doctor that knows this stuff.  Doctors only have so much brain space and all of them have their own stuff they are good at and specialize in.  Find one that is super-pumped and passionate about treating PCOs as a metabolic disorder and you are golden. 

PCOs is a metabolic disease (not a hormone disease). Yet, our body is a complicated intricate design where one when thing is off balance - it throws other things in our body off balance. Because your body is a unified whole, a problem or dysfunction in one area causes dysfunction in other areas (1). In other words, if your metabolic system (pancreas, insulin, etc) is affected, then there will be a domino effect where your other systems will be effected as well.  And that is how hormone disorders like ovarian cysts happen.  In even simpler terms for the doctors you see...  If your metabolic system is out of whack, it gonna whack out the hormones in your body too.  Thus causing stuff like ovarian cysts. 

If you look at PCOs as a metabolic disorder rather than a fertility issue, you then realize that PCOs is very intricate and it varies differently for each women.  As a metabolic disorder, PCOs is caused by our insulin/kidney system.  From there, our insulin affects our hormones.  From there, our hormones affect the rest of our body.  Some women with PCOs have too much androgen.  Some women with PCOs don't have enough estrogen.  Some women with PCOs have too much estrogen.  You heard me right.  And some women have too much testosterone.  It boils down to this common sense.  If your adrenals, kidneys and other organs are out of balance.  Other stuff like your hormones are going to be out of balance as well.  And for women that are too thin to have PCOs, what is usually happening is that something in your body has interfered with your brain's ability to send a message to the ovaries to simply release that egg!  It's not the brain's fault (no you don't need brain surgery).  It's not the ovaries fault (no you don't need your ovaries removed).  It's most likely caused by insulin resistance which ges back to your kidneys.  Off with the kidneys' heads!

First, to help you if you are reading this... women that are thin with monthly periods yet get cysts quite often tend to be in the "too much testosterone" and/or "not enough estrogen"  camp.  No, we're not extra strong with big muscles.  No, we don't look like men.  No, we cannot lift a car off a baby.  Funnily enough, it's not testosterone that makes a guy masculine.  If anything, it makes them more feminine.  In fact, we're the opposite.  We're quite often on the slender side.  Unlike the excess androgen PCOs women, we don't gain weight all over our middle.  In fact, we tend to put it on quite nicely around our buttocks if we do gain weight.  We tend to have feminine features.  Thin hair but certainly not balding.  We have lovely smiles and we're very friendly.  Okay, I am teasing about that last part.  But you get the picture.  We're model-perfect for not having PCOs.  In fact, no one would ever guess in a million years that we had any kind of health condition at all.   We look so healthy. 

I tend to be in the camp of excess estrogen and testosterone myself and this took me years to figure out.  Each woman has their own unique levels of hormones tested and it can change throughout the years.  Throw insulin-resistance into the mix and our hormones really strive to be unique and throw our body into chaos.  Unfortunately, having your hormones is not accurate because it can be normal at point throughout your cycle and completely off during another time. 

So, how did we get PCOs if we're not fat?  For me, I know now that my PCOs is caused by a mix of my hypoglycemia, ability to eat vast amounts of whatever I want and yet it still put an overload on my adrenals and kidneys.  But this isn't the case for everyone.  You will need to research some more on your own and find out what is causing it.  There are lots of possibilities you can research:

1. First and foremost, research "insulin-resistant."  Insulin-resistance does not mean diabetic or that you need insulin shots.  Long story short, it is caused by a diet of refined and processed foods.  Now, you might be thinking, but "I eat healthy!"  I recommend you go pick up the book "Sunfood Diet" by David Wolfe and rethink your ideas of healthy, it will change your world.  One other thing to keep in mind is that everyone has different tolerance levels for bad food.  My husband can drink soda, eat bad food all day long with no issues.  I have one chip at one party dipped in one bowl of salsa and I suffer for years from PCOs.  I've learned to just accept that my body has a high alarm system when it comes to abusing it and it just won't tolerate me treating it badly.  Even just a little. 
2. Possible gluten-intolerance.  There is a belief that gluten intolerance or allergy may be causing PCOs and some studies have shown that being on a gluten-free diet cures PCOs.  This might be worth researching. 
3. Possible iodine-deficiency.  This can be remedied by switching to iodized table salt.  Many people are now using sea salt and thus an iodine deficiency is occurring.  This can also cause thyroid issues as well. 
4. Not alkaline enough.  Most of us have a pH level that is too acidic.  And really this is caused by a diet rich in meat, wheat, sugar, fats and more.  You can research buying test strips to check your own pH.  This worked for me as it showed me that I was dangerously acidic and I was able to make chages.  Here is a good site that talks more about this. 

What helped me?  I am still struggling with PCOs on occasion, so I cannot call myself an expert on curing PCOs yet.  I haven't had any cysts for a long time though and I believe that taking Vitex Chasteberry, Milk Thistle and Goat's Rue is what helped me.  I also believe that eating a diet with 50% fresh (uncooked) vegetables and fruits, staying away from coffee, staying away from refined sugars and processed foods also helped me.  Now when I say fresh foods, I am not talking salads and bananas.  I am talking raw fruits and vegetables such as spinach, beets, turnips, kale, chard, cilantro, cabbage and more.  Avoiding foods with hormones and pesticides also helped me.  It wasn't until I got a juicer and started making juices with raw vegetables (such as beets, carrots, spinach, etc) and fruits that I got better.  I recommend a wonderful website www.thefruitpursuit.com that led me down the path of better eating.  My diet is now high in grass-fed milk, beef, pork and eggs.  At this time, my husband and I raise all of our own meats and eggs.  And for extra support, I drink red raspberry leaf tea. 

I've also controlled my repeated cysts in the past with Metformin ER.  But over the years, I have found it harder to take and instead use natural method.  Goat's Rue has the same properties as Metformin and is less harsh on my stomach so I prefer to take that now.  Goats Rue helps wit insulin resistance.  Vitex Chasteberry works by flushing excess hormones stored in your fat cells.  Milk Thistle supports this even further by flushing it out of your kidneys and liver.  Raspberry leaf tea is one of the superherbs of the world.  Take it in capsule forms if easier.  It is nutrient-rich, has calcium and nurtures your uterus and other organs.  Another herb I would consider (unless you are pregnant or breastfeeding) is Saw Palmetto.  Raw cacao has more antioxidant flavonoids than any food tested so far, including blueberries, red wine, and black and green teas. In fact, it has up to four times the quantity of antioxidants found in green tea. Unfortunately, buying dark chocolate candy bars is not the same.  Raw maca powder has been hailed as one of the top superfoods of the world.  Almost all of these items can be purchased at www.vitacost.com.  At this date, they do not carry Goats Rue.  Update: do not take vitex chasteberry longer than three months as this can cause an upswing in estrogen hormones.

So, yes you can be thin and have PCOs.  You can generally be healthy overall and have PCOs.  But remember, what you really have is a metabolic disorder.  If you cure your metabolic disorder.  You cure your ovarians cysts.  Having your ovaries removed or having a hysterectomy will not cure your ovarian cysts.  Yes, you might stop having cysts but you still will have a metabolic disorder.  And metabolic disorders can lead to other health problems like diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, pancreas issues and more.  Often people who don't treat PCOs go on to have problems later in life.  I saw this firsthand with my beautiful grandmother who died young at 74 (considered young when all her relatives lived to be almost 100) from renal failure and an assorment of other metabolic disorders.  In looking through her history, I can see that she was a thin PCOs sufferer as well. 

So, take action today.  Change your life.  Research everything possible.  Get the following books below.  Watch the recommended movies.  And hopefully soon, you will no longer have ovarian cysts.

Movies to watch for better health:  "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" amd "Food Matters."  Books to read, "The Sunfood Diet" and "Nourishing Traditions."  A wonderful and more thorough document on Thin Women with PCOs that you can print up for your doctor.  And another by the same clinic.

Update: I feel so fortunate to be able to share this with you but a few months ago, I was struggling with mood swings causes by excess estrogen and my PCOs. After a lot of research, I finally cured my PCOs and was able to get successfully pregnant for a second time with the following supplements (on top of our grass-fed diet):

• New Chapter One Women's Daily (contains raspberry leaf, maca, chasteberry, elderberry, don quai and much more)
• Barlean Cod Liver Fish Oil (I also recommend Carlson and Nordic Naturals brands)
• DIM Plus
• A diet low in processed grains, high in raw milk, grass-fed beef, eggs and pork
• A diet high in organic fruits and vegetables