4 Important Reasons Why You Don't Ovulate Naturally with PCOS
You just want to get your periods every month so you can ovulate naturally and have your baby. Am I right?
Ovulation is one of the biggest goals that I hear from women who are trying to get pregnant with PCOS. They will tell me that yes of course they want to get pregnant, but they really want to start ovulating and have regular periods so that at least they know their body is working.
And do you want to know why these four reasons are so important? Because knowledge is key and particularly with turning around fertility. Because once you know what's causing your body to stop ovulating, then you can get a plan that addresses that issue and turn it around.
Did you just have a lightbulb moment there? I sure hope you did!
That's why you are going to learn about these four reasons that keep you from ovulating naturally with PCOS.
What is PCOS?
It's official name is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. But did you know that PCOS is one of the most common causes of female infertility? Yup, it's true. And the thing about PCOS is that it is known as a syndrome which means that different symptoms make up the PCOS diagnosis. The three symptoms for PCOS are:
Ovulation issues
Cysts on the ovaries
Elevated androgen hormones like testosterone and DHEA
If you have at least two out of three of these symptoms? Then you get diagnosed with PCOS.
What is ovulation?
Ovulation is when the egg releases from the ovary. That egg then travels down to the uterus to try and meet up with the sperm in order to make a baby. But if no egg is released with ovulation, then no baby can be made.
Natural ovulation
Natural ovulation is exactly that. It's when the egg is released from the ovary on its own.
Unnatural ovulation
Since we are talking about what keeps your body from ovulating naturally, let's also get clear on what unnatural ovulation is. This is when a medication is used to help push the egg out of the ovary. The most common ovulation-induction medications used right now are clomid and letrozole (femara).
Now just because I'm calling it "unnatural" ovulation doesn't mean it's bad. Fertility medications can be a powerful and helpful part of the fertility process. As a doctor seeing countless women with PCOS, the one issue I see is that these medications are just being used at the wrong time in the fertility process.
4 Reasons Why You Don't Ovulate Naturally with PCOS
Why You Don't Ovulate Naturally with PCOS Reason #1: Insulin Issues
Did you know that almost 80% of women with PCOS have insulin-resistance? It's very common.
Although on the other hand, it might also surprise you that not everyone with PCOS has insulin issues. Because that's certainly a common PCOS misconception. Many people believe that everyone with PCOS also has insulin issues.
Not true!
But what is true is that elevated insulin shuts down ovulation.
Insulin is a hormone that helps keep your blood sugar levels balanced. What happens when insulin becomes too high, and too high for a long period of time, it starts shutting down ovulation. It keeps the ovaries from doing their job and it increases testosterone levels which then stops ovulation.
How do you know if you have insulin-resistance?
You can get your insulin levels, blood glucose levels or your hemoglobinA1c levels tested. This will give you a firm idea if insulin is keeping you from ovulating naturally.
Your body may also be giving you signs.
Common signs of imbalanced blood sugar and insulin-resistance are:
Getting irritable, "hangry" if you've gone too long without eating
Insomnia
Blurry vision, or feeling shaky if you've gone too long without eating
Migraines
Easy weight gain, particularly around the belly
Why You Don't Ovulate Naturally with PCOS Reason #2 Poor Egg Quality
Your eggs go through a mighty process in the year leading up to releasing from the ovary. What they are doing in that year is dividing chromosomes. They want exactly 23 chromosomes in order to be healthy and happy and ready to ovulate.
That is the definition of good egg quality.
On the flipside of that, if your eggs continually don't make those 23 chromosomes? That means those eggs are not happy and healthy and won't go out and ovulate. And even if they can muster up the energy to ovulate, your chances of a miscarriage are much higher.
That inability to divide to 23 chromsomes is the definition of poor egg quality.
Things like insulin-resistance are sneaky. We just talked about how insulin-resistance can stop ovulation, but it can also lead to poor egg quality.
So are you working with a doctor who is helping you figure out if you have poor egg quality or not? Are they helping you with a plan to help you improve egg quality? It's a key step in improving fertility with PCOS.
Why You Don't Ovulate Naturally with PCOS Reason #3 Too Many Androgen Hormones
First off, what are androgen hormones? Well androgen hormones are also known as testosterone and DHEA. They are the hormones that are most elevated in people with male organs.
Now for those of us with female organs, we need androgen hormones too. They do important jobs like support libido and muscle mass.
But when those androgen hormones get too elevated, that leads to problems. On the outside, that's when those symptoms like unwanted hair growth and acne start popping up. On the inside? Those androgen hormones are shutting down ovulation.
Why You Don't Ovulate Naturally with PCOS Reason #4 Elevated Estrogen
Too much estrogen causes a cascade of hormone imbalance that stops ovulation from happening. Too much estrogen then creates too much FSH. Are you familiar with FSH? It's a hormone from the brain that helps the egg develop as it needs to. When there's too much FSH, then that egg isn't able to do its job to get to that happy, healthy place of ovulating.
Elevated estrogen in the body is really common. So if you're struggling with it, you're not alone. The reasons elevated estrogen is so common is because of how much excess estrogen we are exposed to through the food and water supply.
Many pesticides and synthetic additives are what's known as "xenoestrogens". These are fake or "synthetic" compounds that look like the natural hormone estrogen. When we eat or drink the xenoestrogens our body thinks we are actually getting more estrogen.
These xenoestrogens can be a problem in the body if, one, you are exposed to too many of them. Or if, two, you aren't able to get rid of them efficiently.
Making sure you have an adequate level of estrogen and also making sure the body can get rid of excess estrogen is an important part of the PCOS fertility journey.
Why You Don't Ovulate Naturally with PCOS Summary
These are the top four reasons why you don't ovulate naturally with PCOS:
Elevated insulin (hello, my name is hangry!)
Too many androgen hormones (hello acne and chin hair!)
Poor egg quality (and we aren't just talking about scrambled vs boiled)
Elevated estrogen (can I get my meal with a side of xenoestrogens please?)
Have you been told, "you're infertile and the only way to treat your PCOS is to get back on birth control"?
Dismissive advice like this leaves you feeling even more broken and lost.
On top of that you feel guilty when you hear or see someone else's pregnancy announcement.
It's a reminder that your body fails you every single month.
If this is you, then it's time for a new approach.
Take the first step and sign up for a virtual PCOS Fertility Breakthrough Session
Did you LOVE this article? Did it leave you hungry for more great info about PCOS fertility? Great! Here are the articles you need to read next:
How Can I Ovulate Naturally With PCOS? Learn 3 Powerful Tips
This is the 4-Question PCOS Symptoms Quiz You Need Today
Can I Still Get Pregnant With Poor Egg Quality? Here are the Fertility Details You Need To Know
