PCOS and Thyroid Health
Emma’s Story
Emma is 28, she has a stressful office based job and had recently been diagnosed with PCOS, although has been suffering with symptoms for a years. She was struggling to loose weight, her hair had started to thin, and she was suffering with bloating and intermittent constipation. She has experienced painful and heavy periods and acne (on and off) since she was a teenager. She was grazing a lot -throughout the day, and skipping lunch and eating a lot of quick, convenience foods. Was not very active due to working long hours sat at a desk.
We did a Full Thyroid Panel and whilst waiting for the results focused on ensuring she was getting three nutritious meals a day that worked around her busy schedule. Balancing blood sugar levels was a priority and limiting snacks. Also increasing movement and daily light exposure by introducing short walks throughout the day.
Her Thryoid results showed she had an underactive thyroid. To convert our inactive thyroid hormone (T4) to it’s active form (T3), you need to have a healthy gut and high functioning liver. You also need T3 for your gut to function properly so we worked on the gut and thyroid in conjunction. We supported nutrients essential for thyroid function; zinc, selenium, tyrosine, iodine and omega 3/6 ratio. We improved her gut transit time and microbiome health, easing her constipation and bloating.
We then worked on switching out her beauty and cleaning products, reducing harmful ingredients e.g. parabens, phthalates, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, and mineral oils. We also reduced plastic contact, especially heating anything in plastic and stopping using takeaway tea/coffee cups. These ingredients can lead to hormonal imbalances, inflammation, and a wide range of skin problems.
Stress reduction and work life balance was also an area she knew she needed to make changes. We worked on techneques to help manage stress and discussed possible changes at work.
After 5 months Emma’s energy had improved, she lost weight and her skin and hair health improved. She had began to work from home 2-3 days which was a calmer environment and allowed her to be more flexible with exercise and meal prepping. She is gradually working on switching to products without hormone disrupting ingredients.
Emma’s Words
‘I did not realise how big of a impact changing my diet and other products could make on my PCOS, or that I had a problem with my thyroid. I am so happy I now know how to better look after myself and manage my condition.’
If you do not feel 100% and would like to find out if I can help, I offer free 15 minute minute free calls to discuss you and your health.
