PCOS vs Exercises

Have you been piling on weights, yet haven’t changed your diet? 

Are your periods irregular or absent altogether? 

Is your skin breaking out like crazy? 

These are just a few signs that you may be suffering from Poly cystic Ovarian Syndrome, a hormonal condition that affects up to 18% of women. 

Diet and exercise can be extremely helpful in treating the symptoms so you can lead a healthy, happy and fertile life.

 PCOS eFFECTS on YOUR BODY

• Irregular or absent periods

• Excess testosterone – we all produce some testosterone, but too much can prevent ovulation and change your menstrual cycle

• Insulin resistance – your body has to produce much more insulin than normal to keep blood sugar levels stable. 
• Excess insulin floating around also increases testosterone produce.

• Reduced fertility

• Excess hair on your body and face (hirsutism)

• Less hair on your head (alopecia)

• Changes in your skin, such as acne, or darkened skin patches

• Anxiety & Depression

Symptoms of PCOS

These symptoms can be improved with a few lifestyle changes, particularly with exercise routine.

1. CARDIO

Brisk walking, jogging, cycling or swimming are all great activities. CARDIO help with weight management, symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as improving frequency of menstrual cycles and ovulation. And if you’re about to start IVF, regular light exercise can boost your reproductive success.

"Reducing insulin resistance, Boosting fertility, Stabilizing mood"

2. STRENGTH TRAINING

Exercises like squats, push-ups, or triceps dips improve the function of insulin in your body, but can also boost your metabolism by building more muscle mass. 

"Reducing insulin resistance, increasing metabolic rate, improving body composition (more muscle and less fat tissue)"

3. HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING

Intervals involve swapping between short bouts of high intensity work and lower intensity recovery. It’s a time efficient way of boosting your cardiovascular fitness, with extra benefits for PCOS. Going hard on the spin bike burns bucket-loads of calories, and reduces abdominal fat more effectively reducing excess testosterone and improving insulin resistance.

" Increases cardiovascular fitness, decreases waist circumference, and achieves a healthy BMI"

4. CORE STRENGTH

if you’re trying to conceive, start training your pelvic floor muscles! These muscles are also part of your core and help prevent incontinence, boost sexual health, and improve pelvic stability to help support a healthy pregnancy.

"General well-being and injury prevention, preparing your body for pregnancy"

P.S. All the above fitness regimes helped me personally to overcome the PCOS symptoms & helped me in my fertility treatment.

If your fitness regime can get over the side effects of PCOS, why do you hesitate to exercise while going for a fertility treatment?