I see a lot of women with a diagnosis of PCOS in my practice. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is an interesting diagnosis in that, because it’s a syndrome, there are multiple ways that a woman can end up with this diagnosis. Symptoms, lab tests, imaging or a variety of these can be what leads this diagnosis which one in ten women have been given. Women must have two of three of the following conditions to be considered for this diagnosis:
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As a Naturopathic Doctor I work with patients on a wide variety of concerns from chronic pain to cancer to diabetes or IBS. But regardless of the presenting symptom, there is one hormone that underlies much of what I recommend and the questions I ask. That hormone is cortisol. Sometimes referred to as the “stress hormone”, cortisol is released from your small adrenal glands, which sit on top of your kidneys. Cortisol is released in response to our daily circadian rhythms – ideally peaking first thing in the morning and lowering as we prepare for and fall into sleep. This is “ideal” because cortisol triggers metabolic activities that help us be active during our day and which are not necessary (even counter-productive) at night.
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