Polycystic Ovaries Know Your Type - Find Your Treatment
Polycystic Ovaries affect up to 1 in 5 women according to the Royal Australian College of GP's. That’s 20% of us ladies!
In Part 1 of PCO(S) we explained the differences between PCO and PCOS and how to get diagnosed.
In this article, we’re going to explain the different types of Polycystic Ovaries in Integrative Chinese Medicine and why knowing your type changes your treatments.
There are 3 types of PCOs in Chinese Medicine:
Deficient Type
Damp or Phlegmy Type
Inflamed/ YinType
PCO and PCOS: The Deficient Type
Ladies with the deficient type often still have regular cycles and may not know they have excess follicles or cysts happening.
They usually have PCO rather than PCOS (so no excess weight gain and excess body hair).
In Chinese Medicine, we see this type as Qi (energy) and Blood deficient. This means the body doesn't have enough energy to keep you going AND mature your eggs properly. The eggs get 'stuck' and the number of follicles builds up inside the ovaries making it even harder to release an egg. It also affects the quality of the eggs released.
Deficient types are TIRED (or only running on adrenaline) and very often iron deficient.
What to look out for:
VERY heavy or very light periods - no happy medium
Relying on lots of coffee or sugar to get through the week
Digestive problems
Anxious, sometimes with a fast-beating heart for no reason
Trouble sleeping
Little black flecks or 'sparkles' in your vision that come and go, especially in the shower
Increasing the body’s nutrient absorption and overall energy is the focus of Chinese Medicine.
Eating regularly and having slow-cooked, room temperature or warm foods is recommended.
To be proactive about your health or fertility test the following:
Iron studies
Thyroid function test
Pelvic ultrasound
PCO and PCOS - The Damp or Phlegmy Type
Ladies with the Damp/Phlegmy type of Polycystic Ovaries often have the syndrome with either poor blood sugar metabolism, excess Testosterone or both.
In Chinese Medicine, we call this the 'Damp' or Phlegm type because the body makes LOTS of mucus which can clog up the inside of the ovaries. This makes it hard to mature and release an egg so they get 'stuck' and too many end up in there. This mucus/phlegm can also clog the fallopian tubes making falling pregnant more difficult.
Common noticeable symptoms include:
Feeling foggy and phlegmy in your nose, throat or chest
Finding it hard to shift excess weight
Having excess facial hair or body hair
Relying pretty heavily on sugar
Snoring
If you get a cold, always getting lots of phlegm
Having really smelly stools (sometimes with mucus)
Having a thick white or yellow coat on your tongue
Excess or prolonged discharge through the menstrual cycle
Improving the body's digestive system, improving pelvic blood flow and reducing excess mucus production is the Chinese Medicine focus for Damp/Phlegmy types.
General recommendations include reducing sugar, eating small regular meals with lots of protein and having lots of spices in your cooking (only a small amount of chilli) for the Damp/Phlegmy type.
If you're wanting to be proactive about your health or fertility, test:
Fasting HBA1c% (blood sugar) test
Testosterone test on day 3 of your cycle,
Full Thyroid function test
Pelvic ultrasound.
PCO and PCOS - The Inflamed Type
Ladies with the Inflamed type of Polycystic Ovaries often have ongoing chronic inflammation elsewhere. This can be a stand-alone PCO type in Integrative Chinese Medicine or it can be in addition to the Deficient or Damp type.
In Chinese Medicine, we call this the Yin deficient type. You might have heard of Yin and Yang? Yin is coolness and moisture in your body. A lack of Yin in your body makes it dry, inflamed and a perfect home for autoimmune conditions.
Common noticeable symptoms include:
Light sleeper or hard to get to sleep - can happen as a result of consistently getting less than 7h sleep
Often gets dry scratchy throat or dry cough
Dry skin
Being thirsty but hating cold water
Dry itchy eyes +/- hayfever
Ringing in your ears
Skin rashes or itching after eating
Free fluid in the Pouch of Douglas on your pelvic ultrasound report
We’ve found that eating regularly and getting 8+h sleep, avoiding multitasking and avoiding chilli, sugar and coffee where possible (dries you up) is best for the Inflamed/Yin type.
Improving pelvic blood flow and encouraging more moisture in the body is the Chinese Medicine focus for Inflamed/Yin types.
If you're wanting to be proactive about your health or fertility test:
FBE (full blood exam)
Oestrogen test on Day 3 of your cycle
ANA (Anti Nuclear Antibody - autoimmune marker)
Thyroid function test INCLUDING antibodies
Pelvic ultrasound
Can Acupuncture Help?
This 2016 study shows Acupuncture helps improve egg quality and this 2017 review of studies, shows egg & embryo quality improving in women with PCO(S) undergoing IVF vs IVF alone. Interested in seeing more Chinese Medicine fertility research? Click here.
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