3 Steps to Balancing Hormones with PCOS
If you've been diagnosed with PCOS, you've probably been handed birth control, told to lose weight, and given metformin. That's not a plan; that's lazy medicine. The truth is, there's so much you can do with lifestyle and nutrition to support your body naturally, but most doctors aren't taught that approach.
I've worked with countless women who've balanced their hormones with PCOS, achieved regular periods, lost stubborn weight, and even gotten pregnant, all without obsessing over carbs, going keto, or taking meds.
Understanding PCOS Beyond the Diagnosis
PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) is a syndrome, not a disease, which means it looks different for everyone. To actually be diagnosed with PCOS, you need to have two out of three criteria:
irregular or missing periods
symptoms of excess androgens (or lab evidence of excess androgens)
polycystic ovaries on ultrasound
Here's what I want you to know: you are not your diagnosis. If we make PCOS our identity, we'll never be able to walk away from it. You're struggling with PCOS, you're dealing with it, you're making progress, but you are not PCOS.
Common PCOS Symptoms
Irregular or missing periods
Unwanted hair growth or hair loss
Hormonal acne
Weight gain, especially around the abdomen
Fatigue and energy crashes
Mood swings and anxiety
Difficulty losing weight
Different Types of PCOS
While conventional medicine doesn't typically categorize PCOS this way, understanding your specific drivers can help you address the root cause:
Post-pill PCOS: Symptoms that appear after stopping birth control
Inflammatory PCOS: Driven by chronic inflammation
Insulin-resistant PCOS: The most common type, involving blood sugar imbalances
Adrenal PCOS: When overactive adrenals are the primary driver
What Conventional PCOS Treatment Misses
The standard approach of birth control, metformin, and weight loss advice misses the mark entirely. Birth control suppresses ovulation, but to actually balance hormones, we need ovulation. Taking birth control for PCOS is like putting a bandaid on a bullet wound without removing the bullet.
Metformin is a bandaid for blood sugar issues. Instead of masking the problem, we need to address the blood sugar issue by sensitizing your cells to insulin and addressing all the factors that impact blood sugar beyond just food.
So,if you're dealing with PCOS, irregular cycles, stubborn weight, fatigue, or hormonal chaos (even if you haven’t been officially diagnosed with PCOS) these are the 3 steps I’d take first to balance your hormones.
Step 1: Balance Blood Sugar Daily
This is the foundation for hormone balance with PCOS. Balanced blood sugar sensitizes your cells to insulin, supports better ovulation, increases progesterone production, and reduces symptoms.
Think of insulin as a key that unlocks your cells to let glucose in. When you're insulin resistant, it's like having the wrong key, and your body keeps trying different keys until it finally finds one that works. Instead of needing one key, you might need seven. This process causes inflammation, keeps insulin levels high (making weight loss nearly impossible), and triggers your ovaries to produce more testosterone.
How to Balance Your Blood Sugar
Eat within 30-60 minutes of waking
Include protein, healthy fats, and low-glycemic carbs at every meal
Stop skipping meals and avoid fasted workouts
Make half your plate non-starchy vegetables
Aim for one gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight
Start with at least 30 grams of protein at breakfast
Simple Blood Sugar Balanced Breakfast
Try an egg bake with eggs, grated cheese, peppers, onions, spinach, and chicken sausage. Bake it in a pan, portion it out for the week, and serve with berries. This gives you a week's worth of balanced breakfasts in just 20 minutes of prep.
If you can only fix one meal right now, make it breakfast. The more stable you keep your blood sugar in the morning, the more stable it will be for the rest of the day.
Step 2: Reduce Inflammation
Inflammation disrupts hormone communication, worsens insulin resistance, and makes you feel exhausted. The good news? You don't need 15 supplements to start making a difference. Here’s what to do to start reducing inflammation:
Prioritize Sleep
Even if your sleep isn't perfect right now, you can start building better habits:
Get off screens two hours before bed
Go to bed and wake up at consistent times
Get outside light exposure in the morning and evening
Use red light glasses or filters if you need screens at night
Put your phone on airplane mode after your work day ends
Choose Whole Foods Over Processed
Focus on reducing foods with excessive added ingredients and inflammatory seed oils. If the majority of your diet comes from packages rather than whole foods, start by shifting toward more real, whole foods.
Support Gut Health Naturally
Instead of throwing supplements at digestive issues, try bitters to optimize your stomach acid and digestion. Some of my favorites are from Subluna. Take them 10 minutes before eating and let them sit on your tongue for 30 seconds.
Minerals are also key for optimal stomach acid production, so consider adding electrolytes or mineral mocktails to support your digestion naturally.
Step 3: Support Ovulation
This is where we get into the deeper work of figuring out why ovulation isn't happening regularly. The approach depends on your specific PCOS type:
For Insulin-Resistant PCOS
Start with blood sugar balance (step 1) as this will make the biggest difference in supporting ovulation.
Mineral Testing
Many women with PCOS are depleted of essential minerals needed for thyroid function and adrenal support. When your body doesn't have the tools it needs, it simply won't ovulate. Hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA) can reveal mineral patterns that impact blood sugar and hormone production.
Stress Resilience
Building an adaptable nervous system goes beyond simple breathing exercises. It means actively unloading your stress bucket every day through practices like:
Morning visualization or meditation
Walking away from stressful situations to regulate your nervous system
Spending time with people who help you feel calm and centered (co-regulation)
Gentle movement like walking rather than intense HIIT workouts
Track Your Ovulation
Many women think they're having periods when they're actually just having withdrawal bleeds without ovulation. Use ovulation tracking to confirm you're actually ovulating and that your luteal phase (time from ovulation to period) is long enough.
It’s possible to have balanced hormones with PCOS!
You don't need to be perfect with every meal or every stress management technique. What matters is showing up consistently and building these habits gradually. PCOS isn't a life sentence. It's a hormonal and metabolic imbalance that you can rebalance through nutrition and lifestyle changes. Many women have put their PCOS symptoms in remission and feel better than they have in years!
If you’re ready for a natural approach to balancing your hormones with PCOS, this is exactly what I do in the Hormone Reset Program®, my comprehensive six-month program where we walk you through the complete transformation of balancing your hormones naturally. Instead of throwing every expensive supplement and test at you from day one, we start with foundational labs like Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis and let your unique results guide us to exactly what your body needs to feel amazing again!
Stop settling for bandaid solutions when you know something isn't right. Your body deserves better, and so do you!
Book your free call with one of my past clients who went through this exact transformation. She'll help you see if the Hormone Reset Program® is the right fit for you and answer any questions you have about getting started.