Optimizing Movement to Fight Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
By Christy Maloney, RD, LDN, CEDS-C, CPT
Hard Truths
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder of women of reproductive age, impacting 10% of women on average. If you struggle with PCOS, I’m sure you are well away of the frustrations that come with this disorder.
As a fellow cyster, I can relate to the variety of symptoms. Common symptoms include insulin resistance, irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, hirsutism (hair growth on face and body – good times!), skin tags, as well as other things.
PCOS doesn’t have to be the end of your health or fertility. Focus on taking care of yourself (doing some HIIT/aerobic training, lift some weights, make space for your mental health) and you will find that this will help many of the symptoms you experience.
Using Movement As An Intervention
PCOS is a frustrating disease! If you’re like me, you wonder what you can do to help your body. We all know that the first line recommendations from doctors are “take the pill, lose weight, and come back when you want to get pregnant.”
There is, however, so much more you can do! Along with nutrition interventions (which I’ll discuss in a future article), exercise is a superpower when fighting PCOS.
Recommendations from recent research show that the following is the best movement regimen for PCOS:
1. Doing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) three times per week up to 30 minutes each time (including warm up and cool down). What does HIIT do for you? It stimulates ovulation! Irregular cycles decrease fertility so anything we can do to help it along makes it (somewhat) easier to conceive when we’re ready. It helps to improve insulin resistance so the odds of developing prediabetes and/or diabetes goes down. It helps with androgens so that hirsutism (face/body hair growth) decreases. Females with high androgens can also have male pattern balding so we want to balance androgens to help with this symptom as well. HIIT can help to maintain cardiorespiratory function to help prevent cardiovascular disease, another disease that women with PCOS have a higher risk for developing. Women suffering from PCOS often have higher rates of depression and anxiety. Exercise is a known mood booster and helps with the psychological effects of PCOS.
2. Resistance Training! This is a crucial part of a workout regimen with the PCOS. Like HIIT, it helps to decrease insulin resistance. Your skeletal muscle (biceps, triceps, glutes, quads, hamstrings, etc) account for around 85% of your glucose uptake so that means that building muscle mass is critical for maintaining normal blood sugar levels (hello, diabetes prevention). Building muscle helps maintain metabolism. Metabolism declines as we age for everyone, but is especially low in women with PCOS due to insulin resistance. The goal? Three times per week for 20-30 minutes is optimal. You want to make sure you’re hitting the large muscle groups (as listed above) with weights that are challenging to you.
Options For Incorporating Tangible Movement
So, the question is, how do we incorporate this in a tangible way?
It might make sense to have a six day split of movement (alternating HIIT and strength days doing each three times per week).
It might make sense to do HIIT followed by strength training sessions (so three total exercise days per week).
You want to make sure that you are using weights that are heavy enough to challenge you and give you that “fatigued” feeling on the last reps of a set.
Cyster, you’ve got this! PCOS doesn’t have to be the end of your health or fertility. Focus on taking care of yourself (doing some HIIT/aerobic training, lift some weights, make space for your mental health) and you will find that this will help many of the symptoms you experience.
***Please consult your physician before beginning any exercise programs. This is general information. Please refer to a physical therapist, exercise physiologist, or personal trainer for more tailored plans.
Sources:
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-023-15730-8
https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/fulltext/2011/10000/exercise_programming_for_insulin_resistance.5.aspxhttps://www.mdpi.com/2411-5142/5/2/35
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32733258
Christy Maloney is a Registered Dietitian specializing in helping those with eating disorders and disordered eating in Charlotte, NC. Christy earned a BS in psychology from Wingate University. Following a career in banking and finance, becoming an RD was a second career for Christy. After completing coursework for a BS in Human Nutrition and her dietetic internship, Christy has been an RD since 2011. In January, 2019, she opened her own practice in Charlotte, NC, Enhance Nutrition Associates, devoted solely to the treatment of eating disorders at an outpatient level. Christy has become a Certified Eating Disorders Registered Dietitian – Supervisor (CEDRD-S), now the CEDS-S certification . This credential shows Christy’s expertise and experience in the field. She also is an iaedp approved supervisor for other dietitians looking to obtain their CEDS certification.
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