When I was first diagnosed with PCOS, I refused all medications. Being a nutrition student, I knew there had to be other ways to reverse my symptoms.

Along my journey I tried A LOT of diets, supplements and lifestyle practices until I found the formula that worked for me.

There are many different recommendations for supplements that may help reverse or alleviate PCOS symptoms, and the mineral Magnesium is one.

I was asked recently in my private Happy Hormones Sisterhood community on Facebook whether or not Magnesium was truly beneficial for PCOS. Is it worth trying? Does it live up to the hype?

Read on to find out.

To truly understand whether using Magnesium supplements will help you PCOS, you must understand what PCOS actually is and what the underlying root causes are.

What’s PCOS All About?

For a fully detailed article on what PCOS is, check this out. 

Simply put, PCOS is an endocrine disorder that effects many organs- not just the ovaries. At it’s core PCOS is a disorder of insulin resistance.

Many things including stress, impaired carbohydrate and fat metabolism, mood disorders and embarrassing physical symptoms like weight gain, facial hair, hair loss and acne can all be connected to underlying insulin resistance in PCOS. Even if you’re lean. Even if your lab tests are “normal”. Sometimes insulin resistance can be difficult to detect, and if your physician is choosing the wrong tests, everything may seem “normal”.

This is where Magnesium comes in handy.

Does Magnesium Really Help PCOS?

Answer: YES

Before I get to HOW Magnesium helps PCOS, it’s important to understand WTF Magnesium actually is.

Magnesium is one of the most abundant minerals in our bodies, and is used in over 300 different body processes making it a super important mineral to have.

Here’s a few examples of how Magnesium is critical to our functioning:

• Enzyme Activity: Magnesium enables thousands of bio-chemical processes
• Energy Production: Magnesium helps with the production of ATP, the way our bodies store energy in cells
• DNA: Magnesium helps to regulate and maintain the body’s internal instructions for building new cells and proteins
• Mineral Balance: Magnesium helps to balance all the minerals in our bodies which are necessary to maintain cell life

4 Ways Magnesium May Help Alleviate PCOS Symptoms

#1 Blood Sugar Balance

We already mentioned that insulin and blood sugar balance is critical to reversing PCOS symptoms. One 2012 study comparing women with PCOS to “normal” women found that women have a 19 times greater risk of having PCOS is they are deficient in Magnesium. Another study in 2013 continued on this path to find that the Magnesium status of a woman with PCOS was often lower when there was insulin resistance present.

So does that mean Magnesium helps with blood sugar balance?

Some studies on patients with insulin issues (such as Type II Diabetes) seem to think so. In a 2013 study, higher Magnesium status in the body was associated with lower fasting glucose and insulin resistance blood values.

#2 Nervous System + Adrenal Support

Beyond our blood sugar, Magnesium has a place in helping our nervous systems, adrenal glands and moods.

Women with PCOS have a greater likelihood of experiencing depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety.

A big part of getting these mood disorders under control is supporting a healthy nervous system and healthy adrenal glands— two little stress glands that sit atop your kidneys.

Time and time again relatively small amounts of Magnesium have shown significant effects in reducing depression and exaggerated stress response.

#3 Heart Health

Women with PCOS are at a much higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease that women without PCOS.

The more we can control the underlying factors in PCOS, such as insulin resistance, the lower the risk becomes.

It’s been found that overweight individuals often have a chronic Magnesium deficiency, potentially increasing risk even further for those women with PCOS who are overweight or obese.

Magnesium is potentially helpful in a few ways. The highest levels of Magnesium in the body is found in the heart. Magnesium also helps to usher calcium around the body, making it incredibly important to prevent calcium from depositing in arteries, which can translate into angina or heart attack.

#4 Good Quality Sleep

Sleep in credibly important for weight control, mood disturbance, energy levels and hormonal profiles. Many of my PCOS clients suffer from insomnia or other forms of disturbed sleep.

Magnesium is helpful because it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, where our “rest and digest” response comes from, allowing us to relax.

Additionally, Magnesium regulates the hormone melatonin, which guides our sleep-wake cycles. Magnesium often works better for sleep than a melatonin supplement, in my clinical experience.

How to Use Magnesium for PCOS

Foods

There’s no end to the number of foods that contain Magnesium, making it quite easy to get it through diet if you eat a whole foods diet with loads of variety.

According to WHFoods.com, the 10 foods with the highest Magnesium concentration are:

1. Pumpkin seeds – 180.3mg per 1/4 cup
2. Spinach – 156.6mg per cup
3. Swiss chard – 150.5mg per cup
4. Sesame Seeds – 126.36 per 1/4 cup
5. Quinoa – 118.4mg per 3/4 cup
6. Black Beans – 120.4mg per cup
7. Cashews – 116.8mg per 1/4 cup
8. Sunflower Seeds – 113.75mg per 1/4 cup
9. Navy Beans – 96.46mg per cup
10. Buckwheat – 85.68mg per cup

Pumpkin seeds, spinach, sesame seeds, and buckwheat are all featured in my Top 20 PCOS Superfoods in The Ultimate PCOS Checklist. Grab your own free copy of the Checklist to see the other foods (and so much more) here.

Supplements

There’s SO many different Magnesium supplements on the market, and it can be difficult to find the the right one- let alone choosing a dose!

Here I’m sharing what I’ve seen both in research and clinical experience to be the most effective.

Magnesium Glycinate/Bisglycinate

This is a chelated form of Magnesium that tends to produce the highest levels of absorption compared to other forms of the mineral. For those trying to correct a deficiency, this form works quite well and doesn’t have the laxative effect of other forms like citrate.

Recommended product: Magnesium Bisglycinate by CanPrev

Find it: http://amzn.to/2w7UJfm

**This product is featured as one of my Top 5 PCOS Supplements in The Ultimate PCOS Checklist. Don’t forget to grab your free copy!**

Magnesium Taurate

This Magnesium is a combination of Magnesium and taurine, and amino acid or protein building-block. When put together in a supplement, they have a calming effect on body and mind. This is a great form of Magnesium if mood disorders and stress are your main concerns.

Recommended product: Magnesium Taurate 400 by Douglas Labs

Find it: http://amzn.to/2g90i9z

Dosage

Typical dosages range from 500mg to 1000mg daily, in divided doses. Some women do well with as little as 200mg and some need upwards of 1200mg daily.

Start small and work your way up, adding an extra capsule every week or so until you find a sweet spot. Do not exceed 1200mg daily.

If you’re concerned about sleep, leave a larger portion of your dose for about 1-2 hours before bedtime.  

 
Guest Post by Melissa Turner.
 

When I first began my journey with having endometriosis, I really trusted in my surgeon and my Gynaecologist. I believed that he was a specialist in this field and that he knew endometriosis better than I could ever truly understand it – besides, I could barely pronounce endometriosis at the time … nevermind trying to figure out how to treat it!

I then proceeded to follow the advice of the best doctors, Gynaecologists and surgeons I could and listened to all their well-meaning advice. Over the next 15 years, I would go through a series of treatments, particularly hormone treatments. The aim was to stop the endometriosis growths and dull my hormones. Unfortunately, with every attempt, I simply experienced more side-effects. I gained weight, I felt moody a lot and developed a strange eye pain which no-one could ever treat – one doctor described it as having glass shards in my eye!

It was a tough time and I see many women put themselves through these treatments in a hope that they will alleviate their symptoms with endometriosis.

The truth was, they did alleviate some of my symptoms … some of the time…. but they never truly resolved my endometriosis. Each year, I would return to the operating table and have to have more surgery to remove the lesions that had grown within that time.

The sad reality was, I was also still experiencing pain and it was particularly bad when I had sex – a really hard thing to deal with when you are in your 20’s and “just want to have fun”.

All that I managed to achieve in that entire time was a slight reduction in symptoms but inevitably my life still consisted of going from surgery to surgery and pain-killers to pain-killers. I was on a wonderful merry-go-round of simply dealing with symptoms but at no point were we actually looking at endometriosis – straight up and asking it what and how to treat it properly?

So, after the last operation I would ever have (the seventh one), I couldn’t bear it anymore. My body was tired and I just didn’t think I could go through yet another one of those operations and also struggled with the huge financial burden it had on me.

Something had to change and it all began when I woke up after that last surgery, crying in tears because I just couldn’t believe that this was all there was….

I eventually crawled out of that hole and that dark place of feeling stuck and believing that I had little option. I went on a mission to figure out endo and figure out my body and what I could do – on my own – to treat it fully. I wasn’t going to rely on doctors or surgeons to give me advice… after all, a surgeon will surely tell me is to have more surgery!

My mission was to find a way to live pain & symptom-free of my stage 4 endometriosis and it took me 7 years to finally achieve it. I won’t say the road was easy but I am now in a place where endo doesn’t feature in my body. I can honestly say that I am empowered about my health and what I can personally do to manage endometriosis. It did take going back to college and studying Naturopathy but ultimately I figured it out!

Some key things I would like to share with women who have endometriosis is to know that there is hope and a way to move forward.

Here are some actionables, you can try to help you along your endo journey:

• Avoid Dioxin exposure. Dioxin is typically found in pesticides and fungicides in products such as Roundup. Dioxin has been directly linked to causing endometriosis in monkeys, so it makes sense that we should definitely avoid this one! (Here is the research paper for you)
• Move beyond dietary and lifestyle shifts. I personally noticed a huge correlation with my emotional healing and the importance of detailed cleansing of the body to truly shift the endometriosis imbalance within my own body. Find tools that allow you to release emotional trauma and stress from your body without the confrontational aspect of that. I prefer methods like EFT and TRE.
• Address endometriosis on deeper layers than simply hormone imbalances. Many doctors and naturopaths simply focus on the hormonal side of endometriosis. Endometriosis is also now recognized as an auto-immune condition, so it is important to address this within your approach or to find someone who understands how to address endometriosis on this level.

Endometriosis is a complex condition but it is completely manageable using natural methods. After 7 years of research and having overcome Stage 4 endometriosis, I want you to know that it is possible for you too.

Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or insights on my website at www.endoempowered.com.

Melissa has become one of the leading experts on endometriosis and how to manage it naturally. This experience came out of her own journey with struggling for over 15 years with stage 4 endometriosis and finally living a normal, pain & symptom free life. Her mission is to empower more women to manage endometriosis naturally so they can stop suffering and start living!

When I was in the thick of my PCOS symptoms, I didn’t know what to do. The constant hair fall, new breakouts and crazy black hairs sprouting up on my chin made me crazy. I remember being so scared that I’d end up fat, bald and alone because of PCOS. It seemed like my symptoms were never going away, and that they would only get worse. 

This begs the question: Is PCOS curable or am I stuck with it forever?

I’m sure if you’re struggling with embarrassing and incredibly frustrating PCOS symptoms you’re thinking the same thing. 

What Doctors Say

Typically, doctors will say there’s no cure for PCOS. My gynaecologist told me the medications she offered were not a “cure” but rather something temporary to help with symptoms, and that there wasn’t any other way to reverse my symptoms. 

In my heart I knew there had to be another way, and as a nutrition student at the time and holistic advocate, I didn’t want to use any “band-aid” medications to help my PCOS symptoms. 

What I Say

In a sense I also agree with doctors. PCOS isn’t “curable” to the point of doing things (whether medications or natural methods) for awhile and then being able to stop everything once symptoms go away to never see them again.

I truly believe you can reverse your PCOS symptoms. For example, you can eat really well, take good supplements, exercise regularly and see huge reversals in symptoms. However, if you discontinue these practices, the PCOS symptoms will come back. Same goes for medications. 

Even just last week, I had several servings of the most amazing organic blueberry ice cream, and all the dairy and sugar brought back some acne that I’ve worked so hard to get rid of. So, I avoid those things again and within days my symptoms go away. 

If you’re truly looking to reverse your PCOS symptoms as much as possible, it’s important to understand the obstacles that might stand in your way. 

3 Obstacles to Reversing PCOS

#1: Meds Like Birth Control, Metformin and Spironolactone for PCOS Symptoms

The symptoms of PCOS like facial hair, weight gain, hair loss and acne can be managed naturally, without pharmaceutical intervention. In fact- I never took a single drug to assist my PCOS and I’ve reversed basically ALL my symptoms naturally!

As a woman who used the Pill for 7 years, I know all too well it does nothing to balance hormones. When you are on the Pill, you don’t ovulate, and therefore don’t have an actual period, rather it’s “breakthrough bleeding”.

This prevents your body from cycling properly, and can increase risk for infertility, females cancers and blood clots with use. The Pill has recently been linked to causing depression, and is used as a general “band-aid” approach to various women’s health issues, usually resulting in more symptoms or no improvement at all.

Likewise, traditional drugs for PCOS like Metformin and Spironolactone have their own set of side effects. In fact- I haven’t met ONE woman using Metformin who hasn’t experienced significant digestive upset from using the pills.

#2: Insulin Resistance and Blood Sugar Problems

To understand insulin resistance and it’s impact on PCOS and our general health, we first need to understand insulin and blood sugar control in our bodies- this isn’t just for people with diabetes!

Firstly, insulin is the major hormone in balancing our blood sugar. When we eat a food that has carbs, our body breaks it down into simple sugars or glucose through digestion. All of our cells need glucose for energy, and food is where we get the majority of the glucose. Once glucose has been released into the blood, the pancreas will produce insulin. Insulin then comes to the rescue and helps the glucose get into the body cells by “unlocking” the cell door. Once the majority of glucose has been brought into the cells, blood glucose levels will decline, and this is a good thing.

Now, here’s what goes on in insulin resistance. For various reasons (like a diet high in carbs, long-term stress, and others) many women with PCOS experience high blood glucose levels. So, the pancreas will create more and more insulin to get all that excess glucose into the cells. The problem starts when the “key” that insulin has to the cells stops working- like your body hired a locksmith behind insulin’s back. 

This causes levels of blood glucose to stay high, and insulin stays high as well. 

Additionally, your pancreas may become tired after producing SO MUCH insulin for so long, and may drastically reduce or stop producing insulin altogether. Any one of these issues is bad news for your health and PCOS symptoms. 

High Insulin = Fat Storage

High Insulin = High Androgens (like testosterone)

High Androgens = Facial Hair, Acne, Hair Loss, Irregular and Absent Periods

#3: Daily Stress

Cortisol is our main stress hormone. When we experience a stressful situation or live in long-term stress, our body releases cortisol to help us. It does this as part of the ‘fight or flight’ response. This response was initially for real, life-threatening events, like a large animal predator coming after us, in the early human days. Currently, the fight or flight response is chronically activated as we experience non-life threatening stresses like fights with spouses and long commutes, which our bodies read as emergencies. During this response, cortisol tells places of glucose storage (like the liver) to release glucose into the blood for energy. This extra glucose causes insulin to be released. The longer this cycle goes on the more vicious it gets, and the more likely insulin resistance will occur, and we know how bad this is for PCOS. 

Additionally, because stress creates a higher need for cortisol, your body needs to get the hormone “ingredients” from somewhere. That somewhere tends to be the “ingredients” used to make the hormone progesterone. So, you end up with more insulin resistance, higher levels of cortisol and low progesterone- a recipe for PCOS disaster. 

If you want to know what natural things you can do to remove these obstacles to reversing your PCOS, check out my brand new Ultimate PCOS Checklist! It’s got everything you need (+ nothing you don’t) to quickly and easily begin reversing embarrassing PCOS symptoms. Simply click the image below to grab your copy!

Recently I polled the lovely Divas in my community about what they were dying to know about PCOS. One recurring question was: Will my PCOS go away if my ovaries are removed?

This is a tricky question, and I will do my best to answer it usefully. 

Like birth control, Metformin and Spironolactone, ovary removal and hysterectomy are sometimes given as “cures” for PCOS from traditional medical doctors like your family doctor, gynaecologist or endocrinologist. 

As a holistic nutritionist, I whole-heartedly believe in the POWER of natural methods like food choices and lifestyle habits to reverse symptoms of PCOS. Some doctors may not agree, so let’s get to the debate. 

Why Doctors Recommend Ovary Removal and Hysterectomy for PCOS

When I was diagnosed with PCOS, about a year after coming off the birth control pill, my gynaecologist recommended that I go back on birth control and take a drug called Metformin in order to “balance” my hormones. Being a nutrition school student and natural health advocate, I knew I didn’t want to use any drugs. She wasn’t completely on board, but ultimately it’s my choice what I do with my body (and it’s your choice, too).

As my case of PCOS wasn’t incredibly severe, her recommendations stopped at drugs. For some women with PCOS, their symptoms and condition is severe enough that doctors will recommend surgery, in the form of ovary removal (oophorectomy) or total hysterectomy (both ovaries and uterus are removed). 

Both of these surgeries are incredibly invasive, and may or may not have the intended effect of reducing/“curing” PCOS symptoms. 

Many women, beyond symptoms of androgen excess such as acne and facial hair, will also experience very painful and heavy periods. Doctors who recommend ovary removal or hysterectomy will often do it when these symptoms are present in addition to more “traditional” PCOS symptoms. 

It’s important to note that the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology has said that about 70% of hysterectomies performed are not indicated based on the pathology or symptoms. That’s a lot of unnecessary surgery!

What Happens To Hormones and PCOS After Ovary Removal or Hysterectomy

As you may know, a big part of PCOS is an excess of androgen hormones, such as testosterone. Yes, it’s true that our ovaries produce very small amounts of androgen hormones, and so if we remove the ovaries, we shouldn’t have as much testosterone- right?

Well, that’s not entirely true. For example, your adrenal glands (aka stress response regulators) produce androgens as well, often in higher quantities than the ovaries. Additionally, an androgen hormone known as DHT or dihydrotestosterone is created at the tissue site (like a hair follicle, for example), with no ovarian involvement at all. 

Secondly, many women with PCOS struggle with insulin resistance (even if they’re lean) and weight problems. Removing ovaries alone or performing a total hysterectomy is incredibly bad news for the metabolisms of women with PCOS. Because our metabolisms are often already slow, removing the ovaries will slow this down even further. 

Why?

Estrogen is a major hormone produced in the ovaries, and when you remove the ovaries, you have drastically less estrogen. In a sense this could put women into immediate and early-onset menopause. Without enough estrogen, women with PCOS (and women in general) are at higher risk for things like heart disease and diabetes- diseases already at higher risk simply by having PCOS. 

Libido may also disappear, abdominal weight gain could increase and mood and skin may not be favourably effected after ovary removal. 

Will PCOS Go Away If My Ovaries Are Removed?

Short answer: Not really. 

As you can see from the above, simply removing the ovaries or having a total hysterectomy doesn’t treat PCOS from the root cause. PCOS is a problem with multiple systems in the body and how they communicate, ovarian involvement is just one small piece. 

Removing that piece of the puzzle simply leaves a gaping hole, leaving your adrenal glands, metabolism and other body glands and functions to compensate and potentially cause new and ugly symptoms, as well as exacerbating old or existing ones. 

If your doctor has recommend removing your ovaries a hysterectomy or any other kind of surgery for you PCOS, I highly recommend getting a second opinion, and utilizing the easy strategies I’ve outlined below to begin reversing PCOS symptoms from the inside out. 

It’s important to be well-informed (and now you are) and to stand up for yourself when making medical choices. You have about 90% control over how your PCOS manifests, and surgery is no quick fix. There are SO many other options to get rid of your annoying PCOS symptoms, in many cases surgery does not need to be considered. 

Natural Alternatives to Ovary Removal and Hysterectomy for PCOS

There are so many amazing strategies to naturally alleviate frustrating and embarrassing symptoms of PCOS that choosing the right ones can be intensely frustrating and make women feel like surgery is simply an easier option. 

I am challenging this by saying I’ve never taken a single drug for my PCOS, and my mission with The Hormone Diva is to help you learn and integrate easy strategies (the same ones I use today) to keep PCOS symptoms at bay. 

A healthful, whole foods diet, regular movement, healthy stress management and some targeted supplementation are all important factors. 

To help you utilize various strategies in a simple way, without guesswork, I have put together some really exciting, my Ultimate PCOS Checklist!

In this PCOS Checklist you’ll learn about PCOS-specfic superfoods to eat regularly, my fav PCOS supplements, tools, lotions and options, plus you’ll get an example of HOW to eat with a one-day meal plan. Everything you need (and nothing you don’t) to begin reversing your embarrassing PCOS symptoms naturally. 

All you need to do is click the image below to grab your free copy of The Ultimate PCOS Checklist!