Did you know that both women and men with higher blood levels of insulin (called hyperinsulinemia) and elevated blood sugar are more likely to suffer with infertility? Women with these conditions are also more prone to suffering with miscarriage. Clearly the hormone insulin has a huge impact on sex hormone levels and not enough people are aware of this fact.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine condition causing infertility in women.   It is characterized by elevated blood levels of androgens (male hormones), anovulatory cycles (failure to release an egg), insulin resistance, increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and weight gain. Not every woman will experience all of these symptoms, and they can vary in intensity.

Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas. It helps move blood sugar from the bloodstream into your cells, so it can be used for energy. If your cells don’t respond to a rise in blood sugar, the production of insulin increases as the pancreas makes more and more insulin.  Insulin resistance means that your body becomes less sensitive to insulin and loses the ability to regulate blood sugar properly. Insulin resistance is present in approximately thirty percent of slim women with PCOS and ninety five percent of overweight women with PCOS.

High blood levels of insulin increase androgen production by the ovaries. Maturation of the follicles in the ovaries is disturbed, so that can egg may not get released during a menstrual cycle. If an egg isn’t released, fertilization cannot occur. More than fifty percent of women with PCOS will have either type 2 diabetes or pre diabetes before they are forty years old. Gestational diabetes is the most common pregnancy complication in women with PCOS.

If a woman doesn’t ovulate, she cannot produce sufficient progesterone. Deficiency of this hormone can cause the following symptoms:

  • Premenstrual syndrome with moodiness, anxiety, and depression
  • Heavy menstrual bleeding
  • Irregular or infrequent menstrual periods
  • Impaired fertility
  • Scalp hair loss

The use of a natural progesterone cream can be wonderful for helping to ameliorate these symptoms and improve fertility.

How to fix insulin resistance and improve fertility

  • Try to stay away from sugar and high carbohydrate foods. It can be difficult but it’s worth it. Whenever you eat carbs, your blood sugar rises and your pancreas releases insulin. If you cut the carbs from your diet, in time your blood insulin level will fall and normal ovarian function can resume. Basing your diet on protein, natural fats and vegetables promotes satiety, making it easier to stay away from sugar. Glicemic Balance capsules help to stabilize your blood sugar, reducing the fluctuations that can cause intense cravings.
  • Leaky gut syndrome can be a powerful driver of inflammation in the body, and inflammation worsens insulin resistance. Overcoming this condition can be tough. Inflammatory foods like gluten, sugar, grains and legumes will probably need to be avoided. Sometimes high FODMAP foods are a problem. Bone broth is very beneficial because the glutamine it contains helps heal the gut lining. If you don’t like bone broth or don’t have the time to make it, using a glutamine supplement is also helpful. Collagen Food powder provides the nutrients your body needs in order to repair and strengthen the gut lining.
  • As mentioned above, women with polycystic ovarian syndrome don’t produce sufficient progesterone. This hormone is made by the ovaries after ovulation, and women with PCOS do not ovulate regularly. Being low in progesterone aggravates the symptoms of PCOS, and it can cause terrible mood problems such as anxiety, depression and intense food cravings, making it impossible to stick to a healthy diet. Using a bio-identical progesterone cream in the second half of the menstrual cycle can be immensely therapeutic.
  • Insulin resistant people cannot handle common levels of carbohydrate in their diet. They over-secrete insulin in response to eating carbs and they are less likely to feel satisfied after a meal, therefore tend to over eat. That means carbohydrate needs to be restricted in the diet. It is best to get your carbohydrate from vegetables. There is an easy to follow low carbohydrate eating plan in the book “I can’t lose weight and I don’t know why” and “Diabetes Type 2 – you can reverse it”.
  • Type 2 diabetes is end stage insulin resistance. The condition became so significant that the pancreas no longer has the ability to control blood sugar. Berberine is an herbal extract with an amazing ability to improve insulin sensitivity. It makes blood sugar control easier for diabetics and improves the ability to lose weight from the torso.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.