Is it necessary that only overweight women can have PCOS? The answer to this question is unfortunately NO. Whenever we hear about PCOS, we tend to relate it with obesity or inflammation. But there’s always another side to every story and to this we have something called as “lean PCOS”.
Before we dive into the details about it, let us see what is meant by lean PCOS. WHAT IS “LEAN PCOS”? Most of us are aware that women having PCOS are generally overweight or obese. However, it is still possible to have PCOS being a normal weight or underweight person too.
This is exactly what we call lean PCOS. Women having lean PCOS may suffer from everything from irregular periods, fertility problems to facial hair and acne. Despite all the normal symptoms of PCOS, there are some unique challenges for women suffering from lean PCOS. Let’s look at some of them below.
UNIQUE CHALLENGES OF LEAN PCOS
There are some unique challenges for women suffering from lean PCOS, apart from the normal PCOS. Here are some listed below
Delayed Diagnosis- What’s worse than suffering from a disease and not being aware of it? It happens mostly with women suffering from lean PCOS. Since, PCOS is strongly associated with obesity, lean women with PCOS often go undiagnosed for years.
Diabetes- Doctors do not expect adults of normal weight to develop diabetes which is why there might be incidences of missed diabetes diagnosis too.
Heart Disease- Lean women are at a higher risk of having a delayed or missed diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.
Having known the unique challenges, now let’s look at what measures should be adopted in case of lean PCOS. Let us look at the diet and lifestyle changes that one needs to account in order to deal with lean PCOS.
MEAL PLANNING IN LEAN PCOS
Meal planning can act as a miracle in managing the symptoms of lean PCOS. Breakfast should be the biggest meal of the day- A study shows that it is best for a woman having lean PCOS to have the a heavy breakfast and a light dinner. Not only will it improve insulin resistance, but will also help reduce the testosterone levels. Therefore, it will lead to normal ovulation.
Glycemic Index
Basically, the glycemic index (GI) is a system of measuring the increase of blood sugar and insulin levels by a carbohydrate containing food. It will be beneficial to choose low GI foods in case of PCOS. Include omega-3 fats (fatty fish)- Researches suggest that by including omega-3 fats in the diet of women having lean PCOS, there symptoms have improved.
Plate Portions for PCOS
It is suggested for women having PCOS to cook their food with unsaturated fat such as Olive Oil and portioning food in accordance with simple plate method. This involves filling one half of the plate with low-starch vegetables. Then, you may fill one quarter of your plate with protein rich foods (fatty fish or chicken). Finally, you may also add a handful of carbohydrate-dense foods.
STRESS MANAGEMENT
When we are stressed, our body produces a hormone called cortisol. This hormone produces fat and fat in turn produces hormones which may lead to severity of PCOS. It is very important to keep yourself stress free in every situation. Meditation and yoga are the best stress relievers and medicines. Also, you may engage yourself in your hobby for the same. Stay stress free, have a healthy balanced diet and exercise regularly to improve your PCOS or Lean PCOS symptoms.
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This was our take on Lean pcos. If you need any help with pcos reversal, please feel free to reach us via our website. Wonder if you can get pregnant while having PCOS? Read here
Author : Khusi Sagar
