How Can a Dietitian Help with PCOS?
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS, is a serious genetic, hormone, metabolic and reproductive disorder that affects approximately 15% of women. It is the leading cause of female infertility and can lead to lifelong complications and other serious conditions including severe anxiety and depression, endometrial cancer, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and cardiovascular disease. Symptoms and signs of PCOS include irregular periods, severe acne, excess facial and body hair, small cysts in ovaries, insulin resistance, anxiety and depression, infertility, and weight gain. According to PCOS Challenge, 50% of women with PCOS are undiagnosed. PCOS is a complex medical condition that requires specialized care. A treatment team can include a gynecologist, endocrinologist, dermatologist, therapist, and a dietitian. If you’re wondering how a dietitian can play a role in managing PCOS symptoms and long-term outlook, read on for three ways a dietitian can help with PCOS.
1. Creating a Personalized Nutrition Plan
There isn’t a nutrition plan that will work for every single woman with PCOS, and general information is just that- general. A dietitian can look at your labs, medical history, eating and lifestyle habits, cultural food preferences, and relationship with food and collaborate with you to make a meal plan that helps to minimize your specific symptoms, while still being a meal plan that you want to eat. The team at Namaste Nourished believes that all foods fit, so we will never prescribe a restrictive diet, advise you to cut out foods altogether, or anything extreme. Instead, we believe in adding to your nutrition, not taking away from it, and we want to develop a meal plan together that works for you. A nutrition plan that supports you and your individual body can help reduce your inflammation, improve your menstrual cycles, and can even help improve your fertility or response to fertility treatments. Patients with PCOS often have certain nutrition deficiencies A dietitian can assess your nutrient deficiencies and factor this into your plan, through food and, if necessary, supplements.
2. Improve Insulin Resistance
PCOS symptoms can often be flared by insulin resistance. When you work with a dietitian, they can help you with education around balancing your blood sugars throughout the day. This can include carbohydrate and protein pairings, understanding how blood sugars can or get too high or low, and how you can recognize when your blood sugar is off, and what to do. Even small changes in blood sugar balance can help regulate menstrual cycles over time.
3. Weight Management (Minus Diet Culture)
A frequent recommendation for patients with PCOS is to lose weight, which is not applicable to everyone, and can be extremely frustrating and unhelpful. A weight-inclusive dietitian, such as the entire team at Namaste Nourished, understands that weight regulation in PCOS is complex, and that, according to Dr. Jennifer L. Gaudiani, MD, CEDS-C, FAED, patients with PCOS have a 3 to 6 fold greater risk of having an eating disorder, with a 30% higher risk for bulimia and a 300% higher risk increase in binge eating disorder*. A dietitian can help you to build habits that improve energy and consistency, understand emotional eating that can be triggered by hormonal fluctuations, and help you interpret your metabolic health markers.
A weight-inclusive dietitian can also help you with the psychological support that is necessary for PCOS. Insulin changes can lead to increased carbohydrate cravings. This can often lead to food guilt, binge cycles, or anxiety. A dietitian can help you to understand your hunger cues, teach you how to nourish yourself, and build long-term confidence about taking care of your own needs. It might be in contrast to the messages diet culture wants to push, but it might also be in the best interest of your unique body.
Working with a dietitian one-on-one means individualized support with evidence-based recommendations, and collaboration with the rest of your team. Nutrition is just one of the ways to improve symptoms, balance your hormones, and protect your long-term health, but it is a powerful one. Our team of registered dietitians prioritizes your overall well-being and we want you to feel fully supported and in autonomy of your health. Reach out to us today to get more information or to make an appointment.
*Gaudiani, Jennifer L. (2025). Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders and Undernutrition, Second Edition. Routledge.