WHO TREATS POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME (PCOS)?
It can be pretty overwhelming, you've read a few things and pretty sure you have PCOS or maybe you've just been diagnosed and don't know where to start...
Sound familiar?
Let's start here⬇️
First stop is your doctor. They will diagnose you based on Rotterdam Criteria (read more here).
PCOS is different for all women who have the condition, who will be in your healthcare team will depend upon what’s causing your symptoms. Some women may need to work with an exercise physiologist, some may not. Your doctor will advise you who you’ll need to see.
TIP: Once your doctor has directed you to a healthcare team, do your own research & check to see if they have experience with PCOS
Now, the reason I say this because PCOS affects ~15% of women of reproductive age & previously all women diagnosed with PCOS were treated the same, but now advances in research show there's a whole lot more going on & it requires personalised treatment.
Practitioners who don't regularly practice in this area, may not have had the opportunity to up skill in this area & have an old school approach to PCOS.
You can also ask your doctor for a referral to see a dietitian, endocrinologist, exercise physiologist of your choice. I always encourage people to be proactive, it's your choice, if you have a health professional you want to work with, speak up!
A snippet from the Evidence-Based Guidelines for PCOS
WHERE DOES A DIETITIAN FIT?
Front & Centre!
If you have PCOS, you should ALWAYS work with a dietitian
It's recommended to ALWAYS include a dietitian as part of your PCOS journey. Below is a snippet from the International Guidelines for Assessment & Management of PCOS (1). The first 2 recommendations is for ALL those with PCOS to receive Diet & Lifestyle support (and incase you're wondering, those 4 little dots next to it mean it's a strong recommendation...the highest level).
Nutrition plays a huge role in managing PCOS. Naturally, as a dietitian, I always recommend a 'food first approach', medications definitely play a role (let's be clear, I'm not anti-medications, but from my experience, they tend to be prescribed more than they need to), however, sometimes these are a bandaid fix and not addressing the real problem. A lot of the time medications can lead to nutritional deficiencies - eg. the oral contraceptive pill.
So let's get started & work on what actual problem! Book an appointment here
If you have PCOS or know someone who would benefit from this, please share this with them,
Kindest,
Sarah
References