Here Are The Important Details About NAC For PCOS
Is NAC for PCOS worth it? This is an important question if you're trying to get pregnant with PCOS. You only want to be taking things that are supportive and help get you closer to your pregnancy goals. Am I right?
So that's why you're going to learn the importance of NAC for PCOS.
What is PCOS?
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the number one top causes of female infertility. Did you know that it affects upwards of 5 million women in the United States alone? PCOS is made up of a variety of symptoms. In order to be diagnosed with PCOS, you need to have at least 2 out of the 3 criteria.
The 3 parts of the PCOS diagnosis:
Problems with ovulation like irregular cycles, long cycles and no ovulation.
Having cysts on the ovaries
Elevated androgen hormones like testosterone
Again, you need to have at least two of these in order to be diagnosed with PCOS. Sometimes doctors will diagnose based on the symptoms you talk about in your office visit. And sometimes more lab work and imaging are needed in order to complete the diagnosis.
What is Infertility?
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines infertility as not being able to get pregnant within one year of having unprotected sex. And for those who are over the age of 35? It's not getting pregnant after six months of trying.
What is NAC?
N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is an amino-acid. Amino acids are important for the body because they help with growth and energy.
NAC has some specific jobs in the body. It not only helps with overall growth and energy like I just mentioned, but it also helps with collagen growth and both hair and nail growth.
NAC is also an important building block for gluthathione. Are you familiar with glutathione? Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant in the body. And glutathione also has been found to help improve egg quality.
So if you're wondering about NAC for PCOS, that in itself is a good reason to consider taking it!
If someone is deficient in NAC, that can cause issues like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and kidney disease.
Food sources of NAC
Meat
Fish
Chicken
Turkey
Whole grains
NAC for PCOS
NAC has been used for PCOS for a variety of reasons. Some have good research to back it up and others? The research is still out. Today we are going to talk about lowering androgen levels, balancing insulin and improving egg quality, three essential parts of improving egg quality with PCOS.
NAC for PCOS: Lowering Androgen Levels
Let's run through a quick primer on androgen hormones. The androgen hormone you're most likely familiar with is testosterone. Testosterone is so well known because it's the strongest hormone in male bodies. There are other androgen hormones like DHEA.
These hormones are really well known for helping improve energy, muscle mass and libido. While these androgen hormones are the most dominant hormones in male bodies, female bodies need them too. The problem is, females only need them a little bit.
But in PCOS? Those androgen hormones can rise to pretty high levels.
When androgen hormones are elevated, they contribute to pesky symptoms like acne and unwanted hair growth.
But on a deeper level, when those androgen hormones are elevated they shut down ovulation. When no ovulation happens, then no chance of making a baby. Not good for fertility.
That's why there is a lot of research about how to reduce these androgen hormones to help improve fertility.
NAC for PCOS? Does it help lower androgen hormones?
There is good research to support that NAC helps lower androgen hormones for PCOS. One study found that with NAC, there was a significant decrease in both testosterone levels and free-androgen levels.
NAC for PCOS: Lowering Insulin Levels
Insulin is important for fertility because when it rises too high, it shuts down ovulation. Not everyone with PCOS has too much insulin, but it's very common. It's estimated that as many as 80% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance is also one of the PCOS types. There are four different types. Knowing which type you are helps get you an effective fertility plan to move forward and increase your chances of getting pregnant.
So once you've figured out if you have PCOS, and if insulin resistance is part of your fertility picture, then you need to know if NAC is helpful.
Good news! NAC does help improve insulin levels and particularly those who have PCOS.
One study found that insulin levels were greatly improved in people with PCOS after taking NAC. Those improvements were much greater for those who have insulin resistance over those who don't.
NAC for PCOS: Improving Egg Quality
Egg quality is important for fertility because when eggs are of good quality, they can ovulate and make a baby. When they have poor quality? That means they don't have the right building blocks to make a baby so they usually don't even ovulate.
No ovulation means no chance of a baby being made.
Egg quality is a frequently missed, yet vital step for PCOS fertility. Too often, women are told, "you have poor egg quality, sorry you won't be able to get pregnant". Have you heard this one? But in truth, there are ways to turn your egg quality around.
Poor egg quality today does not mean you need to have poor egg quality tomorrow.
Improving egg quality is so important that it's step 5 in my PCOS Fertility Protocol.
Eggs need a lot of antioxidants to keep them healthy and free from toxins and free radicals. Remember how I mentioned that NAC helped in the formation of glutathione? Glutathione, the powerful antioxidant that helps improve egg quality? Yes, that's exactly right.
So NAC can help improve egg quality through increasing levels of glutathione in the body.
One particular study found that NAC improved both egg quality and endometrial thickness for those going through assisted reproductive techniques.
NAC for PCOS: A Summary
You're wondering about NAC for PCOS. Is it helpful? Well in short, NAC has been found to be helpful for PCOS fertility in the following ways:
Helping to lower testosterone levels
Improving insulin resistance
Boosting egg quality
NAC for PCOS Truth Bomb
Now you know the three ways that NAC for PCOS can be a key fertility tool. But I'm going to add in one truth bomb for you that's going to be really important before you race to the store to pick up some NAC.
And here it is: adding in one nutrient like NAC is rarely the single answer that takes away all fertility issues.
Does that surprise you?
Too often we are led to believe that a magic pill like one medication can fix all fertility issues.
But as much as we wish there was, we know there's no magic fertility pill out there. IVF doesn't even fit that category. If there was a magic pill, then anyone who wanted to get pregnant would be able to. And you and I wouldn't need to be here talking, would we?
But that's not the case.
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What Opens up PCOS Fertility the Most
The real answer to improving fertility with PCOS is to get an individualized fertility plan that focuses on your unique fertility needs that's also specific to PCOS.
If you're looking for fertility answers from a fertility doctor that is not PCOS-specific, then you will most likely go down a fertility-funnel that doesn't address your specific needs. A generalized fertility plan for someone like you with PCOS is unhelpful and not effective.
Here's what I mean.
Do you have someone helping you figure out your PCOS diagnosis and address those issues that are keeping you from ovulating and having regular periods?
Is someone helping you improve egg quality?
Do you have someone helping you figure out your PCOS type? Are they also helping you address those issues through an individualized fertility plan?
If not, is that leaving you wondering what's wrong with you and feeling like your broken? You need something different, something that specifically address PCOS fertility and your unique fertility needs.
Start by booking a PCOS Fertility Breakthrough Session here
This is what you will walk away with from your PCOS Fertility Breakthrough Session
How to turn around your PCOS frustrations and be closer to reaching your fertility goals.
Why what you’ve been doing is leading you away from optimal fertility and what actually works.
What’s been missing from your care that’s keeping you from seeing results and what to do instead.
Clear step-by-step guidance to help you have your best chance at becoming pregnant.
Discover the fertility possibilities that are in front of you. Book a PCOS Fertility Breakthrough Session today.
Did you love this article? Are you excited to learn more about PCOS and egg quality? Here are the articles you need to read next:
Struggling With Poor Egg Quality? Try This.
DHEA vs. CoQ10 for Improving Egg Quality. Which is Better?
Everything You Need to Know About Egg Quality And PCOS Fertility
