Episode 05 Transcript

[00:00:00] So today we are diving into the different PCOS types. There are four different types, and we are talking about the different types. We're going to dive into one type in particular, and I'm going to tell you why they are so dang important for a PCOS fertility.

[00:00:18] In order to talk about the types I want to tell you about picking blueberries. My family and I went and picked blueberries this summer. We live in an area that has amazing produce that you can go grab at the farms.

[00:00:37] What we do is we call ahead to the farm and we order like a hundred pounds of blueberries. Yes, it's crazy. This blueberry farm that we go to, you can call an order 10 pound bags of blueberries that are pre-picked. In the past few years, they've opened up to some other berries. I think they have apples now, but [00:01:00] they have acres of blueberries. And so what you can do is you can call and order 10 pound bags. And we order these bags. And then we go down to the farm and then pick a little bit. Just a little, and then we bring home an amazingly large amount of blueberries and throw them in the freezer and use them year round. Oatmeal smoothies, whatever muffins. So good. And I was thinking about you when I was picking blueberries.

[00:01:27] If you've never been a blueberry picking their, their bushes, pretty tall bushes, but they grow in clumps. And when you're picking, of course you want the freshest blueberry, right? You want the biggest juiciest rapist, blueberry. And so we would go picking. And when you see these clumps, you just get so excited because you see like all these really big blueberries. And then in the clump, it are, you know, some green blueberries that. That are not ripe or even white blueberries that are super [00:02:00] young. And sometimes you just get so excited. You grab the whole clump of blueberries. And as I was doing that, I was like, Hmm, this is not good. Not good because I look one, if I looked at my hand, I got a few of the big juicy blueberries, but then I also grabbed some of the young blueberries. So. I'm wasting those. And to sometimes like when you see the really right blueberry that you want, but you just reach it and grab. You don't actually get that blueberry because it's fallen. Right? You need to be really intentional about reaching up and grabbing the blueberry that you want. That's a really ripe and delicious. Okay. So, how does this connect with PCOS fertility? I'm getting there. I promise. Okay. So. Too often in the fertility world, people with PCOS who want to get pregnant are lumped into just the general fertility. Route. Okay. [00:03:00] And that puts you in a position where you're getting this one size fits all. Approach for fertility. And a one-size fits all approach just does not work for PCOS. That is like, Grabbing for the clump of blueberries and grabbing the whole thing. It's inefficient. You're getting young blueberries. You are getting unright blueberries. You're missing out on the super ripe, juicy blueberries that you want.

[00:03:30] It's not efficient. And you're losing out on important things that you need those right. Blueberries. And then you're grabbing things that, okay. Sure. You've got some blueberries in your hand, but they're not ripe. And they're not juicy. They're not what you want. Okay. So that's what a one size fits all fertility approach looks like in the blueberry world. Okay. But an individualized plan. Helps you to [00:04:00] focus on getting the ripe, juicy blueberries that you want. In order. To reach your goal, because when I'm calling blueberry picking, I want the best ripe, juicy blueberries. I do not want the young blueberries. That are extremely bitter and won't even ripen on the kitchen counter. I want the fresh blueberries that I can pop in the freezer or I can eat right then. Okay. And that's what you need for PCOS fertility to open up is an individualized plan. It's intentional, it's effective, it's specific. It looks at, you know, it takes into consideration your goals and your body and moves you forward.

[00:04:41] When you are getting an individualized plan for PCOS fertility. Figuring out your PCOS type is right at the top of the list. And we've talked a little bit about this over episodes. First, you want to get really clear on your PCOS diagnosis. And second, you want to figure out your [00:05:00] PCOS type. So today we are diving more into the specifics around the PCOS types. And what that looks like too. Figure out your type. I'm going to dive into one of the types, insulin resistance. Just so you can know and see like how important it is to get this level of individualized care.

[00:05:21] ​So the four types of PCO S are these. There's insulin resistance. There's adrenal PCOS. There's post pill. PCOS and there's inflammatory PCOS. Okay. There's four different types. When it comes to the PCOS types, this is not a formal part of the diagnosis. , but it's a pivotal part of moving into getting an individualized plan that you're going to really see by the end of this episode today.

[00:05:55] Most doctors are not talking about this. Most doctors are just [00:06:00] putting you on the conveyor belt forward of fertility care. . And that just doesn't work for PCO S because PCO S has these different types. Each one of these types. Has a different fertility plan that goes along with it. So. First you want to figure out, okay. Are you one specific type? Are you a mix of two or three or all of them? Because then that's when you get the fertility plan forward, that addresses exactly what is going on in your body. Because these four types are figuring out what's going on in your body that's shutting down ovulation that's keeping you from getting pregnant. So we need to figure out what that is and move forward with a plan that will help address those things and increase your chances of getting pregnant with PCOS is pretty cool. [00:07:00] Right? Okay.

[00:07:01] So you know, the four different types now, and I want to dive into the insulin resistant PCOS today you are going to know, you know, what insulin resistance is why it affects fertility. What are some key points in insulin resistance that are keeping you from getting pregnant and also what needs to happen in order to open up fertility the most. But before we do that, We are going to take a quick break.

[00:07:32] If you were feeling lost and like your body is broken and your doctor just tells you that you're infertile. And the only way to treat your PCOS is to go back on birth control. I want you to know that you are not alone. And there is hope. I want to share with you some words from someone who has been working with me. She was trying for years to get pregnant before going through my PCOS fertility protocol. And here's what she [00:08:00] had to say.

[00:08:02] Dr. Potter has been a miracle worker for me and my hormone imbalance that I have struggled with for over 20 years. She is so knowledgeable kind and listens to every concern. After seven years of trying to conceive, I am pregnant. She has helped my body heal and return to the way it was designed to function. I cannot recommend her enough.

[00:08:27] So, if you want to be feeling better, less tired and off the rollercoaster of hormones. Then book a call with me at Dr. Angela potter.com forward slash PCO S. We will talk about what's been missing from your care. That's keeping you from getting pregnant. And then what needs to happen in order for you to boost your fertility? So sign up today at Dr. Angela potter.com forward slash PCOS.

[00:08:51] We are back and we are talking about the PCO S types. And why they are so important with fertility. So before this [00:09:00] break, I was talking about what the types are, there's insulin resistant, which we're going to dive into in just a minute, adrenal PCOS post pill PCOS and inflammatory PCOS. And I was sharing with you an example with blueberries and how. , figuring out your PCOS type is one of the ways to get that individualized plan to move forward with boosting fertility because that is when you can reach forward and pick the ripest juiciest, blueberries.

[00:09:32] So we are going to talk even more about insulin resistance. And, the reason I want to talk about this is because insulin resistance is one of the most common types of PCOS. And it's so common that many people think that it's just a part of the diagnosis. Or it's, you know, it always goes along with PCOS. And that's not the case.[00:10:00] I've talked about the diagnosis of PCOS. There are three different criteria that you need in order to be diagnosed with PCOS well you need two, out of those three and insulin resistance is not a part of that. And so that's why it's a really important next step to figure out is this a part of your picture? And what is insulin resistance? Let's talk about that first.

[00:10:24] So insulin resistance means blood sugar issues. And blood sugar issues can come from elevated stress. Does that ring a bell? , not enough exercise eating too many refined carbohydrates or sugars. And, , not eating foods together in a way that help create blood sugar balance. And what happens is that over time? When you have a lot of sugar in your bloodstream, that's literally what blood sugar is, sugar in your bloodstream. , [00:11:00] Your cells stop responding to insulin and insulin is what opens the door to get sugar out of your bloodstream and into yourselves. So. You're in this place where they're sugar running through your bloodstream, lots of sugar. And your cells aren't responding to insulin, so they aren't opening the door. They aren't letting blood sugar into the cells. That keeps the sugar running through your blood in your body. Your pancreas is thinking, oh my gosh, we've got all this blood sugar, sugar in our blood. Like we need more insulin. So it starts pumping out insulin, but the cells are not responding insulin. So you've got too much insulin and you've got too much sugar in the cells. And, , that can lead to different metabolic issues. It can lead to diabetes and,, that's why, you know, we're really. Focused on helping balance blood sugars in a general health sense, but when it comes to fertility, it's [00:12:00] that much more important. Because. That increase in insulin. That increase in blood sugar. That increases testosterone. And testosterone is the hormone that shuts down all. ovulation, which means no egg. No making a baby. And it's this vicious cycle with insulin resistance because you have that sugar in your blood, the insulin is elevated, which is causing the testosterone to rise an ovulation to stop. And yet your pancreas is like, oh, but we need more insulin because we've got lots of sugar in the blood. And that it's just this vicious cycle. And so that's why we need to get a handle on this. When it comes to PCOS fertility, figure out what's contributing to the insulin resistance. Helping to regulate it, get it back into balance. To then move forward with fertility.

[00:12:54] Typical questions that I ask to figure out if insulin resistance is a part of [00:13:00] your picture are things like this. Do you get headaches in the afternoons? Particularly, you know, right before dinner. What time do you eat meals and food during the day? What time? What, what type of foods are you eating throughout the day? How often are you feeling angry? Irritable, snappy. Feel like you could just, you know, twist somebody's neck off. Are you getting a blurry vision? Kind of shaky if you wait too long to eat or even, you know, when you start getting hungry, all of a sudden, you know that, okay. Yeah, I am. Starting to feel it physically in my body. Are you gaining weight pretty easily? Or have you gained weight and you can't lose it? So those are all questions that I'm asking to figure out. Is insulin resistance a part of this person's [00:14:00] picture?

[00:14:01] And, you can get insulin tested. A hemoglobin levels. Hemoglobin A1C levels are tested. And I like that number because it's an average of glucose of sugar levels in the blood over the previous three months. And so, I'll use a mix of testing along with these. The symptoms are, you know, what you're reporting is happening in the body. To say, okay, is insulin resistance a part of this?

[00:14:30] Because. It's also important to know you don't have to be diagnosed with pre-diabetes in order for this insulin resistance to be affecting your fertility. Because if you're feeling those blood sugar swings in your body, pretty significantly, meaning your blood sugar is really high. And then it drops super low, low. So those kinds of blood sugar swings are important to get taken care of.

[00:14:55] And here's the thing. Blood sugar rises. Every day, all [00:15:00] the time. That's what keeps us alive. What's keeps us hungry and getting food in our bodies. But we want it to be at a very, I'll say calm level. Where, you know, your blood sugar rises a little bit and then it falls and you eat some food and it rises a little bit. And then it falls a little bit. Just, you know, nice. Like I'm doing a little wave for those of you who are just listening and not watching the video. Just a small wave. Blood sugar issues, insulin resistance, or like a strong peak, like super high. And then super low crash. Super high. Super low. So we just want to regulate those blood sugar issues so that they're, it's this nice steady wave. So then you're feeling better in your body. You're not getting hangry or irritable or having headaches.

[00:15:50] And then also you're seeing that reflect with your fertility. Seeing testosterone levels. Come back into normal. And then seeing ovulation. Happening. Like [00:16:00] maybe you, you don't even have any positive population tests and then it starts happening. Once insulin resistance gets taken care of.

[00:16:07] Here's a common story that I hear about from people. So, someone goes in to talk with their doctor after about two years of trying to get pregnant and their doctor's like, okay, Letrozole. And they try Letrozole for a few cycles and it's just still not working. And their doctor. Is only recommending Letrozole. They aren't talking to them about blood sugar issues about nutrition. About any of that? And they just say, okay, you know, we just want you to keep trying Letrozole. And Letrozole is the most common PCO S ovulation induction medication right now. And it's got some good research behind it, about helping with ovulation. But if this person is. [00:17:00] On Letrozole and doing these cycles with Letrozole. And yet this other side of it is that they have. You know, really significant blood sugar swings. They've got insulin resistance, their insulin and blood sugar are through the roof. And that's increasing testosterone and shutting down ovulation. Do you see how there's that really big missing link in their picture like, sure. Maybe letrozole could be helpful. But the insulin resistance. The blood sugar levels need to be taken care of first in order for Letrozole to have that much of a better chance at working. Do you see how that works?

[00:17:42] So some essential things that you need for insulin resistance is, are these things. You want to get a couple of things tested? , insulin, hemoglobin A1C and you want to get testosterone tested both free and total testosterone [00:18:00] tested. Sex hormone binding globulin would be helpful as well to understand that testosterone picture. But as I've been talking about, we want to look at the blood sugar issues and then we want to look at, okay, how is blood sugar affecting testosterone? Because then we know if testosterone is elevated. Is, you know, that is contributing to ovulation issues.

[00:18:22] And then you need a nutrition plan. That is simple and effective and helps you implement it into your life.

[00:18:33] You want an exercise plan because exercise is a really important part of balancing blood sugar levels.

[00:18:41] And then you want. Some well-researched supplements. That help with blood sugar and PCOS fertility. Those are out there and you want something that's specific to what's going on in your body.

[00:18:55] Maybe Metformin would be a part of your picture as well. That's a medication to help balance blood sugar [00:19:00] levels. But honestly, if you have some of these research backed supplements and then a nutrition and an exercise plan in place, like those can be really a good foundation for managing blood sugar issues without even needing a medication. But again, it's specific to your needs and your body.

[00:19:20] That's the whole point here, right? It's the individualized plan is what is most effective. So, you can see how these are a list of things that need. To be evaluated and need to happen in order for insulin resistance to be regulated and balanced. So then your fertility can open up.

[00:19:44] And do you see how, this is just one type of PCOS that we've really dove in today talking about. And how you really take a look at what's going on in your body. We're looking at lab [00:20:00] tests, we are talking about different lifestyle factors and figuring out how this one type. Is affecting fertility.

[00:20:09] And you might be in that place where, insulin resistance is your one PCOS type and that's it. But if you're a mix of also adrenal PCOS or post pill, PCOS, or inflammatory PCOS, or have all four of them, do you see how you need to get this specific? And each one of those areas. To address what's going on? What about these types are affecting your ovulation, having your fertility plan, address those things? And bring them back into balance. And do you see how that can help open up natural fertility but if you still can't get pregnant naturally, how that improves your chances of Letrozole or one of the other fertility medications to work better. Yeah, it's [00:21:00] really cool.

[00:21:07] So today we talked about the PCOS types. You now know what the four types are. And you know why they are so important in a PCOS fertility journey and, you know, Lots about the insulin resistance type. , the different, why insulin resistance is affecting fertility and the different pieces that go together that you need to investigate and figure out in order to help regulate and balance the insulin resistance in order to then open up fertility.

[00:21:41] So I will be right back here next Wednesday with you. If nobody has told you this yet today you are absolutely wonderful. And the work that you are doing to. Help figure out what is going on in your body to help you make a baby. It is exactly what you need to [00:22:00] be doing. So don't settle for dismissive information. You're just doing a great job, figuring out what your body needs to open up fertility. So have a beautiful day and I will talk to you next week.