What's Your PCOS Type Combo?

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What's Your PCOS Type Combo?

There are 3 main root causes of PCOS, often called the "types": Insulin Resistance, Inflammation, and Adrenal Dysfunction. But did you know that most people with PCOS have a combination of all 3 types?

If you've ever wondered what your combination might be, this quiz is a fun way to find out. Keep in mind that this is just for fun and isn't a substitute for real lab work and working with a qualified healthcare provider!

My courses, Functional PCOS & PCOS Foundations, will take you through strategies for supporting each of these root causes of PCOS with nutrition!

How often do you deal with constipation?

Less than once per month

1-2 per month

3-4 times per month

Most of the time

How often do you deal with diarrhea?

Less than once per month

1-2 times per month

3-4 times per month

Most of the time

How often do you deal with gas?

Rarely

A couple times per week

Several times per week

After almost every meal

How often do you deal with bloating

Rarely

A couple times per week

Several times per week

After almost every meal

How often do you deal with acid reflux or indigestion?

Rarely

A couple times per week

Several times per week

After almost every meal

Are you lactose intolerant?

Yes

Do you have any food sensitivities?

Yes

Do you have any food allergies?

Yes

Do you have an autoimmune condition (Hashimotos, Thyroiditis, etc)?

Yes

Are you Type II diabetic or pre-diabetic?

Yes

How often do you get weak and/or shaky between meals?

Rarely

1-2 days per week

3-4 days per week

4-7 days per week

How often do you feel excessively tired a couple hours after eating?

Rarely

A couple times per week

Several times per week

After almost every meal

Do you have any skin tags?

Yes

Do you have dark patches of skin on your neck, knees, and/or elbows?

Yes

Do you have excessive body and/or facial hair?

Yes

Do you get a second wind at night and have trouble falling asleep?

Yes

Do you wake up with anxiety or heart pounding

Yes

Do you rely on caffeine to make it through the day?

Yes

How often do you feel tired in the middle of the day?

Rarely

1-2 days per week

3-4 days per week

5-7 days per week

How often do you feel tired or burned out?

Rarely

1-2 days per week

3-4 days per week

5-7 days per week

{result #1 percent} Inflammation

{result #2 percent} Insulin Resistance
{result #3 percent} Adrenal

Your results show that you likely have a larger issue with chronic inflammation than with the other two PCOS Root Causes (Insulin Resistance and Adrenal) though there are still some things to work on there.

When we have chronic inflammation, it can set the stage for hormone imbalance by making us more insulin resistant, increasing testosterone and androgen production and can increase PCOS symptoms like fatigue and facial hair from there.

In my work, I often find that chronic inflammation is associated with poor gut health and something we call dysbiosis (imbalances in the bacteria in the gut). This can lead to digestive issues and often does, but not always. In other people, chronic inflammation can feed autoimmune issues.

To tackle chronic inflammation we have to look at a multi-pronged approach. Those with lots of inflammation tend to feel like they've "tried all the things" and gotten very few results. If your PCOS isn't being helped by traditional methods, addressing inflammation may be necessary.

Food can be a trigger for inflammation in PCOS, especially if we have undiagnosed food allergies or sensitivities. Consuming an anti-inflammatory diet, like the Mediterranean diet is a great place to start but you may also be required to figure out if you have any current gut health imbalances or food sensitivities which could be stalling your progress.

To learn more about this, along with solutions for how to eat to improve this issue, check out my courses Functional PCOS and PCOS Foundations.

I have 3 offerings that can help you take control of your PCOS symptoms and finally find that help and understanding you've been wanting for so long!

Functional PCOS Group Program- Spring ‘23 cohort currently enrolling!

12 weeks of live learning, one on one sessions, unlimited questions, community and much more! Runs April 23-July 20. Meetings are live Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. CST but are also recorded in case you can’t make them live! APPLY HERE.

PCOS Foundations- your guide to starting the pcos nutrition journey right- cut through the noise and learn the evidence based truth of what really works. Budget friendly, information packed, practical, 4 week meal plan with grocery list, video modules talking you through what to eat and how. Find more here.

Functional PCOS- (self-paced course version) 12 weeks of deep diving into root causes of PCOS, labs, supplements and even food sensitivities. For the person who's seen it all online and wants to really nerd out on some of the functional nutrition strategies and research on PCOS. Find more here.

You can also check out my current availability for one on one work at my website www.amberfischernutrition.com

{result #2 percent} Insulin Resistance

{result #1 percent} Inflammation
{result #3 percent} Adrenal

Your results show that insulin resistance may be the biggest issue you are facing with your PCOS right now, though you may also have issues with the other two root causes.

Insulin Resistance is very common in PCOS and can be subtle. It's common in PCOS to naturally produce too much insulin and this sets the stage for hormone imbalance by increasing testosterone production and possibly preventing ovulation.

Insulin resistance also can cause weight gain that is hard to control and can feel like a vicious cycle where you gain weight, which makes insulin resistance worse, which causes more weight gain. On top of that, you may be experiencing physical signs of insulin resistance like facial hair or hair loss.

Insulin resistance also affects those with PCOS who don't have excess body fat, but the excess body fat can mediate this issue by causing a kind of inflammation that makes insulin resistance worse over time.

To address insulin resistance well, the biggest keys are timing when and how we eat things like protein and carbs. It's not that we need to cut all carbs and go keto, it's that we have to be aware and in tune with how our body processes different foods and what times of day/combinations of meal suit us best.

My courses, Functional PCOS and PCOS Foundations teach much more about this and help you design days that can help make you more insulin sensitive over time (see below for more on what each of those courses are about).

Functional PCOS Group Program- Spring ‘23 cohort currently enrolling!

You can also check out my current availability for one on one work at my website www.amberfischernutrition.com

{result #3 percent} Adrenal

{result #1 percent} Inflammation
{result #2 percent} Insulin Resistance

Your results show that your biggest PCOS issue may be your adrenal health.

So often we look at all the things with PCOS that we can control- food, meal timing, carbs, without really addressing one of the biggest keys to health: our body's stress response.

Those with PCOS are more likely to have a heightened stress response and excessively high or low levels of a stress hormone called cortisol. When our adrenals are stressed, it can impact hormone balance by raising our blood sugar and making us more insulin resistant, impacting sleep and healing, and making our bodies more inflamed. This can then lead to increases in PCOS symptoms.

To address the adrenals, we have to look at all the PCOS root causes- we may have to eat an insulin friendly diet for a while and make sure our food is anti-inflammatory as this can help our stress responses calm. But fundamentally, our work is to get to the core of why our stress responses are so activated and work on those issues.

Some of that can be done with food and supplementation, some must be done with changes in lifestyle, the way we think about food and ourselves, and even addressing trauma. Nourishing the connection between the mind, body, and spirit is key for adrenal PCOS.

This is the kind of PCOS I've battled for years and I know it well. It's a road that takes a lot of dedication, but the benefits are so much more than simply balancing hormones.

My courses and group program are all great resources for starting your journey to better adrenal health- more on those below.

I have 3 offerings that can help you take control of your PCOS symptoms and finally find that help and understanding you've been wanting for so long!

Functional PCOS Group Program- Spring ‘23 cohort currently enrolling!

You can also check out my current availability for one on one work at my website www.amberfischernutrition.com