Ten Tips to Ease PCOS Symptoms
In order to make eating for health even easier, I have created a series of handy-dandy cheat sheets to remind us of easy actions we can take each week for optimal wellness. This week’s focus is PCOS symptom reduction.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in females of reproductive age worldwide. It is estimated to affect between 4 and 20% of women of childbearing age, or 116 million women globally. However, the World Health Organization estimates that up to 70% of individuals who are affected go undiagnosed, so prevalence numbers are likely a gross underestimate (WHO, 2025). Symptoms can include menstrual dysfunction, infertility, elevated testosterone, hirsutism, acne, alopecia, metabolic dysfunction, and obesity. Approximately 70% of women with PCOS demonstrate insulin resistance (Colombo et al., 2023) and more than 50% will develop type 2 diabetes by age 40 (CDC, 2024). Individuals with PCOS are also at increased risk of developing other health conditions, such as hypertension, elevated cholesterol, sleep apnea, gestational diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, depression, and anxiety. PCOS is currently considered to be incurable.
Given the pervasiveness of PCOS, its progressive nature, and its profound negative impact on the health and quality of life of those affected, finding treatments and lifestyle interventions to reduce symptomatology and to lower risk of development of additional health-related conditions is critical. If you or someone you love has PCOS, please pass along the following ten easy actions that have been shown to help ease PCOS symptoms and slow disease progression.
Wishing you abundant good health and happy eating.
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References:
1. Diet Quality and PCOS
Alomran, S., & Estrella, E. D. (2023). Effect of Dietary Regimen on the Development of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Narrative Review. Cureus, 15(10), e47569. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.47569
Kazemi, M., Kim, J. Y., Wan, C., Xiong, J. D., Michalak, J., Xavier, I. B., Ganga, K., Tay, C. T., Grieger, J. A., Parry, S. A., Moran, L. J., & Lujan, M. E. (2022). Comparison of dietary and physical activity behaviors in women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 39 471 women. Human Reproduction Update, 28(6), 910–955. https://doi.org/10.1093/humupd/dmac023
Moslehi, N., Zeraattalab-Motlagh, S., Rahimi Sakak, F., Shab-Bidar, S., Tehrani, F. R., & Mirmiran, P. (2023). Effects of nutrition on metabolic and endocrine outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition Reviews, 81(5), 555–577. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuac075
Sedighi, S., Amir Ali Akbari, S., Afrakhteh, M., Esteki, T., Alavi Majd, H., & Mahmoodi, Z. (2014). Comparison of lifestyle in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and healthy women. Global Journal of Health Science, 7(1), 228–234. https://doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v7n1p228
Shang, Y., Zhou, H., He, R., & Lu, W. (2021). Dietary Modification for Reproductive Health in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 12, 735954. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2021.735954
2. Vitamin D and PCOS
Menichini, D., & Facchinetti, F. (2020). Effects of vitamin D supplementation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A review. Gynecological Endocrinology: The Official Journal of the International Society of Gynecological Endocrinology, 36(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1080/09513590.2019.1625881
Mohan, A., Haider, R., Fakhor, H., Hina, F., Kumar, V., Jawed, A., Majumder, K., Ayaz, A., Lal, P. M., Tejwaney, U., Ram, N., & Kazeem, S. (2023). Vitamin D and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): a review. Annals of medicine and surgery (2012), 85(7), 3506–3511. https://doi.org/10.1097/MS9.0000000000000879
Morgante, G., Darino, I., Spanò, A., Luisi, S., Luddi, A., Piomboni, P., Governini, L., & De Leo, V. (2022). PCOS Physiopathology and vitamin d deficiency: Biological insights and perspectives for treatment. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 11(15), 4509. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11154509
Moslehi, N., Zeraattalab-Motlagh, S., Rahimi Sakak, F., Shab-Bidar, S., Tehrani, F. R., & Mirmiran, P. (2023). Effects of nutrition on metabolic and endocrine outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition Reviews, 81(5), 555–577. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuac075
Zhang, B., Yao, X., Zhong, X., Hu, Y., & Xu, J. (2023). Vitamin D supplementation in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Heliyon, 9(3), e14291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14291
3. Magnesium and PCOS
Cutler, D. A., Pride, S. M., & Cheung, A. P. (2019). Low intakes of dietary fiber and magnesium are associated with insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A cohort study. Food Science & Nutrition, 7(4), 1426–1437. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.977
Kazemi, M., Kim, J. Y., Wan, C., Xiong, J. D., Michalak, J., Xavier, I. B., Ganga, K., Tay, C. T., Grieger, J. A., Parry, S. A., Moran, L. J., & Lujan, M. E. (2022). Comparison of dietary and physical activity behaviors in women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 39 471 women. Human Reproduction Update, 28(6), 910–955. https://doi.org/10.1093/humupd/dmac023
4. Fiber and PCOS
Cutler, D. A., Pride, S. M., & Cheung, A. P. (2019). Low intakes of dietary fiber and magnesium are associated with insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A cohort study. Food Science & Nutrition, 7(4), 1426–1437. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.977
Nybacka, Å., Hellström, P. M., & Hirschberg, A. L. (2017). Increased fibre and reduced trans fatty acid intake are primary predictors of metabolic improvement in overweight polycystic ovary syndrome-Substudy of randomized trial between diet, exercise and diet plus exercise for weight control. Clinical Endocrinology, 87(6), 680–688. https://doi.org/10.1111/cen.13427
5. Curcumin and PCOS
Akter, T., Zahan, M. S., Nawal, N., Rahman, M. H., Tanjum, T. N., Arafat, K. I., Moni, A., Islam, M. N., & Uddin, M. J. (2023). Potentials of curcumin against polycystic ovary syndrome: Pharmacological insights and therapeutic promises. Heliyon, 9(6), e16957. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16957
Moslehi, N., Zeraattalab-Motlagh, S., Rahimi Sakak, F., Shab-Bidar, S., Tehrani, F. R., & Mirmiran, P. (2023). Effects of nutrition on metabolic and endocrine outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition Reviews, 81(5), 555–577. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuac075
Shen, W., Qu, Y., Jiang, H., Wang, H., Pan, Y., Zhang, Y., Wu, X., Han, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2022). Therapeutic effect and safety of curcumin in women with PCOS: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 13, 1051111. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2022.1051111
Sohrevardi, S. M., Heydari, B., Azarpazhooh, M. R., Teymourzadeh, M., Simental-Mendía, L. E., Atkin, S. L., Sahebkar, A., & Karimi-Zarchi, M. (2021). Therapeutic effect of curcumin in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Receiving Metformin: A randomized controlled trial. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Bbiology, 1308, 109–117. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64872-5_9
6. Omega-3 Fats DHA and EPA and PCOS
Melo, V., Silva, T., Silva, T., Freitas, J., Sacramento, J., Vazquez, M., & Araujo, E. (2022). Omega-3 supplementation in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): A review of clinical trials and cohort. Endocrine Regulations, 56(1), 66–79. https://doi.org/10.2478/enr-2022-0008
Moslehi, N., Zeraattalab-Motlagh, S., Rahimi Sakak, F., Shab-Bidar, S., Tehrani, F. R., & Mirmiran, P. (2023). Effects of nutrition on metabolic and endocrine outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Nutrition Reviews, 81(5), 555–577. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuac075
Yang, K., Zeng, L., Bao, T., & Ge, J. (2018). Effectiveness of Omega-3 fatty acid for polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology: RB&E, 16(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12958-018-0346-x
7. Flax and PCOS
Emamat, H., Najafpour Boushehri, S., Eslami, M. A., Saneei Totmaj, A., & Ghalandari, H. (2023). The effects of flaxseed or its oil supplementations on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A systematic review of clinical trials. Phytotherapy Research: PTR, 37(3), 1082–1091. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.7698
Haidari, F., Banaei-Jahromi, N., Zakerkish, M., & Ahmadi, K. (2020). The effects of flaxseed supplementation on metabolic status in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized open-labeled controlled clinical trial. Nutrition Journal, 19(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12937-020-0524-5
Mirmasoumi, G., Fazilati, M., Foroozanfard, F., Vahedpoor, Z., Mahmoodi, S., Taghizadeh, M., Esfeh, N. K., Mohseni, M., Karbassizadeh, H., & Asemi, Z. (2018). The Effects of flaxseed oil Omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on metabolic status of patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes: Official Journal, German Society of Endocrinology [and] German Diabetes Association, 126(4), 222–228. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-119751
8. Microbiome and PCOS
Babu, A., Devi Rajeswari, V., Ganesh, V., Das, S., Dhanasekaran, S., Usha Rani, G., & Ramanathan, G. (2024). Gut microbiome and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Interplay of associated microbial-metabolite pathways and therapeutic Strategies. Reproductive Sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), 31(6), 1508–1520. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-023-01450-2
Giampaolino, P., Foreste, V., Di Filippo, C., Gallo, A., Mercorio, A., Serafino, P., Improda, F. P., Verrazzo, P., Zara, G., Buonfantino, C., Borgo, M., Riemma, G., Angelis, C., Zizolfi, B., Bifulco, G., & Della Corte, L. (2021). Microbiome and PCOS: State-of-art and future aspects. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(4), 2048. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22042048
Mei, Y., Li, W., Wang, B., Chen, Z., Wu, X., Lin, Y., & Wang, M. (2025). Gut microbiota: An emerging target connecting polycystic ovarian syndrome and insulin resistance. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 15, 1508893. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2025.1508893
Min, Q., Geng, H., Gao, Q., & Xu, M. (2023). The association between gut microbiome and PCOS: evidence from meta-analysis and two-sample mendelian randomization. Frontiers in Microbiology, 14, 1203902. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1203902
Sun, Y., Gao, S., Ye, C., & Zhao, W. (2023). Gut microbiota dysbiosis in polycystic ovary syndrome: Mechanisms of progression and clinical applications. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 13, 1142041. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2023.1142041
Zhu, Q., & Zhang, N. (2024). Gut Microbiome Composition in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Adult Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies. Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), 31(7), 1800–1818. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-023-01440-4
9. Inositol and PCOS
DiNicolantonio, J. J., & H O'Keefe, J. (2022). Myo-inositol for insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome and gestational diabetes. Open Heart, 9(1), e001989. https://doi.org/10.1136/openhrt-2022-001989
Fitz, V., Graca, S., Mahalingaiah, S., Liu, J., Lai, L., Butt, A., Armour, M., Rao, V., Naidoo, D., Maunder, A., Yang, G., Vaddiparthi, V., Witchel, S. F., Pena, A., Spritzer, P. M., Li, R., Tay, C., Mousa, A., Teede, H., & Ee, C. (2024). Inositol for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis to inform the 2023 update of the International Evidence-based PCOS Guidelines. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 109(6), 1630–1655. https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgad762
Greff, D., Juhász, A. E., Váncsa, S., Váradi, A., Sipos, Z., Szinte, J., Park, S., Hegyi, P., Nyirády, P., Ács, N., Várbíró, S., & Horváth, E. M. (2023). Inositol is an effective and safe treatment in polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology: RB&E, 21(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12958-023-01055-z
Kamenov, Z., & Gateva, A. (2020). Inositols in PCOS. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 25(23), 5566. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25235566
Sharon P, M., P, M., Manivannan, A., Thangaraj, P., & B M, L. (2024). The effectiveness of myo-inositol in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A prospective clinical study. Cureus, 16(2), e53951. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.53951
Singh, S., Pal, N., Shubham, S., Sarma, D. K., Verma, V., Marotta, F., & Kumar, M. (2023). Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Etiology, current management, and future therapeutics. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 12(4), 1454. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12041454
Unfer, V., Facchinetti, F., Orrù, B., Giordani, B., & Nestler, J. (2017). Myo-inositol effects in women with PCOS: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Endocrine Connections, 6(8), 647–658. https://doi.org/10.1530/EC-17-0243
10. Exercise and PCOS
Motaharinezhad, F., Emadi, A., Hosnian, M., Kheirkhahan, A., Jayedi, A., & Ehsani, F. (2024). The effects of different exercises on weight loss and hormonal changes in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome: a network meta-analysis study. BMC women's health, 24(1), 512. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-024-03297-4
Patten, R. K., Boyle, R. A., Moholdt, T., Kiel, I., Hopkins, W. G., Harrison, C. L., & Stepto, N. K. (2020). Exercise Interventions in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in physiology, 11, 606. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2020.00606
Sabag, A., Patten, R. K., Moreno-Asso, A., Colombo, G. E., Dafauce Bouzo, X., Moran, L. J., Harrison, C., Kazemi, M., Mousa, A., Tay, C. T., Hirschberg, A. L., Redman, L. M., & Teede, H. J. (2024). Exercise in the management of polycystic ovary syndrome: A position statement from Exercise and Sports Science Australia. Journal of science and medicine in sport, 27(10), 668–677. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2024.05.015
Shele, G., Genkil, J., & Speelman, D. (2020). A Systematic Review of the Effects of Exercise on Hormones in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology, 5(2), 35. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk5020035