Stressed out? Why Yoga could help your PCOS
Yet another treatment type
Hello everyone,
Last week, we discussed muscle as treatment. What about adding yoga to the prescription?
I must admit I have never managed to get into it. I find it too slow, too long, but maybe that’s exactly what I need for someone who is ALWAYS ON.
The truth is that stress is a silent killer - it’s the invisible, daily force that erodes our health. Being in fight or flight mode regularly has long-term consequences for our health, as it shuts down critical systems, including the immune, reproductive, and digestive systems.
But can yoga really make a difference to PCOS?
According to a recent meta-analysis from 2023, the answer is yes. Systematic review and meta-analysis on yoga therapy for women with PCOS including 11 studies 515 women, found pretty great effects on:
Menstrual irregularity: significant improvement
Hirsutism (mFG score): significant reduction
Fasting blood glucose: significant reduction
Fasting insulin: significant reduction
HOMA-IR (insulin resistance): significant reduction
BMI: significant reduction
Waist-to-hip ratio: small but significant reduction
Anxiety: not statistically significant
So how much yoga?
Most studies were conducted over 6 weeks to 4 months, 3–5 times per week, with each session lasting 45–60 minutes (varied by study). Yoga practices typically included:
Asanas (postures)
Pranayama (breathing techniques)
Meditation
Sometimes counselling or lifestyle advice alongside yoga
Why does yoga help?
Yoga helps reduce stress levels. Yoga (postures, breathing, meditation) activates the parasympathetic nervous system - the calm, relaxed state we all need.
Stress has a few harmful effects on PCOS:
Cortisol activates the release of glucose into the bloodstream, so we have enough energy to act on the dangers we might encounter. Chronic stress could mean we have a constant drip of glucose, which can contribute to the development of insulin resistance or the worsening of it.
In addition to stimulating the release of glucose, stress hormones are known to increase the sensation of hunger, leading to an increase in appetite, food intake and, consequently, weight gain.
Chronic stress is also known to weaken our immune system, which might mean we have higher levels of inflammation (if you want to revise the effect of inflammation of PCOS, head over here).
A less clear mechanism is through the Kisspeptinergic system. This system is made up of neurons that can have an effect on GnRH. Under stress, these neurons decrease their activity and, as a result, decrease the pulsatility of GnRH, which in turn decreases the levels of FH and LH (the two hormones responsible for ovulation and our period). We know that when it comes to PCOS, the issue is in the imbalance between the FSH: LH ratio rather than a decrease in both of them.
In addition, it is thought that some women with PCOS are very sensitive to cortisol, making the adrenal glands produce more adrenal testosterone, leading to what some people call adrenal PCOS.
Yoga can help reduce cortisol output from the adrenal glands, which may indirectly lower insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism.
So, are we booking a yoga class for next week?
Jokes aside, taking care of our nervous system is probably the most important thing we can do for our health. We are not meant to live in an environment that constantly threatens our existence (at least that’s what our brain thinks).
If yoga isn't your thing, other activities can calm your nervous system. Hikes, walks with the dog, watching nature documentaries, knitting - whatever your relaxing technique is, use it. The trick is to make it a regular occurrence in your life rather than a one-off.
See you next Sunday,
Francesca
Verma, A., Upadhyay, V. and Saxena, V., 2023. Effect of yoga therapy on health outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 17(1), pp.73–92. https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276211029221