Could your gut be making your PCOS worse?

What is the connection between PCOS and the microbiome.

Hello everyone,

When I wrote "Did I cause my PCOS?" in 2023, one of the most interesting links to our condition was our microbiome. Let’s explore the connection between our gut and our condition.

One of the things that amazes many people when we discuss the gut is that bacteria in our microbiome actually process testosterone and hormones. We think of our gut only from a food digestion perspective, but these little guys/girls (I'm not sure we need a gender here) are very busy bees.

In part 1, we discuss the bacteria relevant to PCOS, how the gut affects our condition, and what to do for better gut health. In Part 2, we will go over my gut microbiome results from a recent test I did.

What does the gut of women with PCOS look like?

Women with PCOS have been found to have altered gut microbiomes.

A 2023 analysis looked at 20 studies identified three species as risk factors for PCOS: