PCOS & Candida Overgrowth
I participate in an ‘Alternative Remedies’ thread on a PCOS forum called “SoulCysters.com.” As you’ve probably realized, I’ve used nutritional therapy, supplements and accupuncture as a means of managing my PCOS symptoms, and have not had to go the way of Western Medicine. That said, I don’t think my answer is the only one, good health isn’t one size fits all. But I do believe that it’s important to view the body as a holistic creature, and not get sucked into treating symptoms…makes sense, really.
Anyway, one really awesome gal over at the thread I frequent, her name is Cara and she brought up the connection between fertility and yeast, which started a great conversation about yeast overgrowth and hormone levels. Of course, I had to throw in my two cents, especially since I agreed with Cara wholeheartedly that fungal overgrowth goes hand in hand with our PCOS symptoms. I thought perhaps I’d cut & paste these thoughts here on this page, so those of you who wander in from other places won’t miss what I had to say on the topic…if you want to read the context, you can find it HERE, or read my position on the topic below and judge for yourself…
[Hi Cara!] I thought I’d mention, there are MANY out there who’ve made the connection, just like you between fertility and fungal overgrowth. You are in good company! I work for Brenda Watson, and her company ReNew Life Formulas does extensive education about yeast. Much has been written as well as studied about that which connects hormone imbalance to yeast overgrowth. Because hormones affect our body’s pH, and the flora balance in the body is greatly dependant upon pH, if estrogen or progesterone levels are out of wack, pathogenic bacteria and yeast can begin to proliferate. The goal is to keep the good guys happy (probiotics) and yeast in small numbers.
The vaginal canal is extremly sensitive to this pH balance, so it is very easy for a normally occuring organism such as yeast to overgrow. A poor diet, such as one high in sugar can also cause problems, as can the use of birth control or antibiotics. It’s not that we want to kill all yeast, its about keeping the balance at 1 yeast, to every 1 million bacteria.
Women dealing with PCOS are prone to candida overgrowth due to our hormone issues. There’s more to it than that though. The thing is, PCOS is tied to insulin levels, which means that the amount of sugar in our blood at any one time can be extremely elevated. Yeast LOVE sugar, so by managing our blood sugar levels, we are able to manage our yeast levels as well. From what I’ve seen, in my own experience and with clients, its often more that yeast is a symptom of a greater problem, so as we address the yeast from multiple angles, with a cleanse, or a probiotic, or a special diet, we keep the numbers low, but as a side affect, we see a decrease in our PCOS symptoms. Does that make sense?
I totally agree with you that sugar, yeast and hormone imbalance, fertility, etc is related. I’ve written several articles on this subject, and it is also a part of a book project I am writing. It never amazes me when new ‘connections’ are made to yeast overgrowth. Dr. Crook’s book, ‘The Yeast Connection’ is a great book, as his book specifically written for women, I think its called ‘Yeast Connection and the Woman.’
Interestingly, it was Candida overgrowth which first prompted me to try alternative medicine [again~i’d grown up with it, but lost touch during high school and college] over a decade ago, just before I was diagnosed with PCOS. My practitioner at the time was convinced I had PCO along with my IBS, so she encouraged me to follow the candida diet as a way of addressing multiple stones. I not only lost a significant amount of weight, but my skin cleared significantly, and my periods also began to regulate. Like I said, I think it was less that the yeast causes the PCOS, but that the yeast overgrowth is a symptom caused by the other imbalances caused by PCOS.
Holistic approaches are great that way, in that they allow you to look at the body as a whole, rather than focusing symptoms. I congratulate you for your pregnancy using the candida control diet and regime!
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Candida and other microscopic yeast, I write about it here on another ‘you asked, cassy answered’ column, when I was talking about thrush and infants, or you can look into these studies online:
Michael T. Murray ND on Yeast Overgrowth
An article: Candida Albicans - The Hidden Infection - covers medical testing, etc.
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