Lean PCOS: Symptoms, Causes, and Lifestyle Management

PCOS refers to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. It is a condition that many women face and it can lead to problems in menstruation and fertility. PCOS a hormonal disorder that might be associated with weight gain. But Lean PCOS defines those who are not overweight. They didn’t only face physical symptoms but emotional, social and psychological symptoms too like depression, anxiety, loneliness and sadness. In this article, we will get to know about the Lean PCOS and its symptoms, causes and lifestyle management.

PCOS is a condition which happens approx 1 in 10 females. It can cause delay in menstruation, increase the need for male hormones and increase unwanted hair. Around 8 to 15% of women face this problem worldwide. It is common to have this problem in their reproductive years. That’s why pregnancy is difficult at that time and if you let it untreated then your health becomes worse.

What is Lean PCOS?

Lean PCOS is one of the PCOS types where one person has a BMI less than 25 means they have normal Body Mass Index and haven’t experienced any weight gain. This happens with the normal weight range people. In this Lean PCOS, lean means a healthy BMI which should be in between 18 to 25 and it is calculated by your weight and height. They experience hormonal imbalances and metabolic issues. They are different from obese or overweight PCOS in body composition. Lean PCOS is common in women and it affects 20 to 30% of women.

Lean PCOS Symptoms: Signs You Should Not Ignore

The symptoms of lean PCOS is as same as we found in other conditions like overweight PCOS, but because of absence of obesity this is not recognized at the start. The symptoms are:

• Irregular periods, missed periods and heavy bleeding.
• Acne and oily skin in jawline and chin.
• Increased the growth of hair in face, chest, back, crown of head and abdomen.
• Increased the growth of dark and coarse hair like a male pattern.
• Have thinning and loss of hair.
• Increase the level of male hormones.
• Increase the difficulty to conceive because of irregular ovulation.
• Increased the darkened skin around the neck, breast and underarm.
• Increase anxiety and depression.
• Abnormal blood sugar level and diabetes.

Lean PCOS Causes and Risk Factors

The lean PCOS is phenotype of PCOS. It is the combination of genetics, hormones and environment. Many people face cases of obesity and some face the lean or body mask index. Now there are some risk that are discussed below and they can apply on both PCOS and Lean PCOS:

• Obesity is a feature of PCOS that impacts almost 60 to 70% of the patients. Childhood obesity can also increase the risk of PCOS in young life.
• Women with PCOS can lead to psychological issues like depression, anxiety, disordered eating and many more.
• Insulin resistance contributes to various metabolic issues or hormonal imbalances.
• PCOS increases the risk of endometrial cancer because of obesity, insulin resistance and many more but the risks of breast cancer and ovarian cancer are less.
• PCOS increases the risk of type 2 diabetes which is found in 1 in 5 women who are suffering from the PCOS.
• PCOS can negatively impact fertility because of lack of ovulation.

How to Diagnose Lean PCOS?

The diagnosis is based on the high level of male hormones in the blood. Some expert doctors suggest that an ultrasound reveals so many cysts in the ovaries. To identify the diagnosis, you should see the presence of 2 out of 3 conditions:

• Irregular and missed menstruation or anovulation mean no egg release from the ovary.
• Increase the blood level, acne and hair growth.
• Visibility of polycystic ovaries in ultrasound.

Sometimes finding out the diagnosis of lean PCOS is difficult because it can happen to the one who has clear skin with no acne, unwanted hair and has normal weight. Sometimes other hormones like underactive thyroid or cushing disease mimic the symptoms of PCOS.

Does Lean PCOS Affect Fertility?

Yes, lean PCOS can affect fertility. If the condition interferes with the ovulation then it becomes harder to fertilize or to know that ovulation is happening. Pregnancy in PCOS can be a difficult journey even if the female looks healthy from outside. But with the proper management and medication you can conceive like many females and have a healthy pregnancy either naturally or by medical assistance. If a woman has lean PCOS and they are facing irregular periods and ovulates infrequently, in that case getting pregnant can be difficult. In fact you can’t even tell that you are suffering from lean PCOS until you figure out why you are not able to conceive.

Complications of Untreated Lean PCOS

Untreated lean PCOS can risk your health by including endometrial cancer, infertility, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes etc. So now we will get to know the complications of untreated lean PCOS:

• Reproductive Issues: Irregular and missed periods and heavy bleeding can affect the infertility that led to the chronic disease, chances of miscarriage and can have difficulty in conception.
• Physical Symptoms: Increasing acne, unwanted hair growth and also loss of hair in the scalp.
• Mental Health Disorders: Imbalancing of hormones and increasing stress leads to depression, tiredness and anxiety.
• Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes: Even if you have lean PCOS sometimes you also face fat and insulin resistance that leads you to type 2 diabetes, risk your life and it can also develop the cholesterol.
• Cardiovascular Disease: Increasing high levels of male sex hormones and inflammation leads to high blood pressure, increasing the risk of stroke and chances of heart attack.
• Endometrial Cancer: If the uterus is constantly growing without stopping it leads to lining build and this process leads to cancer.

How to Manage Lifestyle and Tips to Manage Lean PCOS Naturally?

Having the best diet, regular exercise and proper medication can help to manage a healthy lifestyle. Taking a calorie restricted diet and daily exercise are recommended as the first solution of the treatment and then go with the medical treatment if you don’t face any improvement in your health.

Increasing the intake of nutrients can help you to increase the insulin resistance, infertility, and cardiometabolic disorder. Those females who have lean PCOS don’t need to lose weight but need to manage their lifestyle and maintain their weight but some women need to grow small amount of healthy weight for regular ovulation. You should focus on improving insulin, balancing your hormones and reducing inflammation by taking a proper diet, regular exercise, proper sleep and managing your stress.

Best Diet Plan for Lean PCOS

In Lean PCOS, people don’t need to lose weight but taking the proper diet is good for their health. A lean PCOS diet helps to improve the insulin and the low-Glycemic Index stabilize the blood sugar level and reduce inflammation. Some diet foods are:

• Carbohydrates like oats, vegetables (broccoli, carrots and spinach), whole grains (quinoa, brown rice and oats), fresh fruits and many more.
• Healthy fats like avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil, berries and many more.
• Lean protein like chicken, fish (salmon and mackerel), tofu, lentils, eggs etc.
• Avoid sugar, sugary drinks, white bread, processed food, trans fat, pastries, processed meat, junk food and many more.
• Eat on regular basis to stabilize the blood sugar level.
• Add vegetables, protein and fiber to get all the required vitamins and nutrients.
• Ensure the balance of taking protein, carbohydrates and healthy fat in your every meal.
• Have Low-Glycemic Index crab like brown rice, oats, quinoa and whole wheat bread.
• Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of cold water and green tea. It helps you to reduce the level of male sex hormones.
• Add anti-inflammatory spices and herbs like cinnamon and turmeric.

Exercise for Lean PCOS

Many people with Lean PCOS think that they don’t need exercise but it is essential to include regular exercise in your daily routine because it helps to improve the insulin and menstruation cycle too even for those who are not even trying to lose weight. Exercise not only helps physical health but mentally and emotional health too. Recommending exercise are:

• Cardio like cycling, walking, swimming can help in lowering the cortisol level.
• Training of strength to improve the muscle and metabolism.
• Combining activities like walking, swimming and cycling with other resistance activities like weight lifting, bodyweight exercises like squats and push-ups all these activities helps to improve the strengthening training.
• Yoga is also a good option, it can reduce stress, lower testosterone level and improve the hormonal balance.
• Doing exercise for at least 200 minutes per week helps you to stay in consistency because consistency is more important than intensity.
• Aerobic and Zumba help to improve insulin.

Medical Treatment Options for Lean PCOS

There is nothing fit in the treatment of Lean PCOS. Conditions involve the combination of lifestyle changes and medication too. The aim is to balance the hormones, improve the fertility, regular periods and reduce the risk of diabetes and other diseases. If changes of lifestyle didn’t effect then doctor prescribe the medication according to the lean PCOS symptoms the patients are facing:

• For those who want to regulate the periods and reduce the male hormone level can use oral contraceptives.
• For those who want to improve insulin can use metformin and it is for diabetes medication.
• For those who want to reduce the unwanted hair growth and acne can use the anti-androgens. But in separate bases for acne issue doctors suggest topical acne treatment and for hair growth they suggest hair removal as an option in which waxing, threading and shaving are included for a short term but laser hair removal treatment for a long term.
• For those who want to conceive or trying to conceive can use the ovulation medication.

But before taking these medicines consult your doctor and take their advice because these medicines can react too.

Ayurvedic Remedies

India’s most trusted and healing system, Ayurvedic, it offers the treatment to heal the women by roots not just the lean PCOS symptoms. Many women found reveal and relief after using it. It includes a lot of herbs and detoxification practices. Some of the popular ayurvedic herbs that can improve your health are:

• If you want to balance your cortisol and insulin level you can have Ashwagandha.
• If you want to support reproductive health and maintain your hormone balance you can have Shatavari.
• If you want to reduce the inflammation, you can have Turmeric.
• If you want to improve your digestive health and detoxification, you can have Triphala.

Some Ayurvedic tips that you should follow:

• Drinking warm water with lemon in the morning helps to improve the metabolism.
• You should avoid cold water, cold drinks and processed food to maintain your health.

But still before taking any of these Ayurvedic herbs you should consult the Ayurvedic experts and take their advice.

Stress and Sleep Management

In lean PCOS stress can be worsened by stopping the hormones. You should do practice to revealing from stress like:

• You should do meditation and take a deep breath to avoid the stress.
• You should write a journal or diary about your thoughts and your day.
• You should walk at night after dinner to maintain and improve your health and it also helps to reduce stress and make you sleep well.
• You should lessen your screen time before going to bed because it helps you to not think much about your busy and hectic day and helps you to sleep quickly. Minimum 7 to 8 hours of sleep is mandatory without any disturbance. It helps to improve your sleeping habits and hormone balancing.
• You should go to bed till 11 PM.
• You should avoid caffeine after 3:00 PM.
• You should take multivitamin and vitamin-B containing supplements after the doctor’s suggestion.
• You should not eat 3 hours before going to bed. It can make your health worse even the chances of heart pain, heart attack and high BP has increased.

When to See a Doctor?

If you are facing the problem of developing unexpected acne, unwanted growth and thick hair around your face and body, irregular periods, missed periods or heavily bleeding for more than 40 days; difficulty in conceiving because of irregular and absence of ovulation; unexpected tiredness and difficulty in maintaining a healthy weight you should see a doctor because this a symptoms to have a Lean PCOS.

A doctor can look for this and suggest some blood tests and ultrasound to figure it out and to confirm that you have a diagnosis as you can still have high insulin and have high levels of male hormones too because some women have that.

Conclusion

I hope this blog will help you to know that Lean PCOS is not a condition of the obese and it can affect people who are not overweight. The symptoms of Lean PCOS are irregular periods, acne and difficulty in conceiving. Treatment involves maintaining the lifestyle and consuming all necessary nutrients and taking a balanced diet. Medications can be prescribed to treat unwanted hair and acne. But you should not only rely on medication, you should go with balanced nutrition, regular exercise and trusted Ayurvedic remedies. Before taking any medicine you should consult your doctor.