This was started with brenmc in mind, but I'd like to hear from everyone else.
Are any of you type 1 or type 2 diabetic?
How about pre-diabetic or insulin resistant?
Insulin resistance also called syndrome X or metabolic syndrome is so pervasive today that we evaluate nearly every woman who visits our clinic to determine her level of risk. Most are taken aback when they learn they either already have insulin resistance syndrome (or as I call it pre-pre diabetic) or are well on their way to developing it. Experts estimate that 25% of all Americans suffer from insulin resistance. We believe the percentage is much higher among perimenopausal women.
Because insulin is one of the major hormones, its also impossible for your body to balance its minor hormones (estrogen, progesterone and testosterone among them) until your insulin metabolism is balanced first. To put it simply, if you have hot flashes and you are insulin resistant, its going to be nearly impossible to cure the hot flashes without first healing the insulin resistance. Cortisol is also a major hormone to understand its role in hormonal balance, read our related articles on adrenal fatigue.
Thanks for this GreenGables! In December I started taking metformin after exhausting a lot of the other options that were suggested on this forum and it helped significantly until about May/June when I started breaking out again. I am taking two 500mg pills per day. In the last month Ive reintroduced glucosmart (inositol) because it was more stable (when effective) than metformin. Last night I was researching old posts because I am trying to write a detailed journal of my breakouts, medications, and other changes and I came across this one () in which you wrote about how high progesterone can convert to acne-causing hormones like estrogen, testosterone and cortisol. What Im wondering is, do you think that the metformin built up my progesterone levels too high over the course of several months and now it is converting to the acne-causing hormones? My other primary symptom is multiple and heavy periods.
I also received your response regarding DIM. I know you had a bad experience on it, but Im wondering if it is better suited for PCOS or people with insulin resistance (I have 90% of the symptoms of IR btw)? Also, does DIM have any effect on progesterone?
Thank you!
B
This was started with brenmc in mind, but I'd like to hear from everyone else.
Are any of you type 1 or type 2 diabetic?
How about pre-diabetic or insulin resistant?
Insulin resistance also called syndrome X or metabolic syndrome is so pervasive today that we evaluate nearly every woman who visits our clinic to determine her level of risk. Most are taken aback when they learn they either already have insulin resistance syndrome (or as I call it pre-pre diabetic) or are well on their way to developing it. Experts estimate that 25% of all Americans suffer from insulin resistance. We believe the percentage is much higher among perimenopausal women.
Because insulin is one of the major hormones, its also impossible for your body to balance its minor hormones (estrogen, progesterone and testosterone among them) until your insulin metabolism is balanced first. To put it simply, if you have hot flashes and you are insulin resistant, its going to be nearly impossible to cure the hot flashes without first healing the insulin resistance. Cortisol is also a major hormone to understand its role in hormonal balance, read our related articles on adrenal fatigue.
The "symptoms" of insulin resistance are not well defined. However:
>
Insulin resistance is a clinical feature of type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. In the early stages of insulin resistance, symptoms may not be apparent but when type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome develop symptoms may include:
A raised blood sugar level that may cause increased thirst (polydipsia), frequent excretion of large amounts of urine (polyuria) and increased hunger (polyphagia). In addition, there may be weight gain or weight loss.Weakness and unexplained fatigue.Difficulty in concentrating and poor mental stamina - An individual may be sleepy and drowsy during the day time. This could be caused by insulin resistance or by nightly awakenings triggered by the need to urinate. Sleepiness is more pronounced after a meal that is rich in carbohydrates.Overweight or obesity - Consuming large amounts of carbohydrates can lead to insulin resistance and individuals with the condition may be overweight or obese. The weight gained due to insulin resistance is usually difficult to lose. Typically, the fat is stored around the abdominal organs.Excess carbohydrates in the diet may also cause other symptoms such as intestinal bloating, flatulence, constipation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.High blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. These increases may not cause overt symptoms but in, severe cases, fatty deposits around the eyes may manifest.Dark skin patches may be visible on parts of the neck. This is called acanthosis nigricans. Dark patches may also be present on the elbows, knuckles knees or armpits.The hyperglycemia seen in insulin resistance may also cause frequent genital infections, such as thrush.Raised blood pressure.
I have PCOS, but according to my blood work I am not insulin resistant. My doctor prescribed me metformin anyway, and it actually did help to lower my testosterone from around 69 to 13. Even though it did lower my testosterone it didn't seem to help my acne all that much. It definitely didn't do anything for my oily skin. It also made my hair fall out (spiro also does this to me but bcp is fine). It's interesting how met can lower testosterone but not really help the skin that much. It makes me think something else might be going on. I should add that spiro, which also lowers androgens, clears me completely.
I got tested for pre-diabetes last year and tested negative, but my blood sugar drops/ rises suddenly when I eat a lot of sugar. I respond better to a paleo-style diet, mixed with low GI, and low histamines.
What helped me process foods better was adding digestive enzymes before large meals, and also inositol, which has been proven to help with PCOS issues.
This was started with brenmc in mind, but I'd like to hear from everyone else.
Are any of you type 1 or type 2 diabetic?
How about pre-diabetic or insulin resistant?
Insulin resistance also called syndrome X or metabolic syndrome is so pervasive today that we evaluate nearly every woman who visits our clinic to determine her level of risk. Most are taken aback when they learn they either already have insulin resistance syndrome (or as I call it pre-pre diabetic) or are well on their way to developing it. Experts estimate that 25% of all Americans suffer from insulin resistance. We believe the percentage is much higher among perimenopausal women.
Because insulin is one of the major hormones, its also impossible for your body to balance its minor hormones (estrogen, progesterone and testosterone among them) until your insulin metabolism is balanced first. To put it simply, if you have hot flashes and you are insulin resistant, its going to be nearly impossible to cure the hot flashes without first healing the insulin resistance. Cortisol is also a major hormone to understand its role in hormonal balance, read our related articles on adrenal fatigue.
The "symptoms" of insulin resistance are not well defined. However:
>>
Insulin resistance is a clinical feature of type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. In the early stages of insulin resistance, symptoms may not be apparent but when type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome develop symptoms may include:
A raised blood sugar level that may cause increased thirst (polydipsia), frequent excretion of large amounts of urine (polyuria) and increased hunger (polyphagia). In addition, there may be weight gain or weight loss.Weakness and unexplained fatigue.Difficulty in concentrating and poor mental stamina - An individual may be sleepy and drowsy during the day time. This could be caused by insulin resistance or by nightly awakenings triggered by the need to urinate. Sleepiness is more pronounced after a meal that is rich in carbohydrates.Overweight or obesity - Consuming large amounts of carbohydrates can lead to insulin resistance and individuals with the condition may be overweight or obese. The weight gained due to insulin resistance is usually difficult to lose. Typically, the fat is stored around the abdominal organs.Excess carbohydrates in the diet may also cause other symptoms such as intestinal bloating, flatulence, constipation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.High blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. These increases may not cause overt symptoms but in, severe cases, fatty deposits around the eyes may manifest.Dark skin patches may be visible on parts of the neck. This is called acanthosis nigricans. Dark patches may also be present on the elbows, knuckles knees or armpits.The hyperglycemia seen in insulin resistance may also cause frequent genital infections, such as thrush.Raised blood pressure.Also, Paleo, primal, or otherwise lower-carb diets do not always solve insulin resistance. The research is in flux. I have seen studies published that outright contradict each other. Some claim that the only way to "naturally" improve insulin resistance is to eat low carb. Some have found that in some people low carb at a certain point actually makes insulin resistance worse.
Maybe that's why for me, after years of eating Paleo, generally living a healthy lifestyle ,and exercising like a beast, my fasting blood glucose is still on the high end of normal. But who knows.
I definitely think there is a connection between how our body handles insulin / glucose and our skin, though.
Also to brenmc, are you on Metformin? This article compares berberine to Metformin and came out in favor of berberine. http://www.tahomaclinicblog.com/berberine-diabetes/
Greengables, brenmc, and everyone else reading this...
I've been learning a lot about congenital adrenal hyperplasia [CAH] (and other forms of hyperplasia) thanks to elkhoundgold's thread on it. Some symptoms include hirsutism and acne. I think this is one of those complex causes that we overlook because it seems to either be misdiagnosed or not as common as PCOS for instance. This link, from the John Hopkins children's hospital website, simplifies how the adrenals/ hormones function when a form of hyperplasia exists.
Some of my questions:
- What do you think of adding sodium to the diet (as suggested on this website) to compensate for the malfunction of "salt-retaining" hormones?
- If cortisol levels are low, then can cortisol supplementation be the answer in this case, not insulin resistance (as a direct cause)?
- I'm also wondering whether a low cholesterol diet could help some. According to what I read so far, each type of CAH happens because the body is not capable of properly converting cholesterol to cortisol. It seems that just lowering cholesterol won't solve the issue, but I wonder if unconverted cholesterol could be making the symptoms worse.
Do you ovulate WishClean? It was explained to me at the sexual health clinic that if your period blood is red you're ovulating, if it's brown, you might not be. It seems CAH results in a lack of ovulation in women, so that might be an easy marker. PCOS is much more confusing, I think, because it manifests in symptoms of high androgens and high estrogen.
Do you ovulate WishClean? It was explained to me at the sexual health clinic that if your period blood is red you're ovulating, if it's brown, you might not be. It seems CAH results in a lack of ovulation in women, so that might be an easy marker. PCOS is much more confusing, I think, because it manifests in symptoms of high androgens and high estrogen.
Hi brenmc. I have signs of ovulation approximately the same time every month (like, clear discharge, and also my skin gets a bit worse still but not as chaotic as before).
This is very interesting about the color of the blood. Sorry again for the TMI, but mine starts as brown usually, then it's red for 2 days, then back to brownish.
So you are saying that even though my periods are regular and monthly, my ovulation might still be off? Come to think of it, my blood has been a bit darker/ brownish since I decreased inositol...perhaps I should increase it a little. I also have to mention that even when my acne was at its most severe, my periods were more or less regular...but yeah, mostly brownish color during the first few days. hmmm. *off to more research I guess.
Hi,
According to the sexual health doctor (as we know not all doctors are right), brown blood is spotting or discharging old blood and red blood is a result of current ovulation. If you have two good days of red blood, then you are most likely ovulating. Progesterone is key to the menstrual cycle, so perhaps lowering your inositol is lowering your progesterone?
Do you ovulate WishClean? It was explained to me at the sexual health clinic that if your period blood is red you're ovulating, if it's brown, you might not be. It seems CAH results in a lack of ovulation in women, so that might be an easy marker. PCOS is much more confusing, I think, because it manifests in symptoms of high androgens and high estrogen.
Hi brenmc. I have signs of ovulation approximately the same time every month (like, clear discharge, and also my skin gets a bit worse still but not as chaotic as before).
This is very interesting about the color of the blood. Sorry again for the TMI, but mine starts as brown usually, then it's red for 2 days, then back to brownish.
So you are saying that even though my periods are regular and monthly, my ovulation might still be off? Come to think of it, my blood has been a bit darker/ brownish since I decreased inositol...perhaps I should increase it a little. I also have to mention that even when my acne was at its most severe, my periods were more or less regular...but yeah, mostly brownish color during the first few days. hmmm. *off to more research I guess.
Yes...I do feel like I"m properly menstruating when the blood is bright red. Right now, I have been spotting for almost 3 days, and I do have some red blood but it doesn't flow unless I'm on the toilet (sorry, TMI again!). It's a bit weird... I think it might be stress-related though because my stress had reached its peak a few days ago. Stress used to make my periods late all the time when my PCOS was worse. Every time I would go to a doctor about my irregular periods, the first question they would ask was how high my stress level was.
Thankfully, now I have regular cycles for 6 years...I still credit vitex for that because it really did restore my cycle post birth control. I also make sure to eat balanced meals because I used to suffer from eating disorders, which also messed up my cycles.
Hi,
According to the sexual health doctor (as we know not all doctors are right), brown blood is spotting or discharging old blood and red blood is a result of current ovulation. If you have two good days of red blood, then you are most likely ovulating. Progesterone is key to the menstrual cycle, so perhaps lowering your inositol is lowering your progesterone?
GreenGables, What do you think about berberine vs inositol for acne?
This was started with brenmc in mind, but I'd like to hear from everyone else.
Are any of you type 1 or type 2 diabetic?
How about pre-diabetic or insulin resistant?
Insulin resistance also called syndrome X or metabolic syndrome is so pervasive today that we evaluate nearly every woman who visits our clinic to determine her level of risk. Most are taken aback when they learn they either already have insulin resistance syndrome (or as I call it pre-pre diabetic) or are well on their way to developing it. Experts estimate that 25% of all Americans suffer from insulin resistance. We believe the percentage is much higher among perimenopausal women.
Because insulin is one of the major hormones, its also impossible for your body to balance its minor hormones (estrogen, progesterone and testosterone among them) until your insulin metabolism is balanced first. To put it simply, if you have hot flashes and you are insulin resistant, its going to be nearly impossible to cure the hot flashes without first healing the insulin resistance. Cortisol is also a major hormone to understand its role in hormonal balance, read our related articles on adrenal fatigue.
The "symptoms" of insulin resistance are not well defined. However:
>
Insulin resistance is a clinical feature of type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. In the early stages of insulin resistance, symptoms may not be apparent but when type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome develop symptoms may include:
A raised blood sugar level that may cause increased thirst (polydipsia), frequent excretion of large amounts of urine (polyuria) and increased hunger (polyphagia). In addition, there may be weight gain or weight loss.Weakness and unexplained fatigue.Difficulty in concentrating and poor mental stamina - An individual may be sleepy and drowsy during the day time. This could be caused by insulin resistance or by nightly awakenings triggered by the need to urinate. Sleepiness is more pronounced after a meal that is rich in carbohydrates.Overweight or obesity - Consuming large amounts of carbohydrates can lead to insulin resistance and individuals with the condition may be overweight or obese. The weight gained due to insulin resistance is usually difficult to lose. Typically, the fat is stored around the abdominal organs.Excess carbohydrates in the diet may also cause other symptoms such as intestinal bloating, flatulence, constipation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.High blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. These increases may not cause overt symptoms but in, severe cases, fatty deposits around the eyes may manifest.Dark skin patches may be visible on parts of the neck. This is called acanthosis nigricans. Dark patches may also be present on the elbows, knuckles knees or armpits.The hyperglycemia seen in insulin resistance may also cause frequent genital infections, such as thrush.Raised blood pressure.
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) are any of several autosomal recessive diseases resulting from mutations of genes for enzymes mediating the biochemical steps of production of cortisol from cholesterol by the adrenal glands (steroidogenesis).[1]Most of these conditions involve excessive or deficient production of sex steroids and can alter development of primary or secondary sex characteristics in some affected infants, children, or adults.
I got tested for pre-diabetes last year and tested negative, but my blood sugar drops/ rises suddenly when I eat a lot of sugar. I respond better to a paleo-style diet, mixed with low GI, and low histamines.
What helped me process foods better was adding digestive enzymes before large meals, and also inositol, which has been proven to help with PCOS issues.
Hi,
I think it's normal for your blood sugar levels to drop and rise accordingly, as your body balances itself out after ingesting a lot of sugar. I don't advocate digestive enzymes long-term, as your body can become dependant on them for digestion.