PCOS Review Newsletter #38

Natural Health Ideas for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
A free monthly newsletter for women with ovarian cysts or PCOS.

Issue #038      December 7, 2006 Bill Slater, Research Associate

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1) Nutritional Supplement May Help PCOS & Fertility

2) Autoimmunity in PCOS Women May Impair Fertility

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1) Nutritional Supplement May Help PCOS & Fertility

Medical studies suggest there is a nutritional supplement that may help some women to:

• Reduce insulin resistance (insulin resistance is the inability to utilize insulin efficiently).
• Lower homocysteine (a substance in the blood that is unhealthy at high levels and is a side effect of metformin therapy).
• Increase the effectiveness Clomid, a fertility drug.
• Provide antioxidant protection to your reproductive system and support egg quality.

It is called NAC (N-acetyl-cysteine), which is a derivative of the amino acid cysteine. It is available both as a nutritional supplement and as a FDA-approved prescription medication.

We think NAC is relevant because insulin resistance is considered a root cause of PCOS. It is also relevant because Clomid is often the first thing your doctor will give you if you are trying to conceive. So anything that reduces insulin problems and makes Clomid more effective is worth considering.

We are now offering NAC in our online nutritional supplements store.

If you want to learn more about NAC, please go to our NAC web page.

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2) Autoimmunity in PCOS Women May Impair Fertility

The University of Barcelona in Spain has discovered a new link between autoimmunity and PCOS. "Autoimmunity" is a situation where your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body tissues, resulting in inflammation and cell damage.

This study showed that women with polycystic ovary syndrome had increased levels of AEA (anti-endometrial antibodies) as compared to normal women. AEA is a protein that signals your immune system to attack endometrial tissue in your uterus.

It's not hard to imagine that this inflammatory process could contribute to impaired fertility.

We discuss the relationship between autoimmunity and polycystic ovarian syndrome in chapter 1.2 of our book, The Natural Diet Solution for PCOS and Infertility. If you have our book, please re-read that chapter.

You may be wondering how you can control or prevent autoimmunity. That's a very complex question beyond the scope of this newsletter.

However, a good first place to start is by improving your diet. Avoid junk foods that may contain chemicals or substances that could trigger an immune reaction. You can also consider removing gluten grains from your diet. Some clinicians now suspect that gluten plays a more important role in autoimmunity that previously thought. The diet in our book is free of gluten grains.

Vitamin D may play a role in suppressing autoimmunity. We will have more to say about this in future newsletters.

Please note: Most doctors do not look for autoimmunity in PCOS women. Even if they did identify it, they don't have good treatment options. We urge you to take personal responsibility for your health. You can't depend on your doctor to do it for you. Educate yourself and practice good health habits.

Source:
Palacio JR, The presence of antibodies to oxidative modified proteins in serum from polycystic ovary syndrome patients, Clin Exp Immunol, 2006 May, 144(2):217-22.

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Thought for Today: "The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts." -- Marcus A. Antoninus

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