Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal condition that can cause a lot of chronic symptoms. It’s a good idea for Cysters with PCOS to try and understand what’s going on in your body, so that you can identify symptoms and learn how to manage them.
Some common symptoms of PCOS are irregular periods, acne, excess hair growth, darkened skin patches, and weight gain. Cysters also experience gut issues like gas and bloating that can fluctuate during certain parts of the cycle. In fact, many women report feeling bloated and actually gaining 1-5 pounds during ovulation!
Is PCOS to blame for this? That’s what we’re going to discuss today. We’re going to talk about bloating and PCOS. We’ll explain what could be causing it and how you can fix it naturally.
What to Do About PCOS Bloating During Ovulation
Bloating is actually common during ovulation for all women! Women who are ovulating experience bloating for a few reasons. First of all, as hormones like estrogen and luteinizing hormone (LH) spike during ovulation, it can cause water retention, which of course leads to bloating.
Additionally, during ovulation your digestion can slow way down, causing gas and bloating. Finally, the increased blood flow to the pelvic area can cause swelling and that bloated feeling! This is why women ovulating can gain between 1-5 lbs during ovulation. However, if your cycles are normal, the weight should go back down.
But, can PCOS make this process worse? Can bloating be more severe with PCOS? Let’s talk about it!
Does PCOS Cause Bloating?
Hormonal Imbalances
So, I said that the extra weight that comes during ovulation goes away with a normal menstrual cycle. However, we all know that Cysters often don’t have normal menstrual cycles! The hormonal imbalances associated with PCOS can lengthen your cycles or even prevent ovulation. Since the hormones don’t stabilize, sometimes the bloating persists!
Particularly, high androgen levels and low progesterone levels can cause problems. Progesterone helps regulate fluid balance, so if it’s too low, bloating and water retention is normal!
Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance is common with women with PCOS. In fact, up to 80% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance! It’s where your body can’t correctly process glucose, so instead of turning sugar to energy, it’s absorbed as fat and into the bloodstream. This is one of the main causes of PCOS weight gain, but it also causes you to retain water and bloat!
Chronic Inflammation
Hormonal imbalances and insulin resistance can lead to chronic low-grade inflammation, which is where your immune system attacks your healthy cells instead of toxins and bacteria. This can cause symptoms like fatigue, body pain, digestive issues, skin problems, frequent illness, and bloating!
Gut Health
Inflammation and insulin resistance can throw off the balance of gut bacteria in your body. When your digestive system isn’t working the way it’s supposed to, it can lead to bloating, food intolerances, diarrhea, constipation, and more! Here’s more on gut health and PCOS.
How To Get Rid of PCOS Bloating During Ovulation
Take probiotics and supplements.
Probiotics are great for gut health! They help balance the gut bacteria to prompt healthy digestion and reduce inflammation. Both are great to reduce PCOS bloating! Other supplements can help with bloating too like b vitamins, vitamin D, iron, magnesium, and Ovasitol! You can get all of these from my PCOS-friendly supplements at Ovafit.
Stay hydrated.
It may seem like drinking more water when you’re having water retention issues is a bad idea, but it’s not! When you’re dehydrated, your body will start to take on water to compensate. So, staying hydrated will actually keep everything moving, detox your body, and reduce bloating!
Do regular slow, weighted workouts.
Want to know a great way of getting rid of excess fluid? SWEATING! Working out is not only great for sweating to reduce water retention, but it can also increase circulation, balance hormones, and reduce inflammation! For the most beneficial exercises for PCOS, I recommend slow, weighted workouts! You can find lots of workouts to follow on The Cysterhood app!
Eat a balanced diet and be mindful of certain foods.
What we eat can have a big impact on bloat. For Cysters I recommend trying a gluten- and dairy-free anti-inflammatory diet that’ll help support your body in reducing inflammation and androgen levels. You still get to eat delicious food!
To help specifically with bloating, I recommend incorporating natural diuretics into your diet like cucumbers, nettle tea, lemon tea, ginger tea, and green tea. Upping fiber and protein intake can help as well! Eating PCOS-friendly foods and avoiding eating too much sugar and salt can also be helpful. And, again, a balanced diet isn’t made to be restrictive, just intentional! With my plan, which you can find on The Cysterhood app, you can still eat everything from pizza and brownies to pancakes and tacos!
Practice stress management.
Stress can worsen a lot of PCOS symptoms, including bloating. It can worsen hormone balance by increasing cortisol levels, disrupting communication between your gut and brain, diverting blood flow away from your digestive system, and worsening inflammation. Try stress management techniques like yoga, meditation, getting out in nature, doing things you love, and just taking good care of yourself. You deserve it!
You can naturally reduce bloating during ovulation!
Can PCOS cause bloating during ovulation and other parts of the menstrual cycle? YES! However, there are ways to naturally reduce bloating and ease your symptoms. You can find out more about that on the PCOS Weight Loss blog and the A Cyster and Her Mister podcast! I’m here to help you live symptom-free with PCOS!
