Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that impacts the hormones of women of reproductive age. If you’re a woman with PCOS, you know all too well that hormones impact EVERYTHING, especially when they are dysregulated. No system in the body isn’t at least indirectly affected by hormones, so the symptoms of PCOS can be exhaustive and difficult to live with day after day.
Some PCOS symptoms include irregular periods, hair loss, hirsutism, acne, weight gain, headaches, fatigue, mood swings, infertility, and more! Many of these stem from hormonal imbalance in one way or the other, meaning reversing your hormone issues can help you naturally manage your PCOS and live symptom-free with this condition . . . but where do you begin? A PCOS detox can be a good start.
How to Do a Hormone-Balancing PCOS Detox Cleanse
If you’re on social media, at some point you’ve heard of “detoxing” and how it can be beneficial for the health of all sorts of people. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that the right detox process can actually be super helpful for PCOS! There are different types of detoxing, but what I’m talking about isn’t like your typical juice cleanse. If anything, that is the type of “detox” that I actually don’t recommend for PCOS. Today I’m going to get into the details of a PCOS detox cleanse, why it’s a good idea, and how you can get started.
Here’s what you need to know:
What is a Detox Cleanse?
First of all, what is a detox cleanse? It’s a health regimen that’s strategically designed to help remove toxins, impurities, and excess hormones from the body. These contaminants can affect your health in big ways, making your attempts to lose weight, improve symptoms, or improve overall health pretty difficult! They’re like little road blocks keeping your body from running at its best. Earlier I mentioned that a juice cleanse is the most common detox, but that’s not the only type nor the type I recommend for PCOS (continue reading for more details on next steps!) Rather than only drinking juices (which might spike our blood sugar levels even more), we will focus on temporarily eliminating some foods, taking supplements, and other lifestyle changes supporting hormone regulation.
Some examples of the things a detox cleanse can help remove include toxins from air pollution, water contaminants, chemicals from household/personal care products, remnants of pesticides and herbicides, synthetic food additives, waste products of the metabolic process, heavy metals, and lingering toxins from medications and alcohol. A detox can help support the liver and digestive system (which are both ESSENTIAL for natural detoxification) to rid your body of all the junk so you can reset and see more gains from all of your health efforts!
Is Detox Important For PCOS?
All those toxins and impurities can negatively affect the three main root issues of PCOS: inflammation, insulin resistance, and hormonal imbalances. So, women with PCOS can get super frustrated trying to manage their symptoms, seemingly doing all the right things, and STILL make no progress. Well, these lingering contaminants can be one of the reasons healing your PCOS feels like an uphill battle.
Plus, if you’ve ever spent any time on prescription medications like metformin or hormonal birth control, these drugs can leave lingering synthetic hormones and chemicals in your body. So, even though you’re off certain meds, you may still be experiencing negative side effects because of that. But, we Cysters NEED our liver and digestive symptoms to be in the best shape possible, because these systems are essential for regulating hormones, processing insulin, metabolizing nutrients, and removing toxins.
So, long story short, a proper detox can be a great way to boost your liver function, cleanse your digestive system, and reset your whole body to reach your health goals. Not only can it help you with weight loss and managing blood sugar levels, but it can be another tool for your PCOS journey and goals! Symptom relief is around the corner the more you find what works for your body!
How To Do A Detox Cleanse With PCOS
Step 1: Talk to your doctor.
Detox cleansing is a powerful process. It’s not something you want to do carelessly. Talk to your doctor about your plan and process to ensure they think it’s the right choice for your goals and body. Here are some reasons they may not think it’s a good idea:
You . . .
- Have liver disease
- Are taking medications that affect liver functioning
- Are pregnant or breastfeeding
- Have diabetes, kidney disease, or heart disease
- Have a history of eating disorders
Step 2: Decide when you want to do your detox.
Detox isn’t a forever thing. They’re just a reset! A good rule of thumb is to do them once a season (4 times a year) and for 7-14 days. Some of the aspects of the detox might encourage you to make them long-term habits because of how good your body will feel! However, some other aspects of the detox have a diuretic effect, and doing that long-term can potentially do more harm than good.
Some risks of a long-term detox are nutrient deficiencies, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and digestive issues. Keep this in mind when you decide when to do your detox!
Step 3: Focus on a liver-supporting whole food PCOS diet.
It’s no secret that our food has a big impact on our health. A poor diet is often one of the main proponents of toxins and impurities in our bodies. Heavy metal contamination, pesticides and herbicides from vegetables, nitrates and nitrites from processed meats, artificial colors, artificial flavors, artificial preservatives, artificial sweeteners, trans fats, alcohol, phthalates from food packaging, and high fructose corn syrup can all linger in the body and contribute to the root issues of PCOS.
So, in order to reset and keep those contaminants from returning and wreaking havoc, it’s time to adopt a new PCOS-friendly diet! I recommend trying a gluten- and dairy-free anti-inflammatory diet that focuses on whole foods and liver-supporting ingredients. The diet is essential for the cleanse, and I first recommend trying it for 30 days. Afterwards, you can reintroduce these foods into your diet to see how you feel and how much your symptoms can tolerate.
Yes, cutting foods high in sugar, artificial ingredients, trans fats, and high fructose corn syrup often leads to weight loss, but that’s not all! A balanced diet also prevents those toxins and impurities from affecting your body again, helping increase your insulin sensitivity, reducing inflammation, and supporting proper hormone balance.
And, don’t worry about this diet being too limiting. You can still eat pizza, dessert, and even zero-proof cocktails on this diet! My biggest tip is to still keep all the meals and recipes you love, but swap out the ingredients with gluten and dairy with alternatives. That way you can enjoy your favorites without triggering your symptoms. Here’s more on my PCOS diet, but to get right to all the delicious, healthy recipes, download The Cysterhood app.
Step 4: Stay hydrated!
Staying hydrated when you’re doing a detox is extremely important! Drinking water is the foundation of toxin removal, aiding in kidney function, digestion, electrolyte balance, and the metabolic process. There are also multiple parts of the detox process that increase sweating and bowel movements. Both are essential for toxin removal, but they can also cause dehydration. So, keep on drinking water and eating hydrating foods!
Step 5: Incorporate daily workouts that make you sweat without pushing your limits.
Speaking of, let’s get you sweating! Daily exercise has lots of health benefits, of course, especially for PCOS, but for a successful detox cleanse you need to sweat. Exercise each day of your detox and make sure you’re sweating. However, you don’t need to push your limits! I don’t recommend any high-intensity workouts that elevate your heart rate. These types of exercise can raise your cortisol and adrenaline levels, which can worsen hormonal imbalance and insulin resistance which can trigger your symptoms.
Instead, I recommend slow-weighted workouts or meditative exercises that still get you moving and sweating without elevating your cortisol levels. Here’s more on the best exercises for PCOS, and you can find easy-to-follow daily workout routines on The Cysterhood app.
Step 6: Drink the right teas at the right times!
Drinking plenty of water is a good idea, but tea can also be super helpful. Certain types of tea can spur the liver detox process. Particularly, milk thistle tea and dandelion root tea have been shown to be perfect for cleansing! Milk thistle tea is an antioxidant, which means it can neutralize harmful free radicals. Plus, it prevents toxins from binding to the liver cells and increases bile production to better eliminate contaminants.
Dandelion root tea has similar benefits! It also increases bile production and has antioxidant properties. However, it additionally acts as a natural diuretic which rids the body of toxins through a healthy digestive process. Here’s a great milk thistle and dandelion root tea blend for your detox cleanse!
Once the detox is over, don’t keep drinking diuretic detox tea, but don’t stop drinking herbal teas all together! Instead, drink my Testosterone Relief Tea. It’s a blend of effective herbs that target insulin resistance, reduce androgen levels, and help you maintain healthy hormone regulation. It’s safe to drink daily, so it’s the perfect way to continue supporting your symptoms beyond the detox!
Step 7: Take probiotics and other liver-supporting supplements.
Supplements are super important for detox and beyond. There are certain supplements that are particularly beneficial for cleansing your body and supporting long-term health of your liver, kidneys, and digestive system.
First of all, probiotics are THE digestive supplement, so I definitely recommend you use one of these high-quality PCOS-friendly probiotic supplements daily! Other daily supplements to add to your long-term PCOS management plan are curcumin, choline, vitamin C, vitamin E, niacin, vitamin B6, magnesium, zinc, and manganese. You can find all of these in the Metabolism Plus bundle from Ovafit! Ovasitol is also a great supplement powder for long-term hormone regulation and PCOS management, and you can find that from Ovafit, too!
During the detox portion, I recommend you talk to your doctor about n-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) and glycine. You could also add glutathione as well! Once you run out of these three, you shouldn’t need to take them again until your next detox cleanse! Of course, before taking any supplement for any period of time, discuss it with your doctor.
Step 8: Eliminate as many endocrine disruptors as possible.
Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that mess with the hormone system in the body. They are found in lots of products we use every day and can mimic, block, and interfere with hormones. This can lead to excess hormones in the body and introduce other toxins and impurities into your system as well. Of course, you should cut these out all together, but it’s especially important during a detox!
Common sources of endocrine disruptors are plastics, fragrant soaps, receipts, cosmetics, pesticides, cleaning products, fragrances, candles, and more. To remove them, you need to look for organic, clean, and natural alternatives to a lot of our products. Then, replace as many plastics as possible with glass and invest in a high-quality filter for your water. Those are great starting steps, but here’s more on how to remove endocrine disruptors.
Step 9: Find ways to reduce your stress.
Stress can not only negatively impact us mentally, but physically too! Lots of stress can worsen your hormonal imbalances, inflammation, and insulin levels which means worse kidney, liver, and digestive health, too.
So, to boost your chances of PCOS success, practice good stress management and reduce stress wherever you can. I recommend breathing exercises, getting out in nature, exercising, acupuncture, and other forms of PCOS self-care that help you unwind!
Step 10: Get plenty of good quality sleep.
Sleep is essential for every process in the body even detox! Your liver actually works to filter out toxins from the blood while you sleep, so lack of sleep can reduce your liver efficiency and increase your toxin levels. Plus, lack of sleep leads to increased cortisol levels (stress hormones), which can domino into other hormonal imbalances!
Poor sleep can also disrupt fluid and electrolyte balance and worsen gut functioning, all of which are important for detox. So, for your detox to be successful, you need to get 7-10 hours of good-quality sleep! Of course, don’t let the good sleep stop after the detox. Maintain good sleep hygiene for long-term health benefits.
Try a PCOS detox cleanse to reset your body for optimal healing!
There is no cure for PCOS, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reverse and alleviate symptoms significantly. To heal your body, you need to get to the three root issues triggering your symptoms: inflammation, hormonal dysregulation, and insulin resistance. However, toxins and excess hormones in your body can make it really difficult to mend these problems. The right detox cleanse is a great way to kick start the process!
For more ways to naturally heal your PCOS, head to the PCOS Weight Loss blog and listen to the A Cyster and Her Mister podcast. Let’s do this together!
