Weight Management, PCOS, & Insulin Resistance/Pre-Diabetes

PCOS

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that manifests when you have two of the following: irregular or no periods, polycystic ovaries on ultrasound, or higher levels of androgens in blood or symptoms (acne, excess facial hair, or body hair growth). If PCOS if untreated can cause difficulty conceiving late in life. Patient’s typical symptoms include but are not limited to difficulty losing weight, facial hair growth (hirsutism), abnormal and/or heavy menstrual cycles, and insulin resistance. Speak with your Modern Endocrine provider about treatment options at your next visit!

Weight Management

The potential benefits of weight loss (even 5% of body weight) are incredible and include: improved glycemic control, reduction in cardiovascular risk, cancer risk, overall mortality, blood pressure, cholesterol, improvement in sex hormones, and improvement in overall health and wellbeing. Currently, about 31% of Americans are overweight and 42% of Americans are obese! This is the fastest growing disease state in the United States. Studies have pointed to two causes for this: too much food and too little exercise. At Modern Endocrine, we recommend starting your weight loss journey with extensive screening for insulin resistance, thyroid disease, sex hormone deficiencies, and cortisol excess to rule out any causes that would make weight loss more difficult to achieve. We then take a holistic approach to weight loss by typically recommended lifestyle modifications (dietary changes, intermittent fasting, proper sleep, stress/cortisol management, micronutrient supplementation, and exercise) prior to medications. If medications, supplements, or hormones are needed based on labwork, we help patients weight the risks and benefits of medications based on their hormone and micronutrient profile. We are prepared to discuss weight loss and insulin lowering medications with you if applicable.

Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance is a state in which a given concentration of insulin is associated with a higher than normal glucose level. In this state, cells in your muscles, fat, and liver do not respond well to insulin and cannot easily take up glucose from your blood. As a result, your pancreas makes more insulin to help glucose enter your cells. Over time, cells stop responding to all the insulin (insulin resistance). The pancreas keeps making more insulin to try to make cells responds, but eventually the pancreas cannot keep up, and blood sugar levels rise steadily, ultimately leading to type 2 diabetes. At Modern Endocrine, we are dedicated to catching insulin resistance in early stages. We believe in screening with fasting insulin and glucose levels, and treating any fasting insulin level above 5. If you are found to have insulin resistance we will work with you to lower insulin levels, which will ultimately promote weight loss. We can discuss weight loss and insulin lowering medications with you if applicable. We also encourage lifestyle modifications (dietary changes, intermittent fasting, proper sleep, stress/cortisol management, micronutrient supplementation, and exercise). Speak with your Modern Endocrine provider about weight loss or insulin lowering medication options at your next visit!