PCOS, PMOS & EAM
What was PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) is now PMOS (polyendocrine ovarian metabolic syndrome), and while we still see the patterns of these syndromes the same way we always have, it’s now much easier to educate patients on our findings when we need to request certain blood work or talk to them frankly about those findings. Let’s look at what this actually means.
The fact that cysts have been taken out of the root of the syndrome is a huge win for patients who, when diving into infertility or menstrual cycle issues, discover that they have a metabolic problem. Not a cyst problem. This metabolic problem has mostly gotten overlooked by allopathic medicine as many of the patients I’ve treated over the past two decades don’t have classic presentations of obesity, acne, or unwanted hair growth or hirsutism. They appear to be “healthy.” Some incredibly over-exercised and lean, but “healthy” by current health and wellness standards.
Shifting the diagnostic lens to metabolic health is a huge win for women and folks with a uterus, as underlying causes of PMOS (like insulin resistance) can contribute to weight challenges & obesity, irregular or absence of a menstrual cycle, anovulation, infertility, acne, unwanted hair growth or hair thinning, and serious long-term health conditions like Type-2 Diabetes or heart disease, which, with early detection, can be mostly managed through diet and exercise.
Still, even with the technicalities of a more accurate diagnosis on the western side of medicine, EAM practitioners are still rooted in a system where differential diagnosis’ for these presentations have not changed. Which means that our system of diagnosis has helped us differentiate between the classic “PCOS” patients and the often overlooked “PMOS” patients who might appear fit or “healthier.”
Patterns are patterns in EAM, so root cause is detected via differential diagnosis and the treatment plan is activated for the individual patient. Acupuncture, safe and effective herbal medicine, nutritional and dietary modifications, and tweaks to exercise and lifestyle begin to reconfigure the patterns that have been dysregulated and out of balance.
In my clinical practice, I’ve treated patients who haven’t had a period in years with a focused treatment plan, who have gotten pregnant before they even get their period back. It’s amazing to witness! And even more amazing to see them carry babies to term, then do the whole thing over again. To quote my favorite alien, it’s “Amaze!”
If you or someone you know is struggling with fertility or menstrual cycle irregularities, finding a licensed acupuncturist like me, who specializes in hormonal and metabolic health can be absolutely game changing for them. Knowing how to safely and effectively take herbal medicine, modify diet to be more nourishing and regulating, making supportive lifestyle changes, and doing the most efficient exercise can tip them back into regular menstruation and probably to pregnancy before they know it.
Send them my way! I love to be amazed by EAM and my patients — watching them have success with fertility, and the absolute joy of meeting their babies is totally “amaze.”
xo
#pmos #infertility #acupuncture #alameda
