Does PCOS cause weight gain: Understanding the link between PCOS and weight gain

Does PCOS cause weight gain? PCOS is a medical condition that affects the ovaries in reproductive-age females. This condition doesn’t cause weight gain on its own. However, the effect it has on your hormones can change your metabolism, fat distribution, appetite, and insulin sensitivity, leading to uncontrolled weight gain and making it rather hard to maintain a healthy BMI in the long run.

Luckily, there are strategies to overcome polycystic ovarian syndrome weight gain:

• Get proper PCOS treatment
• Switch to a healthy diet
• Increase your physical activity
• Find ways to manage mental health

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a widespread health condition that affects roughly 6-13% of women in their reproductive years, though up to 70% of cases are believed to be undiagnosed. This condition comes with a range of symptoms, including anovulation, acne, hair loss, and many others. Uncontrolled weight gain, especially in the belly area is also often considered a symptom of this condition.

But does PCOS cause weight gain? Let’s figure it out!

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What Is PCOS?

PCOS is a hormonal disorder that affects reproductive-age females. This condition stimulates the development of a large number of fluid-filled cysts on the ovaries, making it harder for follicles to develop mature eggs and release them regularly. Respectively, PCOS typically results in irregular menstrual cycles and ovulation, and thus, frequently leads to fertility issues. Although the specific causes of PCOS are still unknown, this condition is chronic and can only be addressed through managing its symptoms.

Common symptoms of PCOS include:

• Prolonged or missed periods
• Acne and oily skin
• Excessive body hair
• Hair thinning or loss

PCOS and Weight Gain: Understanding the Hormonal Link

Affecting your ovaries, PCOS inevitably leads to deep hormonal changes because ovaries play a crucial role in your reproductive system and take an important place in the endocrine system, producing the key female hormones–estrogen and progesterone, and androgens (male hormones, such as testosterone).

When PCOS develops, it has two primary effects on your hormones:

• Your essential hormone–estrogen lowers, typically causing irregular periods, vaginal dryness, and mood swings.
• Your androgen levels rise, also causing cycle irregularity and other symptoms like acne, excess hair, etc.

Now, let’s try to define how polycystic ovarian syndrome weight gain occurs due to the aforementioned hormonal changes. Estrogen plays a big role in glucose regulation and lipid metabolism–how your body breaks down and stores fats. When its levels drop, your metabolic function and glucose levels can start fluctuating, potentially causing weight or making it harder to sustain a specific weight. Rising androgens are also associated with weight gain and obesity states in women of all ages.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that PCOS also affects a few other important hormones, such as insulin, the luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone (LH/FSH), growth hormones (GH), ghrelin, LEAP-2, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Changing levels of these hormones (especially increased insulin and ghrelin and reduced GH) frequently result in deeper metabolic issues such as insulin resistance, leptin resistance, diabetes, and obesity.

Does PCOS Cause Weight Gain?

Given all the facts mentioned earlier, it can be easy to think that PCOS and weight gain are non-separable. Indeed PCOS is often associated with weight gain and difficulty losing weight. However, the condition doesn’t directly cause weight gain. Instead, it takes place due to the pathological hormonal changes that can take place in your body because of its development.

As you already know, changes in your estrogen, androgen, and other hormones can have a negative impact on your metabolism and fat distribution. These changes can also affect appetite regulation making you feel hunger more prominently and have more severe cravings. Most importantly, by affecting your insulin, PCOS can trigger insulin resistance which can get you in a vicious cycle when weight gain and PCOS symptoms worsen progressively because of each other.

How Many Women Are Affected by Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Weight Gain?

PCOS might be a complicating factor for weight management. According to a large community-based longitudinal study, females with this condition have a 0.26 kg higher rate of annual weight gain compared to healthy women. However, this doesn’t mean that weight gain affects all women diagnosed with PCOS.

According to some numbers, overweight and obesity affect around 38% to 88% of females with this condition. The percentage is high but not 100%, meaning that some women actually maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI). This form of PCOS is known as lean PCOS as it doesn’t involve weight gain.

Factors Affecting Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Weight Gain

Apart from hormonal changes, insulin resistance, and slowed metabolism, there might be a few other things determining whether you’ll face issues with weight gain or not:

• Treatment. Lifestyle changes, hormonal therapy, anti-androgens medication, and insulin-sensitizing medications are some of the most common ways to treat PCOS symptoms and they can significantly improve hormonal imbalances, leading to easier weight management.
• Eating patterns. While many women with PCOS may experience appetite challenges and slower metabolism, those who give in to their cravings may suffer more from weight gain, whereas females who choose effective diets like keto and don’t overeat should find it easier to maintain a healthy BMI.
• Genetics. Your genes affect many things in terms of weight and eating patterns, including appetite, satiety, metabolic rate, body-fat distribution, food cravings, and the tendency for emotional overeating.
• Lifestyle. Your daily activity and sleep patterns may also affect how quickly you gain weight. Besides, physical activity also impacts your hormonal balance and thus, can help ease PCOS symptoms.

• Stress. Last but not least, your daily stress rate can also affect your PCOS symptoms and BMI. Chronic stress leads to higher levels of circulating cortisol, which can contribute to the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome and obesity.

Treatment for PCOS Weight Gain: Practical Tips

Although PCOS and weight gain often go in hand, it’s possible to manage your weight through a number of basic but important steps:

Get Proper PCOS Treatment

Although it’s a chronic condition that can’t be cured completely, treating PCOS properly can greatly improve your symptoms and help restore a hormonal balance, whenever untreated PCOS can get worse over time. Thus, if you are concerned about weight gain and other symptoms, be sure to see a healthcare provider first and develop a personalized treatment plan that works for you.

Rethink Your Diet

Focus on eating measured portions to prevent overeating, and change your food preferences to more nutrient-dense and less high-calorie options and restrict consumption of sugar and processed foods.

It’s also recommended to adopt diets that have been shown to positively affect insulin resistance, hormones, and thus, PCOS symptoms. Some diets to try include keto or the Mediterranean diet.

Increase Your Daily Activity

Regular exercising has been proven to help maintain a healthy BMI and achieve a leaner and stronger body, which is why physical activity is crucial for managing your weight. On top of that, studies show that a regular fitness routine can improve your overall hormonal balance and also have a positive effect on your mental well-being, which is also crucial in PCOS.

Consider moving more actively throughout the day, for example, by going on short walks or cycling instead of driving. Also, you can pick effective exercises tailored to managing PCOS symptoms while also promoting weight loss.

Support Your Mental Health

PCOS is frequently linked not only to hormone-related mood swings but also to more significant issues, such as anxiety and depression. As you already know, high levels of stress can increase cortisol levels, which can also worsen PCOS symptoms and weight gain.

In order to prevent the negative impact of stress on your body and health, prioritize your mental well-being. Make sure you get plenty of sleep every day and practice stress management techniques like meditation and yoga.

FAQ

What is PCOS?

In a nutshell, it’s a hormonal condition that causes many cysts to develop on your ovaries and thus, hinders regular ovulation. The most common symptoms of this condition include irregular cycles, acne, excessive hair, hair loss, and, often, weight gain.

Does PCOS cause weight gain?

It doesn’t cause weight gain directly. Still, increased body mass index is commonly associated with this condition due to hormonal changes–lowered estrogen and increased androgens can change your metabolic function. Additionally, changes in insulin levels caused by PCOS can lead to insulin resistance, leptin resistance, diabetes, and obesity. In the long run, this can get you in a vicious circle when weight gain and PCOS symptoms worsen each other.

Is it possible to prevent or manage weight gain in PCOS?

Yes, you can prevent weight gain or improve it and lose weight. It takes a holistic approach that includes getting proper PCOS treatment, incorporating healthy eating habits and switching to a PCOS-friendly diet, getting more active, and supporting your mental well-being.

Conclusion

So does PCOS cause weight gain? This medical condition doesn’t cause weight gain on its own. In fact, there is a type of PCOS that runs without significant changes in your BMI–it’s called lean PCOS. Nevertheless, by affecting your ovaries, this condition often triggers deep hormonal changes, which, in turn, affect your metabolism, appetite, fat distribution, and insulin sensitivity.

Due to hormonal imbalances, PCOS and weight gain often go in hand and many women suffer from it. Luckily, there are ways to prevent and manage this symptom. Now, you should have a better understanding of what causes you to gain excess weight with PCOS and what strategies can help you overcome it.

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