PCOS Supplements to Regulate Period
If you’ve made your way to this blog, I’m going to assume that you may or may not have been diagnosed with PCOS/PMOS. Either way, I’m going to pretend like we’re sitting across from each other at my favorite local coffee shop. I’ve got an iced latte with whole milk and honey, you’ve got your drink of choice, and I’m going to tell you everything I think you need to know about using PCOS supplements to regulate your period.
What PCOS Can Do to Your Menstrual Cycle
PCOS, newly rebranded PMOS, or polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, is an endocrine and ovulatory disorder where your brain and ovaries are essentially out of sync.
This typically presents as anovulation, meaning you aren't ovulating, or delayed ovulation, which can lengthen your menstrual cycle. Most of the patients I see and clients we work with who have PCOS/PMOS have longer menstrual cycles, which would be a cycle longer than 35 days.
One thing I really want you to understand is that ovulation is what calls the shots when it comes to your menstrual cycle.
I think we tend to think about it the other way around. Your period doesn't determine when you ovulate. Ovulation determines when your next period comes.
After true ovulation, your body produces a corpus luteum. If you are not pregnant, the corpus luteum has a lifespan of about 14 to 16 days. Once the life of the corpus luteum expires, that is what triggers your menstrual cycle to start.
So, if you aren't ovulating, your body isn't getting that same signal for your period to start.
This is why, when we're talking about regulating your menstrual cycle with PCOS/PMOS, we really need to be talking about supporting regular ovulation.
PCOS Supplements to Regulate Periods
We have several supplements that we commonly recommend for patients and clients with PCOS/PMOS, but it’s important to note that your individual presentation determines which supplements we recommend for you. PCOS/PMOS doesn’t look exactly the same for everyone, so our recommendations aren’t exactly the same for everyone either.
For the purpose of this blog, though, I’m going to share three of the PCOS supplements we commonly recommend for supporting more regular menstrual cycles:
Inositol
NAC
CoQ10
If you’re wanting to purchase supplements to begin your regimen, here are our most often recommended for PCOS/PMOS, but as always, talk to your provider first.
Let's talk about the most often used supplements individually and why we may recommend it.
Inositol and PCOS
If you’re going to add one supplement for managing your menstrual cycle with PCOS/PMOS, inositol is probably going to be my primary recommendation.
Inositol can help regulate menstrual cycles in a couple of different ways. It can improve insulin sensitivity, but it also has a more direct effect on what is happening at the level of the ovary, including ovarian steroidogenesis and follicular signaling.
Let me break that down because I know that sounds very science-y.
Women with PCOS/PMOS typically have impaired metabolism of inositol. This can contribute to insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, which can then drive increased LH pulse frequency and increased ovarian and adrenal androgen production. Ultimately, all of this can interfere with ovulation.
And remember what we talked about earlier: ovulation calls the shots.
If we can support more regular ovulation, we can potentially support more regular menstrual cycles.
There are two forms of inositol that I want you to know about: myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol. They have slightly different jobs.
Myo-inositol helps with glucose uptake, while D-chiro-inositol supports glycogen synthesis. This is one of the reasons we commonly recommend Ovasitol, because it contains myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol in the recommended ratio.
But the benefits of inositol aren't limited to insulin sensitivity.
Within the ovary, myo-inositol acts as a second messenger for FSH. Basically, it helps support follicular development and maturation, which can improve the likelihood of ovulation.
D-chiro-inositol works a little differently. It acts as an aromatase modulator, helping lower ovarian androgen output while enhancing estradiol production. This may help support the return of more regular ovulatory cycles, even when insulin resistance isn't part of your PCOS/PMOS presentation.
So, while there are several PCOS supplements to regulate your period that we may consider, inositol is typically at the top of my list because we're not just trying to make you bleed on a more predictable schedule. We're trying to support the ovulation that should be driving that menstrual cycle in the first place.
NAC and PCOS
Another supplement we commonly recommend for PCOS/PMOS is N-acetylcysteine, or NAC.
NAC has three primary mechanisms that make it particularly interesting when we're talking about supporting more regular ovulation and menstrual cycles with PCOS: improving insulin sensitivity, providing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory support, and directly influencing ovarian steroidogenesis and hyperandrogenism.
NAC Can Improve Insulin Sensitivity
NAC can reduce oxidative stress-related impairment of insulin receptor function and improve insulin signaling. Clinically, this can help lower fasting insulin and triglycerides.
Why does that matter for your period?
Higher insulin levels can drive excess ovarian and adrenal androgen production, which can contribute to anovulation. By improving insulin sensitivity, NAC may help interrupt part of the cycle that is perpetuating irregular or absent ovulation.
And again, if we're trying to regulate your menstrual cycle, we're really trying to support regular ovulation.
NAC Provides Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Support
NAC also helps restore redox balance within ovarian tissue.
This can support follicular growth, estradiol production, oocyte quality, and mitochondrial function, all of which play a role in healthy ovulation and regular menstrual cyclicity.
NAC Can Directly Affect Ovarian Steroidogenesis
Finally, NAC may have a more direct effect on ovarian steroidogenesis and hyperandrogenism.
A meta-analysis of 18 studies found that NAC significantly reduced total testosterone and increased FSH.
This is important because we're not simply looking for a supplement that makes your period show up. We're looking at what may be contributing to delayed or absent ovulation in the first place and supporting the physiology that allows your body to return to more regular ovulatory cycles.
CoQ10 and PCOS
Another supplement we commonly recommend for women with PCOS/PMOS is CoQ10, or coenzyme Q10.
The research on CoQ10 and PCOS/PMOS is still small, so I want to be transparent about that. However, the findings we do have so far are promising.
CoQ10 has been shown to:
Reduce fasting insulin
Reduce fasting plasma glucose
Increase FSH
Reduce total testosterone
If you've been following along, you can probably see why these changes may be helpful when we're trying to support more regular ovulation and, in turn, a more regular menstrual cycle.
I wouldn't look at CoQ10 as a magic supplement for regulating your period, especially given the limited research we currently have. But based on the findings so far, it is one of the supplements we may consider as part of an individualized plan for someone with PCOS/PMOS.
When Supplements May Not Be Enough
Supplements will only get you so far, and I think that's really important to remember.
A lot of the supplements we've talked about work, at least in part, by decreasing inflammation and improving insulin sensitivity. But supplements aren't the only way we can work on those things.
Another huge piece of the puzzle is exercise, specifically strength training and walking after meals.
If I were going to start somewhere, strength training would be at the top of my list.
Strength training helps you build muscle mass, and muscle is one of the biggest places for glucose uptake in the body. By increasing and regularly using your muscle mass, you can improve your insulin sensitivity and help your body better utilize the glucose in your bloodstream.
Walking after meals is another simple thing you can add. Getting your muscles moving after you eat helps them utilize some of the glucose circulating in your bloodstream.
So, while we're talking specifically about PCOS supplements to regulate your period in this blog, I don't want you to walk away thinking supplements are the entire answer. They are one tool we can use, but strength training, walking, and the other pieces of your individual presentation matter too.
Want Help Regulating Your Cycle With PCOS?
If you have irregular cycles with PCOS/PMOS and you're wanting to have more regular cycles, we would love to work with you.
Our Analysis + Action Plan is going to be your best bet.
You'll start by filling out our intake forms so we can get a much better picture of what is going on with you individually. From there, we review everything you submit and send you back a personalized Action Plan based on what we find.
Then, you get two weeks of Voxer access to us, which, in my opinion, is one of the best parts of the entire offer.
You don't have to worry about leaving an appointment and realizing later that you forgot to ask a question. You have two weeks to ask questions, get clarification, and actually talk through your recommendations with us as you start implementing your plan.
If you're ready to work toward more regular cycles with PCOS/PMOS, we would love to work with you. You can find more information about the Analysis + Action Plan and sign up here.
