January 29, 2026 • 26 mins
Infertility, PCOS, and hormonal imbalance can leave women feeling confused, exhausted, and broken — especially when cycles are irregular, ovulation feels impossible to track, and pregnancy feels out of reach. In this powerful episode of Cry It Out Loud, we are joined by Dr. Angela Potter, nationally recognized PCOS and fertility expert, to bring clarity, compassion, and real answers to women navigating infertility and complex reproductive health conditions.
Dr. Potter explains how PCOS is not a fertility dead end, but a condition that can often be managed with the right individualized care. She breaks down how women with PCOS can regulate irregular cycles, restore ovulation, and prepare their bodies for a healthy pregnancy and baby, while also protecting maternal mental health along the way.
In this episode, we cover:
Why PCOS is one of the most misunderstood causes of infertility
The biggest misconceptions about PCOS that delay pregnancy
How hormonal imbalances affect ovulation, implantation, and miscarriage risk
The four most common roadblocks to getting pregnant with PCOS — and how to overcome them
When to seek professional fertility support instead of “just waiting”
How infertility and PCOS impact emotional well-being, grief, and mental health
This conversation is essential listening for anyone struggling with PCOS, infertility, endometriosis concerns, pregnancy loss, miscarriage, or the emotional toll of trying to conceive. It offers evidence-based guidance, validation, and hope reminding listeners that they are not alone and their bodies are not broken.
Every journey matters. Every loss matters. And support should never be out of reach.
If you are seeking support for infertility, pregnancy loss, miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss or want to volunteer, donate, or host an event in honor of your baby.
Chasing the Rainbows provides free, trauma-informed support to families nationwide.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:12):
Crying Out Loud, a podcast by Chasing the Rainbows with your
host Bernice Quisenberry. Welcome back to Cried Out Loud,
the podcast where no fertility struggle, miscarriage, or
pregnancy loss is too heavy to talk about.
(00:34):
Today, we're talking about the journey many women know all too
well, navigating PCOS, irregularcycles, and fertility challenges
that come along with it. If your cycles are
unpredictable, you're not alone.And you're if you're not
ovulating or you're feeling exhausted, frustrated, or like
your body isn't ready for a baby, this episode is for you.
Because the truth is, fertility struggles don't mean you're
(00:57):
broken. And there is a path forward.
Joining us is Doctor Angela Potter, a renowned PCOS and
fertility expert who has been featured on CBS, Fox, EBCNBC,
and The CW Doctor Potter specializes in helping women
uncover the root causes of theirPCOS struggles and creating
(01:17):
individualized plans to regulatecycles, restore ovulation, and
prep for a healthy pregnancy andbaby.
Doctor Potter, thank you so muchfor being here.
Bernice, I am thrilled to be here.
Thank you for having me. Absolutely why?
Can't wait for our community to get to know you.
And I would love for you to start out.
(01:37):
You know why you focus on PCOS, what PCOS is, You know all of
those initial things for everyone to hear.
Yes, So PCOS, I love working with women who have PCOS.
And, you know, I've studied as amidwife and a nutritionist and a
(01:57):
doctor and I've been just in love with hormones and helping
women to go through this process.
And, you know, a few years back,all of a sudden I was getting
all these women who had PCOS in my practice and they were saying
to me, I've been working with a doctor and they tell me that
medication is the only way forward.
(02:18):
I've tried it. And now they're telling me IVF
is the only thing. And I, I don't feel like that's
right for my body. Is there anything else?
And we started working on thingsand they started getting their
periods back, started getting positive ovulation, getting
pregnant naturally. And I just realized how deep of
(02:40):
a hole this is in the medical community.
How so many women with PCOS are just getting dismissed and being
told that, oh, there's nothing that we can do to help you when
in fact, there is. And so that is what is just, you
know, jump started my passion with working with these women.
(03:03):
And it's so rewarding to be ableto see these women who were
told, oh, you can't get your period back because you have
PCOS or oh, you're not going to be able to get pregnant
naturally. And then they're actually seeing
those results. Thank you so much.
Yes, and and you asked, you know, let's dive into what PCOS
(03:24):
is too. So everyone's clear on that.
So PCOS is polycystic ovarian syndrome and that it it's a
syndrome. So it's made-up of different
systems and symptoms to create this syndrome.
OK. So it's, that makes it a little
more complex because you have to, there's three different
(03:47):
pillars for the PCOS diagnosis. You have to fall into two of
those in order to be diagnosed that you know, I do you want to
go down that clinical path. I can explain more about that.
But what do you think your listeners would like the most?
Absolutely, yes, go ahead. Yeah, if the two, I would love
(04:07):
to understand, you know, also the three pillars and and how to
get diagnosed. Oh sure.
So, so if you are having irregular periods, can't get
pregnant, and you want to know if you have PCOS, you need to go
in and talk with your doctor. And your doctor's going to look
for three different pieces of information.
One is cysts on the ovaries, andthose are typically diagnosed
(04:30):
through an ultrasound. It's surprising to a lot of
people that you don't have to have cysts on the ovaries in
order to be diagnosed with PCOS,right?
Even though it's in the name, you might not have cysts, you
fall into the other two, but you're still diagnosed.
So that's one. Another one is elevated androgen
(04:53):
hormones, testosterone being ourmost well known androgen
hormone. That is the hormone that's
common, that's that's the natural reproductive hormone in
a person with male organs. And so for those of us with
female organs, we have a little bit of testosterone, but when we
get a lot of of testosterone, that shuts down ovulation.
(05:16):
It makes symptoms like hair on the chin, acne, things like
that, that are really common with PCOS.
So that's the diagnostic criteria #2 and the third one is
ovulation issues. So it's kind of a blanket thing.
(05:36):
We can diagnose that through looking at progesterone levels.
We can use ultrasound to look ifsomebody's ovulating or not.
But really it's just OK if you're having irregular cycles,
you know, if your cycles are 75 days long or you haven't had a
cycle in the past year or two, even if you have 45 day cycles
(06:00):
but you are not ovulating, any one of those situations would
put you into that place where you're having ovulation issues.
So again, if you fall into two out of three of those, then you
fall into that PCOS diagnosis. Well, thank you, Angela for
really shining light on that because I was one of them
(06:22):
Starting, I got my period later in life.
I was around 16 years old. I was constantly in my OBGYN
office because I was having really painful periods, was
experiencing issues like us women were very in tune with our
bodies and just knowing something was wrong.
And each time, you know, being told, here's birth control
pills, everybody has painful periods, kind of suck it up.
(06:44):
And it wasn't until my late mid 20s that finally I was diagnosed
by my doctor. And she, you know, you have PCOS
and This is why you're dealing with infertility struggles.
This is why, you know, you've had I had cysts removed.
No doctor ever explained it was PCOS during that time.
You know, and, and it's almost like gaslighting an individual
who, you know, for 10 years has been saying there's something
(07:06):
wrong with me. And I know this, but just being
told you no, no, no. And wondering why, you know, I
was only getting my cycle every other month, like all the
different things. And, you know, hearing that and
going through that, you know, itreally resonates because I was
like, yes, yes, yes, like there's check marks.
And it was interesting because as my doctor was testing me for
PCOS and she was like, you know,hair on the chin.
(07:27):
She's like, I can tell right now, there's like already some
things that I see on you and like acne and things like that,
that are contributing factor. And I was like, interesting.
So, you know, because I was like, oh, I just think this is
normal. And it's not, you know, it's
from different conditions. Yes, I, I'm so glad that you
share that and you bring that upbecause, you know, we're talking
(07:48):
about myths and roadblocks to pregnancy.
And that's one of them that's a big roadblock is just being
given a medication before figuring out the why of OK, why
are your periods irregular? Why do you have really painful
(08:11):
periods? Why are you getting the hair on
your chin? And you know, we live in this
this society really that we think or we're being told that
one pill fixes this one symptom.And so we want like, yeah, this
one pill to fix PCOS, everythingthat's going on with PCOS.
(08:36):
And 9 times out of 10, it doesn't work.
That one pill, you know, and I'mspecifically talking about like
ovulation medications. And because that's, you know,
that is the recommendation for someone who wants to get
pregnant with PCOS to get on letrozole or Clomid.
(08:58):
And so these women are going in and being told, well, this
medication will fix it, when in fact, that medication has one
job and that's to get the egg out of the ovary, which of
course we want that egg out of the ovary.
But if that's not the reason whyyou aren't pregnant or why
(09:18):
you're having irregular cycles, then that medicated cycle, that
medication is not going to solvethe issue for why you're having
those issues. And so that's a very common
roadblock to to baby to having optimal fertility.
(09:38):
Absolutely. Thanks, Angela.
Yeah. And I, you know, please share,
you know, the other roadblocks, you know, that are so crucial
for our listeners to hear. Well, so another 1A roadblock to
getting pregnant is not having an individualized plan because
which weaves into that. Why so often women tell me this,
(10:00):
that they feel like they're justbeing put into A1 size fits all
box and they're like, but I don't feel like I fit into a
box. And that's so key to, to
understand that about your body.And that's true.
And that is why because if you are going forward with a
(10:24):
fertility plan that is inside a box, right?
Just everyone who has PCOS goes into this box and it gets the
same exact treatment plan, then that's not going to answer that.
Why? And so getting an individualized
plan is the #1 hands down most important step to get in order
(10:50):
to understand what's actually going on in your body with PCOS.
And if you're not getting an individualized plan, that's a
roadblock because you're not able to answer that why?
And you want to know well, why are, why haven't you had a
period since last March? There is the information, you
(11:11):
know, a lot of doctors like you were saying, like, you know, we
can't do anything for you or oh,just this medication will take
care of it. But our bodies are meant to be
cyclical like this. If we have female organs, our
bodies are natural rhythm is in a way that we will have, you
(11:31):
know, roughly every month have ableed.
And so if you're somebody who hasn't had a period since last
March or it comes every 75 days,there is on your lab report.
It's not like we're just pullingthis out of thin air on your lab
report. There will be the hormones that
(11:51):
are out of place or the nutrientdeficiencies there that will
point exactly to why that's happening.
And so if you've been told, well, we don't know what to do,
you need to then work with a doctor, doctor like myself who
is able to pinpoint that, to really individualize the care
for you so that you can understand what's going on in
(12:15):
your body. And then you get a plan that
addresses that. And that's when that roadblock
goes away and that path to baby opens up.
That is so important, you know, that individualized evidence
based root cause instead of blanket statements or being
lumped into, you know, a generalpopulation because honestly, you
(12:39):
know, we all our bodies are different.
Our cycles are different. What is going on inside of our
bodies is different. What we consume is different.
Like everything is so different,you know, and and celebrate our
differences. But in this case, it's like
educate to advocate for yourself.
And, you know, we're given a certain timeline to be able to
get pregnant, you know, like thewindow and already feeling like
(13:00):
a ticking time bomb. And so getting more concrete
answers to and about you is, youknow, very significant in this
matter. Yes, because the diagnosis of
PCOS, by definition, it's not just, you know, streamlined.
One thing makes you have PCOS. No, people have different issues
(13:23):
that create their PCOS, so why should we expect that one
treatment treats everything withPCOS?
That's that's the big missing link there.
Absolutely. Yeah.
So, you know, when we're talkingabout more roadblocks, when you
(13:44):
know, and, and I say this with such deep, you know, the path to
baby can be so long and difficult.
And a lot of times the women whoare approaching me, wanting to
work with me, you know, have been trying to get pregnant for
years. And so of course they're, they
(14:07):
wanted to get pregnant months ago, right?
And you know, we honor that. And that's it's very difficult
mental, emotional, spiritual place to be.
But because PCOS is interacting in so many different systems in
the body, the, the path forward that brings the best results is
(14:33):
1, where you can optimize your health first before jumping to
medications or jumping to procedures like IVF.
And that it does, you know, it does take some time.
It takes a few months to really help the body come back into
regular rhythm. You know, I'll share a story
(14:56):
about this. I was working with somebody who
was trying to get pregnant for over 10 years before trying or
before starting to work with me.So working with me was kind of a
last chance. She just knew she was like,
there's got to be something elsebecause her previous doctor was
telling her things like, well, you know, no diet or lifestyle
(15:17):
is going to help PCOS. Like, you really shouldn't try
anything because nothing but these medications are going to
help. And her, in her mind, she's
like, OK, but that just doesn't really sit right to me.
So that's when she reached out to work with me.
And so I did some lab testing for her, some more comprehensive
(15:38):
testing than her previous doctors had done for her and
found some very obvious reasons why she wasn't ovulating for
her. There was some thyroid issues,
there was some gut health issues.
And so we first, you know, having that information in front
of her was great. And again, for her, you know,
(15:59):
she had been trying for over 10 years.
And so she was so frustrated andheartbroken, but also was
holding on to hope. Once she saw this information,
it was like, oh, This is why I haven't had a regular period in
so long. And so we worked on that.
Then I was able to get her a plan that addressed specifically
(16:21):
those hormones that were out of balance and get her on a plan
that helped gut health and her she had a 30 day cycle right
after that she had 430 day cycles in a row as she moved
forward again. You know, four months that's it
can feel like a long time when you wanted to get pregnant
(16:45):
months ago, right? But but when you are doing the
work, when you know what it is, that's, that's that block and
you're actually getting a plan that's fixing it, that makes
those four months, you know, more worthwhile.
And for this person in particular, you know, it was
after those four months, then she was pregnant naturally.
(17:07):
And so after so many years of not getting answers, it just
took her spending that time to optimize her health and then
seeing what could open up from there.
Oh, it's so beautiful. And I mean, what a long haul
journey, like we call them long haulers, you know, and you know,
(17:28):
being on it for years and just feeling like each time it's like
all your hopes and dreams just keep getting shattered and like
your new lows and bottoms just keep getting lower and lower,
you know, during and it's so much complex trauma with trying
to conceive and on an infertility journey and hearing
this, it's like, Oh yes, it's sobeautiful that you were able to
(17:48):
Angela recognize different things that weren't being picked
up already that she could changeand you helped her change to get
healthy cycles. It's beautiful.
Yes, yes, because I will say that most women who I'm talking
with, and I'm talking with a lotwho have PCOS, you know,
(18:08):
pregnancy and having a baby is the ultimate goal.
Yes, but there's also this. I want to have a baby, but I
want to be healthy. I want to feel like my body's
working as it's supposed to. And even if it is going to take
a lot longer for me to get pregnant, I want to see that my
(18:29):
body's changing, that I can havea regular period.
And even if I could have a regular period and start seeing
ovulation happening, at least I know there's a chance.
Yes. And feeling like then, you know,
'cause women will say to me, if I haven't had a period in so
long, is my body even set up fora healthy pregnancy?
(18:52):
And that's my goal. It's not just to get pregnant,
it's to have a healthy pregnancy.
And so there's this underlying tone of, but I want to feel
healthy while I'm going through this process for to have my
baby, but to show up every day for myself, for my partner, and
to just feel good. Yes, absolutely.
(19:17):
Wow. And so then when we talk about,
we're talking about four different roadblocks.
The last one I would say is, youknow, thinking that one pill
will fix everything. And if you're moving through a
fertility journey with that mindset that, OK, I just will
take one more round of this one medication and that's going to
(19:39):
fix it all. That's a roadblock.
And it's a hard truth because I so much what a magic pill to
give people, right? But it just, it's not out there.
It's specifically with PCOS. You know, I've been in practice
for over 10 years. It it just PCOS in particular,
(20:03):
you need to see take this whole body approach to fertility.
And you know, when we get reallyhyper focused on the ovaries and
getting that egg out of the ovary as the medication does,
then we miss the why, we miss that root cause and we miss what
(20:24):
is going on that's standing in the way.
And it's absolutely possible to figure out what else it is, as
long as we open up the the viewpoint and and move it away
from thinking that one pill is going to fix everything.
(20:45):
It is that holistic, like systematic, like our whole
entire systems and all of it being in tuned because all of
them play a role in sustaining apregnancy.
Everything. And yes, I just, I feel this so
much, Angela, when you're speaking.
Yes, yes, I love that because for so long in our medical
(21:07):
worlds, it's we've looked at thehuman body from this very
mechanistic perspective. Like OK, you have, you're having
trouble getting pregnant. So here's something that will
help that like, oh, you have a headache.
So this one thing should help that process for your headaches.
And if that helps, oh, in in many ways, right, emergency
(21:31):
services, urgent care, that you know, you have a broken arm, you
need pain medication and a cast,right?
Like there's absolutely places where that works.
But when that's the whole medical perspective and we're
putting it into places like PCOS, that's when we say, see
(21:51):
the system failing. And so many women are finding
that they're being told they're,they're on that path of that
very mechanistic approach. As in we're going to give you 5
rounds of letrozole. If none of those work, then IVF
is your only next step. Now, none of those are a bad
(22:14):
thing, not, not at all. But it's just the, the timing
because if, as we've talked about, right, if you can
optimize your body first, then imagine having regular cycles,
getting ovulation tests and like, for whatever reason, you
just can't get pregnant. Imagine then trying a medication
(22:36):
to get you, you know, over that finish line and how different of
a scenario that is then just from the very beginning being
like, well, I'm trying these medications one after another.
Yes. Which really leads us into, you
know, we wanted to talk about the biggest myth with fertility
(22:57):
and PCOS. And what I see after talking
with countless women is that thebiggest myth is that as a person
with PCOS trying to get pregnant, you fit into a box and
your path forward should be the same as everyone else who has
(23:17):
PCOS. And that's just not true because
you're you do not fit into a box.
Your symptoms do not fit into a box.
Your PCOS diagnosis does not fitinto a box.
And we're being fed that information so often from
(23:42):
articles online or even if you're sitting in a doctor's
appointment, being told that, well, you know, this is the path
forward. And no, no diet or lifestyle is
going to help PCOS when that's, that's simply not true.
And I have hundreds of case studies to back that up to say,
(24:04):
no, It's what what leads to you getting over that finish line
and in reaching your goals is understanding what exactly it is
about your PCOS that's setting you up for your regular cycles
for not being able to ovulate and really getting that
(24:27):
understanding of what it is that's going on with you.
And as we've talked about, OK, it might not be specifically
your reproductive hormones like estrogen or progesterone.
It could actually be your insulin, your blood sugar.
It could actually be your cortisol better than creating
this cascade, this waterfall effect that then impacting your
(24:51):
ovulation and your being able your ability to have a regular
cycle and to be able to get pregnant.
But it's just going completely missed because you're in this
this conveyor belt, I like to call it, of just hyper focused
on the ovaries and your lady parts, right?
(25:12):
Just on this one process and it's missing actually what is
actually keeping you from understanding why your body is
having these irregular cycles and knowing what to do about
that? Wow, Angela, thank you.
Thank you for leaving our listeners with that biggest, you
(25:34):
know, myth and that's huge. And also for coming on and
explaining all the roadblocks. And for anyone listening, we are
going to do a follow up podcast all around the three biggest
misconceptions and we're going to debunk those together on
here. So, you know, stay tuned and
(25:54):
listen in for that. But thank you for breaking down
with such compassion and clarity.
For anyone listening, remember, you're not broken.
Your cycles are not the enemy, and a healthy pregnancy is
absolutely possible. So thank you, Angela.
Yes. Oh, thank you so much for having
me. Absolutely.
If you are navigating PCOS, infertility or pregnancy loss,
(26:16):
or if you want to honor your journey, volunteer, donate, or
host an event, Chasing the Rainbows is here for you.
Visit chasingtherainbows.org forfree support, trauma informed
resources, and a community that understands.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
Crying Out Loud, a podcast by Chasing the Rainbows with your
host Bernice Quisenberry. Welcome back to Cried Out Loud,
the podcast where no fertility struggle, miscarriage, or
pregnancy loss is too heavy to talk about.
(00:34):
Today, we're talking about the journey many women know all too
well, navigating PCOS, irregularcycles, and fertility challenges
that come along with it. If your cycles are
unpredictable, you're not alone.And you're if you're not
ovulating or you're feeling exhausted, frustrated, or like
your body isn't ready for a baby, this episode is for you.
Because the truth is, fertility struggles don't mean you're
(00:57):
broken. And there is a path forward.
Joining us is Doctor Angela Potter, a renowned PCOS and
fertility expert who has been featured on CBS, Fox, EBCNBC,
and The CW Doctor Potter specializes in helping women
uncover the root causes of theirPCOS struggles and creating
(01:17):
individualized plans to regulatecycles, restore ovulation, and
prep for a healthy pregnancy andbaby.
Doctor Potter, thank you so muchfor being here.
Bernice, I am thrilled to be here.
Thank you for having me. Absolutely why?
Can't wait for our community to get to know you.
And I would love for you to start out.
(01:37):
You know why you focus on PCOS, what PCOS is, You know all of
those initial things for everyone to hear.
Yes, So PCOS, I love working with women who have PCOS.
And, you know, I've studied as amidwife and a nutritionist and a
(01:57):
doctor and I've been just in love with hormones and helping
women to go through this process.
And, you know, a few years back,all of a sudden I was getting
all these women who had PCOS in my practice and they were saying
to me, I've been working with a doctor and they tell me that
medication is the only way forward.
(02:18):
I've tried it. And now they're telling me IVF
is the only thing. And I, I don't feel like that's
right for my body. Is there anything else?
And we started working on thingsand they started getting their
periods back, started getting positive ovulation, getting
pregnant naturally. And I just realized how deep of
(02:40):
a hole this is in the medical community.
How so many women with PCOS are just getting dismissed and being
told that, oh, there's nothing that we can do to help you when
in fact, there is. And so that is what is just, you
know, jump started my passion with working with these women.
(03:03):
And it's so rewarding to be ableto see these women who were
told, oh, you can't get your period back because you have
PCOS or oh, you're not going to be able to get pregnant
naturally. And then they're actually seeing
those results. Thank you so much.
Yes, and and you asked, you know, let's dive into what PCOS
(03:24):
is too. So everyone's clear on that.
So PCOS is polycystic ovarian syndrome and that it it's a
syndrome. So it's made-up of different
systems and symptoms to create this syndrome.
OK. So it's, that makes it a little
more complex because you have to, there's three different
(03:47):
pillars for the PCOS diagnosis. You have to fall into two of
those in order to be diagnosed that you know, I do you want to
go down that clinical path. I can explain more about that.
But what do you think your listeners would like the most?
Absolutely, yes, go ahead. Yeah, if the two, I would love
(04:07):
to understand, you know, also the three pillars and and how to
get diagnosed. Oh sure.
So, so if you are having irregular periods, can't get
pregnant, and you want to know if you have PCOS, you need to go
in and talk with your doctor. And your doctor's going to look
for three different pieces of information.
One is cysts on the ovaries, andthose are typically diagnosed
(04:30):
through an ultrasound. It's surprising to a lot of
people that you don't have to have cysts on the ovaries in
order to be diagnosed with PCOS,right?
Even though it's in the name, you might not have cysts, you
fall into the other two, but you're still diagnosed.
So that's one. Another one is elevated androgen
(04:53):
hormones, testosterone being ourmost well known androgen
hormone. That is the hormone that's
common, that's that's the natural reproductive hormone in
a person with male organs. And so for those of us with
female organs, we have a little bit of testosterone, but when we
get a lot of of testosterone, that shuts down ovulation.
(05:16):
It makes symptoms like hair on the chin, acne, things like
that, that are really common with PCOS.
So that's the diagnostic criteria #2 and the third one is
ovulation issues. So it's kind of a blanket thing.
(05:36):
We can diagnose that through looking at progesterone levels.
We can use ultrasound to look ifsomebody's ovulating or not.
But really it's just OK if you're having irregular cycles,
you know, if your cycles are 75 days long or you haven't had a
cycle in the past year or two, even if you have 45 day cycles
(06:00):
but you are not ovulating, any one of those situations would
put you into that place where you're having ovulation issues.
So again, if you fall into two out of three of those, then you
fall into that PCOS diagnosis. Well, thank you, Angela for
really shining light on that because I was one of them
(06:22):
Starting, I got my period later in life.
I was around 16 years old. I was constantly in my OBGYN
office because I was having really painful periods, was
experiencing issues like us women were very in tune with our
bodies and just knowing something was wrong.
And each time, you know, being told, here's birth control
pills, everybody has painful periods, kind of suck it up.
(06:44):
And it wasn't until my late mid 20s that finally I was diagnosed
by my doctor. And she, you know, you have PCOS
and This is why you're dealing with infertility struggles.
This is why, you know, you've had I had cysts removed.
No doctor ever explained it was PCOS during that time.
You know, and, and it's almost like gaslighting an individual
who, you know, for 10 years has been saying there's something
(07:06):
wrong with me. And I know this, but just being
told you no, no, no. And wondering why, you know, I
was only getting my cycle every other month, like all the
different things. And, you know, hearing that and
going through that, you know, itreally resonates because I was
like, yes, yes, yes, like there's check marks.
And it was interesting because as my doctor was testing me for
PCOS and she was like, you know,hair on the chin.
(07:27):
She's like, I can tell right now, there's like already some
things that I see on you and like acne and things like that,
that are contributing factor. And I was like, interesting.
So, you know, because I was like, oh, I just think this is
normal. And it's not, you know, it's
from different conditions. Yes, I, I'm so glad that you
share that and you bring that upbecause, you know, we're talking
(07:48):
about myths and roadblocks to pregnancy.
And that's one of them that's a big roadblock is just being
given a medication before figuring out the why of OK, why
are your periods irregular? Why do you have really painful
(08:11):
periods? Why are you getting the hair on
your chin? And you know, we live in this
this society really that we think or we're being told that
one pill fixes this one symptom.And so we want like, yeah, this
one pill to fix PCOS, everythingthat's going on with PCOS.
(08:36):
And 9 times out of 10, it doesn't work.
That one pill, you know, and I'mspecifically talking about like
ovulation medications. And because that's, you know,
that is the recommendation for someone who wants to get
pregnant with PCOS to get on letrozole or Clomid.
(08:58):
And so these women are going in and being told, well, this
medication will fix it, when in fact, that medication has one
job and that's to get the egg out of the ovary, which of
course we want that egg out of the ovary.
But if that's not the reason whyyou aren't pregnant or why
(09:18):
you're having irregular cycles, then that medicated cycle, that
medication is not going to solvethe issue for why you're having
those issues. And so that's a very common
roadblock to to baby to having optimal fertility.
(09:38):
Absolutely. Thanks, Angela.
Yeah. And I, you know, please share,
you know, the other roadblocks, you know, that are so crucial
for our listeners to hear. Well, so another 1A roadblock to
getting pregnant is not having an individualized plan because
which weaves into that. Why so often women tell me this,
(10:00):
that they feel like they're justbeing put into A1 size fits all
box and they're like, but I don't feel like I fit into a
box. And that's so key to, to
understand that about your body.And that's true.
And that is why because if you are going forward with a
(10:24):
fertility plan that is inside a box, right?
Just everyone who has PCOS goes into this box and it gets the
same exact treatment plan, then that's not going to answer that.
Why? And so getting an individualized
plan is the #1 hands down most important step to get in order
(10:50):
to understand what's actually going on in your body with PCOS.
And if you're not getting an individualized plan, that's a
roadblock because you're not able to answer that why?
And you want to know well, why are, why haven't you had a
period since last March? There is the information, you
(11:11):
know, a lot of doctors like you were saying, like, you know, we
can't do anything for you or oh,just this medication will take
care of it. But our bodies are meant to be
cyclical like this. If we have female organs, our
bodies are natural rhythm is in a way that we will have, you
(11:31):
know, roughly every month have ableed.
And so if you're somebody who hasn't had a period since last
March or it comes every 75 days,there is on your lab report.
It's not like we're just pullingthis out of thin air on your lab
report. There will be the hormones that
(11:51):
are out of place or the nutrientdeficiencies there that will
point exactly to why that's happening.
And so if you've been told, well, we don't know what to do,
you need to then work with a doctor, doctor like myself who
is able to pinpoint that, to really individualize the care
for you so that you can understand what's going on in
(12:15):
your body. And then you get a plan that
addresses that. And that's when that roadblock
goes away and that path to baby opens up.
That is so important, you know, that individualized evidence
based root cause instead of blanket statements or being
lumped into, you know, a generalpopulation because honestly, you
(12:39):
know, we all our bodies are different.
Our cycles are different. What is going on inside of our
bodies is different. What we consume is different.
Like everything is so different,you know, and and celebrate our
differences. But in this case, it's like
educate to advocate for yourself.
And, you know, we're given a certain timeline to be able to
get pregnant, you know, like thewindow and already feeling like
(13:00):
a ticking time bomb. And so getting more concrete
answers to and about you is, youknow, very significant in this
matter. Yes, because the diagnosis of
PCOS, by definition, it's not just, you know, streamlined.
One thing makes you have PCOS. No, people have different issues
(13:23):
that create their PCOS, so why should we expect that one
treatment treats everything withPCOS?
That's that's the big missing link there.
Absolutely. Yeah.
So, you know, when we're talkingabout more roadblocks, when you
(13:44):
know, and, and I say this with such deep, you know, the path to
baby can be so long and difficult.
And a lot of times the women whoare approaching me, wanting to
work with me, you know, have been trying to get pregnant for
years. And so of course they're, they
(14:07):
wanted to get pregnant months ago, right?
And you know, we honor that. And that's it's very difficult
mental, emotional, spiritual place to be.
But because PCOS is interacting in so many different systems in
the body, the, the path forward that brings the best results is
(14:33):
1, where you can optimize your health first before jumping to
medications or jumping to procedures like IVF.
And that it does, you know, it does take some time.
It takes a few months to really help the body come back into
regular rhythm. You know, I'll share a story
(14:56):
about this. I was working with somebody who
was trying to get pregnant for over 10 years before trying or
before starting to work with me.So working with me was kind of a
last chance. She just knew she was like,
there's got to be something elsebecause her previous doctor was
telling her things like, well, you know, no diet or lifestyle
(15:17):
is going to help PCOS. Like, you really shouldn't try
anything because nothing but these medications are going to
help. And her, in her mind, she's
like, OK, but that just doesn't really sit right to me.
So that's when she reached out to work with me.
And so I did some lab testing for her, some more comprehensive
(15:38):
testing than her previous doctors had done for her and
found some very obvious reasons why she wasn't ovulating for
her. There was some thyroid issues,
there was some gut health issues.
And so we first, you know, having that information in front
of her was great. And again, for her, you know,
(15:59):
she had been trying for over 10 years.
And so she was so frustrated andheartbroken, but also was
holding on to hope. Once she saw this information,
it was like, oh, This is why I haven't had a regular period in
so long. And so we worked on that.
Then I was able to get her a plan that addressed specifically
(16:21):
those hormones that were out of balance and get her on a plan
that helped gut health and her she had a 30 day cycle right
after that she had 430 day cycles in a row as she moved
forward again. You know, four months that's it
can feel like a long time when you wanted to get pregnant
(16:45):
months ago, right? But but when you are doing the
work, when you know what it is, that's, that's that block and
you're actually getting a plan that's fixing it, that makes
those four months, you know, more worthwhile.
And for this person in particular, you know, it was
after those four months, then she was pregnant naturally.
(17:07):
And so after so many years of not getting answers, it just
took her spending that time to optimize her health and then
seeing what could open up from there.
Oh, it's so beautiful. And I mean, what a long haul
journey, like we call them long haulers, you know, and you know,
(17:28):
being on it for years and just feeling like each time it's like
all your hopes and dreams just keep getting shattered and like
your new lows and bottoms just keep getting lower and lower,
you know, during and it's so much complex trauma with trying
to conceive and on an infertility journey and hearing
this, it's like, Oh yes, it's sobeautiful that you were able to
(17:48):
Angela recognize different things that weren't being picked
up already that she could changeand you helped her change to get
healthy cycles. It's beautiful.
Yes, yes, because I will say that most women who I'm talking
with, and I'm talking with a lotwho have PCOS, you know,
(18:08):
pregnancy and having a baby is the ultimate goal.
Yes, but there's also this. I want to have a baby, but I
want to be healthy. I want to feel like my body's
working as it's supposed to. And even if it is going to take
a lot longer for me to get pregnant, I want to see that my
(18:29):
body's changing, that I can havea regular period.
And even if I could have a regular period and start seeing
ovulation happening, at least I know there's a chance.
Yes. And feeling like then, you know,
'cause women will say to me, if I haven't had a period in so
long, is my body even set up fora healthy pregnancy?
(18:52):
And that's my goal. It's not just to get pregnant,
it's to have a healthy pregnancy.
And so there's this underlying tone of, but I want to feel
healthy while I'm going through this process for to have my
baby, but to show up every day for myself, for my partner, and
to just feel good. Yes, absolutely.
(19:17):
Wow. And so then when we talk about,
we're talking about four different roadblocks.
The last one I would say is, youknow, thinking that one pill
will fix everything. And if you're moving through a
fertility journey with that mindset that, OK, I just will
take one more round of this one medication and that's going to
(19:39):
fix it all. That's a roadblock.
And it's a hard truth because I so much what a magic pill to
give people, right? But it just, it's not out there.
It's specifically with PCOS. You know, I've been in practice
for over 10 years. It it just PCOS in particular,
(20:03):
you need to see take this whole body approach to fertility.
And you know, when we get reallyhyper focused on the ovaries and
getting that egg out of the ovary as the medication does,
then we miss the why, we miss that root cause and we miss what
(20:24):
is going on that's standing in the way.
And it's absolutely possible to figure out what else it is, as
long as we open up the the viewpoint and and move it away
from thinking that one pill is going to fix everything.
(20:45):
It is that holistic, like systematic, like our whole
entire systems and all of it being in tuned because all of
them play a role in sustaining apregnancy.
Everything. And yes, I just, I feel this so
much, Angela, when you're speaking.
Yes, yes, I love that because for so long in our medical
(21:07):
worlds, it's we've looked at thehuman body from this very
mechanistic perspective. Like OK, you have, you're having
trouble getting pregnant. So here's something that will
help that like, oh, you have a headache.
So this one thing should help that process for your headaches.
And if that helps, oh, in in many ways, right, emergency
(21:31):
services, urgent care, that you know, you have a broken arm, you
need pain medication and a cast,right?
Like there's absolutely places where that works.
But when that's the whole medical perspective and we're
putting it into places like PCOS, that's when we say, see
(21:51):
the system failing. And so many women are finding
that they're being told they're,they're on that path of that
very mechanistic approach. As in we're going to give you 5
rounds of letrozole. If none of those work, then IVF
is your only next step. Now, none of those are a bad
(22:14):
thing, not, not at all. But it's just the, the timing
because if, as we've talked about, right, if you can
optimize your body first, then imagine having regular cycles,
getting ovulation tests and like, for whatever reason, you
just can't get pregnant. Imagine then trying a medication
(22:36):
to get you, you know, over that finish line and how different of
a scenario that is then just from the very beginning being
like, well, I'm trying these medications one after another.
Yes. Which really leads us into, you
know, we wanted to talk about the biggest myth with fertility
(22:57):
and PCOS. And what I see after talking
with countless women is that thebiggest myth is that as a person
with PCOS trying to get pregnant, you fit into a box and
your path forward should be the same as everyone else who has
(23:17):
PCOS. And that's just not true because
you're you do not fit into a box.
Your symptoms do not fit into a box.
Your PCOS diagnosis does not fitinto a box.
And we're being fed that information so often from
(23:42):
articles online or even if you're sitting in a doctor's
appointment, being told that, well, you know, this is the path
forward. And no, no diet or lifestyle is
going to help PCOS when that's, that's simply not true.
And I have hundreds of case studies to back that up to say,
(24:04):
no, It's what what leads to you getting over that finish line
and in reaching your goals is understanding what exactly it is
about your PCOS that's setting you up for your regular cycles
for not being able to ovulate and really getting that
(24:27):
understanding of what it is that's going on with you.
And as we've talked about, OK, it might not be specifically
your reproductive hormones like estrogen or progesterone.
It could actually be your insulin, your blood sugar.
It could actually be your cortisol better than creating
this cascade, this waterfall effect that then impacting your
(24:51):
ovulation and your being able your ability to have a regular
cycle and to be able to get pregnant.
But it's just going completely missed because you're in this
this conveyor belt, I like to call it, of just hyper focused
on the ovaries and your lady parts, right?
(25:12):
Just on this one process and it's missing actually what is
actually keeping you from understanding why your body is
having these irregular cycles and knowing what to do about
that? Wow, Angela, thank you.
Thank you for leaving our listeners with that biggest, you
(25:34):
know, myth and that's huge. And also for coming on and
explaining all the roadblocks. And for anyone listening, we are
going to do a follow up podcast all around the three biggest
misconceptions and we're going to debunk those together on
here. So, you know, stay tuned and
(25:54):
listen in for that. But thank you for breaking down
with such compassion and clarity.
For anyone listening, remember, you're not broken.
Your cycles are not the enemy, and a healthy pregnancy is
absolutely possible. So thank you, Angela.
Yes. Oh, thank you so much for having
me. Absolutely.
If you are navigating PCOS, infertility or pregnancy loss,
(26:16):
or if you want to honor your journey, volunteer, donate, or
host an event, Chasing the Rainbows is here for you.
Visit chasingtherainbows.org forfree support, trauma informed
resources, and a community that understands.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
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