March 6, 2026 • 38 mins
If you’ve ever been told ‘you can’t get pregnant because you have PCOS’ or ‘just lose weight and it will fix everything,’ this episode is for you.”
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) affects millions of women worldwide, yet misinformation, oversimplified advice, and fear-based myths continue to leave women feeling broken, hopeless, and confused about their fertility.
The truth? PCOS does not mean you can’t get pregnant. But understanding what’s really happening inside the body is critical to restoring ovulation, regulating cycles, and preparing for a healthy pregnancy.
In this powerful follow-up episode of Cry It Out Loud, we welcome back Dr. Angela Potter, a nationally recognized PCOS and fertility expert featured on CBS, FOX, ABC, NBC, and The CW. Dr. Potter specializes in helping women uncover the root causes behind PCOS-related fertility struggles so they can move from frustration and irregular cycles to ovulation, hormonal balance, and real hope for building a family.
Together, we dive into the PCOS misconceptions that are keeping women from getting pregnant and what women actually need to know if they are trying to conceive.
In this episode, we discuss:
• The biggest myth about PCOS and infertility that keeps women feeling stuck• Why irregular cycles and anovulation happen with PCOS• The truth about weight, hormones, and fertility• The four biggest roadblocks to getting pregnant with PCOS• How to identify the root causes behind PCOS symptoms• What women can do to restore ovulation and prepare for pregnancy• Why many women with PCOS are given incomplete or outdated fertility advice
If you are trying to conceive with PCOS, struggling with irregular periods, hormonal imbalances, or infertility, or have been told pregnancy may be difficult because of your diagnosis, this episode will give you science-based insight, clarity, and hope.
You are not broken, and PCOS does not define your ability to build a family.
Chasing the Rainbows provides free daily support and resources for individuals and families navigating infertility, pregnancy loss, miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss.
If you are searching for support, want to volunteer, donate, or host an event in honor of your baby, visit: chasingtherainbows.org
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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. If you've ever wondered why your
cycles are irregular, why your pain feels unbearable, or why
(00:33):
pregnancy hasn't happened yet, you are not alone.
PCOS and endometriosis impact millions of women, yet they are
still misunderstood, confused, and often overlooked in
fertility care. Today on Cried Out Loud, we are
joined by Doctor Angela Potter, fertility expert and PCOS expert
specialist, to unpack the differences, the myths, and the
(00:55):
realities of how PCOS and endometriosis affect fertility,
pregnancy, and loss. Thank you so much for joining us
today. Again, Angela, it's so great to
have you on. Oh, I'm thrilled to be here,
Bernice. Thanks for having me.
Absolutely. So I would love just to dive in
and talk about, you know, what is PCOS and endometriosis.
(01:15):
Yes, this is such an important topic because it can be really
confusing for women to understand.
Do I have one? Do I have the other?
Do I have both? So I'm going to help get some
clarity there because they are, when we look at it from the
medical perspective, they're very different.
They're doing very different things in the body.
So PCOS is polycystic ovarian syndrome.
(01:40):
It is inherently, you know, if we put a global kind of
perspective on it, it's a metabolic and a hormonal issue.
So when we're diagnosing PCOS, we're looking at ovulation
issues, we're looking at androgen hormones like
testosterone. Those are the male pattern
hormones that drive hair loss, acne, weight gain, things like
(02:05):
that. And then third, we're looking at
cysts on the ovaries. So that's those are the three
pillars that we use for diagnosis for PCOS symptoms.
Really common symptoms of PCOS are going to be irregular or
absent cycles. That's probably the Hallmark
(02:28):
symptom. But then there's lots others,
you know, women could have acne.And this is somebody who's, you
know, 2535 thinking, I thought acne.
I left that behind in high school.
Like where is this coming from? Hair growth where you don't want
it, like on your chin, your backbelow the belly button.
(02:52):
And then where you do want hair like your head, it's falling
out. Yeah.
Weight gain, particularly aroundthe middle, that's really
stubborn. And, you know, maybe it's you're
gaining weight even if you're not making any changes in your
life. Poor sleep, energy issues.
(03:12):
I mean, PCOS is it's a full bodyexperience, OK.
And you can get many symptoms indifferent parts.
And that's, that's why PCOS can be tricky to, I had that full
episode talking about PCOS. So to the listener, head over
(03:33):
and listen to that one first andthen jump into this one because
there's lots of different aspects to focus on for PCOS.
So that's PCOS And how does thatdifferentiate from
endometriosis? So endometriosis, again, let's
(03:54):
start by looking at it from kindof that global perspective.
Well, it's an inflammatory issue, OK?
PCOSI called it a a metabolic and a hormonal issue where
endometriosis is inflammatory. What's happening in
endometriosis is the cells, similar cells to the uterus are
(04:19):
actually growing outside of the uterus.
So it can be found on the ovaries, on the bladder, on the
the stomach, in the digestive system.
And it really varies to how little it's grown or how large
it's grown or, or the area that it's grown in.
(04:42):
OK, it might be really localizedto just outside the uterus, but
it could actually be all the wayup in the abdomen, the, the like
by the stomach and the intestines.
And so the hallmark symptom for endometriosis is painful
periods, like significantly painful periods.
(05:05):
And when when we're looking at, and I mean somebody can have any
one of us could have a painful period.
And it doesn't mean automatically that we have
endometriosis, OK. There's a variety of reasons why
someone could have a painful period.
But the hallmark symptom of endometriosis is that pain.
(05:28):
And so for the diagnosis of endometriosis, it's a little
tricky because a lot of us doctors, we want to diagnose
something before we have to do something invasive.
And with endometriosis, there's no definitive diagnosis just
based off of symptoms or anything or or any lab test it.
(05:52):
The definitive diagnosis has to be done by laparoscopy, which is
when a little teeny scope goes in through the skin in to look
at the pelvis and the abdomen tosee if there's actually any
endometrial tissue outside of the uterus.
(06:14):
Bernice, what else? Yes.
What else can we talk about those?
Yes, and you know, it's really interesting as you were.
I know I was sitting here like me too, me too, me too.
So just to talk about myself just for a second and to over
share with our listeners, you know, I went in to my doctor
when I was 16 because I got my period later in life, menstrual
cycle and I was getting it everyother month.
(06:34):
You know, it was very irregular,it was very heavy.
It was also very painful and youknow, going in and just threw a
birth control pill at me, you know, and saying, oh, this is
normal. Everybody has painful periods
just like go home. Here's this.
And I know we shared this pre show, but you know, I also as a
young girl started getting hair on my chin, on my neck, you
(06:55):
know, a little bit on my chest, under my belly button, you know,
very staple things. And that really effects, you
know, a girl who, you know, you're growing, you're a young
teenager, you're trying to figure out life.
And all of a sudden you have this hair and you're like,
nobody else has it around me or you don't think so, right?
And you're trying to manage that, bleach it, you know, all
the things. And, you know, bringing that up
to doctors and not having this holistic approach with it.
(07:17):
And that was like one of the staples, right, when, you know,
I was in my early 20s and got diagnosed with PCOS and it was
from having almost a cyst rupture and they had to go in
and remove it. And then they were like, oh, my
goodness, like, this is all likeyour textbook, right?
And I was like, Oh my gosh, likefinally.
And when someone explained and the doctor explained to me what
PCOS was, it was like, I had this aha moment.
(07:38):
But there was also like, I knew something else was going on.
And it wasn't until we went through one of our births that
we found out that I had endometriosis.
And it was from having all of that tissue, you know, all
around. And they were like, Oh my
goodness. And then also just other scar
tissue that was forming different things.
And it was like, wow, this finally like explains also like
(08:00):
I would gain weight in my midsection, only my midsection
when I would gain. And it was all depending on the
week of the month. And like, that was really weird
too, like where I would have like more bloat than than not.
And you know, nothing was ever explained to me.
But then also the painful periods and getting them under
like how you can get them under control, what you can do.
(08:20):
And, and it was like finally, like, I understand why I've been
having this because nothing was working, you know, but I could
also then be able to focus on different things like, you know,
nutrition and that kind of stuffand what I need to do for my
self in hormone level and regulation.
I think understanding that and what was happening within my
body, like you were sharing and honestly having the, the both of
(08:44):
them, it's like, how do I, you know, figure this out and what
does that look like? And it really did 'cause
secondary infertility for my husband and I and trying to
navigate that and what that looks like.
And I couldn't, you know, say more about getting extensive
panels done, figuring out, you know, what's maybe lacking that
you can take like supplemental wise and things like that for
(09:06):
this. And you know, after getting that
under control, it really did help in a lot of ways.
Yeah. I mean, what a journey you've
been on, Bernice. Thank you so much for being open
about that. And yeah, I'm so glad that that
you brought that up because, youknow, one big reason why you and
I are here today is to talk about how PCOS and
(09:27):
endometriosis, they happen in the same body.
It's not that just because you have PCOS means you're not going
to have endometriosis and vice versa.
And you know, I see it a lot together say endometriosis and
Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Those are the top 2 Co issues
(09:53):
that I see with PCOS. And you know, it's, it can be
tricky. And so if particularly if you
have both and what I see is thatbecause I'm a PCOS expert and so
women are coming to me saying, you know, I already know I have
PCOS or I have all the hallmark symptoms like what can we do for
(10:14):
my fertility? And that's what we're working
on, which again the focus is going to be working on hormone
regulation, working on clearing cellular static and so hormones
can speak to one another, thingslike that.
And, and that of course is helping the PCOS picture, but
(10:36):
then the endometriosis picture kind of, you know, I really when
I'm working with clients, what Italk about is our health is like
an onion and peeling back the skin layer by layer can reveal
more things. And so when we're working on the
PCOS side of things, then that endometriosis can not appear,
(10:58):
but it kind of rears its head more or less and it's like, OK,
so there's also this picture going on.
So we've got to really, you know, PCOS does have an
inflammatory aspect to it that'sreally important.
So we're paying attention to that inflammation with PCOS, but
with endometriosis, it's fundamentally an inflammatory
(11:24):
issue. So we've got to take that that
to the next level to help lower the inflammation in the body to
get that tissue to calm down. Absolutely.
And it's interesting. Like I, I felt like too, like
you were saying those onions, right, Like once I could like it
really did like I knew something.
Once I knew I had PCOS and and got a, you know, a decent handle
(11:46):
or tried to at least, then yes, it was like I intuitively knew
something else was going on. And like, you know, we're taught
from a young age to know our bodies and to know our cycles
and you know, I know. And so it is, it really is.
And then rearing its ugly head and getting, you know,
inflammation. I had no idea how many like
(12:08):
foods, like supplements I need, you know, different things that
works causing even more inflammation and like just how
it would affect your body overall.
Yes, yes. Like because it's not just about
the uterus, is that what you're saying?
Like it's just it's affecting you on this whole body
(12:28):
perspective. Yeah, absolutely.
And all over and just really understanding how and what works
for you and what doesn't work for you and what's needed.
And you know, it's just yes. Yeah, that's so key, Bernie, is
to bring up that piece because when we're talking about PCOS or
endometriosis, one of the biggest issues which actually
(12:53):
we're getting into a little bit of the misconceptions which we
were going to focus on in a minute.
But is that if the the doctor orthe healthcare practitioner is
highly focused just on this we A1 track vision of with PCO at
well in yeah, let me say this with PCOS, it's just about
(13:15):
getting the egg out of the ovarywith ovulation induction
medications or with endometriosis.
It's only about getting those lesions gone via surgery, which
is very important in both cases,right?
You want the lesions to go in endometriosis and you want the
egg to ovulate in PCOS. But if your healthcare
(13:40):
practitioner is focused only on those things, they're completely
missing the mark because fertility is a whole body health
issue. Like, you can't just focus on
those one vision things and expect that your fertility will
(14:02):
bloom. And you know, what I've really
started talking about with people is the fact that, you
know, when you're having struggles with fertility, it's
fundamentally not a fertility issue.
It's a biological safety issue because the body is in PCOS.
(14:23):
It's having issues with hormonesthat, you know, insulin and
cortisol and inflammatory markers.
They're all going crazy and they're not talking to 1 another
and the the brain is not able totalk to the ovaries.
That is all going on. And with endometriosis, there's
these lesions growing outside ofthe uterus that the body's like,
(14:44):
what is what? Why do we have this going on?
And that sets the body up to say, Oh my God, it puts it on
high alert and thinks the body is in danger physiologically,
because we know that over, you know, since the beginning
meaning of human history, our bodies respond to stress and
(15:06):
danger signals in the exact sameway.
So right now, our bodies respondto the stress of high insulin or
having endometrial tissue outside the uterus just the same
as it responded to getting attacked by a lion 100,000 years
ago. OK, so the body is in this state
(15:29):
of panic and protection. So actually the fact that it's
not getting pregnant is your body working miraculously to
protect you. I mean, think about that, just
that that mental shift and it's more about shifting the body and
looking at it from this holisticperspective to shift it into
(15:52):
this biological safety where thegreen light is on for fertility.
It's saying, yes, I feel calm, Ican rest, I can digest and I am
ready to make a baby. And so that's the absolutely the
key right there is to take that whole body approach rather than
just getting that that tunnel vision.
(16:13):
Right. And it really is like it's like
self present, like it's really protecting itself when you're
saying that. I was just like, yes, Doctor
Angela and it was, you know, interesting because I go back
to, and this is what I said during like when we were
actively trying to conceive and dealing with secondary
infertility and everything. I was like, what is causing,
like what is the root cause or what is affecting this?
(16:35):
And it was really hard to get any answers.
And I, you know, you know, just listening and things like that
was like, let's do this surgery,let's do this medication.
And it's like, that's not an answer.
Like that is just a like a throwa Band-Aid on it resolution for
right now. But when you look at, OK, we
remove the lesions as we remove the tissue, remove the cysts,
(16:56):
we, you know, do all the things,OK, but it's going to come back.
And so like, how can we like prevent that or or not prevent
it necessarily, but even keepingit like at a slower rate or
whatever. And it was like, where's that
evidence based medicine for this?
As in how, like, what can I do or in myself in other ways
(17:18):
that's more holistic than the chemicals of, you know,
different medications? Yes, exactly.
And I think more and more peopleand women are standing up to
say, OK, we don't want just the Band-Aid solution anymore.
Actually, I, I want this to be taken care of, but I want to
(17:39):
feel healthy and vibrant in my body.
And you know, it's not that the medications are bad or that we
should do a complete 180 shift away from that.
Because for many families that those you know, what medications
or like procedures like IVF are the ticket that, that get them
(18:01):
across the finish line. But I think, you know, what you
and I are talking about is the fact that one, that people are
being recommended those things super early on before that
conversation of like, well, whatis the root cause?
Why did these lesions grow or why do I have the cysts?
And you got to have that conversation 1st.
(18:24):
And it gets you to a point whereit's like, OK, you've done all
this, but we do actually need todo the surgery to get that
endometriosis out. And but you know that you're
supporting your body on those multiple levels so that you're
actually, yes, like you're, you're focused on bringing baby
(18:45):
into the world. But you're saying, but I
actually want to reach a little bit higher and feel good in my
body and, you know, wake up ready to to grasp the day.
Absolutely. Cause like did the disrupted
sleep that comes along with thisand just like feeling like
you're running a marathon every day, it's like, Oh my goodness,
(19:07):
just exhausting points and things like that.
So yeah, any way to get there? And, you know, and it is making
those informed decisions like having everything laid out in
front of you and then you makingwhat is right for you and your
partner and you know, your future and things like that.
But really being presented everything so you can see it and
(19:29):
understand, OK, these are my options.
These are my steps and asking those critical questions like
you were saying. Yes, so powerful.
Yes. So yeah, that takes us right
into, you know, the misconceptions of PCOS and this
I cannot wait to hear as well. So.
(19:49):
Yes, yes. Well, so you know, I think we
kind of covered that the first one I was going to bring up,
which is you can't get pregnant without medications.
So you know, in the fertility worlds from a from a doctor's
perspective, right? Their treatment algorithms and
the PCOS algorithm is to give upto five rounds of medicated
(20:14):
cycles. And if none of those work, then
move that patient forward to IVF.
So that's the trajectory for PCOS.
And so of course that's going tolead so many women to think,
well, medications are the only answer for my PCOS.
But as you and I just really hashed through, no, it's, it
(20:36):
could be 1 aspect of the journey, but you've got to take
that holistic whole body perspective to really get your
body to the next level. OK, so then let's jump into the
second misconception and that isyou have to lose weight in order
(20:58):
to get pregnant with PCOS. And this one, I just, it just
breaks my heart. Yeah.
I feel that so much, right, there is so much misinformation
out there that you know, someoneand, and I speak to this because
(21:18):
I've spoken with the hundreds and hundreds of women who have
PCOS and they're telling me, well, you know, my previous
doctor, they said, well, once I lose the weight, once I lose 20
pounds, 60 lbs, then everything's going to happen for
me. And I've tried it.
(21:39):
I've gone on restrictive diets and I'm not pregnant yet and I'm
miserable, you know, I'm starving, I'm exhausted, I'm
stressed out, I'm losing my hairand that what's happening is
that the the standard medical information of just lose weight
in order to get pregnant. It's completely missing the mark
(22:03):
because it's again, that tunnel vision on only one aspect of
that person. And you know, sure, we know that
weight loss can help with certain hormonal markers, but
for somebody who tends to hold on to some extra pounds on their
body can make those markers movewithout the focus being on the
(22:28):
weight loss. And when we focus specifically
on the weight loss, then we forget about egg quality.
Well, not we I don't forget about these things, but the
other doctors who are saying just lose weight, they're
completely disregarding the fact.
Well, we could actually provide this person in front of us with
(22:51):
the nutrition recommendations tosupport egg quality on how to
set up a nutritious daily food rhythm that is walking them
straightforward to baby. What research backed supplements
or support egg quality and how can I help this person in front
(23:11):
of me be supporting their egg quality?
Because we know that people who hold on to extra weight get
pregnant. Weight is not a just a, a closed
door to pregnancy. No, not at all.
And so that's, you know, really,but in the PCOS world, that
(23:33):
conversation is had over and over again.
And I just want to say it's lessabout the weight and it's more
about looking at your nutrient markers, looking at your
hormones. Well, if you don't have
progesterone, it doesn't matter what the number on the scale is.
I really don't care what the number on the scale is.
(23:54):
I want your progesterone to rise.
So how am I going to focus on that?
Yes, Doctor Angela and you saying that.
So yeah, after we had our daughter Brooke and you know,
she she passed away, which you know, talk about in our episodes
and stuff, we went on couple months later to get pregnant
(24:15):
with our rainbow baby. And we thought we were going to
struggle because of my weight, because that's what we were told
all of that time. And to get pregnant, you know,
with Brooke and, and our rainbowand things, we did have to do
progesterone shots, which is, you know, what got me there
because of my levels. But it was being recognized by
someone who was taking that delicate approach and realizing
(24:37):
that was it Because I don't knowhow many times IVF came up, you
know, IUI, which you know, is needed sometimes.
But then once we did those, it was like, boom, that was like
all I, you know, my body was just lacking.
Right. And it wasn't, it wasn't the
weight piece, was it? No, no.
And it was like, no, you know, 'cause like I'm already having
(25:00):
so much body shame. I'm already feeling that my
body's not doing the one thing that we're taught from a young
age to be able to do is have a baby.
And like, as a woman, like I'm feeling like I'm failing myself,
failing my partner, you know, have all this, like, oh, if I
could just do this or this or this.
And it's like, and then like, how do you not want to comfort
eat during those times? Like, I mean, I can't help
myself. Like I'm literally feeling bad
(25:20):
and then like starving and then like you get to a point that
you're like, I'm just going to eat everything now at night
because like I was trying all day to be so good, but you know,
you just can't help like it. It really is like a vicious
cycle and it's very misconstruedthe way that it can be talked
about or said to. And like we're already putting
so much pressure on ourselves. Like the last thing I need to
(25:41):
hear is like, especially as a woman body image issue, like
don't need you to say that. Like, please don't.
Like there's other things. And and so that just, I
appreciate that so much. Yeah.
Well, thank you so much for sharing your personal story with
that because, yeah, I think that'll help really driving that
fact that, yeah, we need to lookat so much more than just the
(26:05):
weight piece. Yeah.
So let's then talk about the third misconception, and that is
that you can't get a regular period when you have PCOS.
So the hallmark, you know, of PCOS is irregular cycles,
absence cycles. You know, I work with women who
(26:25):
haven't had a period in the lastyear or three years and they,
you know, and, and the misconception you can't get a, a
natural cycle on your own, right?
Birth control is the only way toregulate your cycle with PCOS.
OK, That's the misconception that we're going to cover here.
(26:45):
And you know, again, birth control as a tool is exactly
that. It's a tool, but it's created to
stop someone from getting pregnant.
It is a form of contraception. And so now that we've moved into
this period of medicine where weuse it to regulate periods with
(27:08):
PCOS, because for someone with PCOS who has irregular periods,
birth control, hormonal birth control, the pill I'll be
specific with that is the the treatment for it.
And one that's basically dismissing a woman's body to
say, yeah, you can't do this on your own, sorry.
We're just going to give you these fake hormones, which
(27:29):
again, the fake hormones aren't bad.
We need them if you're trying tonot get pregnant.
But for you listening, if you are, you've got PCOS and you
want to get pregnant. You don't want to be on
contraception just to regulate your periods.
And yet that just, it gets in the psyche that birth control is
(27:49):
the only answer. But what's happening is that
birth control, it's, you know, it's a synthetic or fake version
of estrogen and progesterone that you're taking.
And what that does is that it just blocks your brains
communication system with the rest of your body because that's
(28:10):
what it wants to do in order to stop you from getting pregnant.
So it stops the complete cascadeof your body moving into any
sort of fertile mode because it blocks hormone messaging, it
blocks your brain from Speaking of the rest of your body.
That's what it's doing. So from an outside perspective,
the fact that you're getting a bleed every 28 days, it looks
(28:33):
really nice. It looks like, oh, wow, actually
my body is doing what it's supposed to and I've fixed it.
But that's not what's happening internally.
And that's the disconnect, particularly when somebody comes
off of the pill and is like, whoa, whoa, hold up.
Like I thought I was just going to be ready for baby, but now my
(28:58):
period hasn't come in the past six months or it's really
irregular. I was told the birth control was
supposed to fix everything and it doesn't.
And you know what needs to happen?
Because in my practice, 9 1/2 times out of 10, the women
working with me are getting their periods back and they're
(29:19):
getting them back consistently. It's we've got to look at the
wisdom of the human body and because having a menstrual
cycle, a regular cycle where youget a period roughly every month
is the body's natural resting place for someone who has female
(29:41):
organs. It's just that.
And so trusting that innate wisdom that we've got to figure
out why, OK, what it what is thedriver that is keeping this
particular person from having regular periods because it's
there. And, you know, I talked to so
(30:02):
many women who are saying, well,my doctor told me my labs are
normal. So I don't really know what's
going on. They're telling me they don't
know what's going on. And I'm just like, I want to hit
my head on a wall because from not because of the person
telling me this, but because another doctor has told that
person like, well, your labs arenormal.
(30:22):
No, no, your labs are not normal.
I can tell you that without evenlooking at your labs because
you're not having a regular cycle.
So physiologically we already know that there's something off,
that there's at least one hormone or you know, a nutrient.
Something is not going to be normal on your labs.
(30:46):
And so from my perspective, it'sjust about finding that it's
about reading those labs from a thriving perspective, not a
surviving perspective. That's another issue is so many
doctors are reading labs from that survival perspective, not
going to help you when you want to have a baby and you're having
trouble getting pregnant. So you need that thriving
(31:09):
perspective. And, and so just, that's what I
do is help this person figure out, well, why is it that you
haven't had a period in the pastsix months?
Usually it's an issue with cellular clearance or the, you
know, there's too much static inthe body.
The, the, the hormones can't speak to one another or maybe
(31:31):
it's a nutrient issue. But that's what we do in order
to bring this person to a place where she's able to have regular
cycles to ovulate and be set up for babies.
So it is not true that someone with PCOS can't have a regular
period on their own without birth control.
(31:51):
Yeah, Doctor Angela, thank you. Yes.
And I mean, just from my personal experience now I have
regular menstrual cycles. I mean, they're still very
painful, very, you know, and I can monitor them as much as I
can. But yes, like I feel like once
you do have a control or can at least understand what is
happening, you can make so much more like informed decisions
(32:14):
about yourself and what to do from a month to month basis.
And just yes, it really does like open your eyes to so many
other things. But isn't it true too?
And I know we, I'm pretty sure we discussed this in your last
episode that it could even be like other things like your
thyroid, different things like that and necessarily not down,
you know, in all your baby making area, it could be
(32:36):
somewhere else that isn't being found or looked at.
Yes, thank you for bringing thatup because that yeah.
And that goes back to that. It's got fertility is that whole
body approach. And when I'm talking about, you
know, there's static in the hormonal messaging, it's not
just about the progesterone and the estrogen.
(32:59):
No, it's, I mean, we have many hormones in the body.
They are all talking amongst themselves.
And so if you're not looking at the thyroid and we're not
looking at cortisol levels or not investigating insulin levels
and just looking at a glucose level, like those are all
(33:21):
missing pieces that are going, that are going unnoticed and
untaken care of for someone. And that's, we've got to do that
because, you know, over and overI, I see someone again will come
to see me and he's like, well, I've been trying for the last
six years, I haven't been able to get pregnant.
(33:44):
And I look at their labs, they haven't had a thyroid panel done
and, and particularly not a complete thyroid panel done.
And I'll run that and I'll look at their cortisol And I'm like,
right there, right there. I can tell you This is why you
aren't ovulating. And, you know, and then we work
(34:04):
on that, we fix that and they'repregnant in another two to three
months. And so it's.
Yeah, thank you for bringing that up.
It's absolutely looking about all the different systems.
Absolutely. And I feel like the hormones in
our bodies are such a puzzle, right?
And if the pieces don't fit perfectly together, it's not
going to be that big picture andthe puzzle's not going to be
(34:26):
complete. And it really does need to be,
honestly. Yes, right.
And you know, because it's a puzzle.
I love that analogy. You don't want to do that on
your own. You don't want to be putting
these pieces together. Because I also talk with a lot
of women who are saying, I feel like I've tried everything I've
(34:47):
got. I'm on this list of supplements.
I've tried a couple different diets and I, I, I really want to
get pregnant. I really want to feel healthy,
but I feel like I'm, I've tried everything.
What else is there? And when they read their list of
supplements, maybe they're on a prenatal vitamin D and Co Q10,
(35:07):
all really well researched backed supplements, right?
You could go right now and find a bunch of research studies on
the benefits of those, but what's happening is that they
aren't specific to what's comingup for that person of why she
isn't ovulating, why she doesn'thave a regular cycle right now.
(35:30):
And so trying those supplements,it's just like or, or trying to
put those puzzle pieces togetheryourself.
It's like throwing spaghetti at the wall.
Like, I really hope this is going to stick, but when you
want to get pregnant, you don't want to be in that mindset of
let me just see if this is goingto work.
Maybe this one will work. No, you want a road map and you
(35:51):
want to know particularly what your own Physiology is saying
that it needs in order to to getyou to a place where you've got
that green light on and you're in that biological safety to say
yes for baby. Absolutely.
And you're so right with the blanket things, you know, like I
know I don't know how much moneyover the years, you know, prior
(36:14):
to finding an individualized approach did I spend on
supplements that, you know, wereresearch based?
Great. But it wasn't individualized to
me like these supplements everybody, you know, could take
or anybody, you know, they were on the market.
But it was like what particularly maybe I'm lacking
or needing more of or changing it up to fit me as a person.
(36:35):
And and having someone to navigate that with is so
important that I'm not just guessing off of what I find from
research because like I said, I don't know how much money and
time was wasted. And as we know too, with
fertility, you know, we already feel like we're on an egg timer.
And so, you know, however we can, you know, do right by
(36:55):
ourselves to get to baby is justso important.
Yes, yes. Doctor Angela, what would you
love to leave our listeners within this episode?
I want to leave you, you know, regardless of if you have PCOS
or endometriosis or both, I wantyou to walk away today knowing
(37:21):
that your body is not broken. Your body is actually working in
this miraculous way to protect you right now, and it's just not
ready to be pregnant yet. You have to figure out what it
is that's going to move your body into being able to switch
(37:42):
on that green light for pregnancy.
So know that you're not broken, OK?
You just have to find that missing link so that that green
light switches on for you. Wow, it's so powerful.
Thank you, Doctor Angela, for that.
Thank you for being here, for talking about the differences,
the misconceptions, and really defining what it is in the
(38:03):
symptoms that can occur with it.It really means the world to
have you. Oh, well, thank, thank you for
having me. It's just wonderful to be here
with you and I. I love talking with you.
Absolutely you too. Thank you for our listeners.
Your pain is real, your cycles matter.
Your fertility journey matters and deserves answers.
Whether you are trying to conceive, navigating
(38:25):
infertility, or grieving a pregnancy loss, any type of baby
loss. You are not broken, you are not
alone, and we are here for you. Thank you so much for tuning in
and please reach out on Chase and the rainbows.org if you need
help and support or looking to volunteer.
Thanks again.
Crying Out Loud, a podcast by Chasing the Rainbows with your
host Bernice Quisenberry. If you've ever wondered why your
cycles are irregular, why your pain feels unbearable, or why
(00:33):
pregnancy hasn't happened yet, you are not alone.
PCOS and endometriosis impact millions of women, yet they are
still misunderstood, confused, and often overlooked in
fertility care. Today on Cried Out Loud, we are
joined by Doctor Angela Potter, fertility expert and PCOS expert
specialist, to unpack the differences, the myths, and the
(00:55):
realities of how PCOS and endometriosis affect fertility,
pregnancy, and loss. Thank you so much for joining us
today. Again, Angela, it's so great to
have you on. Oh, I'm thrilled to be here,
Bernice. Thanks for having me.
Absolutely. So I would love just to dive in
and talk about, you know, what is PCOS and endometriosis.
(01:15):
Yes, this is such an important topic because it can be really
confusing for women to understand.
Do I have one? Do I have the other?
Do I have both? So I'm going to help get some
clarity there because they are, when we look at it from the
medical perspective, they're very different.
They're doing very different things in the body.
So PCOS is polycystic ovarian syndrome.
(01:40):
It is inherently, you know, if we put a global kind of
perspective on it, it's a metabolic and a hormonal issue.
So when we're diagnosing PCOS, we're looking at ovulation
issues, we're looking at androgen hormones like
testosterone. Those are the male pattern
hormones that drive hair loss, acne, weight gain, things like
(02:05):
that. And then third, we're looking at
cysts on the ovaries. So that's those are the three
pillars that we use for diagnosis for PCOS symptoms.
Really common symptoms of PCOS are going to be irregular or
absent cycles. That's probably the Hallmark
(02:28):
symptom. But then there's lots others,
you know, women could have acne.And this is somebody who's, you
know, 2535 thinking, I thought acne.
I left that behind in high school.
Like where is this coming from? Hair growth where you don't want
it, like on your chin, your backbelow the belly button.
(02:52):
And then where you do want hair like your head, it's falling
out. Yeah.
Weight gain, particularly aroundthe middle, that's really
stubborn. And, you know, maybe it's you're
gaining weight even if you're not making any changes in your
life. Poor sleep, energy issues.
(03:12):
I mean, PCOS is it's a full bodyexperience, OK.
And you can get many symptoms indifferent parts.
And that's, that's why PCOS can be tricky to, I had that full
episode talking about PCOS. So to the listener, head over
(03:33):
and listen to that one first andthen jump into this one because
there's lots of different aspects to focus on for PCOS.
So that's PCOS And how does thatdifferentiate from
endometriosis? So endometriosis, again, let's
(03:54):
start by looking at it from kindof that global perspective.
Well, it's an inflammatory issue, OK?
PCOSI called it a a metabolic and a hormonal issue where
endometriosis is inflammatory. What's happening in
endometriosis is the cells, similar cells to the uterus are
(04:19):
actually growing outside of the uterus.
So it can be found on the ovaries, on the bladder, on the
the stomach, in the digestive system.
And it really varies to how little it's grown or how large
it's grown or, or the area that it's grown in.
(04:42):
OK, it might be really localizedto just outside the uterus, but
it could actually be all the wayup in the abdomen, the, the like
by the stomach and the intestines.
And so the hallmark symptom for endometriosis is painful
periods, like significantly painful periods.
(05:05):
And when when we're looking at, and I mean somebody can have any
one of us could have a painful period.
And it doesn't mean automatically that we have
endometriosis, OK. There's a variety of reasons why
someone could have a painful period.
But the hallmark symptom of endometriosis is that pain.
(05:28):
And so for the diagnosis of endometriosis, it's a little
tricky because a lot of us doctors, we want to diagnose
something before we have to do something invasive.
And with endometriosis, there's no definitive diagnosis just
based off of symptoms or anything or or any lab test it.
(05:52):
The definitive diagnosis has to be done by laparoscopy, which is
when a little teeny scope goes in through the skin in to look
at the pelvis and the abdomen tosee if there's actually any
endometrial tissue outside of the uterus.
(06:14):
Bernice, what else? Yes.
What else can we talk about those?
Yes, and you know, it's really interesting as you were.
I know I was sitting here like me too, me too, me too.
So just to talk about myself just for a second and to over
share with our listeners, you know, I went in to my doctor
when I was 16 because I got my period later in life, menstrual
cycle and I was getting it everyother month.
(06:34):
You know, it was very irregular,it was very heavy.
It was also very painful and youknow, going in and just threw a
birth control pill at me, you know, and saying, oh, this is
normal. Everybody has painful periods
just like go home. Here's this.
And I know we shared this pre show, but you know, I also as a
young girl started getting hair on my chin, on my neck, you
(06:55):
know, a little bit on my chest, under my belly button, you know,
very staple things. And that really effects, you
know, a girl who, you know, you're growing, you're a young
teenager, you're trying to figure out life.
And all of a sudden you have this hair and you're like,
nobody else has it around me or you don't think so, right?
And you're trying to manage that, bleach it, you know, all
the things. And, you know, bringing that up
to doctors and not having this holistic approach with it.
(07:17):
And that was like one of the staples, right, when, you know,
I was in my early 20s and got diagnosed with PCOS and it was
from having almost a cyst rupture and they had to go in
and remove it. And then they were like, oh, my
goodness, like, this is all likeyour textbook, right?
And I was like, Oh my gosh, likefinally.
And when someone explained and the doctor explained to me what
PCOS was, it was like, I had this aha moment.
(07:38):
But there was also like, I knew something else was going on.
And it wasn't until we went through one of our births that
we found out that I had endometriosis.
And it was from having all of that tissue, you know, all
around. And they were like, Oh my
goodness. And then also just other scar
tissue that was forming different things.
And it was like, wow, this finally like explains also like
(08:00):
I would gain weight in my midsection, only my midsection
when I would gain. And it was all depending on the
week of the month. And like, that was really weird
too, like where I would have like more bloat than than not.
And you know, nothing was ever explained to me.
But then also the painful periods and getting them under
like how you can get them under control, what you can do.
(08:20):
And, and it was like finally, like, I understand why I've been
having this because nothing was working, you know, but I could
also then be able to focus on different things like, you know,
nutrition and that kind of stuffand what I need to do for my
self in hormone level and regulation.
I think understanding that and what was happening within my
body, like you were sharing and honestly having the, the both of
(08:44):
them, it's like, how do I, you know, figure this out and what
does that look like? And it really did 'cause
secondary infertility for my husband and I and trying to
navigate that and what that looks like.
And I couldn't, you know, say more about getting extensive
panels done, figuring out, you know, what's maybe lacking that
you can take like supplemental wise and things like that for
(09:06):
this. And you know, after getting that
under control, it really did help in a lot of ways.
Yeah. I mean, what a journey you've
been on, Bernice. Thank you so much for being open
about that. And yeah, I'm so glad that that
you brought that up because, youknow, one big reason why you and
I are here today is to talk about how PCOS and
(09:27):
endometriosis, they happen in the same body.
It's not that just because you have PCOS means you're not going
to have endometriosis and vice versa.
And you know, I see it a lot together say endometriosis and
Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Those are the top 2 Co issues
(09:53):
that I see with PCOS. And you know, it's, it can be
tricky. And so if particularly if you
have both and what I see is thatbecause I'm a PCOS expert and so
women are coming to me saying, you know, I already know I have
PCOS or I have all the hallmark symptoms like what can we do for
(10:14):
my fertility? And that's what we're working
on, which again the focus is going to be working on hormone
regulation, working on clearing cellular static and so hormones
can speak to one another, thingslike that.
And, and that of course is helping the PCOS picture, but
(10:36):
then the endometriosis picture kind of, you know, I really when
I'm working with clients, what Italk about is our health is like
an onion and peeling back the skin layer by layer can reveal
more things. And so when we're working on the
PCOS side of things, then that endometriosis can not appear,
(10:58):
but it kind of rears its head more or less and it's like, OK,
so there's also this picture going on.
So we've got to really, you know, PCOS does have an
inflammatory aspect to it that'sreally important.
So we're paying attention to that inflammation with PCOS, but
with endometriosis, it's fundamentally an inflammatory
(11:24):
issue. So we've got to take that that
to the next level to help lower the inflammation in the body to
get that tissue to calm down. Absolutely.
And it's interesting. Like I, I felt like too, like
you were saying those onions, right, Like once I could like it
really did like I knew something.
Once I knew I had PCOS and and got a, you know, a decent handle
(11:46):
or tried to at least, then yes, it was like I intuitively knew
something else was going on. And like, you know, we're taught
from a young age to know our bodies and to know our cycles
and you know, I know. And so it is, it really is.
And then rearing its ugly head and getting, you know,
inflammation. I had no idea how many like
(12:08):
foods, like supplements I need, you know, different things that
works causing even more inflammation and like just how
it would affect your body overall.
Yes, yes. Like because it's not just about
the uterus, is that what you're saying?
Like it's just it's affecting you on this whole body
(12:28):
perspective. Yeah, absolutely.
And all over and just really understanding how and what works
for you and what doesn't work for you and what's needed.
And you know, it's just yes. Yeah, that's so key, Bernie, is
to bring up that piece because when we're talking about PCOS or
endometriosis, one of the biggest issues which actually
(12:53):
we're getting into a little bit of the misconceptions which we
were going to focus on in a minute.
But is that if the the doctor orthe healthcare practitioner is
highly focused just on this we A1 track vision of with PCO at
well in yeah, let me say this with PCOS, it's just about
(13:15):
getting the egg out of the ovarywith ovulation induction
medications or with endometriosis.
It's only about getting those lesions gone via surgery, which
is very important in both cases,right?
You want the lesions to go in endometriosis and you want the
egg to ovulate in PCOS. But if your healthcare
(13:40):
practitioner is focused only on those things, they're completely
missing the mark because fertility is a whole body health
issue. Like, you can't just focus on
those one vision things and expect that your fertility will
(14:02):
bloom. And you know, what I've really
started talking about with people is the fact that, you
know, when you're having struggles with fertility, it's
fundamentally not a fertility issue.
It's a biological safety issue because the body is in PCOS.
(14:23):
It's having issues with hormonesthat, you know, insulin and
cortisol and inflammatory markers.
They're all going crazy and they're not talking to 1 another
and the the brain is not able totalk to the ovaries.
That is all going on. And with endometriosis, there's
these lesions growing outside ofthe uterus that the body's like,
(14:44):
what is what? Why do we have this going on?
And that sets the body up to say, Oh my God, it puts it on
high alert and thinks the body is in danger physiologically,
because we know that over, you know, since the beginning
meaning of human history, our bodies respond to stress and
(15:06):
danger signals in the exact sameway.
So right now, our bodies respondto the stress of high insulin or
having endometrial tissue outside the uterus just the same
as it responded to getting attacked by a lion 100,000 years
ago. OK, so the body is in this state
(15:29):
of panic and protection. So actually the fact that it's
not getting pregnant is your body working miraculously to
protect you. I mean, think about that, just
that that mental shift and it's more about shifting the body and
looking at it from this holisticperspective to shift it into
(15:52):
this biological safety where thegreen light is on for fertility.
It's saying, yes, I feel calm, Ican rest, I can digest and I am
ready to make a baby. And so that's the absolutely the
key right there is to take that whole body approach rather than
just getting that that tunnel vision.
(16:13):
Right. And it really is like it's like
self present, like it's really protecting itself when you're
saying that. I was just like, yes, Doctor
Angela and it was, you know, interesting because I go back
to, and this is what I said during like when we were
actively trying to conceive and dealing with secondary
infertility and everything. I was like, what is causing,
like what is the root cause or what is affecting this?
(16:35):
And it was really hard to get any answers.
And I, you know, you know, just listening and things like that
was like, let's do this surgery,let's do this medication.
And it's like, that's not an answer.
Like that is just a like a throwa Band-Aid on it resolution for
right now. But when you look at, OK, we
remove the lesions as we remove the tissue, remove the cysts,
(16:56):
we, you know, do all the things,OK, but it's going to come back.
And so like, how can we like prevent that or or not prevent
it necessarily, but even keepingit like at a slower rate or
whatever. And it was like, where's that
evidence based medicine for this?
As in how, like, what can I do or in myself in other ways
(17:18):
that's more holistic than the chemicals of, you know,
different medications? Yes, exactly.
And I think more and more peopleand women are standing up to
say, OK, we don't want just the Band-Aid solution anymore.
Actually, I, I want this to be taken care of, but I want to
(17:39):
feel healthy and vibrant in my body.
And you know, it's not that the medications are bad or that we
should do a complete 180 shift away from that.
Because for many families that those you know, what medications
or like procedures like IVF are the ticket that, that get them
(18:01):
across the finish line. But I think, you know, what you
and I are talking about is the fact that one, that people are
being recommended those things super early on before that
conversation of like, well, whatis the root cause?
Why did these lesions grow or why do I have the cysts?
And you got to have that conversation 1st.
(18:24):
And it gets you to a point whereit's like, OK, you've done all
this, but we do actually need todo the surgery to get that
endometriosis out. And but you know that you're
supporting your body on those multiple levels so that you're
actually, yes, like you're, you're focused on bringing baby
(18:45):
into the world. But you're saying, but I
actually want to reach a little bit higher and feel good in my
body and, you know, wake up ready to to grasp the day.
Absolutely. Cause like did the disrupted
sleep that comes along with thisand just like feeling like
you're running a marathon every day, it's like, Oh my goodness,
(19:07):
just exhausting points and things like that.
So yeah, any way to get there? And, you know, and it is making
those informed decisions like having everything laid out in
front of you and then you makingwhat is right for you and your
partner and you know, your future and things like that.
But really being presented everything so you can see it and
(19:29):
understand, OK, these are my options.
These are my steps and asking those critical questions like
you were saying. Yes, so powerful.
Yes. So yeah, that takes us right
into, you know, the misconceptions of PCOS and this
I cannot wait to hear as well. So.
(19:49):
Yes, yes. Well, so you know, I think we
kind of covered that the first one I was going to bring up,
which is you can't get pregnant without medications.
So you know, in the fertility worlds from a from a doctor's
perspective, right? Their treatment algorithms and
the PCOS algorithm is to give upto five rounds of medicated
(20:14):
cycles. And if none of those work, then
move that patient forward to IVF.
So that's the trajectory for PCOS.
And so of course that's going tolead so many women to think,
well, medications are the only answer for my PCOS.
But as you and I just really hashed through, no, it's, it
(20:36):
could be 1 aspect of the journey, but you've got to take
that holistic whole body perspective to really get your
body to the next level. OK, so then let's jump into the
second misconception and that isyou have to lose weight in order
(20:58):
to get pregnant with PCOS. And this one, I just, it just
breaks my heart. Yeah.
I feel that so much, right, there is so much misinformation
out there that you know, someoneand, and I speak to this because
(21:18):
I've spoken with the hundreds and hundreds of women who have
PCOS and they're telling me, well, you know, my previous
doctor, they said, well, once I lose the weight, once I lose 20
pounds, 60 lbs, then everything's going to happen for
me. And I've tried it.
(21:39):
I've gone on restrictive diets and I'm not pregnant yet and I'm
miserable, you know, I'm starving, I'm exhausted, I'm
stressed out, I'm losing my hairand that what's happening is
that the the standard medical information of just lose weight
in order to get pregnant. It's completely missing the mark
(22:03):
because it's again, that tunnel vision on only one aspect of
that person. And you know, sure, we know that
weight loss can help with certain hormonal markers, but
for somebody who tends to hold on to some extra pounds on their
body can make those markers movewithout the focus being on the
(22:28):
weight loss. And when we focus specifically
on the weight loss, then we forget about egg quality.
Well, not we I don't forget about these things, but the
other doctors who are saying just lose weight, they're
completely disregarding the fact.
Well, we could actually provide this person in front of us with
(22:51):
the nutrition recommendations tosupport egg quality on how to
set up a nutritious daily food rhythm that is walking them
straightforward to baby. What research backed supplements
or support egg quality and how can I help this person in front
(23:11):
of me be supporting their egg quality?
Because we know that people who hold on to extra weight get
pregnant. Weight is not a just a, a closed
door to pregnancy. No, not at all.
And so that's, you know, really,but in the PCOS world, that
(23:33):
conversation is had over and over again.
And I just want to say it's lessabout the weight and it's more
about looking at your nutrient markers, looking at your
hormones. Well, if you don't have
progesterone, it doesn't matter what the number on the scale is.
I really don't care what the number on the scale is.
(23:54):
I want your progesterone to rise.
So how am I going to focus on that?
Yes, Doctor Angela and you saying that.
So yeah, after we had our daughter Brooke and you know,
she she passed away, which you know, talk about in our episodes
and stuff, we went on couple months later to get pregnant
(24:15):
with our rainbow baby. And we thought we were going to
struggle because of my weight, because that's what we were told
all of that time. And to get pregnant, you know,
with Brooke and, and our rainbowand things, we did have to do
progesterone shots, which is, you know, what got me there
because of my levels. But it was being recognized by
someone who was taking that delicate approach and realizing
(24:37):
that was it Because I don't knowhow many times IVF came up, you
know, IUI, which you know, is needed sometimes.
But then once we did those, it was like, boom, that was like
all I, you know, my body was just lacking.
Right. And it wasn't, it wasn't the
weight piece, was it? No, no.
And it was like, no, you know, 'cause like I'm already having
(25:00):
so much body shame. I'm already feeling that my
body's not doing the one thing that we're taught from a young
age to be able to do is have a baby.
And like, as a woman, like I'm feeling like I'm failing myself,
failing my partner, you know, have all this, like, oh, if I
could just do this or this or this.
And it's like, and then like, how do you not want to comfort
eat during those times? Like, I mean, I can't help
myself. Like I'm literally feeling bad
(25:20):
and then like starving and then like you get to a point that
you're like, I'm just going to eat everything now at night
because like I was trying all day to be so good, but you know,
you just can't help like it. It really is like a vicious
cycle and it's very misconstruedthe way that it can be talked
about or said to. And like we're already putting
so much pressure on ourselves. Like the last thing I need to
(25:41):
hear is like, especially as a woman body image issue, like
don't need you to say that. Like, please don't.
Like there's other things. And and so that just, I
appreciate that so much. Yeah.
Well, thank you so much for sharing your personal story with
that because, yeah, I think that'll help really driving that
fact that, yeah, we need to lookat so much more than just the
(26:05):
weight piece. Yeah.
So let's then talk about the third misconception, and that is
that you can't get a regular period when you have PCOS.
So the hallmark, you know, of PCOS is irregular cycles,
absence cycles. You know, I work with women who
(26:25):
haven't had a period in the lastyear or three years and they,
you know, and, and the misconception you can't get a, a
natural cycle on your own, right?
Birth control is the only way toregulate your cycle with PCOS.
OK, That's the misconception that we're going to cover here.
(26:45):
And you know, again, birth control as a tool is exactly
that. It's a tool, but it's created to
stop someone from getting pregnant.
It is a form of contraception. And so now that we've moved into
this period of medicine where weuse it to regulate periods with
(27:08):
PCOS, because for someone with PCOS who has irregular periods,
birth control, hormonal birth control, the pill I'll be
specific with that is the the treatment for it.
And one that's basically dismissing a woman's body to
say, yeah, you can't do this on your own, sorry.
We're just going to give you these fake hormones, which
(27:29):
again, the fake hormones aren't bad.
We need them if you're trying tonot get pregnant.
But for you listening, if you are, you've got PCOS and you
want to get pregnant. You don't want to be on
contraception just to regulate your periods.
And yet that just, it gets in the psyche that birth control is
(27:49):
the only answer. But what's happening is that
birth control, it's, you know, it's a synthetic or fake version
of estrogen and progesterone that you're taking.
And what that does is that it just blocks your brains
communication system with the rest of your body because that's
(28:10):
what it wants to do in order to stop you from getting pregnant.
So it stops the complete cascadeof your body moving into any
sort of fertile mode because it blocks hormone messaging, it
blocks your brain from Speaking of the rest of your body.
That's what it's doing. So from an outside perspective,
the fact that you're getting a bleed every 28 days, it looks
(28:33):
really nice. It looks like, oh, wow, actually
my body is doing what it's supposed to and I've fixed it.
But that's not what's happening internally.
And that's the disconnect, particularly when somebody comes
off of the pill and is like, whoa, whoa, hold up.
Like I thought I was just going to be ready for baby, but now my
(28:58):
period hasn't come in the past six months or it's really
irregular. I was told the birth control was
supposed to fix everything and it doesn't.
And you know what needs to happen?
Because in my practice, 9 1/2 times out of 10, the women
working with me are getting their periods back and they're
(29:19):
getting them back consistently. It's we've got to look at the
wisdom of the human body and because having a menstrual
cycle, a regular cycle where youget a period roughly every month
is the body's natural resting place for someone who has female
(29:41):
organs. It's just that.
And so trusting that innate wisdom that we've got to figure
out why, OK, what it what is thedriver that is keeping this
particular person from having regular periods because it's
there. And, you know, I talked to so
(30:02):
many women who are saying, well,my doctor told me my labs are
normal. So I don't really know what's
going on. They're telling me they don't
know what's going on. And I'm just like, I want to hit
my head on a wall because from not because of the person
telling me this, but because another doctor has told that
person like, well, your labs arenormal.
(30:22):
No, no, your labs are not normal.
I can tell you that without evenlooking at your labs because
you're not having a regular cycle.
So physiologically we already know that there's something off,
that there's at least one hormone or you know, a nutrient.
Something is not going to be normal on your labs.
(30:46):
And so from my perspective, it'sjust about finding that it's
about reading those labs from a thriving perspective, not a
surviving perspective. That's another issue is so many
doctors are reading labs from that survival perspective, not
going to help you when you want to have a baby and you're having
trouble getting pregnant. So you need that thriving
(31:09):
perspective. And, and so just, that's what I
do is help this person figure out, well, why is it that you
haven't had a period in the pastsix months?
Usually it's an issue with cellular clearance or the, you
know, there's too much static inthe body.
The, the, the hormones can't speak to one another or maybe
(31:31):
it's a nutrient issue. But that's what we do in order
to bring this person to a place where she's able to have regular
cycles to ovulate and be set up for babies.
So it is not true that someone with PCOS can't have a regular
period on their own without birth control.
(31:51):
Yeah, Doctor Angela, thank you. Yes.
And I mean, just from my personal experience now I have
regular menstrual cycles. I mean, they're still very
painful, very, you know, and I can monitor them as much as I
can. But yes, like I feel like once
you do have a control or can at least understand what is
happening, you can make so much more like informed decisions
(32:14):
about yourself and what to do from a month to month basis.
And just yes, it really does like open your eyes to so many
other things. But isn't it true too?
And I know we, I'm pretty sure we discussed this in your last
episode that it could even be like other things like your
thyroid, different things like that and necessarily not down,
you know, in all your baby making area, it could be
(32:36):
somewhere else that isn't being found or looked at.
Yes, thank you for bringing thatup because that yeah.
And that goes back to that. It's got fertility is that whole
body approach. And when I'm talking about, you
know, there's static in the hormonal messaging, it's not
just about the progesterone and the estrogen.
(32:59):
No, it's, I mean, we have many hormones in the body.
They are all talking amongst themselves.
And so if you're not looking at the thyroid and we're not
looking at cortisol levels or not investigating insulin levels
and just looking at a glucose level, like those are all
(33:21):
missing pieces that are going, that are going unnoticed and
untaken care of for someone. And that's, we've got to do that
because, you know, over and overI, I see someone again will come
to see me and he's like, well, I've been trying for the last
six years, I haven't been able to get pregnant.
(33:44):
And I look at their labs, they haven't had a thyroid panel done
and, and particularly not a complete thyroid panel done.
And I'll run that and I'll look at their cortisol And I'm like,
right there, right there. I can tell you This is why you
aren't ovulating. And, you know, and then we work
(34:04):
on that, we fix that and they'repregnant in another two to three
months. And so it's.
Yeah, thank you for bringing that up.
It's absolutely looking about all the different systems.
Absolutely. And I feel like the hormones in
our bodies are such a puzzle, right?
And if the pieces don't fit perfectly together, it's not
going to be that big picture andthe puzzle's not going to be
(34:26):
complete. And it really does need to be,
honestly. Yes, right.
And you know, because it's a puzzle.
I love that analogy. You don't want to do that on
your own. You don't want to be putting
these pieces together. Because I also talk with a lot
of women who are saying, I feel like I've tried everything I've
(34:47):
got. I'm on this list of supplements.
I've tried a couple different diets and I, I, I really want to
get pregnant. I really want to feel healthy,
but I feel like I'm, I've tried everything.
What else is there? And when they read their list of
supplements, maybe they're on a prenatal vitamin D and Co Q10,
(35:07):
all really well researched backed supplements, right?
You could go right now and find a bunch of research studies on
the benefits of those, but what's happening is that they
aren't specific to what's comingup for that person of why she
isn't ovulating, why she doesn'thave a regular cycle right now.
(35:30):
And so trying those supplements,it's just like or, or trying to
put those puzzle pieces togetheryourself.
It's like throwing spaghetti at the wall.
Like, I really hope this is going to stick, but when you
want to get pregnant, you don't want to be in that mindset of
let me just see if this is goingto work.
Maybe this one will work. No, you want a road map and you
(35:51):
want to know particularly what your own Physiology is saying
that it needs in order to to getyou to a place where you've got
that green light on and you're in that biological safety to say
yes for baby. Absolutely.
And you're so right with the blanket things, you know, like I
know I don't know how much moneyover the years, you know, prior
(36:14):
to finding an individualized approach did I spend on
supplements that, you know, wereresearch based?
Great. But it wasn't individualized to
me like these supplements everybody, you know, could take
or anybody, you know, they were on the market.
But it was like what particularly maybe I'm lacking
or needing more of or changing it up to fit me as a person.
(36:35):
And and having someone to navigate that with is so
important that I'm not just guessing off of what I find from
research because like I said, I don't know how much money and
time was wasted. And as we know too, with
fertility, you know, we already feel like we're on an egg timer.
And so, you know, however we can, you know, do right by
(36:55):
ourselves to get to baby is justso important.
Yes, yes. Doctor Angela, what would you
love to leave our listeners within this episode?
I want to leave you, you know, regardless of if you have PCOS
or endometriosis or both, I wantyou to walk away today knowing
(37:21):
that your body is not broken. Your body is actually working in
this miraculous way to protect you right now, and it's just not
ready to be pregnant yet. You have to figure out what it
is that's going to move your body into being able to switch
(37:42):
on that green light for pregnancy.
So know that you're not broken, OK?
You just have to find that missing link so that that green
light switches on for you. Wow, it's so powerful.
Thank you, Doctor Angela, for that.
Thank you for being here, for talking about the differences,
the misconceptions, and really defining what it is in the
(38:03):
symptoms that can occur with it.It really means the world to
have you. Oh, well, thank, thank you for
having me. It's just wonderful to be here
with you and I. I love talking with you.
Absolutely you too. Thank you for our listeners.
Your pain is real, your cycles matter.
Your fertility journey matters and deserves answers.
Whether you are trying to conceive, navigating
(38:25):
infertility, or grieving a pregnancy loss, any type of baby
loss. You are not broken, you are not
alone, and we are here for you. Thank you so much for tuning in
and please reach out on Chase and the rainbows.org if you need
help and support or looking to volunteer.
Thanks again.
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