June came to see me because she had been diagnosed with PCOS. She had been on the Pill for 12 years, at first to combat her heavy periods when she was a teen and later as a contraceptive. She had stopped over a year ago but following the PCOS diagnosis had been advised to go back on the Pill as it is the primary treatment for PCOS if the woman is not trying to become pregnant. She refused.

Her periods were regular but she was very on edge, unable to relax, really angry when driving, ‘very up and down emotionally’ and her stomach was constantly in a knot. She was very thirsty, very sweaty and also sensitive to feeling cold, had Raynaud’s syndrome, a history of thrush, outbreaks on her skin and what she described as ‘an extreme sweet tooth!’. She also had a history of headaches and feeling sick until she stopped the Pill.

Where to start?

Well, a lot of June’s symptoms are side effects of taking the oral contraceptive pill for several years (emotions, Raynaud’s and other changes to circulation, thrush, headaches); and some are related to her toxicity level and the need to detox – the outbreaks on her skin, her sweatiness and thirstiness are her body trying to flush out toxins via the skin and bladder. The anger, which started recently, was likely the increased testosterone from the PCOS and the extreme sweet tooth also matched the diagnosis.

The first few weeks of treatment consisted of gently helping her body to detox more efficiently. This included liver support, some changes to her diet and the introduction of some supplements including chromium for the sweet tooth. The skin and sweatiness improved though she remained quite thirsty. We then started detoxing the contraceptive pill. The contraceptive detox program lasted 8 weeks and saw great improvements – headaches, chilliness, thrush and her emotions all improved considerably. The Raynaud’s now only affected her when cycling and was becoming less painful.

By the third consultation the sweet tooth and thirst were still there so we returned to organ support, focussing on the pancreas, and gradually these symptoms reduced too. Each homeopathic prescription also included remedies that matched June as an individual and boosted the detox prescription.

June has improved hugely and now has homeopathy on a maintenance level only. She is now thinking about having a child and is in a much better state of health for this to happen.

Observations
Young women with PCOS have become an increasing part of my homeopathy practice.
There is no official cause of PCOS, but looking at the medical histories of the women that come for treatment they usually have one or more of the following features:

• Hormonal medication – a history of taking the Oral Contraceptive Pill, Morning After Pill, Birth Control Shot (Depo-Provera or DMPA).
• Had the HPV vaccine – vaccinating young women just as their endocrine system is beginning to develop its own rhythm has meant that PCOS has become one of the major side effects of the HPV vaccine.
• Environmental – increased use of plastics leeching oestrogen into the body and upsetting the delicate hormonal balance.
• Diet and smoking – the result of prolonged excess sugar, high levels of insulin increase the production of androgens such as testosterone in the ovaries. Diabetes Type 2 can appear as one of the issues alongside PCOS.
• Hereditary – previous generations have had PCOS, diabetes, or the mother took the contraceptive pill before the PCOS sufferer was born, possibly creating a predisposition.

Homeopathic treatment of PCOS is a gentle process that prompts the delicate endocrine system to gradually rebalance and is always tailored to the individual.