How to Deal with PCOS

by Deborah Maragopoulos FNP | Feb 13, 2023 | PCOS | 0 comments

Dealing with the symptoms of PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) can be daunting. Your hormones are out of balance. You make more estrogen than progesterone because you’re not ovulating regularly. You make way too much testosterone, which leads to hirsutism, or male pattern hairiness. And your imbalanced hormones can lead to obesity, insulin resistance, infertility, metabolic syndrome, and even uterine cancer. So how can you deal with PCOS?

The number one way to deal with PCOS is by supporting your hypothalamus

Your hypothalamus, which is at the root of polycystic ovary syndrome, can help you overcome the hormonal imbalances and side effects that come with this condition. For nearly twenty years now, my patients and clients using Genesis Gold® to balance their hypothalamus have been able to control their PCOS. Infertile PCOS patients are able to conceive, regulate their menstrual cycles, reduce hirsutism, and increase insulin sensitivity. Increasing insulin sensitivity allows them to lose extra body fat and helps reverse metabolic syndrome. However, it can take three to six months to start seeing results from Genesis Gold®.

2. Make sure that your diet is highly nutritious and plant-based

Your body needs healthy fats that are rich in monounsaturated fats. Fats like olive oil and avocado oil, as well as omega three fatty acids, which can be found in fatty fish and nuts. An adequate amount of protein to maintain your lean body mass is crucial to reversing insulin resistance. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes provides the fiber and micronutrients necessary to keep your body healthy and reduce inflammation.

3. Make sure you’re getting regular exercise.

Exercise has been shown to reduce insulin resistance by sensitizing insulin receptors. It can also help lessen excessive stress hormone production, which can lead to high DHEA levels. High DHEA levels contribute to high testosterone in polycystic ovary syndrome, which leads to midline weight gain and hirsutism.

If you have any questions regarding how to deal with PCOS, please join me in our Hormone Support Group, which you can access through my free Hormone Reboot Training.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can your hypothalamus cause weight gain?

Yes. The hypothalamus is the master regulator of metabolism, controlling how your body stores and burns energy through its signaling to the thyroid, adrenals, and pancreas. When the hypothalamus becomes dysregulated by chronic stress, poor sleep, inflammation, or blood sugar instability, it defends a higher weight "set point" — causing the body to hold onto fat regardless of diet or exercise. This makes hypothalamic dysfunction an upstream root cause of stubborn weight gain.

What is a weight set point and why won't mine move?

A weight set point is the body weight your hypothalamus works to defend, calibrated over time by stress, sleep, hormones, and inflammation. When you diet, the hypothalamus perceives scarcity and responds by slowing metabolism, increasing hunger hormones, and suppressing satiety signals to return you to that set point. This is why most people regain lost weight within two to five years of conventional dieting — the set point itself was never recalibrated, only temporarily overridden.

Why do I gain weight under stress even when I'm not eating more?

Chronic stress raises cortisol, which disrupts blood sugar regulation, promotes abdominal fat storage, and signals the hypothalamus that the body is under threat. In survival mode, the hypothalamus defends fat stores and slows metabolism — so weight can increase even without any change in calorie intake. The stress chemistry, not the food, is driving the weight gain, which is why stress reduction is essential to any lasting metabolic reset.

Why do I regain weight after stopping GLP-1 medications?

GLP-1 medications work peripherally on appetite and gastric signaling, but they do not address the underlying hypothalamic dysregulation that sets your defended weight. Because the hypothalamic set point is never recalibrated, the body resumes defending its original weight once the medication stops — leading to significant regain. Long-term success requires restoring hypothalamic regulation so the set point itself lowers, rather than relying on appetite suppression alone.

How long does it take to reset your metabolism?

Genuine metabolic recalibration takes a minimum of 90 days, because the hypothalamus needs consistent signals of safety and sufficiency before it will lower its defended set point. This differs from a diet, which produces temporary suppression the body quickly corrects. A 90-day reset typically moves through three phases: stabilizing stress chemistry (days 1–30), rebuilding metabolic efficiency (days 31–60), and lowering the weight set point (days 61–90).

Why does my thyroid feel slow even though my labs are "normal"?

Under chronic stress, the body converts thyroid hormone into reverse T3, which blocks active thyroid receptors and slows metabolism at the cellular level — even when standard lab values appear normal. This means you can experience genuine symptoms of slow metabolism, such as fatigue, cold intolerance, and brain fog, while your thyroid panel looks unremarkable. Addressing the upstream hypothalamic and stress signaling often improves thyroid conversion and symptoms.

Is stubborn weight gain a willpower problem?

No. Stubborn weight gain is a signaling problem, not a willpower problem. The hypothalamus governs weight through survival mechanisms that operate below conscious control — defending its set point by slowing metabolism and increasing hunger when it perceives threat. No amount of discipline can override this system; lasting change comes from restoring hypothalamic regulation through reduced stress, balanced blood sugar, restorative sleep, and targeted nutritional support.

About the Author - Deborah Maragopoulos FNP

Known as the Hormone Queen®️, I’ve made it my mission to help everyone - no matter their age - balance their hormones, and live the energy and joy their DNA and true destiny desires. See more about me my story here...

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Last Updated: January 26, 2023