The Liver Problem Linked to PCOS
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- The Liver Problem Linked to PCOS
If you have PCOS/PMOS, there’s a good chance your liver is quietly carrying more fat than it should, long before anything shows up on a scale or in the mirror.
There is a 2 to 4 times higher risk of fatty liver disease in people with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome.
The majority of women with PMOS have some degree of insulin resistance.
PMOS is usually talked about in terms of menstrual periods, fertility, and skin. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is usually talked about in terms of diet and weight. Rarely are the two mentioned in the same sentence, yet for millions of women, they’re deeply intertwined. It comes down to insulin, hormones, and how your liver responds when both are out of balance.
A hormonal condition affecting how the ovaries work, often involving irregular ovulation, elevated androgens (male hormones like testosterone), and a body that struggles to respond normally to insulin.
A build-up of fat inside liver cells, not caused by alcohol. Left unchecked, it can progress to inflammation (NASH), scarring (fibrosis), and eventually cirrhosis. In its early stages it’s completely reversible.
Insulin resistance, excess androgens, and central weight gain all promote fat accumulation inside liver cells. They don’t operate separately either; each one tends to make the others worse.
In PMOS, cells become less responsive to insulin, so the pancreas compensates by producing more and more of it. That extra insulin doesn’t just sit around, it acts directly on the liver, ramping up a process called de novo lipogenesis, where the liver converts excess sugar into fat and stores it right there in its own cells. Over time, the liver essentially becomes a fat-storage organ it was never built to be.
Elevated testosterone and other androgens independently promote fat accumulation in liver tissue and stoke low-grade inflammation inside liver cells. Research suggests androgens interfere with how the liver processes fats and sugars, adding a second, hormone-driven push toward fatty liver on top of the insulin effect.
PMOS is strongly associated with abdominal, or visceral fat: the metabolically active kind that surrounds internal organs. This isn’t just about total body weight; visceral fat releases inflammatory signals and free fatty acids directly into the bloodstream, feeding straight into the liver. Importantly, fatty liver can develop in lean women with PMOS too, since insulin resistance and androgens can act independently of body weight.
In its early stages, there’s typically no pain, no obvious symptom, nothing that would prompt a trip to the doctor on its own. Occasionally there’s mild fatigue or a vague sense of fullness under the right ribs, but most people find out incidentally, through a blood test or scan ordered for something else entirely.
Blood tests and liver ultrasounds are the best way to detect a fatty liver. If you have PMOS it is best to ask your doctor for a liver blood test every year.
A modest 5 to 10% reduction in body weight has been shown to meaningfully reduce liver fat, and sometimes reverse it entirely. A lower-glycemic low carbohydrate eating pattern that prevents sharp insulin spikes helps reverse fatty liver. Regular movement (both cardio and resistance training) improve the effects of diet changes.
Glicemic Balance capsules help to stabilize your blood sugar, reducing the fluctuations that can cause intense carb cravings.
Women with PMOS don’t produce sufficient progesterone. This hormone is made by the ovaries after ovulation, and women with PMOS do not ovulate regularly. Being low in progesterone aggravates the symptoms of PMOS, and it can cause terrible mood problems such as anxiety, depression and intense food cravings, making it impossible to stick to a healthy diet. Using a bio-identical progesterone cream in the second half of the menstrual cycle can be immensely therapeutic.
Insulin resistant people cannot handle common levels of carbohydrate in their diet. They oversecrete insulin in response to eating carbs and they are less likely to feel satisfied after a meal, therefore tend to over eat. That means carbohydrate needs to be restricted in the diet. It is best to get your carbohydrate from vegetables, along with small amounts of fruit, nuts and seeds. Some women with PMOS will even need to avoid fruit for a period of time. Making sure the diet contains sufficient protein and natural fats is paramount. These foods are highly satiating and make it much easier not to overeat. There is an easy to follow low carbohydrate eating plan in the book “I can’t lose weight and I don’t know why” and “Diabetes Type 2 – you can reverse it”.
My liver tonic Livatone Plus contains specific ingredients designed to improve the health of liver cells and clear excess fat out of the liver. It also enables your liver to cleanse and detoxify your bloodstream more efficiently, thereby increasing your energy level. This makes it easier to stick to a healthy diet and exercise program.
The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
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