Lara Briden QUOTES

41 " PCOS is not one disease. Instead, it’s a group of symptoms related to androgen excess. That’s why it’s described as a heterogeneous endocrine disorder. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

42 " The good thing about PCOS genes: as a woman with PCOS, you may become more fertile as you get older. [ "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

43 " Know when to let go of your PCOS diagnosis. You qualify for a PCOS diagnosis based on your current symptoms. If you can reach the point of no symptoms, then you will no longer have PCOS. You may, however, always have a susceptibility. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

44 " insulin-resistant PCOS, post-pill PCOS, inflammatory PCOS, and adrenal PCOS. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

45 " When you have insulin resistance, you may have normal blood sugar, but too much insulin. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

46 " How does insulin resistance lead to PCOS? Too much insulin can impair ovulation and cause your ovaries to make testosterone instead of estrogen. Too much insulin also stimulates your pituitary to make more luteinizing hormone (LH), which stimulates even more androgens. Finally, too much insulin lowers the androgen-binding protein SHBG, which results in even more free testosterone or unbound testosterone. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

47 " Endometriosis Endometriosis is a painful condition in which bits of the endometrium (uterine lining) grow outside your uterus. These are called endometriosis lesions. Chocolate cysts The most common site for endometriosis lesions is the ovaries. This growth is referred to as an endometrioma or chocolate cyst. Endometriosis lesions also grow on Fallopian tubes, pelvic ligaments, and on the outside of your uterus, bowel, and bladder. Actually, they can grow anywhere—even inside your nose. Endometriosis lesions are sensitive to estrogen, so they swell and bleed with every menstrual cycle. Eventually, this causes pain, scar tissue, and heavy periods with large clots. Endometriosis can also impair fertility. What Causes Endometriosis? How does endometrial tissue ends up outside the uterus? There are a couple of theories. One theory is that menstrual fluid enters the pelvis via retrograde flow through the Fallopian tubes. This is not likely to be the correct explanation because retrograde flow occurs in most women, yet only a few women develop endometriosis. A second theory is that the endometrial tissue is laid down before birth—during your own fetal development. The tissue then lies dormant until it is activated by your hormones at puberty. Whatever the original source of the endometriosis lesions, your immune system is a big part of the problem. Your immune system produces inflammatory cytokines and autoantibodies that inflame endometriosis lesions and promote their growth. Without that inflammation, you are unlikely to suffer the condition of endometriosis (although you may still have dormant endometriosis lesions in your pelvis). Researchers have come to view endometriosis not as a hormonal condition, but as an autoimmune disease. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

48 " At the same time, you could be normal weight and still have insulin resistance and the insulin-resistant type of PCOS. [163] In that case, the only way to know if you have insulin resistance is to do a blood test. A test for blood sugar or blood glucose is not a test for insulin resistance. Instead, you need one of the following: fasting insulin HOMA-IR index (insulin resistance index) insulin glucose challenge test (also called insulin assay with oral glucose tolerance test or glucose tolerance test with insulin) "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

49 " Fasting insulin is a blood test for the hormone insulin. Your result should be less than 8 mIU/L (55 pmol/L). Fasting insulin can pick up severe insulin resistance. To detect milder insulin resistance, you’ll need the more sensitive insulin glucose challenge test. HOMA-IR index is a mathematical calculation using the ratio of glucose to insulin. For healthy insulin sensitivity, your HOMA-IR index should be less than 1.5. Insulin glucose challenge test is a blood test that is similar to the two-hour oral glucose tolerance test, in which several blood samples are taken during the two hours following a sweet drink. The difference with this test is that insulin is tested in addition to glucose. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

50 " A real period is a finale in a series of hormonal events which includes ovulation and the making of progesterone, as I’ll discuss below. A real period happens approximately every 28 days because that’s how long it takes your ovaries to complete the process. A real period is about the healthy functioning of your ovaries. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

51 " You can have whole fruit as long as you stay below the 25 grams of fructose discussed in Chapter 6. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

52 " A pill bleed does not proceed from ovulation. Instead, it is a withdrawal bleed from the drugs that stimulate your uterine lining but shut down your ovaries. A pill bleed is about the dosing of a drug. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

53 " Get enough sleep, because sleep reduces sugar cravings. Eat full, satisfying meals that include all three macronutrients: protein, starch, and fat. Do not restrict calories. Pick a start date during a low-stress time of your life. Go cold turkey for four weeks. Know that intense cravings subside after twenty minutes. Know that all cravings should subside after seven days. Supplement magnesium, because it reduces sugar cravings. Know that you’re okay. You’re not a bad person just because you crave sugar. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

54 " If you need a sweetener while you adapt to a low-sugar diet, try the natural sweeteners stevia or xylitol. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

55 " Did I just say that hormonal birth control works by shutting down your ovaries and switching off your hormones? Yes. On the pill, you have no sex hormones of your own. Instead, you have steroid drugs given to you as a kind of “hormone replacement”—not unlike the hormone replacement that is given to women in menopause. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

56 " Progesterone is one of several steroid hormones made by the ovary. It’s essential for pregnancy but has many other beneficial functions. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

57 " you can also restrict your eating to an eight- or ten-hour eating window. You will, of course, be hungry during your eating window, so eat what you need in the form of full, satisfying meals. An eating window is a gentle type of intermittent fasting which has been found to improve insulin resistance. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

58 " Don’t make the mistake of reducing starch but continuing to eat sugar. In other words, there’s no point forgoing potatoes with dinner only to binge later on a Paleo dessert. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

59 " What else you need to know: I recommend 300 mg magnesium per day taken directly after food. I prefer magnesium bisglycinate (magnesium joined to the amino acid glycine) because glycine has its own insulin-sensitising properties. [172] And I usually give it in combination with another amino acid taurine, which also improves insulin sensitivity. See Chapter 10 for more information about taurine. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual

60 " Alpha-lipoic acid is a naturally occurring molecule involved in energy production. It’s made by the body and can also be obtained from foods such as liver, spinach, and broccoli. As a supplement, alpha-lipoic acid is beneficial for PCOS. "

― Lara Briden , Period Repair Manual