The Root Cause NP

1) Understanding IF you’re ovulating: This might seem obvious, but it’s overlooked by so many people starting their TTC journey. No egg released = no baby. PCOS is the leading cause of anovulatory infertility, so irregular or absent ovulation is common. However, most women with PCOS CAN ovulate, sometimes just later or less consistently. Learning to track ovulation signs or getting testing with your provider can help you figure out if and when you are ovulating.

2) If you aren’t ovulating, figuring out WHY not is crucial. Insulin resistance, inflammation, and chronic stress can all interfere with the hormones needed for regular ovulation. But those are only part of the answer. The next question is: what is causing inflammation/insulin resistance/adrenal excess in the first place?

3) Your lifestyle is probably the biggest part of that answer. Things like how you eat, how much you move, your sleep, stress, and recover can all affect insulin resistance, inflammation, and stress hormones. This is actually really good news because these are things you can totally work on! Improving the habits that are contributing to your root cause can help your hormones work better and help your body ovulate more regularly. The key here is to make your body feel safe. A body that feels safe, says “sure, bring a baby on board!” and allows ovulation.

4) Optimizing egg quality is key whether you are trying to get pregnant on your own OR with the help of something like IVF. There are honestly hundreds of tips for this, but the basics matter most!

5) Optimizing your partner’s health matters too. S***m is half of the equation here, and just because you have PCOS doesn’t mean their fertility should be ignored! If your struggling to get pregnant to why should be evaluated as well.

6) You probably don’t need to do ALL the things. Cutting out entire food groups, cutting out all caffeine, being afraid of certain forms of exercise, taking $200 supplements/mo. That’s probably not needed. Major in the majors, not the minors.

Focus on figuring out what your body actually needs and doing those things consistently.

Consistency is the secret sauce to seeing real and measur

1) Understanding IF you are ovulating: This might seem obvious, but it’s overlooked by so many people starting their TTC journey. No egg released = no baby. PCOS is the leading cause of anovulatory infertility, so irregular or absent ovulation is common. However, most women with PCOS CAN ovulate, sometimes just later or less consistently. Tracking ovulation signs or getting testing with your provider can help you figure out if and when you are ovulating.

2) If you aren’t ovulating, figuring out WHY is crucial. Insulin resistance, inflammation, and chronic stress can all interfere with the hormones needed for regular ovulation. But those are only part of the answer. The next question is: what is causing or triggering those things in the first place?

3) Your lifestyle is probably the biggest part of that answer. Things like how you eat, how much you move, your sleep, stress, and recover can all affect insulin resistance, inflammation, and stress hormones. This is actually good news because these are things you can work on! Improving the habits that are contributing to your root cause can help your hormones work better and help your body ovulate more regularly. The key here is to make your body feel safe. A body that feels safe, says “sure, bring a baby on board!” and allows ovulation.

4) Optimizing egg quality is key whether you are trying to get pregnant on your own OR with the help of something like IVF. There are honestly hundreds of tips for this, but the basics matter most!

5) Optimizing your partner’s health matters too. S***m is half of the equation, and just because you have PCOS doesn’t mean their fertility should be ignored!

6) You probably don’t need to do ALL the things. Cutting out entire food groups, cutting out all caffeine, being afraid of certain forms of exercise, is probably not needed. Major in the majors, not the minors.

Focus on figuring out what your body actually needs and doing those things consistently. Consistency is the secret sauce to healing PCOS symptoms long term.

This is a trial reel, if this was helpful please like and follow Madeline | PCOS Coach | Nurse Practitioner

Here’s a crazy idea…

Stop chasing the symptoms.

Your symptoms are the downstream result of an upstream problem.

Upstream, your daily habits either nourish your body or continue fueling your PCOS.

So, Focus your energy on changing your habits.

Your habits around movement, nutrition, sleep, stress, and recovery influence insulin resistance, inflammation, and stress. So are you having creating a problem or preventing one?

How you feel is a direct result of what you do consistently. No medication or supplement can replace those foundational habits.

If you want different downstream results( regular cycles, weight loss, more energy, clearer skin, or improved fertility) you have to start changing what’s happening upstream.

habit change, is where real healing begins.

Let’s go!

Madeline, the Root Cause NP

What if the Plant Fitness was actually fun?

Big mindset shift:

I was having fun with planet fitness. What would that look like? …. Do that thing!

I’m also focusing on the habit instead of the results and seeing how that changes the game!

Consistency is the secret sauce. 🙌🏽

I have a body that’s prone to insulin resistance, just like so many women with PCOS. That means I have to keep showing up. I have to keep building stronger muscles.

I know lifting 2–3 days a week is one of the best investments I can make in my health. A gym is great cause there’s access to so many weights. When it comes to growing muscles, it’s about progressively challenging those muscles. If you’re lifting the same weight month after month, your body has no reason to adapt.

That’s where tracking your lifts can be a game changer. I use the HEVY app so I know exactly what I lifted last week and can keep pushing forward. Or a simple exercise journal will work.

Now, I’m not saying it’s easy.

Getting to the gym takes a hundred little steps. But the hardest one is usually that first moment when you start negotiating with yourself.

“I’ll go tomorrow.”
“I’m too tired.”
“I’ll just skip today.”

Nope.

5…4…3…2…1… GO.

The second you catch yourself negotiating, interrupt it. Rocket ship your butt out of the bed/chair and take messy action. Don’t think. Just start getting dressed. Put your shoes on. Get in the car.

You don’t need to feel motivated.

You just need to stop negotiating with yourself.

Your future self will thank you 💪🏽

Years of helping patients and clients with PCOS and overcoming it myself has taught me that there’s no magic bullet or rulebook for PCOS. And honestly, thank God. How exhausting would it be to live by someone else’s playbook?

What I have learned is this: if you want to feel different, you have to show up, CONSISTENTLY.

Knowing the right things to do is huge. But knowing and executing are two very different things.

So what gets in the way of executing? Trying to get it perfect.

Doing the “right thing” sometimes is worse than just doing it messy or doing it wrong.

So many of the women I’ve worked with get in their own way. They let the idea of the perfect routine, the perfect meal plan, the perfect exercise routine, or the perfect mindfulness habits get in the way of simply getting started.

Life has seasons.

We’re constantly getting started again. Because just when we think we’ve figured it out, life changes and we have to learn a new way.

So let’s free ourselves from the constant need to research the “best” way. It’s okay if it’s messy. It’s okay if it’s wrong. Just get started.

This is me getting started in the era of scaling The Root Cause so I can help even more incredible women get their lives back. Come along for my journey as I scale TRC and don’t forget about myself in the process this time!

— Madeline, NP