PCOS and Insulin Resistance: The Overlooked Connection
If you’ve been told PCOS is “just a hormone issue,” you’re not alone. And if that explanation has never fully made sense, especially when symptoms like weight resistance, fatigue, irregular cycles, acne, or constant cravings won’t budge… you’re also not wrong.
For many people, PCOS is far more complex than a simple hormone imbalance. One of the biggest missing pieces? Insulin resistance. Understanding how insulin affects PCOS can be a game changer, not just for symptom management, but for feeling more at home in your body again.
So, What Is Insulin Resistance?
Insulin is a hormone that helps move sugar from your bloodstream into your cells, where it’s used for energy. When your cells stop responding efficiently to insulin, your body tries to compensate by making more of it. This is what we call insulin resistance.
Over time, higher insulin levels can throw off metabolic balance, increase inflammation, and disrupt how hormones communicate with one another. And for people with PCOS, those effects often show up loud and clear.
How Insulin Resistance Can Worsen PCOS Symptoms
For many individuals with PCOS, insulin resistance sits at the center of their symptoms, even if it hasn’t been named yet.
Hormonal imbalance: Elevated insulin can signal the ovaries to produce more androgens, which may contribute to acne, unwanted hair growth, and irregular ovulation.
Weight resistance: Insulin encourages fat storage, which is why weight loss can feel nearly impossible, even with calorie restriction or increased exercise.
Energy crashes and cravings: When blood sugar swings up and down, energy often follows. This can lead to intense cravings, especially for carbs or sugar.
Inflammation: Insulin resistance is closely tied to chronic, low-grade inflammation, which can further disrupt both metabolic and hormonal health.
This is often why PCOS symptoms don’t improve with standard advice alone. The deeper metabolic drivers simply aren’t being addressed.
Why Blood Sugar Balance Matters So Much
Blood sugar balance is a foundation of metabolic health. When blood sugar spikes and crashes throughout the day, insulin stays elevated and the cycle of resistance continues.
Supporting blood sugar balance can help:
Improve insulin sensitivity
Reduce inflammatory stress on the body
Support steadier energy and mood
Create a healthier environment for hormone regulation
And this doesn’t mean extreme diets or rigid food rules. It’s about understanding how food choices, stress, sleep, and movement all work together to influence blood sugar and insulin levels.
Why Traditional PCOS Approaches Often Fall Short
Many conventional PCOS treatments focus on managing symptoms; regulating cycles, reducing androgen effects, or addressing fertility concerns. While these approaches can be helpful, they don’t always explore why symptoms are happening in the first place.
They often overlook:
Underlying insulin resistance
Ongoing metabolic inflammation
Individual nutrient needs
Stress and cortisol patterns
Long-term metabolic health risks
When these root contributors aren’t addressed, symptoms can linger or return, leaving people feeling frustrated, dismissed, or stuck.
A More Supportive Path Forward
A functional medicine approach to PCOS zooms out and looks at the whole picture. By identifying metabolic imbalances, like insulin resistance, and addressing them through personalized nutrition, lifestyle support, and targeted care, we can begin working with the body instead of against it.
PCOS is complex, but that complexity also means there are multiple opportunities for support and improvementYou don’t have to “just live with it.” For many, understanding the connection between insulin and PCOS is the first step toward feeling informed, empowered, and supported in a new way.
Let’s start with a conversation. Call us today and let’s get on the road to getting answers for you.
