PCOS/PMOS
PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) affects around one in ten women in the UK, yet it's consistently one of the most poorly explained conditions in mainstream fertility care. As a fertility nutritionist working with a functional medicine approach, I look beyond a standard diagnosis of irregular cycles and polycystic-appearing ovaries, to the underlying drivers, whether that's insulin resistance, adrenal androgen excess, thyroid overlap, or chronic inflammation, since PCOS presents differently from person to person and rarely responds to generic advice.
My approach includes full hormone mapping across the cycle, fasting insulin testing alongside glucose, and inflammatory and nutrient markers, rather than relying on a single blood draw or a BMI-based assumption. This matters particularly for lean PCOS, where insulin resistance and androgen symptoms can exist despite a normal weight, and where standard care often misses what's actually going on.