insulin resistance
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kennygang
Posts: 93 Member
How do you know if you are insulin resistance? Does it go hand in hand with PCOS? any info would be appreciated. thanks
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It does tend to go hand in hand with PCOS but not everyone with PCOS ends up insulin resistant. The only way to really know is to have your doctor do a fasting blood draw and test it. It is extremely difficult to sort out any actual symptoms because they are so similar to PCOS by itself (the weight issues, the acne issues, etc.) and not everyone will feel the same way due to the insulin resistance. If you suspect it, please get checked out as leaving it alone can do a lot of damage to your organs and overall health. I have PCOS and insulin resistance, I take metformin twice per day for now. My doctor and I both believe that keto will get me off the meds. eventually.1
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How do you know if you are insulin resistance? Does it go hand in hand with PCOS? any info would be appreciated. thanks
Your sugars will be high and you will start to worry your doctor. Some ppl call insulin resistance "pre-diabetes".
And yes (PCOS), in the way that they both go hand in hand with being overweight. My doctor said it has something to do with high levels of estrogen in fat cells.0 -
I just had my physical and I did fasting blood work. My glucose was slightly high. I can't remember the exact number but I believe it was around 108. Does that sound hi?0
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108 is above normal for a fasting blood glucose. Mine was actually 106 on Friday 9/23 when I had mine done. My A1C is 5.4 so I am not too worried. I also have PCOS and Hypothyroid. I do want to talk to my doc about getting a prescription for a blood glucose monitor so that I can check it myself regularly and see if I can pick up on any trends or foods that trigger higher readings.2
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JessicaLCHF wrote: »How do you know if you are insulin resistance? Does it go hand in hand with PCOS? any info would be appreciated. thanks
Your sugars will be high and you will start to worry your doctor. Some ppl call insulin resistance "pre-diabetes".
And yes (PCOS), in the way that they both go hand in hand with being overweight. My doctor said it has something to do with high levels of estrogen in fat cells.
@JessicaLCHF - that's not always true. My glucose levels are high end of normal, but I'm insulin resistant as all get out. I don't think I've ever had a fasting glucose over 92, and even that is rare, but my insulin level, the first time it was tested, literally startled my PCP so much she started panicking.
@kennygang There are a ton of other signs. For me, the big ones were:
Always wanting something sweet to finish a meal.
Not feeling full when normally should.
Not being able to close down my hunger signals to finish a meal without something sweet.
Eating a serving of pasta making me immediately hungrier than I was before. (This happened to me with apples...worst feeling - eat an apple, 30 minutes later, hungrier than before apple.)
Getting heavier no matter what I ate...
High triglycerides especially with low HDL
Skin Tags
Skin discoloration, especially in areas with friction or folds (eyelids, inner elbows, neck, armpits, groin, etc.) (http://www.primehealthchannel.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Acanthosis-Nigricans-Photos.jpg)
Extreme difficulties losing weight
Hormone imbalances
Acne
P.S. I have much better lists, but I can't seem to currently locate them... You'll also notice that many of these overlap with PCOS. For many folks, it is seeming now like the IR may be the cause of PCOS, but because it can remain hidden for so long or hide behind other symptoms since it isn't a standard test, it's really hard to tell. I can trace my IR symptoms back to age 6-10, whereas my PCOS symptoms, I can only track back to age 13-16...knowing now and looking back.
http://carbsyndrome.com/is-your-brain-two-quarts-low/ (love this one...)2 -
For reference, here are some of my lab numbers. I didn't get a fasting insulin test until 2014, but my other numbers go back a bit further.
Year, Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG), A1C, Fasting Insulin (if available, FI)
2011: FBG: 83 // A1C: 4.9
2012: FBG: 88
2013: FBG: 86
2014, Spring: FBG: 85 & 88// A1C: 5.1 // FI: 9 (started Metformin)
2014, Fall: FBG: 90 // A1C: 5.3 // FI: 7.6 (stopped Metformin 3 months later)
2015, Spring: FBG: 92 // A1C: 5.1 // FI: 7.1
2015, Fall: FBG: 85 // A1C: 5.1 // FI: 5.8
2016, Spring: FBG: 89 // A1C: 5.2 // FI: 15 (medical fluke due to bad week - long explanation. In 6 weeks, it was already back down to 9.9. Will retest in October. If not back down, will consider going back on Metformin.)
Just FYI, for reference. My heaviest medical weight was in 2009. I started actively losing weight in 2012, first of the year, went low carb in January 2015, and have been somewhat off kilter since May 2015, worse since just before that last test...which was mid-April 2016, then retest was end of May 2016.1 -
108 is above normal for a fasting blood glucose. Mine was actually 106 on Friday 9/23 when I had mine done. My A1C is 5.4 so I am not too worried. I also have PCOS and Hypothyroid. I do want to talk to my doc about getting a prescription for a blood glucose monitor so that I can check it myself regularly and see if I can pick up on any trends or foods that trigger higher readings.
If you want a glucose meter, you can get a Freestyle for under $20 at Walmart. The strips and lancets there are also quite reasonable. There are also ReliOn lancets that are super cheap.
The reason I mention this, is the doctor will frequently give you a meter for "free" with the cath being the strips are stupid expensive even with insurance. I found going this route was far more cost effective.
Also, if you go to coupons.com, they almost always have a $5 off coupon for the Freestyle meter.2 -
108 is above normal for a fasting blood glucose. Mine was actually 106 on Friday 9/23 when I had mine done. My A1C is 5.4 so I am not too worried. I also have PCOS and Hypothyroid. I do want to talk to my doc about getting a prescription for a blood glucose monitor so that I can check it myself regularly and see if I can pick up on any trends or foods that trigger higher readings.
@StacyChrz 108 may or may not be normal. 99 being normal and 101 being abnormal is hard to sell medically speaking. My lab work last month fasting yielded a 104 reading. At home I have learned 30 minutes after a high calorie low carb my glucose can drop 10 points. Last month my A1C was 5.1.
Non keto fasting BG was 105 in 2014 and 96 in 2015 after 9 months of keto.
All my numbers were greatly improved in the 2016 over 2015 and the doctor said to not change my way of eating. Now I look at my trend lines and how I feel vs any "one" number.1 -
108 is above normal for a fasting blood glucose. Mine was actually 106 on Friday 9/23 when I had mine done. My A1C is 5.4 so I am not too worried. I also have PCOS and Hypothyroid. I do want to talk to my doc about getting a prescription for a blood glucose monitor so that I can check it myself regularly and see if I can pick up on any trends or foods that trigger higher readings.
If you've been LCHF for a few months before that test, it can lead to a false normal reading. You can be insulin resistant without having high glucose due to keeping the input of it down. My A1C runs just about perfect, even when my fasting insulin is running 30+.5 -
I thought if one had PCOS, then they were IR? I thought PCOS was a manifestation of IR, like T2D, prediabetes, NAFLAD, some reactive hypoglycemia, and some dementia.
Can one have PCOS without IR?1 -
I thought if one had PCOS, then they were IR? I thought PCOS was a manifestation of IR, like T2D, prediabetes, NAFLAD, some reactive hypoglycemia, and some dementia.
Can one have PCOS without IR?
That was my understanding as well. I honestly thought anyone that didn't know about IR just didn't have a doctor that explained and/or understood that aspect themselves. Sometimes when I've been talking to people with diabetes I realize they have never even heard the words before. They would probably say they aren't IR either because their doctors never mentioned or explained that part, and they don't know that's where it starts.
And then when you consider the CDC says 1 in 3 people are Pre Diabetic, and you know they mean all people, even those considered overall healthy, what would be the odds of someone having PCOS, without IR? I don't even know how that works without that aspect...1 -
There was a train of thought, @nvmomketo and @Sunny_Bunny_ that PCOS **CAUSED** IR, but current research shows that it is more often BUT NOT ALWAYS the other way around.
Since there are so many different triggers and parts and pieces to PCOS, it's hard to just find one trigger. Add to that all the different levels of insulin resistance, etc., and it's easy to see why there's no "one true" explanation that fits everyone. Personally, I think that there is some much about all of our hormonal systems that we don't understand (insulin being a hormone, estrogen, etc. too)... They're so linked. I think that one system going wacky tips off the other, but not always in sequence.
My own opinion is that everyone with PCOS likely has some level of IR (no matter how minuscule), even if they haven't shown symptoms or have never been tested for it... So much of PCOS symptoms and IR symptoms overlap, it's hard to say, which came first, the chicken or the egg. I honestly thing down the line that we're going to find a genetic anomaly in most of us with PCOS that explains why we were susceptible or whatever in the first place...
But I know a large number or PCOS sufferers who are told that they don't have IR, yet lowering sugars and carbs is nearly always the first suggestion...to level out hormones???1 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »108 is above normal for a fasting blood glucose. Mine was actually 106 on Friday 9/23 when I had mine done. My A1C is 5.4 so I am not too worried. I also have PCOS and Hypothyroid. I do want to talk to my doc about getting a prescription for a blood glucose monitor so that I can check it myself regularly and see if I can pick up on any trends or foods that trigger higher readings.
If you've been LCHF for a few months before that test, it can lead to a false normal reading. You can be insulin resistant without having high glucose due to keeping the input of it down. My A1C runs just about perfect, even when my fasting insulin is running 30+.
Very true.2 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »There was a train of thought, @nvmomketo and @Sunny_Bunny_ that PCOS **CAUSED** IR, but current research shows that it is more often BUT NOT ALWAYS the other way around.
Since there are so many different triggers and parts and pieces to PCOS, it's hard to just find one trigger. Add to that all the different levels of insulin resistance, etc., and it's easy to see why there's no "one true" explanation that fits everyone. Personally, I think that there is some much about all of our hormonal systems that we don't understand (insulin being a hormone, estrogen, etc. too)... They're so linked. I think that one system going wacky tips off the other, but not always in sequence.
My own opinion is that everyone with PCOS likely has some level of IR (no matter how minuscule), even if they haven't shown symptoms or have never been tested for it... So much of PCOS symptoms and IR symptoms overlap, it's hard to say, which came first, the chicken or the egg. I honestly thing down the line that we're going to find a genetic anomaly in most of us with PCOS that explains why we were susceptible or whatever in the first place...
But I know a large number or PCOS sufferers who are told that they don't have IR, yet lowering sugars and carbs is nearly always the first suggestion...to level out hormones???
Another 10-15 years from now, it will be interesting how much more they know. I wonder what direction they'll move in?3
