If you have PCOS, you’ve probably heard that losing weight can improve symptoms. But what if you don’t need to lose weight? Women who are lean with PCOS often feel overlooked and minimized. But the reality is that lean women can have just as many symptoms, both physical and mental, and health risks as women who have larger bodies. The good news is that that there are plenty of steps you can take to get your hormones back in balance and improve your PCOS symptoms that don’t involve making changes to your weight. Read on to get my lean PCOS diet and lifestyle recommendations.
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Stats
PCOS is the most common endocrine condition affecting women, yet up to 70% of women remain undiagnosed. And if you are lean, it can be especially difficult to get a diagnosis. You may be wondering what the definition of “lean” is. In general, a woman with a BMI of 24 or lower would be considered as lean (or not overweight/obese). Here are some stats taken from PCOS expert Dr. Fiona McCulloch’s lecture on “Lean PCOS: Beyond Weight loss” at the 2016 PCOS Awareness Symposium.
-5% of all lean women have PCOS
-20-30% of women with PCOS are of average weight or lean