The PCOS Repair Podcast
Welcome to The PCOS Repair Podcast! I'm Ashlene Korcek, and each week I'll be sharing the latest findings on PCOS and how to make practical health changes to your lifestyle to repair your PCOS at the root cause.If you're struggling with PCOS, know that you're not alone. In fact, it's estimated that one in ten women have PCOS. But the good news is that there is a lot we can do to manage our symptoms and live healthy, happy lives.So whether you're looking for tips on nutrition, exercise, supplements, or mental health, you'll find it all here on...
Whole-Body Healing: A Holistic PCOS Approach
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, you will take a step back and explore what it truly means to heal from PCOS in a holistic, whole-body way. While it’s tempting to zero in on one area, like nutrition, supplements, or lab results, lasting success comes from weaving together all aspects of your health: mind, body, and environment. If you've been feeling stuck or like you're doing everything “right” but still not seeing results, this episode will help you identify where your healing journey may be out of balance and how to refocus your efforts for long-term change...
Physical Activity & Your Mindset
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, you will explore how to shift your mindset around physical activity, especially during seasons when time and energy feel limited. As the holidays approach, exercise can often fall to the bottom of the priority list. But instead of viewing movement as one more obligation or punishment, this episode invites you to reframe it as a nurturing part of your lifestyle that supports hormone balance, emotional wellbeing, and sustainable energy.
How Your Mindset Around Exercise Affects Your Hormones
You will discover how your personal...
Natural or Assisted Fertility: Designing Your Path
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, you will discover the key differences between natural and assisted fertility approaches, and how to determine which path might best suit your needs and personal journey with PCOS. Whether you're currently trying to conceive, thinking about it for the future, or simply wanting to regulate your cycle and optimize your reproductive health, this episode offers empowering and informative insights to guide your next steps.
Exploring Natural Fertility Options
You’ll hear about the benefits and challenges of a natural fertility approach, including ho...
Amanda’s Story: Healing Through Blood Sugar Balance
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, you’ll hear Amanda’s inspiring story, she once felt completely stuck in her PCOS journey. Struggling with overwhelming fatigue, sugar cravings, and an unpredictable cycle, Amanda was frustrated and exhausted, physically and emotionally. Despite seeking medical help, she kept hearing the same disheartening advice: “Lose weight and come back.” But none of it addressed the root of her symptoms or gave her a path forward. In this episode, you’ll learn how Amanda shifted her approach, found clarity, and finally began to feel at peace in her body.
Why...
MD, Naturopath, or Functional? Choosing the Right PCOS Care
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, you’ll discover how to build your best support team to navigate your PCOS journey with confidence. If you’ve ever left a doctor’s appointment feeling like your concerns were dismissed, or if you’ve found yourself unsure whether to turn to an OB/GYN, naturopath, or functional medicine provider, this episode will bring clarity. You’ll learn how to determine who to see, what to ask, and how to create a care team that truly supports your goals and long-term health.
Navigating Medical Providers for PCOS
Saw Palmetto & PCOS: Can This Herb Help Balance Hormones?
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, you’ll discover how saw palmetto can play a valuable role in supporting hormone balance for women with PCOS. Saw palmetto is best known for its anti‑androgen properties, which reduce excess male hormones like testosterone that contribute to symptoms such as acne, unwanted hair growth, and hair thinning. You’ll learn how this herbal supplement works and when it may be worth discussing with your healthcare provider as part of your PCOS management plan.
What Makes Saw Palmetto Unique for Women with PCOS
S...
Insulin, LH, and PCOS Hormonal Chaos: Understanding the Connection
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, you’ll explore how luteinizing hormone (LH) plays a pivotal role in ovulation, and how its interaction with insulin can create hormonal chaos in PCOS. LH is the hormone responsible for triggering ovulation, but when it becomes imbalanced, cycles can become irregular or even anovulatory. This discussion sheds light on why LH may be elevated and how this elevation disrupts ovulation, especially when paired with high testosterone levels.
How Cycle Chaos Unfolds: Elevated LH and Ovulation
Insulin resistance, common in PCOS, contributes to...
PCOS and Fertility Treatment Dropout: What Comes Next?
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, you'll explore the emotional and psychological realities behind why so many women with PCOS choose to step away from fertility treatments. Drawing from a research article titled “Dropout of Infertility Treatments and Related Factors Among Infertile Couples”, this conversation dives into the personal reasons behind treatment discontinuation and what that means for women who are still hoping to grow their families. If you’ve ever felt the heavy emotional toll of month-to-month hoping, anxiety and disappointment, this episode offers a compassionate insight into a part of the fertility journey that’s rarely d...
Ozempic, Weight Loss Medications and PCOS: What You Need to Know
This episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, explores the hot topic of Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications and their potential role for PCOS. These drugs are making headlines for their potential to improve weight loss efforts, but how do they truly fit into a PCOS management plan? You’ll learn what these medications are, how they work in the body, and what the current research says about their use in women with PCOS. Most importantly, this episode helps you understand how to think critically about whether a GLP-1 medication may or may not be right for your situation.
...
How Jasmine Rebuilt Her Relationship with Food and Hormones
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, I’m excited to share Jasmine’s story, a former patient whose struggles with PCOS, body image, and burnout may sound all too familiar. Jasmine’s experience reflects the pressure many women feel to constantly push harder, dieting, overtraining, and trying to force their bodies into submission, only to feel like they’re getting nowhere. If you've ever felt like your efforts weren’t enough or your body was working against you, this episode offers a powerful shift in perspective and practical encouragement.
When Your Body Says "Enough": The Turnin...
PCOS Isn’t Just a Label: It’s a Clue to Better Health
It’s time to reframe what a PCOS diagnosis actually means for your life and health. Instead of seeing it as a label or limitation, this episode explores how PCOS can serve as a powerful clue, your body’s way of pointing you toward what it truly needs. If you’ve ever felt weighed down by the confusion, frustration, or lack of clear direction after hearing “you have PCOS,” this episode offers the mindset shift you’ve been waiting for.
The Emotional Weight of Diagnosis
It starts with reflection on what it feels like to be d...
Balance Your Hormones with Omega-3 Power
Discover the powerful role that omega-3 fatty acids play in hormone health, inflammation, and PCOS symptom management. While supplements and superfoods are often overhyped, omega-3s stand out as a simple yet impactful nutrient you can easily include in your daily routine—either through diet or supplementation. You’ll learn how omega-3s reduce inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, support hormone production, and even promote better mood, brain function, and emotional stability.
How Omega-3s Support Hormone and Insulin Health
Omega-3s help calm the chronic low-grade inflammation common in PCOS and...
Love, Boundaries & PCOS: Navigating Hormonal Shifts Together
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, you’ll discover how the relationships in your life, whether with your partner, friends, family, or coworkers, can significantly influence your PCOS symptoms. Emotional stress, social expectations, and even well-meaning gestures can trigger physical changes like fatigue, cravings, acne, mood swings, and weight gain. These effects are often subtle but impactful, creating pressure that worsens hormonal imbalances without you even realizing it.
Emotional Stress, Hormones, and Relationship Triggers
You will learn how emotional responses to seemingly minor events, like a coworker’s food...
The Science of Stress & What It’s Doing to Your PCOS
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, the focus is on the intricate connection between stress and hormonal balance in women with PCOS. Drawing on insights from the research article Stress: Endocrine Physiology and Pathophysiology, this discussion explores how the body’s stress response is designed to protect survival, and how that same system can disrupt metabolic health, fertility, and hormone regulation when stress becomes chronic. You will learn exactly what happens inside the body when the sympathetic nervous system and HPA axis are activated, why cortisol plays such a powerful role in blood sugar regulation, and how on...
PCOS & Insulin Resistance: A Step-by-Step Guide
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, you will discover what insulin resistance really means, why it’s such a central root cause in PCOS, and how it shows up in ways that go far beyond weight or diet alone. Insulin resistance affects up to 80% of individuals with PCOS, and yet many women are told they don’t have it, simply because their lab work appears “normal.” This episode unpacks the science of insulin resistance in simple terms so you can better understand how your body uses insulin, where the process can break down, and what that means for your...
Rachel’s Fertility Breakthrough: A True PCOS Story
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, I get to share the inspiring story of Rachel, a 35-year-old woman who overcame fertility struggles by addressing a commonly overlooked root cause of PCOS: chronic inflammation. Her journey is a powerful reminder of how subtle, everyday inflammation, often without dramatic symptoms, can significantly impact hormone balance, energy levels, and the ability to conceive.
Recognizing the Hidden Impact of Inflammation
Rachel began working with me a few months after a frustrating doctors appointment. Despite exercising regularly and eating a clean diet, she felt fatigued, bloated...
PCOS and the Workplace: How to Protect Your Energy & Focus
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, the conversation turns to an often-overlooked but incredibly relevant topic: managing PCOS in the workplace, whatever your version of a workplace may be. Whether you're working in an office, at home raising kids, attending school, or juggling multiple roles, your environment plays a big role in your energy, focus, and ability to support your hormone health. This episode explores how to create a daily routine that protects your energy, enhances your focus, and helps you build a lifestyle that supports your PCOS, even on the busiest days.
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The Magic of Magnesium for Hormones, Sleep, and Stress
In this supplement spotlight episode, you’ll discover the powerful role magnesium plays in hormone regulation, energy levels, sleep, mood, and insulin sensitivity, all areas deeply affected by PCOS. Although often overlooked, magnesium is a foundational mineral that supports several root causes of PCOS and helps create balance in the body.
How Magnesium Impacts Hormones, Insulin, and Stress Response
Magnesium directly supports blood sugar regulation and hormone production. Low levels of magnesium are directly linked to all the PCOS root causes. In this episoe you’ll learn how magnesium helps impr...
How Losing Weight Can Support Your Cycle & Conception
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, you’ll discover the nuanced relationship between body weight and fertility for women with PCOS. This topic is often clouded by myths and oversimplified advice—especially from healthcare providers who may suggest weight loss as the best “fix” without explaining the deeper hormonal dynamics at play. This episode offers clarity on how weight can impact the menstrual cycle, influence ovulation, and affect overall reproductive health, while emphasizing why simply losing weight is not the ultimate solution.
Weight and PCOS Symptoms
Weight does not cause PC...
From Stuck to Strong: Building a Growth Mindset with PCOS
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, you’ll discover how the neuroscience behind a growth mindset and intrinsic motivation directly impacts your ability to follow through on healthy habits. This topic goes beyond our usual conversations about nutrition or supplements, this is about what actually drives you to take action when managing PCOS starts to feel overwhelming. While the research article explored in this episode isn't specific to PCOS, its findings shed light on how your brain processes effort, setbacks, and progress, making it incredibly relevant to your journey with hormone balance and lifestyle changes.
...
Calming the PCOS Overwhelm: Practical Tips for a More Peaceful Journey
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, the focus turns to a topic that resonates deeply with many women navigating PCOS—feeling overwhelmed by all the conflicting advice, supplements, diets, and strategies flooding the internet. This episode brings a refreshing mindset shift, showing how you can step away from the chaos and start creating clarity by tuning into your body’s unique signals.
Understanding Why PCOS Feels So Overwhelming
The explosion of PCOS-related content online, though well-intentioned, can easily lead to confusion. From contradictory diet advice to aggressive supplement prom...
The Hidden Layers of PCOS: Do You Have More Than One Root Cause?
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, you’ll discover why it’s not only possible, but highly likely, that you have more than one root cause contributing to your PCOS symptoms. From insulin resistance to chronic inflammation, stress response, and hormone and nutrient disruption, PCOS rarely stems from just one issue. This episode walks you through how to identify your dominant root cause while acknowledging that other contributing factors may also be playing a role.
Why Identifying a Primary Root Causes Matters
Although most women with PCOS have over...
Overcoming PCOS Challenges: Building a Confident You
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, we’ll take an honest look at the emotional impact of PCOS and how the thoughts and feelings you experience can shape your health journey. While emotions can be a driving force for creating habits and discipline, they can also become heavy obstacles, leading to doubt, frustration, and feeling stuck. This episode is all about recognizing those emotions, learning from them, and moving forward with compassion and clarity.
Why PCOS Feels So Heavy Emotionally
Managing physical symptoms like irregular cycles, fatigue, and we...
The Dynamic Duo: Berberine & Chromium for PCOS
This episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, explores two popular supplements, berberine and chromium, and how they compare when it comes to managing insulin resistance and supporting hormone balance in PCOS. While both supplements have gained attention on social media and within the wellness space, this episode takes a research-based look at their effects, how they work, and when they might be appropriate for someone with PCOS.
How Berberine Supports Blood Sugar and Hormone Health
In this episode, you’ll learn why berberine’s multifaceted benefits make it especially helpful for those...
The Evolution of PCOS Care: Survey of Nutrition History
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, you’ll explore the dramatic increase in PCOS diagnoses over the last decade and what may be driving this trend. While increased awareness and improved testing play a role, today’s discussion goes deeper, looking at how shifts in lifestyle, dietary habits, and everyday routines may be contributing to the rise in PCOS and metabolic health issues overall. This episode reflects on how body sizes, children’s health, and nutrition culture have evolved over the last 30 years, setting the stage for a broader conversation about food quality and hormone health.
...
PCOS and Diet: The Latest Research of Crafting the Optimal Nutritional Strategy
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, discover insights from a recent research review titled “Nutrition Strategy and Lifestyle in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.” This comprehensive article explores the latest research on dietary patterns, supplements, and lifestyle changes shown to support PCOS symptom relief. You’ll learn why tailored strategies matter more than one-size-fits-all solutions and how to apply the findings to your own health journey.
The Variety in PCOS Presentation
This episode highlights the wide variability in how PCOS presents itself. While one woman may struggle with acne and irregu...
Inherited Battles: Understanding the Genetic Roots of PCOS
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, we’ll explore the role genetics play in PCOS. While PCOS does have a genetic component, it doesn’t follow the straightforward hereditary patterns seen with eye color or height. Instead, it involves gene variants that affect how the body handles insulin, hormones, inflammation, and reproductive function. Not everyone with a genetic predisposition will develop symptoms, and how those genes are expressed can vary widely, even within the same family. These variables are what we will discuss in this episode.Â
Why PCOS Symptoms Can Look Different in Every...
Navigating PCOS and Eating Disorders: A Teen’s Story to Better Health
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, I get to share the inspiring journey of Annie, a former client who overcame PCOS symptoms, found healing, and reached her weight loss goals, all while honoring her mental health and navigating a history of disordered eating. Annie’s story is a powerful example of what can happen when you take a compassionate, root-cause-driven approach to managing PCOS.
The Emotional Side of Health Goals
This episode highlights the emotional weight of health journeys, especially when past struggles with body image or disordered eating are involved. An...
Lifestyle by Design: Creating a PCOS-Friendly Life
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, you’ll discover what it really means to live a PCOS-friendly lifestyle—and more importantly, how to design one that fits your unique needs. While the phrase "PCOS-friendly" gets thrown around a lot, it can often feel vague or even overwhelming. This episode offers a clear framework to help you stop guessing and start building a lifestyle that actually supports your body and your goals.
Understanding the Foundation of a PCOS-Friendly Lifestyle
A PCOS-friendly lifestyle isn’t about following a rigid formula or cutting out everyt...
Supplement Spotlight: How Vitamin D Supports Hormones, Fertility, and Metabolism in PCOS
Understanding the Importance of Vitamin D for PCOS Health
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, the spotlight is on vitamin D—a nutrient often mentioned in PCOS conversations but not always fully understood. Commonly referred to as the "sunshine vitamin," vitamin D plays a critical role not only in bone health but also in glucose metabolism, inflammation reduction, and immune system support. These are all key factors in managing PCOS. This episode explores how vitamin D influences these processes and why it’s especially important for women with PCOS to monitor and...
The Ideal PCOS Weight: Finding Your Balance
Understanding the Link Between PCOS and Weight
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, the spotlight is on one of the most talked-about PCOS symptoms—weight. Whether it’s the frustration of weight gain, the confusion around how to lose it, or the struggle to maintain progress, weight is a concern for many women with PCOS. But contrary to what some might hear from doctors or online sources, weight is not the cause of PCOS—it’s a symptom. That said, excess weight can exacerbate root causes like insulin resistance and inflammation. This epi...
The Power of Nutritional Supplements in Managing PCOS
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, you'll discover how targeted nutritional supplementation can help reduce oxidative stress and improve hormone and metabolic function in women with PCOS. This discussion is based on a recent research article titled The Effects of Nutritional Supplementation on Oxidative Stress and Hormonal and Lipid Profiles in a PCOS-Affected Female. If you’ve been wondering whether certain nutrients—like vitamin D or omega-3s—can actually help with PCOS symptoms, this episode breaks it down in a practical and research-backed way.
Oxidative Stress and PCOS
Oxidat...
Energize Your Day: Combat PCOS Fatigue with Proven Strategies to Revitalize and Recharge
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast, the spotlight is on one of the most frustrating and commonly misunderstood symptoms of PCOS: fatigue. Whether it's that mid-afternoon slump, the struggle to get out of bed, or the sense of always running on empty, energy issues affect many women with PCOS, and today’s conversation dives deep into why that happens and how to fix it.
Understanding the Link Between PCOS and Fatigue
Fatigue isn’t just about being tired—it’s often the result of a disrupted circadian rhythm. This internal clock controls...
A Day in the Life: Real PCOS Success Stories
Welcome back to the PCOS Repair Podcast! Today's episode is particularly inspiring as I share the journey of one of my patients, Taylor, and her battle with PCOS and weight management. Taylor's story highlights the significance of identifying root causes in achieving sustainable weight loss and overall health improvements.
Taylor’s Journey Through PCOS and Weight Challenges
Taylor's struggle with weight began early. Despite being an active child, she started experiencing unmanageable weight gain following her growth spurt at age 12. As she transitioned into adolescence and beyond, her challenges with weight only intensified, co...
PCOS Myths Exposed: Separating Fact from Fiction
This episode is addressing common misinformation regarding PCOS, explores where it comes from, and offers strategies to navigate through the noise effectively. Misinformation surrounds us, where personal anecdotes and marketing heavily influence our perceptions and decisions. We’ll dissect some prevalent myths and provide you with the tools to make informed decisions about managing your PCOS.
The Origins of Misinformation in PCOS ManagementÂ
Misinformation about PCOS frequently arises from personal success stories shared on social media and aggressive marketing tactics for supplements, diets and coaching. Influencers and marketers often promote diet plans, supplements, and...
Supplement Spotlight: Maca’s Role in PCOS Management
This week’s episode is a supplement spotlight for Maca, a plant native to Peru known for its medicinal properties. Let’s explore its potential in managing PCOS symptoms. We’ll focus particularly on its impact on fertility, mood, energy, and metabolic health. Tune in to dissect scientific studies and offer practical advice on integrating maca into your PCOS management strategy.
Potential Benefits of Maca
Maca has long been revered for its health benefits and has traditionally been used to enhance fertility, libido, stress management, and energy along with many other benefits.Â
Scien...
PCOS Without the Pill: Alternative Management Strategies
Today’s episode is dedicated to unraveling the complexities of birth control in the context of PCOS. Explore how synthetic hormones might influence PCOS symptoms and hormonal imbalances, providing you with a range of perspectives to help make informed decisions adaptable to different life stages.
Navigating Birth Control Choices Through Life’s Phases
This episode discusses whether birth control is the right choice for you based on your lifestyle needs. The best option during your teenage years may not be ideal in your twenties, thirties, or as you approach menopause. It also explores life...
Mind Matters: Exploring PCOS and Mental Health
This episode explores the psychological impact of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a crucial aspect usually overshadowed by the physical symptoms. This episode discusses insights from the research article "The Invisible Struggle: The Psychological Aspects of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome". This article shines a light on the social misconceptions and internal struggles faced by those dealing with PCOS, highlighting how these challenges go beyond the physical to affect mental health profoundly.
The Overlooked Psychological Struggles of PCOSÂ
This episode explores the psychosocial burdens that individuals with PCOS endure. These struggles include dealing with social misconceptions, s...
LH Levels and PCOS: What You Need to Know
This episode goes deeper into the role of luteinizing hormone (LH) in regulating the menstrual cycle and its implications for those with PCOS. Discover the essential functions of LH, how it influences fertility, and why it's particularly significant for understanding and managing PCOS symptoms and health.
Key Functions of Luteinizing Hormone
Luteinizing hormone plays a critical role in both men and women by regulating important aspects of the reproductive system. For women, LH is crucial for managing estrogen and progesterone levels, which are essential to creating the rhythm of the menstrual cycle's phases...
PCOS to Parenthood: Inspiring Fertility Case Studies
In this episode of the PCOS Repair Podcast! I’ll focus on a prevalent issue many women with PCOS face, illustrated through the journey of one of my patients Janelle. This episode uncovers the common challenges and misconceptions surrounding PCOS from adolescence through adulthood and gives you a window into what the path to PCOS freedom looks like.Â
Janelle’s Struggle with PCOS
Janelle’s PCOS symptoms began subtly with semi-regular periods during her teenage years, leading to a diagnosis and subsequent birth control treatment in her late teens. However, the temporary solution masked...
