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Searching for information about PCOS is overwhelming.
While there’s a wealth of resources, it can be challenging to sift through everything to find advice that’s both relevant to you AND endorsed by experts.
Here’s where PCOS books are particularly useful. With the best polycystic ovarian syndrome books, experts collate research, case studies, and personal stories and present them in an easy-to-understand manner. This means you get evidence-backed advice to support you on your PCOS journey, whether you want to manage your weight, clear up your acne, or boost your mood.
But if there are so many to choose from, which reads should you prioritize? Here are three books that continue to help me on my PCOS journey.
1. The PCOS plan
The PCOS Plan: Prevent and Reverse Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome through Diet and Fasting is a PCOS book about making lifestyle changes to improve PCOS.
This book is by Dr. Nadia Brito Pateguana, a naturopathic doctor and dietary coach. Dr. Jason Fung, a nephrologist and fasting expert, co-authors, which makes sense because the book contains an in-depth section on intermittent fasting. (Sidebar: I only learned that a nephrologist treats kidney problems when I found Fung’s YouTube channel.)
In her practice, Pateguana, who also has PCOS, focuses on helping women with PCOS get pregnant. At the start of her career, she created low-carb diet plans for several patients in her home country of Mozambique. After following these plans for a few months, her patients conceived. Pateguana tells us more about her PCOS journey throughout the book. In these excepts, I identified with so many of her struggles.
“I started taking the birth control pill (BCP) when I was a teenager for menstrual irregularities and acne. A few years, my hirsutism became more apparent so I used laser hair removal, which was expensive and time-consuming. My facial hair was the worst part, because it was embarrassing and painful to remove,” writes Pateguana.
She shares her personal story and how dietary changes, specifically a low-carb diet and intermittent fasting, improved her fertility and overall health.
Pateguana goes on to unpack the misconceptions around common forms of PCOS treatment. Here she explores the efficacy of low-calorie diets, exercise, medication, and surgery.
You’ll also learn why intermittent fasting can help manage PCOS, how it works, and how to try it out safely. This section is super practical, packed with research and tips.
2. The PCOS Nutrition Center Cookbook
The PCOS Nutrition Center Cookbook: 100 Easy and Delicious Whole Food Recipes to Beat PCOS is a great PCOS cookbook.
It’s by the team of dietitians at the PCOS Nutrition Center.
What’s really great about this read is that it’s so much more than just another PCOS cookbook. You’ll learn the impact of different foods on PCOS. For instance, here’s where I first discovered if you have PCOS, you should limit your simple carb intake. To be honest, I didn’t even know there were different types of carbs before this book.
I also came away with a few broad realisations about food. One, in particular, was how unhealthy many vegetable oils are, like canola, sunflower, and palm kernel. Since reading this book, I pay attention to the ingredients of all products. It’s alarming just how pervasive these oils are, honestly.
But, fortunately, the book doesn’t fixate solely on the types of food we should avoid.
“All too often we find women with PCOS are more focused on the foods they can’t eat rather than the foods they can,” the authors write.
Apart from the recipes, the authors explain the health benefits of PCOS-friendly foods. This context makes this book such a great introduction to diet and PCOS.
“All of the recipes featured in this cookbook are PCOS-friendly and focus on a variety of whole foods, slow, or low-glycemic index grains that won’t spike insulin levels, healthy fats, fruits, vegetables –and flavor!”
The book includes a 4-week meal plan and a list of pantry staples. Even if you don’t follow every single piece of guidance, you’ll likely still implement small changes. For example, I was inspired to avoid store-bought salad dressings and add PCOS-friendly smoothies to my diet.
3. 8 steps to reverse your PCOS
8 Steps to Reverse Your PCOS: A Proven Program to Reset Your Hormones, Repair Your Metabolism, and Restore Your Fertility provides a step-by-step plan to manage PCOS.
Fiona McCulloch is a naturopathic doctor who also has PCOS, and this book is based on her 15 years in practice.
Like Pateguana, McCulloch shares her own story in the book. She details her battles with acne, hair loss, irregular periods, and abdominal weight gain in a way that’s so relatable. At the start, McCulloch defines PCOS. You’ll learn how to identify the different types of PCOS and even find quizzes throughout to check which category you fall into.
In the rest of this PCOS book, each chapter is devoted to an action you can treat to treat PCOS, and these chapters are:
- Address inflammation
- Treat insulin resistance
- Balance your adrenals and improve your mood
- Treat excess androgens
- Address hormonal imbalances
- Balance your thyroid
- Create a healthy environment
- Eat a balanced diet
Throughout these steps, McCulloch simplifies a lot of complex concepts. For example, after consulting with my doctor I realised I was dealing with adrenal fatigue. I did some additional research to understand the condition and found tons of advice in this book.
Change your life with the best PCOS books
The right polycystic ovarian syndrome book is an amazing resource.
Personally, I only knew to test my insulin resistance and blood sugar levels once I read these books. With these books, you can begin to take charge of your PCOS symptoms.
Featured image credit: Photo by Monstera from Pexels
