The research behind Pollie's interdisciplinary approach to PCOS

Pollie has developed an interdisciplinary approach to PCOS management. This means that we take all factors of managing PCOS into account: not just medication, but also nutrition, exercise, stress, sleep, supplements, and more.

Our treatment protocol standards have been developed by our medical advisor team. Our stellar advisors are all practicing healthcare providers - and hormonal health specialists - who range from more conventional OBGYNs to functional medicine practitioners to PCOS researchers.

If you’re curious about our evidence-backed approach, feel free to check out the below research. Let your care team know if there are any studies or areas that you are interested in learning more about!

Nutrition

Insulin resistance / low carb diets

• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Insulin-Resistant Adolescents with Obesity: The Role of Nutrition Therapy and Food Supplements as a Strategy to Protect Fertility (2021)
• Effect of Diet on Insulin Resistance in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (2020)
• Diets with lower carbohydrate concentrations improve insulin sensitivity in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A meta-analysis (2020)
• Effects of a ketogenic diet in overweight women with polycystic ovary syndrome (2020)
• The Effect of Low Carbohydrate Diet on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (2019)
• Effects of DASH diet on lipid profiles and biomarkers of oxidative stress in overweight and obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized clinical trial (2014)
• Dietary glycemic index is associated with less favorable anthropometric and metabolic profiles in polycystic ovary syndrome women with different phenotypes (2013)
• Effect of a low glycemic index compared with a conventional healthy diet on polycystic ovary syndrome (2010)
• The effects of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet on the polycystic ovary syndrome: A pilot study (2005)

Anti-inflammatory diet

• The effects of flaxseed supplementation on metabolic status in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized open-labeled controlled clinical trial (2020)
• Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, Dietary Patterns and Body Composition in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) (2019)
• Source and amount of carbohydrate in the diet and inflammation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (2018)

Dairy

• Milk and Dairy Products and Their Impact on Carbohydrate Metabolism and Fertility-A Potential Role in the Diet of Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (2020)
• Low Starch/Low Dairy Diet Results in Successful Treatment of Obesity and Co-Morbidities Linked to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) (2015)
• The Relationship between Intake of Dairy Products and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Women Who Referred to Isfahan University of Medical Science Clinics in 2013 (2013)

Fiber

• Low intakes of dietary fiber and magnesium are associated with insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism in polycystic ovary syndrome: A cohort study (2019)
• Dietary intake, body composition and metabolic parameters in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Gluten & autoimmune response

• Association between PCOS and autoimmune thyroid disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2018)
• Extra-intestinal manifestations of non-celiac gluten sensitivity: An expanding paradigm (2018)
• High Proportions of People With Nonceliac Wheat Sensitivity Have Autoimmune Disease or Antinuclear Antibodies (2015)

Plant-based

• Low glycemic index vegan or low-calorie weight loss diets for women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized controlled feasibility study (2018)
• Diet and sex-hormone binding globulin, dysmenorrhea, and premenstrual symptoms (2000)

Exercise

General

• Exercise Interventions in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2020)
• A Systematic Review of the Effects of Exercise on Hormones in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (2020)
• Effects of exercise and dietary habits on the occurrence of polycystic ovary syndrome over 5 years of follow-up (2018)
• Aerobic Training Improves Quality of Life in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (2018)
• Role of exercise training in polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2018)
• Moderate increases in daily step count are associated with reduced IL6 and CRP in women with PCOS (2018)
• Benefits of short-term structured exercise in non-overweight women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a prospective randomized controlled study (2015)
• Effects of exercise on insulin resistance and body composition in overweight and obese women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome (2011)

HIIT / Strength Training

• Evaluation of Changes in Levels of Hyperandrogenism, Hirsutism and Menstrual Regulation After a Period of Aquatic High Intensity Interval Training in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (2019)
• Effects of Progressive Resistance Training on Obesity Indices in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and the Relationship With Telomere Length (2019)
• Resistance Exercise Impacts Lean Muscle Mass in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (2016)
• Effects of High Intensity Interval Training and Strength Training on Metabolic, Cardiovascular and Hormonal Outcomes in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Pilot Study (2015)
• Quality of Life in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome after a Program of Resistance Exercise Training (2016)
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Yoga

• Regular Mindful Yoga Practice as a Method to Improve Androgen Levels in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized, Controlled Trial (2020)
• Impact of yoga and exercises on polycystic ovarian syndrome risk among adolescent schoolgirls in South India (2020)
• Effect of a yoga program on glucose metabolism and blood lipid levels in adolescent girls with polycystic ovary syndrome (2012)

Mental health, stress, mindfulness, and sleep

Mental health

• Polycystic ovary syndrome and mental disorders: a systematic review and exploratory meta-analysis (2016)
• Anxiety and depression in polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2011)
• Quality of life and psychological well being in polycystic ovary syndrome (2007)

Stress

• Cortisol and polycystic ovarian syndrome - a systematic search and meta-analysis of case-control studies (2021)
• Possible Link Between Stress-related Factors and Altered Body Composition in Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (2018)
• Circulating markers of oxidative stress and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): a systematic review and meta-analysis (2013)

Mindfulness

• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Women with Overweight or Obesity: A Randomized Clinical Trial (2017)
• Impact of a mindfulness stress management program on stress, anxiety, depression and quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized controlled trial (2015)
• The physiological basis of complementary and alternative medicines for polycystic ovary syndrome (2011)

Sleep / Circadian rhythm dysfunction

• Association between circadian rhythm disruption and polycystic ovary syndrome (2021)
• Morning Circadian Misalignment Is Associated With Insulin Resistance in Girls With Obesity and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (2019)
• The Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and the Metabolic Syndrome: A Possible Chronobiotic-Cytoprotective Adjuvant Therapy (2018)
• Nutrients, Clock Genes, and Chrononutrition (2014)

Gut health

• Dysbiosis of Gut Microbiota Associated with Clinical Parameters in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (2017)
• Dysbiosis of Gut Microbiota (DOGMA)--a novel theory for the development of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (2012)

Supplements

Myo-inositol

• Myo-inositol effects in women with PCOS: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (2017)
• Management of women with PCOS using myo-inositol and folic acid. New clinical data and review of the literature (2017)
• Comparison of two insulin sensitizers, metformin and myo-inositol, in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) (2017)

Other vitamins (e.g. Vitamin B12, folate, vitamin D, magnesium, melatonin, NAC, omega 3 supplementation, and more)

• Effect of vitamin D supplementation on polycystic ovary syndrome: A meta-analysis (2020)
• Efficacy of combination therapy of inositols, antioxidants and vitamins in obese and non-obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome: an observational study (2019)
• The effect of nutrient supplementation in the management of polycystic ovary syndrome-associated metabolic dysfunctions: A critical review (2018)
• Insulin Resistance and Serum Magnesium Concentrations among Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (2019)
• Effectiveness of Omega-3 fatty acid for polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2018)
• Low intakes of dietary fiber and magnesium are associated with insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism in polycystic ovary syndrome: A cohort study (2019)
• Association of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene C677T polymorphism with polycystic ovary syndrome risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis update (2014)

Environmental toxins

• The association between the environmental endocrine disruptor bisphenol A and polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2018)
• Serum bisphenol A concentrations correlate with serum testosterone levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (2018)
• Polycystic ovary syndrome and environmental toxins (2016)

Pharmaceuticals

Hormonal contraceptives

• Effect of the combined oral contraceptive pill and/or metformin in the management of polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review with meta-analyses (2019)
• Hormonal contraception in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: choices, challenges, and noncontraceptive benefits (2017)
• Effects of oral contraceptives on metabolic profile in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A meta-analysis comparing products containing cyproterone acetate with third generation progestins (2017)
• The effect of a combination therapy with myo-inositol and a combined oral contraceptive pill versus a combined oral contraceptive pill alone on metabolic, endocrine, and clinical parameters in polycystic ovary syndrome (2011)

Metformin

• Effect of the combined oral contraceptive pill and/or metformin in the management of polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review with meta-analyses (2019)
• Metformin and lifestyle modification in polycystic ovary syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis (2015)
• Metformin versus lifestyle changes in treating women with polycystic ovary syndrome (2012)

Spiro

• Very low dose spironolactone protects experimentally-induced polycystic ovarian syndrome from insulin-resistant metabolic disturbances by suppressing elevated circulating testosterone (2019)
• In PCOS patients the addition of low-dose spironolactone induces a more marked reduction of clinical and biochemical hyperandrogenism than metformin alone (2014)

Behavior change / lifestyle intervention

• Digital Coaching Strategies to Facilitate Behavioral Change in Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review (2021)
• Behavior stages of a physician- and coach-supported cloud-based diabetes prevention program for people with prediabetes (2019)
• Lifestyle changes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (2019)
• A case study approach to the examination of a telephone-based health coaching intervention in facilitating behaviour change for adults with Type 2 diabetes (2015)

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