Living with PCOS
Health topics Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) Living with PCOS Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can affect your physical and mental health. It may also impact your relationships and sex drive (libido). Find out how to improve your physical activity and diet. You’ll also learn about how PCOS can impact your overall health. Print / PDF PCOS and physical health How diet can help manage PCOS symptoms Impacts of PCOS 15 languages available العربية မြန်မာ 简体中文 دری English فارسی हिन्दी ကညီကျိာ် Thok Nath ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Soomaali Kiswahili தமிழ் ภาษาไทย Tiếng Việt Reviewed For the most up to date information on this topic, please visit jeanhailes.org.au Key takeaways If you have PCOS, it’s important to look after your physical health and emotional wellbeing. Lifestyle changes like diet and exercise are key to managing symptoms. PCOS can impact your relationships. If you’re worried about having a low sex drive, you can talk to your doctor or counsellor. Sections on this page PCOS and physical health How diet can help manage PCOS symptoms Impacts of PCOS Print / PDF Key takeaways If you have PCOS, it’s important to look after your physical health and emotional wellbeing. Lifestyle changes like diet and exercise are key to managing symptoms. PCOS can impact your relationships. If you’re worried about having a low sex drive, you can talk to your doctor or counsellor. PCOS and physical health Having a healthy lifestyle is the most effective way to manage PCOS and reduce the severity of symptoms. This includes: eating a balanced diet maintaining a healthy weight being physically active reducing or stopping harmful habits, such as smoking and drinking lots of alcohol. It can be hard to reach and maintain a healthy weight if you have PCOS. Making lifestyle changes can be hard. You may be more likely to make and maintain lifestyle changes when you have a strong support network. A support network can include healthcare professionals, family and friends. How physical activity can help manage PCOS symptoms Physical activity is an important part of managing PCOS symptoms. It can improve symptoms and reduce the risk of developing long-term health conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. If you have PCOS, there are many benefits of regular physical activity, including: increased energy levels and fitness weight loss and maintenance improved self-confidence and motivation improved emotional wellbeing reduced androgen production improved menstrual cycle regularity improved fertility. How diet can help manage PCOS symptoms While there’s no evidence that one diet is better than another in helping to manage PCOS symptoms, it’s recommended you eat a healthy, balanced diet. A healthy diet: helps you to lose weight and prevent weight gain ensures you get the right amount of nutrients, vitamins and minerals helps to regulate hormone levels, which may improve PCOS symptoms such as pimples (acne), excess hair growth, menstrual cycle regularity and infertility helps to reduce the risk of related health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease is more effective than exercise alone in achieving a healthy weight range. Impacts of PCOS Many women with PCOS report an unsatisfying health care experience, including: delayed or missed diagnosis a lack of quality information care that doesn’t address the diverse features of PCOS. Weight stigma is also common in women with PCOS. This can affect the quality of health care they receive, as well as their mental health. PCOS can affect you physically and emotionally. It can also affect relationships with partners, family, friends and colleagues. Symptoms can lead to a lower quality of life, with different impacts for each woman depending on their symptoms, life stage, social situation and culture. Personal stories about PCOS Story PCOS and my long road to a diagnosis 4 min Review process Our review process This information has been reviewed by clinical experts and is based on the latest evidence. Our content review process ensures our health information is accurate, trustworthy, current and useful. We regularly check our information to make sure it reflects the latest clinical guidelines and key findings from large, reliable studies. Where possible, we focus on Australian research to make our information more relevant locally. Experts play a key role in reviewing our content. Clinicians at Jean Hailes check information for accuracy and real‑world relevance. These include GPs, gynaecologists, endocrinologists, psychologists and allied health professionals. We also work with partner organisations, independent specialists and people with lived experience to make sure our content reflects both expert knowledge and the experiences of the community. Health information in your language view all Related topics Topic Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) Healthy recipes for PCOS • How does PCOS affect fertility and pregnancy? • Living with PCOS • PCOS and other health conditions Topic PCOS and other health conditions Topic Healthy recipes for PCOS Topic How does PCOS affect fertility and pregnancy? Get our personalised monthly women’s health newsletter Name This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Email address

Living with PCOS

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can affect your physical and mental health. It may also impact your relationships and sex drive (libido). Find out how to improve your physical activity and diet. You’ll also learn about how PCOS can impact your overall health.

Print / PDF

Reviewed

Key takeaways

If you have PCOS, it’s important to look after your physical health and emotional wellbeing.
Lifestyle changes like diet and exercise are key to managing symptoms.
PCOS can impact your relationships. If you’re worried about having a low sex drive, you can talk to your doctor or counsellor.

Key takeaways

If you have PCOS, it’s important to look after your physical health and emotional wellbeing.
Lifestyle changes like diet and exercise are key to managing symptoms.
PCOS can impact your relationships. If you’re worried about having a low sex drive, you can talk to your doctor or counsellor.

PCOS and physical health

Having a healthy lifestyle is the most effective way to manage PCOS and reduce the severity of symptoms. This includes:

eating a balanced diet
maintaining a healthy weight
being physically active
reducing or stopping harmful habits, such as smoking and drinking lots of alcohol.

It can be hard to reach and maintain a healthy weight if you have PCOS.

Making lifestyle changes can be hard. You may be more likely to make and maintain lifestyle changes when you have a strong support network. A support network can include healthcare professionals, family and friends.

How physical activity can help manage PCOS symptoms

Physical activity is an important part of managing PCOS symptoms. It can improve symptoms and reduce the risk of developing long-term health conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

If you have PCOS, there are many benefits of regular physical activity, including:

increased energy levels and fitness
weight loss and maintenance
improved self-confidence and motivation
improved emotional wellbeing
reduced androgen production
improved menstrual cycle regularity
improved fertility.

How diet can help manage PCOS symptoms

While there’s no evidence that one diet is better than another in helping to manage PCOS symptoms, it’s recommended you eat a healthy, balanced diet.

A healthy diet:

helps you to lose weight and prevent weight gain
ensures you get the right amount of nutrients, vitamins and minerals
helps to regulate hormone levels, which may improve PCOS symptoms such as pimples (acne), excess hair growth, menstrual cycle regularity and infertility
helps to reduce the risk of related health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease
is more effective than exercise alone in achieving a healthy weight range.

Impacts of PCOS

Many women with PCOS report an unsatisfying health care experience, including:

delayed or missed diagnosis
a lack of quality information
care that doesn’t address the diverse features of PCOS.

Weight stigma is also common in women with PCOS. This can affect the quality of health care they receive, as well as their mental health.

PCOS can affect you physically and emotionally. It can also affect relationships with partners, family, friends and colleagues.

Symptoms can lead to a lower quality of life, with different impacts for each woman depending on their symptoms, life stage, social situation and culture.