Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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I've been absent from the paleohacks community for a little while, but this is something that I haven't been able to wrap my head around and wanted to throw it out there to you guys.

Some background: I am 22, 5'9" and 135lbs. I have been eating a low-carb paleo for 6 months (with butter, and cream in my coffee). For a couple of years prior, I was following a loosely low-carb diet. I have never had ovulation pain, or bad menstrual cramps in my entire life. My periods have always been very regular, varying at most 27-31 days. I usually work out 2-3x/week.

About a week after my last period, I started having intense lower abdominal pain near my ovaries. Sometimes unilaterally, sometimes bilaterally, but it never went away. After 5 days I started getting shooting pains and feeling dizzy and very nauseous. Upon going to my gyno, the ultrasound he performed showed that I had multiple ovarian cysts. He said it wasn't enough to be PCOS just yet, but told me that I should go on birth control immediately to prevent the condition from getting worse, so I wouldn't develop the symptoms of PCOS, so I'd be able to have kids more easily in the future, etc.

And here is where my question lies: I've read tons of info online and elsewhere about low-carb helping women with PCOS get off of birth control and hormones, help them lose weight and help leptin sensitivity, etc. I do Not, not not want to start taking exogenous hormones, and I'm wondering if anyone has had experience with a condition like this While they were already eating a paleo/low-carb diet? If so, did your condition improve as you continued to eat this way? Should I continue to eat low-carb/low-sugar and see if it helps improve the condition? If I've had this condition for a long time, why would it be rearing its ugly head Now after I have been eating so cleanly? Did you or did you not start taking hormones, and what was the result? Any information you guys could give me would be appreciated :)

flag	asked Jan 14 2012 at 21:03 Priscilla 2,473●2●13

Are you taking any supplements? Cod liver oil? – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Jan 14 2012 at 21:16

I take Barleans fish oil, usually 4-6 pills per day. I also supplement with vitamin D, magnesium and calcium occasionally. – Priscilla Jan 14 2012 at 21:26

I had this issue last year and it seemed the only new thing I had been doing since the intense cramps/nausea/pain during my period was taking CLO. I discontinued taking it and it seems to have resolved over the past four months without doing much else. But, maybe it was something else I had been doing? I don't know, but as long as it's gone, I'm pretty happy because it was some of the worst pain I'd ever experienced. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Jan 14 2012 at 21:39

I talked a little with paul jaminent about it and he said that it may have been the retinol in the CLO that was causing it. I know my own body doesn't synthesize retinol particularly well, but because I didn't want to have PCOS I was willing to lower my consumption of it and instead get lots of beta carotene. It's a frustrating issue and it really freaked me out when it happened, so I hope yours resolves too. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Jan 14 2012 at 21:42

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I don't know if fish oil could be an issue. I know CLO has a lot of retinol, which I don't think fish oil does. However, I take a pretty dim view of supplements, particularly after this incident. Why not just eat some fish? – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Jan 14 2012 at 22:19

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Anonymous · Answer 1 · 2012-01-15 12:32:23Z UTC

How is your iodine intake? While I have not read too many papers on the topic, there is some evidence that decreased thyroid hormones contribute to ovarian cysts. Dietary iodine is needed to produce the thyroid hormones. One of the problems of a paleo/primal diet is that by cutting out processed foods and choosing sea salt over table salt, people also cut out the iodine that supplements these foods. If you are also experiencing increased sensitivity to cold conditions, dry skin, constipation, weakness, fatigue, etc... besides menstrual problems and ovarian cysts there may be a chance that you have low iodine levels and you should get a TSH, T3 and T4 test done.

Dragonfly · Answer 2 · 2012-01-15 02:22:58Z UTC

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More tinkering and patience! Hormones can take some time to sort themselves out.

I would suggest getting your Vitamin D status tested.

Also, supplementing with Zinc or eating oysters twice a week (and adding in more Vitamin E) may be helpful.

And get rid of any xenoestrogens in the house (BPA, beauty aids, cleaning products, laundry detergent, etc.)

answered Jan 15 2012 at 2:22

Dragonfly
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	True true. I do supplement with D, but not enough zinc. I think I do a pretty good job with keep toxins out of the home and body, but I will work more on it. – Priscilla Jan 15 2012 at 14:09
	Your blood D level is more important than whether or not you supplement. You could be supplementing and still be deficient. Best to test. – Dragonfly Jan 15 2012 at 14:11
	Yeah, I think I am going to ask to get a complete blood panel done and see what's up. Thanks for your input! – Priscilla Jan 15 2012 at 14:58

Happy Now · Answer 3 · 2012-01-15 08:17:04Z UTC

I don't know what your dairy intake was before, but some people are really sensitive to it. I have PCOS and most dietary recommendations I find about dealing with it suggest a dairy-free diet. (Shhh, I still put a spoonful of cream in my coffee and eat some butter too, but maybe that's why I still have all these cysts.)

I'm a little confused about your doc saying that the presence of some cysts could turn into PCOS. There are perfectly normal transient cysts women get in their ovaries that will usually heal on their own over time. The PCOS cysts are quite numerous and tiny. Seems like two very different things to me.

As to the above thread about the Cod Liver Oil, that gave me pause, I added it to my short list of supplements around November. My fingers are crossed that I haven't screwed myself up with that. Another thought occurred to me, I know of some midwives who recommend women stop taking fish oil for a little while right before their due dates because it is a pretty effective blood thinner. I wonder if excess menstrual bleeding because of the blood thinning effects could have been contributing to some of the CLO induced misery.

Multiple ovarian cysts while eating a low-carb paleo diet?

3 Answers