PCOS, Belly Bloating, & Bathing Suits - PCOS Diva
Spring Renewal: FREE 5-Day Mini Course Starting April 8th

PCOS, Belly Bloating, & Bathing Suits

Guest post by Dr. Marisol Teijeiro N.D.

It’s that time of year again. You saunter over to the mirror. Put one foot in your swimsuit, the other foot in. You then put your arms through the lassoes that help to keep everything propped up exactly where it should be (hypothetically). You look into the mirror, not bad. Doesn’t look like the winter hibernation did you wrong.

As you turn to the side and look over your shoulder, you gasp, surprised. Your belly is sticking out like you’re four months pregnant. Sadly, you’re not. Maybe you wish that this bloat would be a baby. Maybe it’s just irritating.

Why are you so bloated? Being bloated in your bathing suit isn’t fun. Worse, did you ever think that maybe this bloat could be a BIG part of the reason it’s difficult for you to get pregnant?

Well, there’s a good possibility that it has A LOT to do with what is ‘off’ in your body. Read on to learn how your digestion, or rather indigestion, impacts your hormones, PCOS, and yes, bloat. Plus, I explain what you can do to fix it. Learning how to support this vital function will have you well on your way to achieving your dreams and deepest heartfelt desires.

Bloating, a BIG Symptom in PCOS

Bloating after eating (or all the time) is one of the big symptoms for women with PCOS. Often, constipation is present too. Bloating is definitely one of the most visible and uncomfortable symptoms in this condition[4].

Table of Contents:

  • The Importance of Great Digestion
  • Digestion and your Hormones
  • How Digestion Works
  • Digestion as the Center of our Universe
  • Bloating, a BIG Symptom in PCOS
  • Causes of Bloating in Women with PCOS
  • Beach Body Ready, and Maybe Baby Ready Too?
  • My Journey to Improve my Digestion
  • The Steps I took To Make my Bloat All Better
  • Castor Oil Pack for Indigestion, Bloating and Your Lady Balls
  • Castor Oil Packs, What Do They Actually Do?
  • 5 Step Formula to Reset Digestion, Beat the Bloat, Balance Your Hormones and Love Your Lady Balls

The Importance of Great Digestion

Digestion isn’t just how we digest food; it’s also how we digest life. If our digestion is off and we are suffering from indigestion, we typically have symptoms like a little heart burn here, a little burping there, bad gas everywhere, and a big ol’ belly bloat. You definitely have problems getting a healthy balance of what you need from your food. The nutrients and vital richness of the foods are not absorbing. Your gut is also the center of your immune system and is critical to your hormone regulation.

How Digestion Works

The gut is where the magic in your body happens. When we intake food, we have to break it down via mechanical and chemical d

igestion. Then we have to absorb the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that our bodies need. We also have to effectively eliminate the waste and what doesn’t serve us.

It is an intricate process with lots of steps, and any part of it that goes wrong will mess up the entire system. It’s like dominos, if you break the step-by-step sequence, everything just falls apart.

Digestion and your Hormones

When digestion is off, you are off in every way. Women with PCOS are more prone to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) than others[1]. IBS is a condition where you experience many digestive disturbances including uncomfortable bloating.

It’s a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning doctors rule out everything else first because there are no tests to actually tell you definitively that you have an irritable bowel. That’s why it’s called a functional disorder. The function is off in your digestion. When the function is off in your digestion, you better believe that the function everywhere else is disturbed too.

When your gut is off, your hormones will be off and everything else in your body won’t be working well at all. Why? You would think that they aren’t connected. But that’s not true, the entire body is intimately interconnected. It is like a garden, everything works together – the nourishing water, moist soil, shining sun, the vital seeds, blooming plants, the wiggling caterpillars, etc. Everything has its role and roles must be observed for new plants to grow or your body to work smoothly.

Everything must be in balance for you to create life. In Spanish they call it “dar luz” – to give light! You can only give light if you’ve balanced the darkness.

Digestion as the Center of our Universe

The gut is literally the center of your universe, the hub of your body. Just like Grand Central station, the White House, Parliament Hill, or Kensington Palace. All the important stuff happens here.

The gut is the ultimate connector of the body’s nervous, immune, and hormonal regulation systems. Did you know that hormones are working in your gut and regulating your bowel movements right now? High levels of estrogen make you constipated, with major difficulty like straining when you go to the bathroom. Healthy levels of progesterone make you go to the bathroom[2]!

Women with PCOS typically have elevated levels of estrogen and don’t have the ebb and flow with a healthy balance of progesterone to regulate their cycles or their poops[3]! Isn’t it incredible that what’s happening in your lady balls (A.K.A. your ovaries) and uterus, is also happening in your gut?!

Causes of Bloating in Women with PCOS

There are multiple culprits with bloating in women that have PCOS. When you are fixing the gut, you want a multi-pronged approach.

Possible causes of bloating are:

  • Food sensitivities and intolerance
  • Inflammation
  • Low antioxidant status
  • Bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine (like in the condition known as SIBO)
  • Lack of digestive factors like digestive enzymes, stomach acid, sodium bicarbonate, bile
  • Too much stress
  • Hormonal dysregulation, excess estrogens, low progesterone, high androgens, etc.
  • and more!

Beach Body Ready, and Maybe Baby Ready Too?

I’m not claiming that fixing your gut and doing a digestive reset is the end-all-be-all to get pregnant or healing. But it sure helps with resetting your hormones and can help with achieving balance in your PCOS. In fact, the first place I start when I treat my PCOS patients is their digestion. Guess what? This approach gets them feeling better and being better in no time.

My Journey to Improve my Digestion

When I got my diagnosis of PCOS, it was shortly thereafter topped off with an irritable bowel syndrome diagnosis. I wasn’t interested at that time in having babies, so I was more concerned about fixing my irritable bowel syndrome. ‘Cause let me tell you, the bloat was BAD.

I really did look super pregnant, and I was scared to go out in social situations because I didn’t trust my body. It was failing me. I could be cripplingly constipated one moment then have explosive diarrhea the next. I got into the habit of always carrying a spare pair of underwear with me wherever I went, just in case I had an accident. No joke.

The Steps I Took to Make my Bloat All Better

The bloat was so bad and uncomfortable and I wasn’t finding any solutions. I went back to school, became a naturopathic doctor and focused on indigestion, irritable bowel, and cleansing/detox. These became my passion points, and I soon realized that the one treatment I loved beyond belief, that I felt was the turning point in my own health, soon became my NUMBER 1 prescription for all of my patients to help with their number 2’s and so much more. That number 1 treatment? The castor oil pack.

Castor Oil Pack for Indigestion, Bloating, and Your Lady Balls

Castor oil had always fascinated me and seemed to lurk everywhere I went. At health food stores, the bottles of the oil would shine at me, almost beckoning me to come their way. When I would walk into a naturopathic doctor’s office, someone was always getting prescribed castor oil packs. I shied away from doing them because they seemed like a huge hassle.

But when I finally got the lady balls to try the pack, I engineered the easiest way to do it. What a revelation! The pack made me feel so good and was so quick and simple. Just pour the oil on the pack, place on the body and voila! Go to bed and rest. I would wake up the next morning, revived, alive and with a very flat belly! There was definitely something to these packs.

What was really cool, was that not only did I feel better, but after regular nightly practice of my castor oil pack, on my next ultrasound for my ovaries, would you believe that my lady balls were all better?!! I had no more cysts. I knew that castor oil packs had helped because it was the only major thing that I’d changed. I was always doing the right diet, proper supplements, and regular exercise. But I was missing what supported my foundations of health, the castor oil packs.

Castor Oil Packs, What do they Actually do?

Castor oil packs support the 5 Pillars of Feeling Great.

I call the five pillars the FAITH Factor.

F – Function of digestion, absorption and elimination[5] [6].

A – Antioxidant status improvement – Including Omega 3, 6 and 9[7], the master detoxifier                      glutathione[8], anti-aging nitric oxide[9] and oxytocin[10], the love and connection hormone.

I – Inflammation balance[11]A little bit of inflammation heals, but too much is destructive. It’s also a reason for weight gain in the belly.

T – Tension[12] [13]Stress breaks down our ability to digest, but also plays a huge role in PCOS by negatively affecting your hormonal axis.

H – Host – We are the hostess with the mostest! We host trillions of bacteria on and in our bodies. We want to make sure they are the good, symbiotic bacteria[14] and not the bad, conbiotic™ bacteria that do our bodies wrong.

This FAITH Factor, when supported, makes everything that you are presently doing work better! Plus, these packs are so easy to do. I feel that if all of my patients came to me already doing a castor oil pack, I would have a lot less work to do with them! Their healing would be much, much easier, time-saving and less expensive.

Get your pack here, start now!!

5 Step Formula to Reset Digestion, Beat the Bloat, Balance Your Hormones and Love your Lady Balls

In my first two visits with patients, there are 5 things that I always ask them to do. One is the castor oil pack, but there are four more everyone needs just as much.

This formula is only 5 quick and easy steps that take only 1 hour to learn and they reset digestion quickly. For it to work, however, you must COMMIT to practicing them regularly.

The five steps of resetting your digestion, beating the bloat and getting your body beach and baby ready are:

Step 1: Practice the Pause

Step 2: Diligent Digestion

Step 3: Anoint and Alkalinize to Absorb

Step 4: Easy Elimination

Step 5: Tone Your Tummy

Want to learn more? You should. This is the easiest way to quickly regain your balance on your journey to overcoming PCOS. If your hopes and dreams lie in having a baby, avoiding unnecessary hair growth on your face, losing weight, rebalancing your body, or just having healthy hormones, you need to work these steps!

In fact, Amy Medling of PCOS Diva and I developed a the PCOS Diva Digestion mini-course specifically for women that have PCOS and are experiencing problems with their digestion. Our goal is to help you achieve your dreams!

The PCOS Diva Digestion Program

In one hour’s time, you can learn the information, skills, tips, and tricks to repair your digestion and get your body back on track. Why wouldn’t you spend only one hour of your time learning how to do this? You’re worth it, after all!

All it takes is the commitment to learning, then actually doing it. And when the ‘doing’ is as easy as this, it’s a no brainer!

Sign up for the PCOS Diva Digestion mini-course right now! As Benjamin Franklin says, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” He’s right, take the first step right now and you’ll be well on your way to living the life of your dreams. Bloat-free and bikini ready!

Dr. Marisol, ND is a world leader renowned for her passion for cleansing and gut health, not only because she has the degree on the wall but more so because she’s experienced feeling shitty and figured out the hierarchy of how to get healthy. Crowned the Queen of the Thrones™, for over 15 years she has trained and educated healthcare practitioners and has helped thousands of patients transition from “Sh*t Show” to “Owning Their Throne”. Dr. Marisol directs and practices at Sanas Health Practice in Canada. She has spearheaded PuraSanas health supplements and invented the Queen of the Thrones Organic Castor Oil Pack™ and line of products. Thelaunch of her first book, “Oh, Sh*t!”, along with her educational conferences and programs,heralds her championing you to become your legend. Join her movement and help her to achieve her goal of being in 1 billion bathrooms by 2020. We can do it!

Resources:

[1]Mathur R1, Ko A, Hwang LJ, Low K, Azziz R, Pimentel M. Polycystic ovary syndrome is associated with an increased prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome. Dig Dis Sci. 2010 Apr;55(4):1085-9. doi: 10.1007/s10620-009-0890-5. Epub 2009 Aug 21.

[2]Oh JE1, Kim YW, Park SY, Kim JY. Estrogen rather than progesterone cause constipation in both female and male mice. Korean J Physiol Pharmacol. 2013 Oct;17(5):423-6. doi: 10.4196/kjpp.2013.17.5.423. Epub 2013 Oct 17.

[3]Ferreira SR1, Motta AB1. Uterine Function: From Normal to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Alterations. Curr Med Chem. 2018;25(15):1792-1804. doi: 10.2174/0929867325666171205144119.

[4]Martin ML1, Halling K2, Eek D2, Krohe M3, Paty J4. Understanding polycystic ovary syndrome from the patient perspective: a concept elicitation patient interview study. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2017 Aug 18;15(1):162. doi: 10.1186/s12955-017-0736-3.

[5] Arslan GG, Eşer I. An examination of the effect of castor oil packs on constipation in the elderly. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2011 Feb;17(1):58-62. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2010.04.004. Epub 2010 May 18.

[6] Tunaru S, Althoff TF, Nüsing RM, Diener M, Offermanns S. Castor oil induces laxation and uterus contraction via ricinoleic acid activating prostaglandin EP3 receptors. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2012;109(23):9179-9184. doi:10.1073/pnas.1201627109.

[7] Patel, V. R., Dumancas, G. G., Viswanath, L. C. K., Maples, R. & Subong, B. J. J. Castor oil: properties, uses, and optimization of processing parameters in commercial production. Lipid Insights 9, 1–12, https://doi.org/10.4137/LPI.S40233 (2016).

[8] Holm TBrøgger-Jensen MRJohnson LKessel L.Glutathione preservation during storage of rat lenses in optisol-GS and castor oil. PLoS One. 2013 Nov 19;8(11):e79620. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079620. eCollection 2013.

[9] Mascolo N1, Izzo AAAutore GBarbato FCapasso F.Nitric oxide and castor oil-induced diarrhea.J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1994 Jan;268(1):291-5.

[10] Walker SC1, Trotter PD2, Swaney WT2, Marshall A3, Mcglone FP4. C-tactile afferents: Cutaneous mediators of oxytocin release during affiliative tactile interactions? Neuropeptides. 2017 Aug;64:27-38. doi: 10.1016/j.npep.2017.01.001. Epub 2017 Jan 19.

[11] Vieira C et al. .Effect of ricinoleic acid in acute and subchronic experimental models of inflammation. Mediators Inflamm. 2000;9(5):223-8.

[12] Walker SC1, Trotter PD2, Swaney WT2, Marshall A3, Mcglone FP4. C-tactile afferents: Cutaneous mediators of oxytocin release during affiliative tactile interactions? Neuropeptides. 2017 Aug;64:27-38. doi: 10.1016/j.npep.2017.01.001. Epub 2017 Jan 19.

[13] Rolls ET et all. Representations of pleasant and painful touch in the human orbitofrontal and cingulate cortices. Cereb Cortex. 2003 Mar;13(3):308-17.

[14] Badaró MM1, Salles MM1, Leite VMF1, Arruda CNF1, Oliveira VC1, Nascimento CD1, Souza RF1, Paranhos HFO1, Silva-Lovato CH1. Clinical trial for evaluation of Ricinus communis and sodium hypochlorite as denture cleanser. J Appl Oral Sci. 2017 May-Jun;25(3):324-334. doi: 10.1590/1678-7757-2016-0222.

Last Post

Melatonin's Impact on PCOS, Weight Loss, Fertility, & More

Next Post

Find YOUR “Best PCOS Diet” [Podcast]

PCOS Podcast No. 112 YOUR Best PCOS Diet