November 21, 2015 “(Management of) stress is just as important as diet and exercise in the management of PCOS. It’s a piece that has to be addressed because, unless you do, you can’t get the hormones in check.” – Dr. Shawna Darou Stress hormones inter-play with the hormones we most often hear associated with PCOS. Progesterone, testosterone, estrogen, and thyroid hormones either bring your body balance or wreak havoc on your health. For women with PCOS, they often worsen symptoms like abdominal weight gain, acne, facial hair growth, or hair loss on the head. Dr. Shawna Darou recently sat down with me to explain the role of stress on hormones in women with PCOS and left us with some important take-aways on how to reduce stress and its effects. Listen in and learn about: unexpected sources of chronic stress tips for controlling stress how stress effects the thyroid hormones and makes your blood work appear normal when it’s not why stress causes weight around the central abdomen, particularly in women with PCOS the danger of over-exercising adrenal fatigue and how you can test for it.