If you’ve been diagnosed with PCOS, you’ve probably been told some version of the same story: lose weight, go on birth control, and if you want to get pregnant someday, we’ll deal with that when the time comes. Maybe you’ve been handed metformin and sent on your way. Maybe your concerns about acne, irregular periods, or weight gain have been dismissed as “just PCOS.”
It’s frustrating. And isolating. And honestly…you deserve better!
Polycystic ovary syndrome affects up to 10% of people with ovaries, making it one of the most common hormonal disorders. Yet despite how widespread it is, many people feel like their doctors don’t really understand what they’re going through or don’t have solutions beyond symptom management.
I take a different approach. Using Traditional Chinese Medicine, I work with you to restore hormonal balance, regulate your cycle, reduce inflammation, and help you feel more at home in your body. Whether you visit me in Hudson, NY, New York City, or connect virtually, I am here to help you navigate PCOS with compassion and whole-person care.
PCOS Isn’t Just One Thing
One of the most confusing aspects of PCOS is that it looks different in everyone. Some people have severe acne and excess hair growth but regular periods. Others have absent periods but clear skin. Some struggle with weight gain; others are thin but still have insulin resistance.
In Western medicine, PCOS is diagnosed based on having at least two of three criteria: irregular or absent periods, elevated androgens (male hormones), and polycystic ovaries on ultrasound. But that diagnostic framework doesn’t capture the full picture or offer much guidance on treatment.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, I don’t see PCOS as a single disease. Instead, I look at the constellation of imbalances showing up in your body.Â
- Are you experiencing Kidney deficiency (affecting reproduction and hormone production)?Â
- Liver Qi stagnation (causing stress, mood swings, and irregular cycles)?Â
- Phlegm-damp accumulation (contributing to weight gain and cyst formation)?Â
- Blood stasis (leading to painful periods and clotting)?
Your specific pattern guides your treatment plan. That’s why two people with PCOS might get completely different herbal formulas and acupuncture protocols, because they have different underlying imbalances.
How Acupuncture Helps
Acupuncture for PCOS isn’t about forcing your body to do something it doesn’t want to do. It’s about removing obstacles and restoring balance so your body can regulate itself naturally.
One of the biggest benefits I see is cycle regulation. Many clients come in having not ovulated in months, or years! Their periods are either absent or wildly unpredictable. After a few months of consistent acupuncture, we start seeing ovulation return. Cycles become more regular. Basal body temperature charts start looking like textbook examples.
Research backs this up. Studies show that acupuncture can lower elevated LH, support healthy FSH levels, and promote regular ovulation, even in people who haven’t ovulated in a long time.
Insulin resistance is another huge piece of the PCOS puzzle. Up to 70% of people with PCOS have some degree of insulin resistance, which triggers the ovaries to produce excess androgens. It’s a vicious cycle: high insulin leads to high androgens, which worsen symptoms and make it harder to lose weight.
Acupuncture has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce fasting insulin levels. Combined with dietary changes, focusing on blood sugar stabilization, anti-inflammatory foods, and balanced meals, acupuncture can help break that insulin-androgen cycle.
Then there’s the androgen piece. Elevated testosterone causes many of the most distressing symptoms of PCOS: acne, excess facial or body hair, hair loss, and anovulation. Acupuncture helps lower androgens by improving insulin sensitivity, reducing inflammation, and supporting liver detoxification. Your liver is responsible for metabolizing and clearing excess hormones, so when it’s functioning optimally, your hormone levels naturally come into better balance.
Weight and PCOS: It’s Not About Willpower
Let’s talk about weight for a minute, because this is where a lot of doctors get it wrong.
If you have PCOS and struggle with weight, you’ve probably been told to “just lose weight” as if it’s that simple. But weight gain with PCOS isn’t about willpower or laziness. It’s about hormones, inflammation, and a metabolism that’s working against you.
Acupuncture can support healthy weight management, not by forcing weight loss, but by addressing the underlying imbalances. We regulate appetite hormones like leptin and ghrelin, improve digestion and metabolism, reduce inflammation, and calm stress-related eating patterns.
But here’s the thing: you don’t have to lose weight to regulate your cycle or improve your PCOS symptoms. I’ve seen clients at every size restore ovulation, reduce androgens, and feel better in their bodies. Weight loss might happen as a side effect of balanced hormones, but it’s not a prerequisite for healing.
The Role of Herbs
Custom herbal formulas are a cornerstone of TCM treatment for PCOS, and they’re incredibly powerful when tailored to your specific pattern.
If you have elevated androgens, we might use herbs that support liver detoxification and hormone metabolism. If you’re dealing with insulin resistance, we’ll include herbs that stabilize blood sugar and improve cellular glucose uptake. If your cycles are irregular or absent, we’ll use herbs that nourish blood, move Qi, and promote ovulation.
Your formula evolves as your body changes. What works in month one might not be what you need in month three. That’s why we monitor your progress closely and adjust as needed.
Food Is Medicine
One of the most powerful tools for managing PCOS is food. Not in a restrictive, diet-culture way, but in a nourishing, blood-sugar-stabilizing, anti-inflammatory way.
I work with clients on eating balanced meals with protein, healthy fats, and fiber at every meal. We reduce refined carbohydrates and sugar (which spike insulin). We add anti-inflammatory foods like omega-3-rich fish, colorful vegetables, turmeric, and ginger. We focus on gut health with fermented foods and prebiotic fiber.
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s consistency and balance. Small, sustainable changes add up over time.
What to Expect
Most clients with PCOS benefit from weekly acupuncture sessions, at least initially. As your cycle regulates and symptoms improve, we gradually space treatments further apart.
Some improvements, like better sleep, reduced stress, and improved digestion, happen within a few weeks. Menstrual regulation and ovulation typically take three to six months of consistent treatment. If you’re trying to conceive, fertility improvements often require sustained care over several cycles.
The key is patience and consistency. PCOS develops over years, and reversing those patterns takes time. But the results (ie. regular cycles, improved fertility, clearer skin, stable mood, more energy, etc) are absolutely worth it.
You Don’t Have to Manage PCOS Alone
PCOS can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to navigate it by yourself. With personalized acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition support, and compassionate care, many people find meaningful relief and lasting hormonal balance.
Even when conventional medicine offers limited options, Traditional Chinese Medicine provides tools to regulate your cycle, reduce symptoms, and help you feel more at home in your body. Schedule your PCOS consultation today. We serve clients in Hudson, NY, New York City, and virtually across the U.S. You deserve care that honors the complexity of PCOS and meets you where you are.
