PCOS Treatment Specialist in Los Angeles: Good Hormone Health
Dr. Friedman has extensive experience treating numerous Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) patients, successfully reducing their testosterone levels and alleviating symptoms associated with high testosterone, such as excess facial hair and acne. Additionally, his treatments have led to improvements in menstrual cycles, with some patients achieving pregnancy as a result. Lowering the testosterone level also helps patients with weight loss, so Dr. Friedman will work with you on optimizing your medical treatment to ensure that you lose weight as well.
Dr. Friedman is thoroughly versed in the different medicines and treatment options for PCOS, and seeing him for this condition is worthwhile.
Understanding PCOS
PCOS can affect multiple hormones, especially testosterone and DHEAS. It can also lead to diabetes and prediabetes and have concurrent liver and heart problems. Dr. Friedman will address all these issues if you have PCOS. PCOS also affects fertility and overall health. Patients with PCOS have trouble losing weight. They have unsightly facial hair, acne, and hair loss on their head. Treatment for PCOS can reverse all these issues.
Symptoms of PCOS
The common symptoms of PCOS include irregular periods or no periods at all, acne, facial hair, hair loss on your head, weight gain, extra body hair, and diabetes or prediabetes. Fatty liver disease and heart disease can also occur.
What Are the Causes of PCOS?
PCOS can be due to the ovaries making extra testosterone. When Dr. Friedman was a fellow at the National Institutes of Health, he was taught that PCOS could be either ovarian, adrenal, pituitary, or hypothalamic. Dr. Friedman believes that PCOS is a multifaceted disease that needs to be addressed at multiple levels. Dr. Friedman will carefully test your various hormones and develop an individualized diagnosis and treatment plan.
PCOS is often genetic, and mothers and daughters often have PCOS together. Obesity is definitely a risk factor for PCOS, although Dr. Friedman has seen many patients who have PCOS and are not obese. Additionally, Dr. Friedman recognizes the importance of the hormone SHBG, or sex hormone binding globulin. It is often low in PCOS. This makes the total testosterone look low, but the bioavailable testosterone, which is more accurate to measure than the free testosterone, is the key hormone measurement in PCOS. Many doctors do not understand the importance of bioavailable testosterone. It is important to take a good family history to see who else in the family has PCOS. This will help determine the diagnosis.
What Kind of Doctor Is Best for PCOS Treatment?
Although you could see a gynecologist or reproductive endocrinologist, they only look at a portion of PCOS. Dr. Friedman will look at all your hormone levels and optimize them to reduce your symptoms and improve your labs, and you will feel better and don’t need to see other specialists.
Both endocrinologists and gynecologists treat PCOS with a slightly different slant. Gynecologists look especially at the ovarian ultrasound for ovarian follicles, which many patients with PCOS do not really have. Gynecologists also tend to use birth control pills, which Dr. Friedman only rarely uses as they have a lot of side effects and affect other hormones. Dr. Friedman is an endocrinologist and an excellent doctor for treating PCOS because he looks at all the hormones, including hormones related to metabolism, such as diabetes and prediabetes, but he especially concentrates on measuring the bioavailable and total testosterone and DHEAS, which are the culprits of PCOS. Dr. Friedman is more likely to give hormones and supplements and lifestyle medicine modifications to lower the testosterone level.
Dr. Friedman recognizes that PCOS is a spectrum disease, with some women having mild PCOS and others more severe. He does not use the categories of fitting yes or no for PCOS that some other doctors use. Dr. Friedman will carefully examine all the labs and work to optimize your hormones. He will use different medicines and supplements to lower your bioavailable and total testosterone and DHEAS. He rarely will get an ovarian ultrasound, as it is not really that important for PCOS.
What Is the Most Effective Treatment for PCOS?
PCOS requires a tailored approach involving medication and lifestyle adjustments, including weight management. Dr. Friedman specializes in crafting personalized hormone optimization plans to enhance well-being.
Treatment for PCOS is customized and may involve medications like spironolactone or Casodex to lower testosterone levels. Additionally, Dr. Friedman utilizes metformin, occasional birth control pills, and progesterone pills. Notably, Dr. Friedman is pioneering the use of supplements for PCOS treatment, offering a potent combination including myoinositol, resveratrol, NAC, omega-3, probiotics, and berberine. These supplements are carefully integrated with medication and lifestyle guidance to effectively manage PCOS.
Living with PCOS
Dr. Friedman specializes in a healthy diet for PCOS, including a low carbohydrate, high vegetable diet. He advocates exercise and stress management, which are often very helpful for treating PCOS. He also advocates good sleep hygiene and sleeping at least 7 hours. Dr. Friedman will help you achieve your lifestyle goals.
What Are the Complications of PCOS?
Complications of PCOS include type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, and infertility. Patients with untreated PCOS often die earlier of heart disease. PCOS can cause poor mental health and decreased quality of life, especially due to unsightly facial hair and acne, as well as hair loss from the head and weight gain.
Is PCOS Treatment Covered by Insurance?
Yes. The medicines to treat PCOS are covered by insurance. PCOS is a cause of infertility, and some people need to see a fertility doctor, which is often not covered by insurance. However, Dr. Friedman will make sure your testosterone is lowered property so that your fertility is optimized, and you do not need to see an infertility doctor. Dr. Friedman will also manage your other hormones to increase your odds of getting pregnant.
Why Choose Dr. Friedman at GoodHormoneHealth?
Dr. Friedman is an expert at treating PCOS and knows all about the diagnosis, management, and treatment. He combines supplements, medicines, and lifestyle modifications to give an optimal treatment. Very few doctors offer these 3 in combination. Most of Dr. Friedman’s patients have been able to successfully improve their symptoms and lose weight, and many of them have gotten pregnant.
To contact Dr. Friedman to get your PCOS treated right away, go to goodhormonehealth.com and sign up for an appointment.
Dr. Friedman’s web site does not offer medical advice. These materials are offered for information purposes only. Do not act or rely upon information from goodhormonehealth.com without seeking professional medical advice. Additionally, the transmission of information from the website, goodhormonehealth.com to you, is not intended to create nor does create a physician-patient relationship between you and Dr. Friedman.