What is insulin resistance and how does it affect fertility?
by Claudia Madrid - dietetic intern
“Insulin resistance” can be a scary term, but rest assured, we will break it down here and share a few tips on what you can do to help (hint: it is not weight loss!).
So what is glucose?
Glucose is your body’s primary source of energy. Every time you eat something that has carbohydrates in it, it gets broken down into glucose and absorbed into your bloodstream.
What is insulin and how does it work?
Think of your bloodstream like a hallway with doors to offices or classrooms. All the glucose people in the hallway need to get through the doors to do their jobs, but the doors are locked. In the same way, the broken down glucose in your blood stream can not enter the cells to provide your body energy on their own.
This is where insulin comes in. Insulin is a hormone produced by your pancreas, it acts like a key that opens the doors for glucose to get into cells.
What is insulin resistance?
With insulin resistance, the locks are rusty and the doors won’t open. Too much glucose stays in your blood instead of getting into the cells for energy. This can lead to elevated blood sugar levels and can affect egg quality.
When the glucose remains in the blood stream and not in the cells, your pancreas thinks “we must need more keys!” and sends out more insulin. This can get the job done and let the glucose into the cells, but unfortunately that insulin key can turn on and turn off other things in your body, like sex hormones. This can lead to disruptions in ovulation and elevated androgens (male sex hormones) for those with PCOS.
The good news: we can do something about this! Insulin resistance is treatable through nutrition, lifestyle, supplements and medication.
Here are a few tips:
Quit dieting- It is important to eat regularly throughout the day to keep your blood sugar stable. Try to aim for 3 meals around the same time each day and 2-4 snacks.
Pair carbs with protein, fat and fiber to help slow down digestion and slow the rise in your blood sugar
Work on finding ways to consistently move your body in ways that bring you joy
Are you surprised weight loss isn’t on the list? In this video I share more on insulin resistance and discuss why weight loss is not really the cure.
If you are looking for more support with this, I would love to help you no matter where you are on your journey! To learn more about the Fully Nourished Pregnancy course you can click here. If you are needing a higher level of support or 1:1 coaching is more your style, you can learn more and apply to work with me here.