Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) doesn’t just affect your hormones—it impacts nearly every system in your body. Those hormonal imbalances can throw off your menstrual cycle, slow your metabolism, drain your energy, and even disrupt your gut.
That’s why treating PCOS isn’t just about your ovaries or hormones, it’s about restoring balance everywhere in your body. I’m a major advocate for holistic, natural approaches to reversing PCOS—ones that support your hormones, metabolism, digestion, and energy all at once.
So today, I’m breaking down exactly how PCOS can cause digestive issues and what you can do to start healing your gut. You’ll learn about the good (and not-so-good) bacteria in the gut, how hormonal imbalances affect digestion, and the natural steps you can take to restore your gut health.
PCOS Digestive Issues: What Your Gut Is Telling You
Gut health issues are one of the lesser-known symptoms of PCOS. However, they’re more common than you might think. Not every Cyster struggles with digestion, yet nearly half do.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your PCOS could be throwing off your gut, this is for you. In this post, I’ll break down exactly how PCOS impacts your digestive system and the gut issues many women with PCOS experience. Plus, I’ll share what you can do to restore balance to your gut naturally while balancing your hormones.
Can PCOS Cause Digestive Issues?
PCOS doesn’t directly cause digestive issues, but the hormonal imbalances it creates can absolutely throw your gut out of balance.
One of the biggest root causes of PCOS is insulin resistance, which affects up to 80% of women with the condition. When your body can’t properly use glucose for energy, it stores it as fat instead. Over time, this leads to chronic inflammation—and that’s often where gut issues begin.
Inflammation can build up for a few reasons, including insulin resistance, high cortisol levels, and even certain trigger foods like gluten and dairy. These foods can create tiny tears in the gut lining, allowing unwanted particles to leak into the bloodstream. (We also call this leaky gut!) Your body then reacts to those particles with more inflammation.
And it doesn’t stop there. When inflammation is high, your adrenal system kicks into overdrive, releasing stress hormones like cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. This surge in sex hormones makes it even harder for your body to manage glucose, worsening insulin resistance and keeping you stuck in the cycle.
Digestive issues can look different for every Cyster. Around 75% experience bloating, and 87% report symptoms of IBS.
See how everything connects? When it comes to PCOS, your hormones, metabolism, and gut are all working together. In short, insulin resistance and inflammation are the two main culprits behind PCOS-related gut issues. Heal those, and your entire body begins to rebalance.
How Does PCOS Affect the Digestive System?
Hormonal imbalances slow digestion.
When you’ve got PCOS, high androgen levels (male hormones) and low progesterone team up to throw your digestion off balance. And, when progesterone levels are low, your digestion slows down. That means food moves through your intestines more slowly. This is also why many Cysters experience bloating and constipation during hormonal dips.
On the other hand, high androgens can interfere with the communication between your gut and your brain—known as the gut-brain axis—which can throw off how your digestive system functions.
Insulin resistance disrupts the gut microbiome.
Insulin resistance doesn’t just affect your blood sugar—it can also disrupt your gut health. When blood sugar levels spike and inflammation rises, the diversity of good gut bacteria drops. This imbalance, known as gut dysbiosis, can cause bloating, gas, and even IBS-like symptoms. And here’s the tricky part: a disrupted gut microbiome can actually make insulin resistance worse, creating a frustrating cycle.
Ignoring the signs of insulin resistance can have long-term effects. Over time, it increases your risk for cardiovascular diseases (like heart disease), type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol levels.
The good news? You can absolutely reverse insulin resistance naturally and restore balance. With the right nutrition, movement, and supplements like Berberine Advanced, you can heal your gut and feel better in every part of your body.
Chronic inflammation affects the gut lining.
One of the biggest root issues behind PCOS is chronic low-grade inflammation. It’s the kind that quietly affects your entire body—raising cortisol levels, making weight loss harder, and can even damage your gut lining.
When inflammation weakens the gut, it becomes more permeable. As I referred to earlier, this is often called leaky gut. This means toxins and undigested food particles can slip through the gut wall and enter the bloodstream. And, you guessed it, that then triggers even more inflammation.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. A stressed and inflamed gut can worsen hormonal imbalances, especially those related to insulin and cortisol. It also contributes to fatigue, bloating, and food sensitivities.
Food sensitivities become more common.
Since inflammation contributes to leaky gut, women with PCOS are more likely to develop food sensitivities, especially to gluten, dairy, and processed foods. These trigger foods often cause bloating, cramps, and even more inflammation throughout the body.
That’s why I always recommend following a gluten- and dairy-free anti-inflammatory diet rich in fiber, lean proteins, and omega-3 fatty acids. These nourish your gut, calm inflammation, and help rebalance your hormones naturally.
Cortisol and stress amplify digestive issues.
Both insulin resistance and inflammation can raise your cortisol levels (AKA your stress hormone). And when cortisol stays high for too long, your digestion feels it. High stress can lower bile acid levels, making it harder to break down food properly. It can also slow your digestion (leading to constipation) or speed it up (causing loose stools and discomfort).
Here’s the tricky part: elevated cortisol doesn’t just affect your gut—it actually makes insulin resistance and inflammation worse. That creates a never-ending cycle that keeps your hormones and digestion out of balance. Once you calm your stress response, though, everything starts to shift. Your gut, hormones, and energy all begin to heal together.
There is a gut-hormone connection.
Did you know your gut and hormones are directly connected? Your gut bacteria actually play a key role in regulating estrogen metabolism through something called the estrobolome.
When your gut is out of balance, the estrobolome can’t do its job properly. And, as a result, estrogen levels can swing too high or too low. Those hormone fluctuations can show up as bloating, water retention, PMS, mood changes, and even worsened PMS symptoms like acne and irregular periods.
Common PCOS Digestive Symptoms
Bloating
One of the most common digestive symptoms women with PCOS experience is bloating, especially after meals.
This happens when hormonal fluctuations, particularly low progesterone, slow down digestion. Gut dysbiosis and inflammation can also lead to gas buildup, making your belly feel swollen and uncomfortable. Add in water retention and sluggish bowel movements, and that familiar PCOS bloat starts to make a lot more sense.
The good news? You can find natural relief. There are teas that help with bloating, allowing you to feel lighter and more comfortable throughout the day. So, yes, you can beat the bloat naturally!
Constipation
When progesterone levels are low and cortisol levels are high, your digestion can slow down. This reduced gut motility often leads to infrequent, hard, or incomplete bowel movements (AKA constipation).
When your digestive system moves more slowly, waste builds up, making it harder to have those much-needed daily movements. It’s your body’s way of saying your hormones and gut need a little extra support to get back in sync.
Gas
When you’re dealing with insulin resistance, your body has a harder time digesting certain carbohydrates, especially refined ones like white bread. This can lead to gas buildup, bloating, and general discomfort in the upper digestive tract.
Many women with PCOS also experience SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). This excess bacteria in the small intestine can cause symptoms like bloating, burping, and flatulences.
Abdominal Pain
It’s no surprise that women with PCOS experience abdominal pain and cramping. While this discomfort can sometimes come from ovarian cysts, it’s often linked to gut inflammation or IBS-like symptoms triggered by hormonal imbalances. To find out more, check out “What You Need to Know About PCOS Pain in the Lower Abdomen.”
Diarrhea
If you often feel like you have to rush to the bathroom, your stress hormones could be to blame. When cortisol remains elevated, it can overstimulate the gut and speed up digestion.
At the same time, gut bacteria imbalances and chronic inflammation can interfere with how your body absorbs nutrients. This causes food to move through your system more quickly, leading to that sudden, uncomfortable urge to go.
Nausea
Feeling a little nauseous after eating fatty or sugary foods—or even noticing a loss of appetite—is actually pretty common for Cysters.
That’s because insulin and cortisol spikes can disrupt your natural hunger and digestion hormones. On top of that, hormonal imbalances can slow down how quickly your stomach empties. This leaves you feeling full, queasy, or just “off” after meals.
Fatigue
Feeling sluggish, unfocused, or extra tired after eating is something many Cysters experience—and it’s closely tied to gut health.
Because of the gut-brain connection, inflammation or gut dysbiosis can affect your neurotransmitters, leading to that all-too-familiar brain fog. And when insulin resistance causes blood sugar to spike and crash after meals, it only adds to the chronic fatigue.
Sugar Cravings
You know those intense PCOS cravings, especially when you just need something sweet, even after a full meal? You’re not imagining it.
Those strong urges for carbs or sugar are actually a sign of gut imbalance. When your gut bacteria are out of sync, they can interfere with the hormones that control appetite and satiety. The result? More cravings.
Add insulin resistance to the mix, which keeps your body from properly processing glucose, and your hunger signals stay turned on, even when you’ve already eaten.
How to Manage PCOS Digestive Problems
Eat high-fiber foods.
Fiber is one of your best friends when it comes to managing PCOS. It helps slow digestion, stabilize blood sugar, and feed the good bacteria in your gut. All of that combined supports hormone balance and better energy!
A high-fiber diet also plays a role in removing excess estrogen through healthy bowel movements, keeping your hormones in check naturally.
Try adding broccoli, spinach, zucchini, chia seeds, flaxseeds, legumes, oats, berries, and quinoa to your diet. Also, aim for 25-35 grams of fiber per day, and increase slowly to avoid bloating while your gut adjusts.
Add probiotic and prebiotic foods.
Probiotics are the good bacteria that keep your gut balanced and healthy. Prebiotics are the fibers that feed the good bacteria, allowing them to thrive. Together, they help restore your gut health—reducing inflammation, improving insulin sensitivity, and easing bloating.
You can take probiotic and prebiotic supplements or start adding gut-friendly foods to your diet. Probiotic-rich foods include sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and non-dairy yogurt. Prebiotic-rich foods include garlic, onions, leeks, bananas, oats, and asparagus.
Limit processed sugars and refined carbs.
Refined carbs and sugars can throw your blood sugar out of balance and feed the harmful bacteria living in your gut. For many women with PCOS, this leads to gut inflammation, sluggish digestion, and insulin spikes—making symptoms even worse.
The good news? Small, mindful swaps can make a big difference. Try replacing white pasta or rice with quinoa, farro, or whole-grain options. And instead of reaching for pastries or processed sweets, enjoy fruit or a piece of dark chocolate.
These simple shifts help keep your blood sugar steady, support gut health, and give your hormones the healing foundation they need.
Follow a gluten- and dairy-free anti-inflammatory diet.
Many women with PCOS develop food sensitivities because of leaky gut. The most common triggers? Gluten and dairy, which is why I always recommend avoiding them whenever possible. And you don’t have to give up your favorite foods! There are so many gluten- and dairy-free alternatives that taste just as good.
You can also fight inflammation from the inside out by adding anti-inflammatory foods to your plate. Think: fatty fish, olive oil, turmeric, and avocado. These support a healthy gut lining and help your body heal naturally. Ultimately, eating PCOS-friendly meals can restore gut balance, reduce bloating, and bring your hormones back into alignment.
Want extra support? You’ll find hundreds of PCOS-friendly recipes and a customizable meal plan builder inside The Cysterhood app!
Maintain consistent movement and exercise.
Your gut health isn’t just about what you eat—it’s also about how you move. Gentle, low-impact workouts can do wonders for your digestion by boosting gut motility, lowering insulin levels, and calming inflammation. All of that adds up to a happier, healthier gut!
Some of my favorite PCOS-friendly workouts include long walks (especially after meals), slow-weighted strength training, yoga, and Pilates. And, just as I mentioned above, you can find tons of guided PCOS-friendly workouts inside The Cysterhood app.
Take PCOS-friendly supplements.
Your diet and lifestyle play a huge role in healing your gut and reversing PCOS. But sometimes, your body needs a little extra support. That’s where PCOS-friendly supplements come in. The right ones can strengthen your gut, balance your hormones, and help you feel your best from the inside out.
One of my absolute favorites is Ovasitol, a 40:1 blend of myo- and D-chiro-inositol. Just one daily scoop can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce sugar cravings, support fertility, and even nurture your gut health.
You can also boost your results by adding magnesium and Vitamin D—both essential for hormone and gut balance. You’ll find them in Ovafit’s MetaMulti Vitamin, formulated specifically to fill the nutrient gaps many Cysters face.
Start improving your gut health and reverse your PCOS naturally with help from Ovafit.
At Ovafit, we’re dedicated to helping Cysters naturally reverse PCOS through balanced nutrition, mindful movement, and NSF-certified supplements that actually work.
I understand how exhausting it feels to be controlled by your symptoms—fatigue, weight gain, digestive issues, mood swings. However, you’re not alone in this.
The truth is, you can reverse your PCOS and start feeling like yourself again. With targeted supplements designed to rebalance your hormones and the supportive community inside The Cysterhood app, you’ll have everything you need to heal naturally. With the right tools, you can start living fully again.