Women with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) increase their chances of getting pregnant if they go on a keto diet. The high-fat, low-carb diet lowers testosterone levels and improves reproductive hormone levels.
PCOS affects up to 10 percent of women and can cause infertility and increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity. Women with the condition have raised levels of testosterone and suffer from irregular periods and have enlarged ovaries with small follicles, which lowers the chances of conceiving.
But eating a keto diet for even 45 days improves hormonal imbalances caused by PCOS, say researchers from Larkin University in Florida.
They carried out a meta-analysis of previously published trials on women with PCOS who had tried the keto diet and analysed the effects on their reproductive hormones and weight. Women who stayed on the diet for at least 45 days lost a ‘significant’ amount of weight and saw an improvement in their reproductive hormone levels and they had a better chance of ovulating.
