49 - Improving PCOS Fertility and gut health w/ Stephanie Paver, RDN

Hello Everyone! On today’s episode of The Down to Earth PCOS Nutrition Podcast, I interview Stephanie Paver, a dietitian nutritionist who works with women with PCOS and specializes in fertility and gut health. Stephanie’s mission is to educate women on female hormones and reproductive healing and to help provide them with non-pharmaceutical solutions to healing. Today, Stephanie shares with us some of her recommendations and advice pertaining to nutrition, gut health, and fertility and what these may look like for women with PCOS.

Stephanie begins by explaining to listeners her personal career path and how her own struggle to identify that she had PCOS made her realize the large gap that existed when it came to PCOS resources for women. Wanting to fill this gap, she decided to specialize in helping those with PCOS. One commonality she notes that she’s discovered is that most women with PCOS have certain food sensitivities that may be entirely unique to their individual bodies. Because of this, she emphasizes the importance of establishing a personal awareness of how what we eat manifests within our bodies. By doing so, we can begin making more informed decisions about food and how certain foods trigger certain symptoms for us.

Stephanie then moves on to discussing gut health and how there is a direct connection between the gut and the brain. Because of this, a disfunction or disruption in gut health can lead to a variety of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, mood or sleep disorders, etc., making a healthy gastrointestinal tract all the more important.

Regarding the topic of fertility, Stephanie explains why for women with PCOS it’s important to start priming the body early for having a baby. She explains 4 “big picture” actions a woman with PCOS should take when preparing for conception. These include:

1. Getting her PCOS under control/ managing it

2. Learning about her menstrual cycle and how to track her ovulation

3. Perhaps consulting with a therapist regarding any unresolved emotional or psychological issues

4. Working with her doctor

Ultimately, what is most important is for a woman to get the data that she needs to learn about her body so she can begin to optimize her fertility.

Finally, Stephanie talks about nutrient and gut testing and how these tests can often be self-administered from home. She then stresses how changes in diet can be one of the most important interventions a woman can make for her health and how this can help to alleviate a variety of symptoms, many of which directly impact mood, gut health, and fertility.

What You’ll Learn in This Podcast Episode:

1. Information about the gut-brain connection

2. Tips for women with PCOS who are preparing for conception

3. Nutritional advice for optimizing fertility

4. Information regarding nutrient testing and gut testing

5. What a “plant-based diet” really means

6. How eating seeds can help with PMS symptoms

Helpful Links:

Check out Stephanie’s website and download her Ultimate PCOS Meal Plan at https://www.stephaniepaverrd.com/

Follow Stephanie on Instagram @stephaniepaverrd

Have any topic suggestions? Shoot me a message on Instagram @pcosnutritionistdafna