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How PCOS Can Change The Brain, According To New Research

Author:

Hannah Frye

February 18, 2024

Assistant Beauty & Health Editor

By Hannah Frye

Assistant Beauty & Health Editor

Hannah Frye is the Assistant Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.S. in journalism and a minor in women’s, gender, and queer studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Hannah has written across lifestyle sections including health, wellness, sustainability, personal development, and more.

Image by Olga Moreira / Stocksy

February 18, 2024

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) impacts between 6 and 12% of reproductive-aged women 1 in the U.S. Yet, up to 70% of women with PCOS remain undiagnosed 2—hence, why it's often referred to as an invisible illness.

The most commonly discussed symptoms of PCOS, like irregular menstruation and acne, often overshadow other symptoms—especially those that impact the brain and cognition.

However, a recent longitudinal study including women with PCOS may help to change that. To come, the details of that study and where to go from here.

How PCOS can impact cognition

A recent study published in the journal Neurology found that women with PCOS had lower cognitive performance and lower white matter integrity at midlife when compared to women without PCOS.

This research began back in 1985. It tracked over 1,000 women between the ages of 18 and 30 over 30 years and cumulated in a brain assessment (via cognitive testing and in some cases, MRI scans).

After the study, they found that women with PCOS tended to have worse cognitive performance and lower white matter at midlife than those who did not, based on tests of verbal learning, memory, processing speed, executive functioning, attention, and more. Factors like BMI, smoking and drinking status, and income were controlled for.

What is white matter?

White matter is critical to optimal brain health, even if gray matter gets more time in the spotlight. According to Cleveland Clinic, "The gray matter is the place where the processing of sensation, perception, voluntary movement, learning, speech and cognition takes place. White matter's role is to provide communication between different gray matter areas and between gray matter and the rest of your body."

It's important to note that these findings (and many other studies about PCOS) are inherently complex given that PCOS can lead to several other health concerns already known to impact cognition like diabetes 3 and obesity 4, for example.

Still, researchers note that "The PCOS associations with cognition were not meaningfully diminished when controlling for diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors, including systolic blood pressure and adiposity." This suggests that there's much more to the correlation than these compounding health concerns.

More research is also needed to understand the relationship between PCOS and depression, given that the latter is known to negatively impact cognition as well 5.

Luckily, current physician recommendations for PCOS include both management of cardiovascular risk and screening for depression—a protocol that researchers from this study hope will simultaneously serve to improve brain aging.

Nevertheless, we must continue advocating for comprehensive, full-body, and mindful medical care for PCOS patients that goes beyond treating common symptoms like weight gain, acne, etc.

The more we can understand about PCOS, the closer we are to prevention and successful treatment for all.

3 ways to support brain health

Whether you have PCOS or not, making lifestyle changes to support brain aging is a worthwhile endeavor.

Below, three basic elements to focus on:

Eat more brain foods: Eat a colorful diet with foods rich in omega-3s, polyphenols, and anti-inflammatory properties. A few great contenders include olive oil, avocado, blueberries, turmeric, dark chocolate, and so on. Here's more to inspire your grocery list.
Make exercise a top priority: Exercise not only can lower dementia risk and boost brain volum e but also support your emotional well-being and overall longevity. So even if it's just walking more tomorrow than you did today, it's never too early to start getting more movement.
Take sleep seriously: Getting at least seven hours of quality sleep per night has been linked to improved memory and reduced mental fatigue 6. High-quality sleep also helps support hormonal balance 7, which is key for easing other PCOS symptoms and supporting fertility.

Of course, these are just the starters. Plenty of people will greatly benefit from adding personalized lifestyle adjustments like brain health supplements, stress-relief activities, and workout plans as recommended by your doctor, physical trainer, or registered dietitian.

Editor's note

When we refer to women in this article, we refer to those assigned female at birth (AFAB). The health-related correlations are exclusive to hormonal and chromosomal differences, not gender identity or expression.

The takeaway

A recent study found that women with PCOS had lower cognitive performance and lower white matter integrity at midlife. More research is needed to understand the complex relationship between PCOS and brain health, especially given the compounding health concerns often associated with PCOS.