The effect of the ketogenic diet in increasing and/or restoring fertility in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) patients

Abstract

The effect of the ketogenic diet will be assessed using three factors: the efficacy of the diet as inferred from clinical trials, the advantage of the treatment when compared with other therapies and and the caloric and metabolic sustainability of the diet over a period long enough to restore fertility to childbearing patients.

The hypothesised mechanism of action of PCOS and the ketogenic diet will be discussed and evaluated with the aid of existing scientific literature and articles. Currently, there exists ambiguity surrounding the cause of PCOS. This makes it difficult to determine the true effect of various interventions on infertility within the disorder.

Overall, the efficacy of the ketogenic diet in short intervals demonstrates promising elevation in fertility amongst overweight PCOS patients. However, there is a lack of experimental evidence exploring the effect of the ketogenic diet on lean PCOS patients who make up a significant portion of the target population. Moreover, the nutritional sustainability of the diet makes it unlikely for patients to maintain success due to the difficulty in maintaining ketosis.

Instead, this report suggests that a less restrictive version of the ketogenic diet could be implemented for these patients, but further research and trials would be required to affirm this. As an alternative, this report also suggests that a personalised dietary plan for patients may prove to be quite beneficial as it would be more likely in ensuring long-term success.

Key Words: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Ketogenic Diet, Insulin Sensitivity, Follicle Stimulating Hormone, Lutenising Hormone, Ovaries, Fertility, Low-Carbohydrate, Insulin Resistance, Hyperinsulinemia, Hyperandrogenism, Ovarian Function, Reproductive Health, Nutrition, Menstrual Cycle