There are different medications and treatment plans that your doctor can recommend to you, depending on the severity of your PCOS and the symptoms that are associated with them.

Alongside any medications or treatment plans recommended, there are also several lifestyle changes you can make to help improve symptoms at the same time. These can include;

• Eat a balanced and varied diet: Keeping your blood sugar levels balanced is one of the fundamentals to improving PCOS symptoms. Assessing your diet and making a plan will be key to improving your overall health. Opt for a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits, the more colours and variations the better, aiming for 30 different fruits & veggies a week. Look for leafy greens, vegetables that are high in fiber, healthy fats like nuts and avocados, and low sugar fruits like berries.
  
  Many sites recommend cutting out carbs and reducing calories too low to be sustainable, this approach is not a safe way to manage PCOS. Instead try to limit high-glycemic carbs like white bread, white rice, breakfast cereals and opt for low-glycemic carbs instead such as beans, oats, pasta, soy products & lentils. Reduce over processed foods with added sugar, opt for fermented foods instead such as yogurt, miso, kimchi, kombucha & sauerkraut.
• Exercise regularly: Exercise is an incredibly important tool for managing PCOS, studies have shown that losing between 5-10% body weight can improve menstrual cycles and symptoms of PCOS. It’s important to try and find exercise that works for you and can be sustainable. Exercises that have shown the most benefits for PCOS are incorporating a low impact walk of at least 30 minutes into your daily routine, combined with slow-weight training, yoga or pilates.
  
  If taking up more intense forms of exercise, track your symptoms, as HIIT training and intense cardio like kick-boxing, can elevate cortisol levels. A side effect of PCOS is that you already produce excess adrenal hormones, like cortisol, so these types of exercise can add stress to your body and lead to symptoms such as excess weight, anxiety or fatigue. These types of exercise can work well for some, so it is important to track symptoms and see how your own body reacts. 
• Prioritise sleep: According to www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, “Clinic-based studies indicate that sleep disturbances and disorders including obstructive sleep apnea and excessive daytime sleepiness occur more frequently among women with PCOS compared to comparison groups without the syndrome”.
  
  The bottom line is women with PCOS can suffer from poor sleep patterns due to metabolic changes, especially glucose metabolism. High quality sleep plays an important role in managing symptoms so it is important to have some tools to help you improve your sleep when you're struggling. These could be limiting screen time before sleep, limiting caffeine and alcohol intake, exercising regularly, practicing breathing techniques or mediation. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night, as a necessity. 
• Manage stress: Easier said than done, but stress can exacerbate symptoms of PCOS, making the condition worse. Trying to approach a stress free lifestyle can improve or help to eliminate side effects of PCOS. Try to establish coping techniques to help you identify and manage stress, this can be done through exercise, diet, improved sleep, breathing techniques, journaling, mindfulness, spending time with family and friends, pets or making time for yourself to relax and do things you enjoy. 
• Supplementation: If you have introduced a balanced diet and exercise, and still feel like you are not able to manage the symptoms of PCOS successfully you may want to introduce supplements to your diet. Some of the supplement ingredients you should look at incorporating are;
  - Inositol: Helps to lower insulin resistance
  - Zinc: Helps with fertility & to improve skin
  - Folic acid: to Helps with fertility and menstrual cycles
  - Magnesium Improve sleep cycles and helps with energy levels
  - Probiotics to improve gut health.
  - Niacin or Biotin: Improves skin & hair, and helps with energy levels
• Be kind to yourself: Much like managing your stress, this one is easier said than done. However PCOS can cause anxiety, stress and in some cases depression and mood swings. When we are stressed like this we can overthink and create false narratives in our heads, it’s important to focus on the feeling for 60 seconds and then try and let it go. How we speak to ourselves is fundamental for our wellbeing so try to be kind to yourself.