From navigating the frustrations of a PCOS diagnosis to understanding the deeper roots of hormone imbalance, this episode of The Holistically Well Podcast goes far beyond surface-level advice. Dr. Kayla sits down with Ginny Noce, RN and functional medicine expert, to unpack the nuance of blood sugar regulation, optimal lab ranges, and how to approach women’s health with a lens of compassion.
EPISODE 11 | HOLISTICALLY WELL PODCAST: NAVIGATING PCOS AND BLOOD SUGAR BALANCE WITH GINNY NOCE
In a recent episode of the women’s health podcast, Holistically Well, we welcomed Ginny Noce, a Registered Nurse with a master’s degree in Nutrition and Functional Medicine, to unpack the complexities of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Ginny’s unique medical background and holistic approach to care offer a refreshing, research-backed perspective that blends traditional clinical experience with a deeply rooted functional lens!
Prefer watching or listening? You can catch the full conversation on the Holistically Well Podcast—available on all your favorite platforms. 💫
🎧 Holistically Well Podcast on Apple | Episode 11
🎙️ Holistically Well Podcast on Spotify | Episode 11
💻 Holistically Well Podcast on YouTube | Episode 11
What You Need to Know About PCOS
PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, affects an estimated 1 in 10 women of reproductive age. Diagnosed using the Rotterdam criteria, women must meet at least two of the following three markers:
- Irregular or absent menstrual cycles (oligo- or amenorrhea)
- Elevated androgens (testosterone or DHEAS), either through lab work or physical symptoms like cystic acne or hirsutism
- Polycystic ovaries on ultrasound, often described as a “string of pearls” due to the appearance of multiple immature follicles
Despite its name, PCOS is not always about ovarian cysts. It’s more about hormonal imbalance and disrupted ovulatory patterns, often misunderstood and misdiagnosed in conventional care settings.
Why Functional Medicine Matters in PCOS
Ginny Noce emphasizes that in many clinical settings, PCOS is diagnosed via exclusion, often leading to blanket prescriptions like birth control or metformin without addressing underlying causes. Functional medicine flips this narrative by asking, “Why is this happening in the first place?”
Root contributors to PCOS can include —
- Blood sugar dysregulation and insulin resistance
- Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress
- Gut dysbiosis
- Toxic burden from environmental exposures
- Nutrient deficiencies
- High stress levels and unresolved trauma
These drivers often feed into one another, creating a complex web that conventional medicine may overlook. Functional testing—like GI maps and in-depth bloodwork—helps Ginny and her team determine the unique root causes for each individual.
Addressing Blood Sugar and Hormones with Nutrition
One of the first steps in Ginny’s approach is stabilizing blood sugar, a foundational pillar not just for PCOS but for broader hormonal and metabolic health. Her top strategies include:
- Eating three to four balanced meals daily, depending on caloric needs
- Avoiding “naked carbs” by pairing carbohydrates with protein and fiber
- Aiming for 30 grams of protein per meal
- Increasing daily fiber intake to 25-35 grams
Ginny stresses that fiber is one of the most well-researched nutrients with proven benefits on gut and blood sugar regulation. Favorite fiber sources include fruits, chia seeds, flax, legumes, lentils, sweet potatoes, and even homemade stovetop popcorn.
Understanding Fasting and Female Physiology
Intermittent fasting is a hot topic, but Ginny encourages a nuanced view. Most fasting research has been conducted on men, and the female hormonal landscape is far more sensitive. Her advice:
- Don’t skip breakfast. Eat within an hour of waking.
- Aim for a 12-hour overnight fast (e.g., dinner at 7 p.m., breakfast at 7 a.m.) to allow for gut and metabolic recovery.
- If pursuing longer fasts (e.g., 14 hours), make sure it works for your current hormone and stress levels.
Digestion, Protein, and Fiber for PCOS
Many women struggle to digest high-protein meals, often due to low stomach acid or nutrient deficiencies in zinc and sodium. Proper chewing, reducing stress during meals, and addressing gut infections like H. pylori are often necessary to restore optimal digestion.
Ginny also notes that fiber feeds beneficial gut bacteria, which indirectly supports hormone detoxification and nutrient absorption. This connection is critical in PCOS care, where gut health and hormonal balance are deeply intertwined.
While PCOS is often treated with a one-size-fits-all approach, Ginny’s functional lens reveals that true healing starts with identifying the unique contributors to each woman’s case. Whether it’s stabilizing blood sugar, reducing toxic load, or supporting gut repair, her method is about restoring balance from the inside out.
The Nuance of Nutrition, Labs & Hormone Healing
We explore how PCOS often manifests differently from woman to woman—and how functional medicine seeks to understand why. Ginny expands this conversation by unpacking why black-and-white advice on social media (and even in many conventional medical settings) simply doesn’t work for complex, nuanced issues like PCOS, fertility, or hormone imbalance.
“I’m very much over social media these days,” Ginny admits, “because all I see are two camps: one that says ‘just don’t track, it’s all about hormones’ and the other that says ‘just hit your macros and you’ll be fine.’ I really think there’s a middle ground.”
That middle ground? Clinical nuance.
Ginny and Dr. Kayla both emphasize that no two bodies are the same—and that’s exactly why polarizing soundbites online often fall flat. As Kayla explains, “Polarizing topics get views, but they don’t reflect the lived experience of actual patient care.”
Clinical Eyes on Lab Work for PCOS
One of the most eye-opening sections of the episode centers around lab interpretation—and why “normal” results might not mean you’re actually well.
Ginny is trained in optimal lab interpretation through Dr. Bryan Walsh’s blood chemistry program at Metabolic Fitness. She shares that the standard reference ranges used in conventional medicine are based on the average of all lab results within two standard deviations not on what’s considered optimal for thriving health. Translation? “Normal” doesn’t always mean “ideal.”
Take this real-world example from a recent client:
- Testosterone
Came back at 70, not flagged by the lab, but anything above 45 is considered high in Ginny’s functional framework. - DHEAS
Measured at 350, again not flagged, though Ginny’s optimal range is 150–250.
Blood sugar markers show the same pattern:
- A fasting insulin of 12 might appear fine under a conventional range (anything under 20), but functional medicine flags anything over 8 as elevated.
As Ginny puts it, “Who’s getting labs done? Usually people who are unwell. If those people are the average, it skews what’s considered ‘normal.’”
Trial, Error & Informed Intuition for PCOS
Ginny’s own healing journey is a testament to how powerful self-awareness and functional tools can be. Diagnosed with PCOS, she spent years trialing everything—from macro tracking to intense exercise—until she realized that overexercising, undereating, gut infections, and nutrient depletion were driving her symptoms.
She eventually conceived her two daughters naturally after rebalancing her system. But her story took an emotional turn with a miscarriage that she believes stemmed from a mix of nutrient depletion, stress, and residual hormonal imbalances from breastfeeding.
“I think I had a suboptimal ovulation and low progesterone,” she shares. “But I knew what to test. I ran my own labs and saw I had elevated androgens and low nutrient levels—nothing extreme, but enough to impact early pregnancy.”
She became pregnant again shortly after and, equipped with knowledge, opted for progesterone injections to support early gestation. The result? A pregnancy that is, at the time of recording, progressing well.
The Importance of Progesterone (And Testing It Early)
Progesterone, literally meaning “pro-gestation,” is a hormone critical to sustaining early pregnancy. Yet many conventional doctors don’t test it until 8 weeks—often too late.
Ginny and Kayla agree: Every woman should have their progesterone tested immediately upon learning they’re pregnant. And if it’s low, consider interventions like injections or oral supplementation.
Unfortunately, this kind of proactive care isn’t standard. “Conventional medicine often doesn’t investigate until a woman has had two or three miscarriages,” Ginny laments. “That’s just not acceptable.”
She recommends NaPro and FEMM-trained providers—clinicians trained in fertility awareness and proactive hormone management—as excellent resources for those seeking more personalized care. You can find NaPro and FEMM-trained providers through various resources with a quick Google search!
Free Guides for PCOS & Where to Start
Whether you’re just beginning your fertility journey or have been navigating hormone imbalance for years, both Ginny and Dr. Kayla offer a robust collection of free resources!
Resources like the Gut Symptom Guide to help decode your digestion and its impact on hormones, the 11 Red Flags to Watch for When Trying to Conceive, a Master’s-Level Hormone Guide to better understand your cycle, hormone patterns, and nutrition strategies, and Nutrition Tips for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Moms can all be found on Ginny’s website or directly through her Instagram.
Support your body holistically at home while preventing and treating pain or urinary leakage before, during & after pregnancy with a look into Dr. Kayla’s Holistically Well Methods.
Whether you’re in the midst of diagnosis, preparing to conceive, or healing after loss, know this: Your story is valid. Your symptoms matter. And support exists.
