Ovasitol for PCOS

Ovasitol is a high quality and evidenced-based supplement aimed to support hormonal health, promote regular periods, and reduce insulin resistance. In this article, we’ll review all of the benefits of taking Ovasitol for PCOS.

What is Ovasitol?

Ovasitol is a supplement designed for women with PCOS. It contains two vitamin-like compounds called myo and d-chiro-inositol in the same ratio (40:1) found naturally in the body (1).

Ovasitol is also independently verified by a program called NSF International. Essentially, NSF provides third-party testing to ensure the product you buy actually contains the ingredients listed on the label and is free from contaminants.

November 2024 Update:

Root Myo & D-Chiro Inositol Supplement

While Ovasitol has been a go-to for supporting hormonal balance and improving insulin sensitivity in PCOS, we’re excited to share that Root now offers our very own Myo & D-Chiro Inositol supplement. This supplement matches the 40:1 ratio of myo to d-chiro inositol found naturally in the body, providing the same benefits as Ovasitol to help promote regular periods, support fertility, and reduce insulin resistance.

Whether you're already familiar with Ovasitol or considering it for the first time, Root’s Myo & D-Chiro Inositol supplement offers the same trusted formulation, so you can continue benefiting from this powerful nutrient combination.

Myo & D-Chiro Inositol

AKA Magic Period Dust

$64.00

Benefits of Ovasitol

We frequently recommend Ovasitol (now available as Root Myo & D-Chiro Inositol) in our practice for PCOS, due to its well-documented and widespread health benefits.

Lowers insulin and glucose levels

The first major benefit of Ovasitol is its ability to lower insulin and glucose levels by improving insulin sensitivity. Up to 70 percent of women with PCOS have some degree of insulin resistance. This occurs when your cells become resistant to insulin, a hormone responsible for controlling blood sugar levels. When you have insulin resistance, you also have higher insulin and blood sugar levels. This usually leads to many unwanted symptoms, like sugar cravings, weight gain or difficulty losing weight, and irregular periods.

Fortunately, inositol is fairly effective at reducing insulin levels and improving blood sugar control in women with PCOS (2, 3). By improving insulin resistance with Ovasitol, you may also experience many other benefits which we will further explain.

More regular periods

Taking Ovasitol for PCOS may help you achieve more regular menstrual cycles. In fact, one study found that myo-inositol was more effective in restoring ovulation than metformin, a drug commonly used to treat insulin resistance and irregular periods in PCOS (4).
Researchers believe inositol supplements promote regular periods and ovulation in PCOS by rebalancing insulin levels and restoring myo-inositol levels in developing eggs.

An estimated 90 percent of women experience at least some symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) during their reproductive years (1). Common PMS symptoms include bloating, moodiness, and cramping.

In this article, we’ll discuss the effectiveness of using magnesium for period cramps, how to choose the best supplement form, and tips for eating more magnesium-rich foods.

What is Magnesium?

Magnesium is an essential mineral and electrolyte with hundreds of functions in the body. For example, magnesium plays a crucial role in thyroid function, blood sugar balance, estrogen detoxification, and more.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for magnesium is 320 milligrams (mg) per day for women. If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, your body requires at least 360 mg of magnesium. However, the majority of Americans fail to meet their magnesium requirements with diet alone (2). Plus, women with certain health conditions, like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), are more likely to have insufficient magnesium levels (3). Read more about taking magnesium for PCOS.

Magnesium for Period Cramps

There are two main ways in which magnesium may ease period cramps. First of all, your uterus is a hollow muscular organ. During your monthly period, the uterus contracts to shed its inner lining. Magnesium has a special role in helping your muscles relax. When the body does not have enough magnesium, your muscles may contract too much. This is why taking magnesium is often recommended for people with muscle cramps, like athletes and pregnant women.

Furthermore, the cells in the lining of your uterus release prostaglandins during menstruation. These are natural chemicals in the body with hormone-like qualities. Overproduction of prostaglandins is associated with more severe period pain (4). Some researchers hypothesize that magnesium may reduce period cramps by lowering prostaglandin levels.

A few studies have found that magnesium effectively reduces period cramps compared to placebo (5). Plus, one study found taking vitamin B6 with magnesium may be more effective than magnesium alone (6).

Magnesium has also shown promise in preventing migraines, reducing anxiety related to PMS, and balancing your blood sugar (which is key to a healthy period).

Magnesium Supplements

Magnesium oxide is the most common supplemental form available in drug stores. However, this type of magnesium is not well absorbed and can cause side effects like bloating and diarrhea. If you suffer from constipation, magnesium citrate is a better option as it offers a gentle laxative effect in addition to other added benefits. However, we usually recommend a combination supplement, which provides a trio of magnesium citrate, glycinate, and malate to reap all the benefits of this mineral. Many women also find comfort in taking epsom salt baths, which is a naturally-occuring magnesium salt known to promote muscle relaxation.

We recommend starting with 200-250 mg of magnesium per day. Most of the research studies find that the benefits of magnesium for period cramps are magnified after at least two months of use. So, do not be discouraged if you do not see immediate results.

Improves fertility

PCOS is one of the most common causes of female infertility, and an estimated 40 percent of women with PCOS suffer from this condition. Fortunately, by lowering insulin levels and promoting more regular ovulation, Ovasitol may improve your fertility if you have PCOS. Myo-inositol may also increase pregnancy rates in women undergoing IVF by improving egg and embryo quality (5).

Related Post: Fertility Diet to Improve Egg Quality

Reduces cravings

Another surprising benefit of taking Ovasitol for PCOS is a reduction in sugar cravings which is likely due to Ovasitol’s ability to reduce insulin resistance and balance blood sugar levels. Essentially, when your blood sugar and insulin levels are controlled, you do not experience the drastic high and low blood sugar levels that often worsen cravings.

Lowers androgens

Androgens are sex hormones present in both men and women but with higher concentrations found in men. When a woman’s body produces too many androgens, known as hyperandrogenism, she may experience symptoms like acne, excessive facial or body hair, or thinning hair on the scalp. Hyperandrogenism is one of three diagnostic criteria for PCOS and is present in about 60 to 80 percent of PCOS cases. Fortunately, myo and d-chiro-inositol can significantly reduce androgen levels and related symptoms, like excessive hair growth, in women with PCOS (6, 7).

Lowers cholesterol levels

Many women with PCOS suffer from abnormally high cholesterol levels which also increases their risk for heart disease. Our PCOS meal plans offer the necessary nutrients for lowering cholesterol levels; however, taking Ovasitol may also help with this goal. For instance, a few studies found a reduction in LDL cholesterol and triglycerides when women with PCOS supplemented with both myo and d-chiro-inositol. Many of these studies found a beneficial increase in the women’s HDL “good” cholesterol levels as well (8).

Improves mood

Taking Ovasitol may also have favorable effects on your mental health. In one study, women with PCOS were randomly assigned to take either myo-inositol or metformin for 12 weeks. At the end of the 12 weeks, the women assigned to myo-inositol had significantly better scores on depression, anxiety, and stress scales (9).

Improves thyroid function

Inositol plays an important role in thyroid function and autoimmunity. This is important because women with PCOS are three times more likely to also suffer from Hashimoto’s thyroid disease than the general population (10, 11). Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system releases antibodies to mistakenly attack the thyroid gland. Hashimoto’s is also the leading cause of hypothyroidism in the United States. Thankfully, supplementing with inositol may lower TSH levels and thyroid antibodies in individuals with Hashimoto’s (12).

Read more about PCOS and Hashimoto’s.

Dosing of Ovasitol

The usual dosage of Ovasitol (now Root Myo & D-Chiro Inositol) is one scoop, twice per day with breakfast and dinner. Some people choose to only take one scoop per day. Each scoop contains 2,000 milligrams (mg) of myo-inositol and 50 mg of d-chiro-inositol in a tasteless and odorless powder that dissolves in water.

Many studies have shown that inositol is very safe. Plus, unlike the prescription drug, metformin, Ovasitol has few (if any) reported side effects.

Ovasitol Reviews

The reviews on ovasitol we hear from our members with PCOS include:

More regular, predictable periods
Improved skin and acne
Less facial hair growth
Fewer food cravings
Improved anxiety

Some of these results happen more quickly within days to a week, like reduced food cravings, and others take more time like improved skin and regular periods.

In our practice, we like to call Ovasitol “magic period dust” because of its incredible ability to promote regular periods and reduce common PCOS symptoms.

Consumer reviews for Ovasitol back up our nickname:

“Since taking Inositol, I get my period naturally, my skin is clear, my mood swings have lessened, my inflammation has reduced by 75% and I do not suffer from uncontrollable cravings. My quality of life has improved tremendously and for that, I am extremely grateful. I would highly recommend Inositol for people who are suffering with pcos. Taking Inositol has really changed my life for the better.”

“I was skeptical, but I've been using this for almost 3 months now and I see a crystal clear difference. I have a history of Hypothyroidism, PCOS, Insulin resistance, Anxiety and Binge eating. Since I started taking this supplement my periods are so damn regular and healthy (on the clock according to my Fitbit), that never happened before. My unnecessary food cravings are gone (that addresses insulin resistance and binging problems). And last but not least, lately I'm calm and peaceful, less anxious and less restless. This is my personal experience, then again everyone is different, but I would say this product is worth trying.”

Shop Myo & D-Chiro Inositol in the Root Shop. We also include Myo & D-Chiro Inositol in our PCOS Supplement Bundle for optimal results and savings.

Easy PCOS Lab Ordering

Our PCOS panel is designed to uncover the root causes of common PCOS symptoms like weight loss resistance, acne, skin and hair changes, low energy, and irregular periods. Join Root Access to get started.

Join Root Access