In the final episode of our three-part insulin resistance series, I uncover why one of the most critical markers of PCOS—fasting insulin—is so often ignored by traditional medicine. From outdated medical guidelines to insurance barriers and lack of provider training, this episode explores the systemic reasons women are told they're "normal" when they're anything but. If you've ever felt dismissed despite knowing something is off, this one’s for you. Learn how to advocate for yourself, what labs to request, and why normal isn’t always optimal. It's time to stop waiting for permission and start taking control of your health.
Welcome to the final part of our insulin resistance series!
In this episode, I break down:
💡 Takeaways:
✨ If you’ve ever been told “everything looks fine,” but you feel something is off—this episode is your permission slip to dig deeper. Download the Food Timeline Tracker here!
Did you miss the first two episodes in the series? Be sure to check them out here!
(0:02 - 0:25) Welcome to PCOS Unfiltered, Nourish, Heal, Thrive, the place where real talk meets real healing. I'm Lindsay, health coach, nurse, mindful eating advocate, and fellow health warrior. Each week we're diving deep into the truth about PCOS, from nutrition and mindful habits to emotional healing and everything in between, all without the filters, the fads, or the shame.
(0:25 - 2:37) If you're ready to nourish your body, heal from the inside out, and finally thrive, you're in the right place. Let's get started. Hey there, welcome back. You've made it to the final part of our three-part series on insulin resistance. So in episodes one and two, we talked about what insulin resistance is and what causes it, but here's the million dollar question. If it is so common and important, why aren't doctors testing for it? So that's what we're unpacking today. And because if you've ever been told everything looks normal, but deep down, you knew something was not right, then this episode is for you. So let's start with what typically is tested. Most doctors will run a fasting glucose or maybe an A1C to check for diabetes or prediabetes, but here's the problem. These tests often don't flag until insulin resistance has been happening for years, years, insulin rises long before blood sugar does, which means you can have normal labs and still be on the path toward major metabolic issues. So a fasting insulin gives you a much earlier heads up, but it's rarely included in standard panels. One reason that a fasting insulin may not be included is because of outdated medical guidelines. So the healthcare system is built around treating disease and not preventing it. I was a nurse. I saw this a lot, right? We treat, um, a lot of the times they want to prescribe or cut, but we don't focus on prevention as much. Yes. Like you can go get your pap smear and your mammogram and you know, your skin check and that stuff, but, but the focus is really not on prevention. So if your glucose isn't in the diabetic range, then most providers are taught to just wait and watch. Even if they see it, it's creeped up. A lot of the times I just, uh, we'll just keep an eye on it. Um, so the other thing is that there's also a lack of training.
(2:37 - 3:27) Many doctors are not taught about the importance of insulin as an early warning sign. So they simply don't look for it. And this isn't about blaming doctors. It's about recognizing that the system we have, um, just doesn't work. Um, it doesn't work. I should say optimally. Um, and another barrier can be insurance. So my husband, um, has had an issue with this before, uh, where with my background, I knew that a test should have been ordered again, kind of a more preventative, you know, screening type of test and the doctor refused. And the only thing that we could, we could like, um, chalk it up to was his insurance.
(3:27 - 9:29) So a lot of the times is fasting insulin isn't covered and many providers don't want to order tests that have to, that they have to justify or, you know, fight for, um, you know, might be some special code or whatever. And so the reality is that a lot of times they it's not covered. So they don't really advocate for you as the patient. And so the system tends to prioritize what's billable and already accepted by major institutions. Unfortunately, early metabolic markers like insulin just aren't the standard yet. So even if a doctor wants to help, they might feel limited by what they can do under the current model. The other thing is that normal is not always optimal. So there's a big difference between normal and optimal. I talked about this just a little bit in the first episode of this series. Um, most labs say that fasting insulin up to 25 is normal, but that just means it's common and not that it's healthy. So the truth is anything, um, above 10 really should be a red flag. Optimal is below seven. And so your doctor might look at a result of 14 and say, you're fine. When in reality, your body has been working over time just to keep your blood sugar stable. So what can you do about it? Here's the empowering part. Um, that's one of the biggest things with, um, with all of these episodes, um, is I want you to walk away with just a little bit of knowledge to, to make sure you're informed and feel more empowered and that you can advocate for yourself and take control of your health. So you don't have to wait for permission. If you suspect insulin resistance based off of what we've talked about so far on the other episodes, um, you can ask your provider for a fasting insulin specifically, or you can get your own labs done for direct to consumer type lab. I've seen these popping up all over. Um, there are actual brick and mortar places that you can go to now. Uh, I've seen, I know I've gotten ads on Facebook for, um, like function. It's like function health when you can go and basically kind of ask for, uh, you know, whatever tests you want. Um, you can see a functional medicine doctor yourself and talk to them. They're going to be more open to ordering something like this. So yeah, you can get your, your own labs done basically. And then the other thing is just track your symptoms. Um, especially after meals, but even, even right, you know, right when you start eating the varying and then, uh, immediately after and long after, and you're looking for any energy crashes, um, cravings, if you're feeling like, you know, shaky or hangry, um, as, as you might call it, um, with, you know, certain times of the day or whatever. So yeah, just track your symptoms. And that can also be a huge indicator without the test as to what's going on. So most importantly, trust yourself. Um, I used to see this in the ER a lot for some people, unfortunately, it had to be really bad for them to come in there. But a lot of the times I would tell people, you know, your body and yes, you may not be listening to it, but this might be the time to start listening to it. Um, if you deep down know something is going on, trust your body, trust yourself. Um, you know, better what's going on than just being, you know, a chart or a number. Um, so if something does feel off, it more than likely is. So the old story was just eat less and move more, right? So a lot of times you go to the doctor and when you kind of get to that phase, um, where you say I'm trying everything and not losing weight, the scale's not budging. My clothes are still tight. They, they say just eat less and move more. But the new story is let's get curious. Let's look under the covers. Let's support your body and not fight against it. Infant resistance is reversible. Um, that is the good news, but only if we stop ignoring it. So you have to acknowledge what's going on and know that there is something deeper going on there. Um, and this is why I do what I do. So my coaching programs are designed to help you understand your body and give you the tools to support it, especially when traditional systems fall short. Um, so that being said, that wraps up our three part series on insulin resistance to recap in episode one, we talked about what it is and how it shows up in episode two, we covered the root causes beyond just food. So if you haven't seen those yet, and you just happened to jump in on episode three, make sure you go check out those first couple episodes there. And then of course, today we looked at why it's so often missed and what you can do to take back the power and take back control of your health. So I hope this series gives you some clarity, some confidence, and just a deeper connection to your body. And if it did, please be sure to share it with someone who needs it because more women deserve answers. Um, thanks for being here until next time, um, eat mindfully breathe deeply and never stop advocating for you. I'll see you next time. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of PCOS unfiltered. If today's episode spoke to you, be sure to subscribe. So you don't miss a thing. And if you loved it, a quick review would mean the world to me. Remember healing is a journey, not a destination, and you deserve to feel empowered every step of the way until next time, nourish your body, heal your heart and thrive like the boss you are.