Most women only hear about PCOS in their teens or twenties — when cycles are irregular, acne is flaring, weight is piling onto the midsection, and fertility becomes a concern. But here’s the truth:

👉 PCOS does NOT disappear. 👉 Symptoms simply shift. 👉 And midlife can amplify everything that was simmering beneath the surface for decades.

In this episode of Midlife Mayhem, Joanne breaks down the real metabolic story behind PCOS — not the simplified, fertility-focused version most women are handed in their early years.

You’ll learn:

PCOS fundamentally affects insulin, inflammation, and cortisol long before it affects fertility. Those root issues follow women into midlife even when cycle symptoms fade.

Regular cycles and clearer skin don’t mean PCOS is gone. It simply means estrogen and progesterone have shifted, masking reproductive symptoms while worsening metabolic ones.

This is the perfect storm no one talks about. Declining estrogen + progesterone + long-standing insulin resistance = intensified midsection fat gain, inflammation, cravings, fatigue, and higher cardiometabolic risk.

Afternoon crashes, carb cravings, stubborn belly fat, worsening triglycerides, glucose instability, and unexplained inflammation — these aren’t random. They’re PCOS physiology expressing itself in a new hormonal landscape.

When estrogen drops, insulin resistance rises. When muscle declines, metabolic flexibility crashes. And when progesterone disappears, inflammation spikes. Midlife magnifies every mechanism behind PCOS.

With the chaos of cycles behind them, women can finally address PCOS with precision: strength training, protein prioritization, carb timing, gut repair, insulin management, targeted supplementation, GLP-1 support, and HRT where appropriate.

This episode is packed with the depth, physiology, and straight-talk education that midlife women deserve — and rarely receive.

✨ 5-Amino-1MQ — Metabolic, energy & body composition support 👉 www.5amino.com

✨ SLU-PP-332 (“Exercise in a Bottle”) — A next-generation mitochondrial & longevity compound 👉 www.slu332.com

✨ Joanne’s New Website (80% complete — launching soon!) 👉 www.joannelee.com

✨ To connect with Joanne directly: 📩 joanne@joannelee.com