PCOS Treatment
I Had PCOS.
I Know What It Takes to Turn It Around.
If you're looking for PCOS treatment in Auckland, chances are you've been told to take Metformin, try Clomid, or just lose weight. None of that has addressed the actual problem — and you know it. That's exactly why most of my PCOS clients find me, and why I've spent 20 years doing this work.
In my twenties I had severe PCOS — six months without a period, significant acne, every box ticked. By my thirties I had a regular ovulatory cycle and clear skin. No medication. A systematic approach to what was actually driving it.
Katie Kempthorne
Bachelor of Health Science in Complementary Medicine (Charles Sturt University)
Registered Acupuncturist with the Chinese Medicine Council of New Zealand
Advanced Diplomas in Naturopathy and Medical Herbalism (South Pacific College of Natural Therapies)
Post-graduate Diploma in Chinese Medicine Acupuncture (AUT) with practical component in hospitals in China (Nan Jing University)
PCOS Has Been Renamed — and the New Name Changes Everything
Polycystic ovary syndrome is now officially polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome: PMOS. Published in The Lancet in May 2026 and endorsed by 56 major organisations worldwide, this reflects what naturopathic medicine has always understood — PCOS is not a condition of the ovaries. It is a multi-system endocrine and metabolic condition. The new name finally explains why it responds so well to the approach Katie takes.
WHAT PCOS/PMOS ACTUALLY IS
And why that changes how it should be treated.
PCOS/PMOS is not primarily a gynaecological disorder. It is a complex, multi-system condition involving your endocrine system, your metabolism, your reproductive system, your skin, and your psychological health. The reason conventional medicine struggles with it is that it treats each symptom separately — a dermatologist for acne, a gynaecologist for irregular cycles, an endocrinologist for insulin. Nobody looks at the whole system.
That's exactly what naturopathy and acupuncture are designed to do — and why PCOS/PMOS is one of the most responsive conditions Katie treats.
WHAT YOU MIGHT BE EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW
You may be experiencing one or many of these symptoms. Each of these is a signal from the same underlying system. Not separate problems — one condition with many expressions.
01
Irregular or absent periods
Months without a cycle — making it impossible to know if or when you're ovulating.
02
Difficulty conceiving
Without regular ovulation, natural conception becomes a guessing game.
03
Acne
Hormonal acne that doesn't respond to topical treatments — a sign of androgen excess.
04
Weight that won't shift
Despite eating well and exercising — because insulin resistance changes the rules.
05
Excess hair growth
Hair appearing in places you don't want it — driven by elevated androgens.
06
PMS and mood changes
Hormonal imbalance affecting energy, mood, and emotional stability.
THE THREE THINGS THAT ACTUALLY DRIVE PCOS/PMOS
Katie’s Clinical Framework
Blood Sugar and Insulin
THE MOST IMPORTANT STARTING POINT
People with PCOS/PMOS very often have a family history of diabetes and a tendency toward insulin resistance. Elevated insulin directly stimulates the ovaries to produce androgens — creating the hormonal imbalance that disrupts ovulation. Even women eating clean can have blood sugar bouncing all over the place because their diet contains high-glycaemic carbohydrates and insufficient protein. This is priority number one.
2. Cortisol and the HPA Axis
THE STRESS CONNECTION
When the body is running on chronic stress, reproductive hormone production is suppressed. Cortisol directly reduces FSH, LH, oestrogen, and progesterone. Women with PCOS/PMOS tend to have a heightened stress response — compounding the hormonal dysregulation already present. Acupuncture and herbal medicine soothe the nervous system. Optimising sleep and melatonin levels makes a profound impact.
3. Restoring the Rhythm
THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE AS A BIOLOGICAL PATTERN
The menstrual cycle is a rhythm — the same way the sleep-wake cycle is a rhythm. Modern lifestyles, hormone-disrupting contraceptives from a young age, and lives lived far from nature's cycles mean many women's bodies lose this rhythm. Acupuncture is remarkable for restoring it — regulating hormonal signalling pathways and supporting the body's return to its natural cyclical patterns.
HOW ACUPUNCTURE TREATS PCOS/PMOS
The Mechanisms
↑ Hormonal balance
Stimulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis to restore the hormonal signalling patterns PCOS/PMOS disrupts.
→ Regular cycles, reliable ovulation
↑ Ovarian blood flow
Improving blood flow to the ovaries to support follicle development and healthy egg maturation.
→ Better ovarian function
↓ Insulin Resistance
Acupuncture has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce androgen levels — addressing the metabolic driver of PCOS/PMOS directly.
→ Reduced androgens, improved metabolism
↓ Cortisol and stress response
Shifting the nervous system from sympathetic dominance into parasympathetic — the rest and repair state reproductive hormones need.
→ Lower cortisol, better hormone balance
THE DUAL FRAMEWORK ADVANTAGE
What Katie Does That Most PCOS Acupuncturists Can't
Most PCOS treatment in Auckland is either medication (Metformin, Clomid) or acupuncture alone. Katie combines acupuncture with naturopathic medicine — giving her two diagnostic frameworks, two treatment toolkits, and the ability to investigate and address the full picture.
Normal vs optimal. An Hba1c result within range can still be suboptimal for fertility with PCOS. A blood glucose that doesn't flag as diabetic can still be driving your PCOS. Katie tests what matters and reads results through a functional lens.
What she tests that your GP doesn't: Gut Microbiome Mapping - which tells us about which microbes in the gut may be out of balance, and may be driving bood sugar fluctuations and hormone imbalance. DUTCH hormone testing - which gives us a comprehensive picture of both your adrenal hormones and your menstrual hormones and how you are processing them in the body. This give us a hormonal picture vastly superior to blood testing through the GP. Each directly relevant to PCOS/PMOS outcomes.
The toolkit: Targeted supplementation, herbal medicine, dietary guidance built around your life, and lifestyle interventions — all coordinated with acupuncture. Not a generic protocol. Your plan.
THE EVIDENCE
What the Research Shows About PCOS Treatment with Acupuncture
Acupuncture outperforms medication for ovulation
A 2025 meta-analysis — 43 randomised controlled trials, 4,827 participants — found acupuncture alone significantly increased ovulation rates compared to both sham acupuncture and pharmacotherapy. Combined with herbal medicine, it outperformed pharmacotherapy by 27%.
Pregnancy rates significantly higher with acupuncture
A randomised sham-controlled trial found manual acupuncture in women with PCOS-related infertility produced a pregnancy rate of 46.34% compared to 18.42% in the sham group.
Acupuncture improves endocrine and metabolic markers
A 2025 systematic review found acupuncture produces beneficial effects on insulin resistance, androgen excess, and hormonal dysregulation in women with PCOS.
"I had PCOS in my twenties. Six months without a period. Severe acne. Every box ticked. I know in my own body what it takes to turn this around — because I did it. That experience informs how I treat every PCOS patient I see today."
— Katie Kempthorne, Naturopath & TCM Acupuncturist · In practice since 2004
What women say about PCOS treatment with Katie…
Twelve years on the pill. Terrified to come off. No skin problems when she did.
A patient came to me because she had PCOS and a long history of acne. She'd been on the pill for twelve years — running packs back to back — and was terrified about what would happen when she stopped. But she wanted to explore her own natural rhythm.
So we did the preparation work first. We balanced her blood sugar. We got her gut microbiome into good shape. We supported her liver detoxification pathways. We nourished her system thoroughly — before we took the pill away.
The idea was simple: optimise the system before removing the thing that had been masking the problem. That way, when she did come off the pill, her body had what it needed to find its own rhythm.
She came off the pill. No skin problems. Her cycle returned. Her body remembered what to do — because we'd given it the foundations it needed.
Told she'd never conceive naturally. Four months later, she did.
A woman came to me after being told she would never be able to conceive naturally because of her PCOS. But she wanted to have a go.
She'd actually done a lot of the preparation work herself in the year before she saw me — calming her nervous system, cleaning up her diet, balancing her blood sugar. The foundations were good. But she had a 35-day cycle and very bad PMS, and she wasn't ovulating reliably.
We gave her specific nutrients and herbal medicine to support ovulation and progesterone production, and she came in for acupuncture fortnightly.
Within four months her cycle had come down to 30 days. And she conceived naturally.
No IVF. No Clomid. The body she'd been told would never do this — did it.
Did everything right. Couldn't shift the weight. Until we found what was actually driving it.
She was eating well, exercising regularly, and the weight would not move. Her GP's advice: eat less, move more. But nobody had looked at why.
I had her wear a continuous glucose monitor for ten days. What it showed was clear — her blood sugar was spiking and crashing throughout the day, and her body was producing far more insulin than it needed. Insulin resistance was locking the weight on and driving the androgen excess that was disrupting her cycle.
We addressed it directly. Protein at every meal. Low-GI carbohydrates. Targeted supplementation. Acupuncture to support her nervous system. Within three months the weight started to shift, her cycles became more regular, and the PMS that had plagued her for years began to ease.
The weight was never the problem. It was the symptom.
QUESTIONS ABOUT PCOS TREATMENT
Have a question not answered here?
Email Katie directly — she'll give you a straight answer.
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Yes — and for many women, natural treatment produces better and more sustainable results than medication alone. Katie's approach addresses the root drivers of PCOS: insulin resistance, cortisol dysregulation, and hormonal rhythm disruption.
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Most clients see meaningful changes within 3–6 months — more regular cycles, improved ovulation, clearer skin. Katie will give you a realistic timeframe at your first consultation based on what she finds.
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Many of Katie's PCOS clients restore regular ovulatory cycles and conceive naturally without IVF. The research supports this — acupuncture combined with naturopathic treatment outperforms medication for ovulation restoration.
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Katie is both a naturopath and a TCM acupuncturist — the only Auckland practitioner combining both disciplines for PCOS. This means two diagnostic frameworks, two treatment toolkits, and the ability to address the condition at every level.
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Weight loss can improve PCOS outcomes — but nobody talks about how difficult it is to lose weight when you have PCOS. Insulin resistance changes the rules. Katie addresses the insulin resistance first, which makes weight management significantly easier.
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Western medicine doesn't have effective answers beyond these two medications. They can help some women — but they address symptoms, not root causes. Katie's approach can work alongside medication or as an alternative, depending on your situation.
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Initial consultation (90 minutes): $185. Follow-up consultations (60 minutes): $125. No packages required. Katie will give you a clear plan and honest recommendation on frequency at your first appointment.
READY TO FIND OUT WHAT’S ACTUALLY DRIVING YOUR PCOS?
You've waited long enough for something that actually works.
Book a 90-minute initial consultation at Katie's Sandringham, Auckland clinic. She'll go through everything — your full history, your cycle, your blood sugar, your stress, your hormones. By the end of the session you'll know what she's found, what she thinks is driving things, and exactly what she recommends.