Diagnosis: The diagnosis of insulin resistance implies you have a disorder in tissues such as muscle are impaired in its ability to respond to the action of insulin. This leads to a situation where the pancreas produces extra insulin in an effort to overcome the resistance to insulin. This elevation in insulin is known as hyperinsulinemia, or high blood insulin. Insulin resistance is not the same as diabetes although it is considered an early form of diabetes. The main difference in the two disorders is that the person with insulin resistance is capable of producing excessive amounts of insulin to maintain blood glucose whereas the diabetic patient can no longer produce adequate levels of insulin. Insulin resistance can come about through more than one mechanism. Receptor defects and obesity appear to be independent risk factors that may appear alone or in combination. There appears to be a genetic link so a family history of adult onset diabetes is a risk factor. Hyperinsulinemia can also occur in situations where the the body is overproducing insulin but the tissues aren’t technically resistant to the effects of insulin. This occurs most commonly in the setting of excessive sugar intake. Insulin is a hormone which causes changes in different cells throughout the body. Excessive hormones can cause changes in the appearance of individuals. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Syndrome X are labels to describe a common appearance among patients with high insulin levels. Insulin resistance is the most likely the underlying metabolic abnormality when the appropriate testing is performed. Many tests focus on tissue resistance to insulin rather than the absolute level of circulating hormone. We have specialized tests designed to find these elevations in hormones. Treatment results can be quite impressive and can lead to pregnancy without fertility medications in many cases.

For more information visit: http://californiaivf.com/insulin-resistance.htm