I frequently get asked by clients if they have to avoid dairy for PCOS? 

So, in this article I’m going to share what the research says and my recommendations as a Registered Dietitian specializing in PCOS (and also having PCOS myself), so you can make the best choice for yourself. 

My goal is to always simplify the PCOS diet for you, so you don’t have to stress about what to eat or drink with PCOS. 

Key Takeaways:

  • Most people with PCOS don’t need to eliminate dairy, unless they have symptoms like acne or lactose intolerance.
  • Dairy provides essential nutrients like protein, calcium, and Vitamin D, which are important for managing PCOS symptoms.
  • Dairy can support weight management and improve insulin sensitivity, beneficial for those with PCOS and insulin resistance.
  • Fermented dairy (yogurt, kefir) is especially beneficial for PCOS due to probiotics and better nutrient absorption.
  • Non-dairy calcium sources are important if you reduce dairy, including fortified plant milks, leafy greens, and tofu.

PCOS & Diet- Quick Review

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age.  It is thought to affect 4-20% of the world’s population of women of reproductive age. (1)

It is the leading cause of infertility and is associated with insulin resistance, inflammation and elevated androgens. (2, 3)

Nutrition plays a critical role in managing PCOS symptoms by addressing insulin resistance, inflammation and gut health.

So, is milk bad for PCOS? Let’s review how milk and dairy products can affect PCOS symptoms so you can make the best choice for you.

If you are interested in more personalized recommendations, book a 1:1 nutrition counseling session with me here! [ You can check to see if I take your insurance and if I can work with you (depending on your state) on this site]

Do I have to give up dairy with PCOS?

The answer is most likely no. But again, this is an individual decision and you do what makes you feel your best.

But just because some influencer on Tiktok (or even some dietitians!) told you to go dairy free because you have PCOS, don’t just start eliminating this entire food group right away. 

Because what usually happens when you restrict foods, you just end up wanting more of them. Plus dairy is a good source of nutrition. 

If you don’t tolerate a big glass of milk, but you love putting feta on everything because it’s delicious. Then you keep doing you!

Some important questions to ask yourself before you eliminate dairy from your diet:

  • Do you feel worse when you consume milk or dairy?
  • Does it cause bloating and diarrhea?
  • Do you drink a lot of milk and experience acne?
  • If you have gone dairy free and you feel better is it because you no longer eat nachos at the bar and a pint of ice cream at once? Or did you give up plain whole milk yogurt and feel better? See the difference? 

Later in this article I’ll review when I do recommend someone give up or limit dairy, but most people don’t fit into this category. I’ll walk you through a series of questions to help you decide.

Health Benefits and Cons of Dairy in PCOS

Cow’s milk is a nutrient dense food containing protein, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and Vitamin D. Individuals with PCOS are more likely to have lower Vitamin D levels, so important to find good sources in your diet or to supplement. 

The type of protein in cow’s milk is a complete protein, meaning it contains all the aminos acids which can help with building and repairing muscles. 

It’s also an inexpensive, tasty and convenient protein to add to meals or snacks. Especially those meals that can be hard to get enough protein in, like breakfast or pasta based meals. 

It’s important to acknowledge that there is limited research into the area of PCOS and dairy consumption specifically.  However there is some data to share and we can also look at research in individuals with insulin resistance or diabetes for more information and guidance on the benefits and/or cons of including dairy in the diet.

Info graphic showing pros and cons of dairy for PCOS

Weight Loss and Dairy

Eating dairy, especially higher protein dairy, can help with weight management. I find it especially useful in helping my clients reach their protein goals each day. 

Intake of dairy in adults has been shown to improve body composition (more muscle, less fat mass) and help with weight loss along with a calorie deficit. ( 4)

This study on the DASH diet as an intervention in individuals with PCOS, when compared to the control diet,  showed improved weight loss, BMI and fat mass. (5)  The DASH diet focuses on fruits, veggies, whole grains, nut and seeds and low-fat dairy.

Insulin Resistance and Type 2 diabetes

You might think you need to avoid dairy when you have insulin resistance? Well, the research shows otherwise. 

Now, there is some conflicting research, but generally the research into how dairy affects insulin resistance, pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes is showing dairy intake can help improve insulin resistance. 

This study looked at dairy intake in women and showed that it increased IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1) levels. (16)

 Low levels of IGF-1 have been associated with insulin resistance.  Research shows that IGF-1 has hypoglycmemic affects and enhances insulin sensitivity. (17)

Consumption of dairy products is associated with a neutral and reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.  (6) This is important to note because individuals with PCOS are at increased risk for developing diabetes. (7)

One study showed an increase in daily dairy intake reduces risk of insulin resistance by 30% in black women and 38% in white women. (8)

There is a small study that shows a low dairy intake (1 oz of cheese per day ) combined with a low starch diet having a significant impact on weight loss, insulin resistance and testosterone levels in women with PCOS. 

However, it is SUPER important to point out that this was an 8-week intervention in only 24 individuals with PCOS. They were instructed to eliminate all starches like whole grains, beans and legume and consume <20g carbs per day. 

Participants were only allowed to consume low glycemic index fruits. The authors of the study did allow 1oz of cheese per day as cheese doesn’t have the same effect on insulin levels as milk.  

The researchers also acknowledge that this low dairy/low starch diet was only for 8 weeks and they suspect that following a restrictive diet like this long term is not possible. 

They also could not extrapolate whether it was the low dairy (notice it’s not dairy free!)  or low starch diet component that caused the significant improvement in weight loss and insulin resistance. 

Heart Disease Risk

Individuals with PCOS are at increased risk of heart disease and stroke. (9) It’s something that isn’t talked about enough in the PCOS community.

Including dairy products in your diet has been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. (10)

Fertility and Dairy

In the NURSES Health study, intake of full-fat dairy was associated with a 50% decrease in risk for infertility. The researchers believe that this is due to high-fat dairy having more estrogens and having less of an effect in increasing IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1) concentrations in the blood compared to low fat or skim dairy. (11)

Is yogurt good for PCOS?

There is good research supporting the intake of fermented dairy like yogurt, kefir and cottage cheese, for PCOS. 

The benefits are linked to the probiotics, the Vitamin D, the protein and fat content of the dairy. 

This study showed the consumption of probiotic yogurt in individuals with overweight or obesity had a significantly higher reduction in insulin levels and an improved blood sugar levels two hours after a meal as well as fasting insulin levels. (12)

Another study in post-menopaual women with type 2 diabetes showed an improvement in insulin sensitivity and fasting insulin when yogurt fortified with Vit D was consumed for 12 weeks. (13)

Acne and Dairy

If you suffer from acne and have PCOS, it may be beneficial to look at your overall dietary intake and the amount of dairy you consumed.  Reducing dairy and making dietary changes may help improve your acne.

This systematic review looked at research into high glycemic index diets and dairy intake and their impact on acne, in the general population.

They found a high glycemic index diet, increased glycemic load and carbohydrate intake did have a modest but statistically significant impact on acne. They characterized this dietary pattern as a Westernized Diet or Standard American Diet. 

The review also found that increased dairy consumption was found to increase acne occurrence in select populations, particularly those that followed a Westernized diet.

Low fat and full fat milk, but not cheese, was found to increase IGF-1, which increase insulin levels and then androgen level, causing more acne. 

So, it is likely that if you eat a Standard American Diet, which is lacking in fiber from fruits, veggies and whole grains, high in refined grains and sugar and consume an increased amount of dairy, you are more likely to develop acne.  

Also your gender, level of elevated androgens from PCOS and ethnicity plays a role as well.

“Man, I wish someone had told me this when I was between the ages of 11 to 17.  I grew up drinking LOTS of skim milk, like 3-4 glasses per day as well as a higher glycemic index, Westernized diet.  I had to take Accutane for 2.5 years to get my acne under control. While I still consume dairy in my diet now,  it’s mostly in the form of yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese and cream for my coffee. I also prioritize fiber rich foods on a daily basis. 

Meggie Connelly, PCOS Dietitian

Does dairy cause more inflammation in PCOS?

The research is currently unclear if dairy causes inflammation in the PCOS population. What the research is indicating in this review, is that there is insufficient evidence to state that dairy has an anti-inflammatory effect. But the large body of current research in the area  also does not show that dairy intake increases biomarkers of chronic inflammation. (14)

How much dairy should I consume each day?

I generally recommend no more than 2 servings of dairy per day for individuals with PCOS. I also recommend choosing a full fat dairy vs a skim or low fat.

If you experience acne you might want to reduce or eliminate and see if symptoms improve.

I generally recommend to my clients to focus on adding in cheese, yogurt, kefir or cottage cheese as dairy sources vs milk. 

What is a serving of dairy:

A serving of dairy could look like this:

  • 1 cup of milk
  • 1 cup of yogurt, regular or greek
  • 1 oz of hard cheese (like cheddar)
  • ½ cup of cottage cheese
  • ½ cup of ricotta
  • 1 string cheese or Babybell cheese

Non-dairy sources of Calcium

Dairy is an excellent source of calcium and consuming it makes it really easy to meet your daily needs. 

Recommended dietary allowance is 1,000 – 1,300 mg per day for women. 

But if you choose to reduce or eliminate dairy it’s important to know of the different food sources of calcium to include in your diet daily. 

Info graphic comparing the non-dairy and dairy sources of calcium for PCOS and dairy.

  • Soy beverage (soy milk), unsweetened, fortified: Serving Size 1 cup, 301 mg
  • Almond milk, unsweetened, calcium fortified: Serving Size 1 cup, 470mg
  • Almond, nuts: Serving size 1 oz, 76mg
  • Collard greens, cooked: Serving size 1 cup, 268 mg
  • Spinach, cooked: Serving size 1 cup, 245 mg
  • Turnip greens, cooked: Serving size 1 cup, 197 mg
  • Bok choy, cooked: Serving size 1 cup, 185 mg
  • Kale, cooked: Serving size 1 cup, 177 mg
  • Mustard greens, cooked: Serving size 1 cup, 165 mg
  • Beet greens, cooked: Serving size 1 cup, 164 mg
  • Dandelion greens, cooked: Serving size 1 cup, 147 mg
  • Tofu, raw, regular, prepared with calcium sulfate: Serving size 1/2 cup, 434 mg
  • Sardines, canned with bones: Serving size 3 oz, 325 mg
  • Salmon, canned, solids with bone, Serving size 3 oz, 181 mg
  • Tahini (sesame butter or paste): Serving size, 1 tablespoon, 154 mg

Sources of Vitamin D in the diet

We can’t forget that dairy is a good source of vitamin D in our diet.  There is a very high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in individuals with PCOS, 67-85%. (15)

Vitamin D plays a critical role in fertility, hormonal and metabolic health.  So if you aren’t getting it from dairy, we need to be aware of other food sources or supplement. 


Good sources of Vitamin D:

  • Swordfish, cooked (3 ounces): 566 IU
  • Salmon, cooked (3 ounces): 447 IU
  • Tuna, canned in water (3 ounces): 154 IU
  • Orange juice fortified with Vitamin D (1 cup): 137 IU
  • Milk, fortified with Vitamin D (1 cup): 115-124 IU
  • Yogurt, fortified with Vitamin D (6 ounces): 80 IU
  • Sardines, canned in oil, drained (2 pieces): 46 IU
  • Beef liver, cooked (3 ounces): 42 IU
  • Eggs (1 large): 41 IU

Who should avoid dairy?

So, after reviewing all the research, do you think you need to avoid dairy?

Info graphic walking you through the question "Should you avoid dairy with PCOS?"

I generally only recommend my patients avoid dairy if:

  • They are allergic
  • If they experience acne and want to eliminate it for a few weeks to see if acne improves. 
  • They are lactose intolerant and don’t tolerate it. (Sometimes people tolerate fermented dairy better because of the reduction in lactose)
  • If they have another medical condition that would necessitate the need to reduce potassium, phosphorus or calcium.
  • They choose to eliminate it for ethical reasons 
  • They generally feel better when eliminating dairy and eliminating dairy doesn’t cause them more stress or feel restrictive. (I also ask that they evaluate what kind of dairy they are eliminating. Greek yogurt? Or ice cream?)

If you are thinking of reducing or eliminating dairy intake, then you need to add in more calcium rich non-dairy foods, a calcium fortified beverage or take a supplement. 

Final thoughts…

Dairy can be part of a healthy PCOS diet for many individuals, but it ultimately comes down to personal tolerance and symptoms.

While some people may need to limit dairy due to acne, lactose intolerance, or other health conditions, most don’t have to avoid it completely. 

Dairy provides essential nutrients like protein, calcium, and vitamin D, which are especially important for managing PCOS symptoms. 

The key is to listen to your body, make informed choices based on your symptoms, and opt for nutrient-dense options like yogurt or cheese over processed alternatives.