Jun 20, 2021
PCOS: A Displeasing Aspect of my Life
I am a woman having Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), the most common hormonal disorder found in women these days. Being a PCOS woman, I’ve realized that there is no day when you’re not affected by this. Be it mood swings, acne, facial hair, laziness, hair fall, irregular or no periods, weight gain or loss, mental health issues, insomnia, etc. Trust me people, there are a lot many symptoms and consequences of this disease than I’m listing here and I’m not even exaggerating. I never considered keeping check on my everyday diet and working out in my late teens, which is one of the biggest reasons I have PCOS. I had zero knowledge about PCOS because this was never a topic taught to us, never were we made aware about this. In my early days, when I missed my periods, I was given few medicines by a gynecologist, I didn’t know the side effects of those meds at that time and I had them religiously thinking my periods will get back on track. Then one fine day, I read an article about PCOS on the internet and I learnt that I had the exact same symptoms which were told in the article. Still, to be 100% sure about it, I went to another very renowned gynecologist of my city and asked her if this is PCOS. But unfortunately, she said the same thing which I heard from many other doctors or people who consider themselves doctors; that if I lose weight, I’ll start having my periods like normal again. Nobody told me what was actually happening to my body. Again, I believed this doctor and started doing everything possible to lose those inches. I thought this was the only way I could go back to normal again. But nothing worked. And when you try doing something but don’t see any result, you start getting demotivated. This obviously happened to me, a lot! Then I decided to take things in my own hands. I started doing my own research. Read every PCOS related article and then one day finally my aunt, who is also a doctor, explained me everything about PCOS and how I couldn’t lose weight even when I tried so hard. I talked to women dealing with PCOS same as me, I read articles of many health bloggers explaining everything about PCOS and that’s when I finally understood what my body was going through.
In our society, women are still not aware of PCOS. That’s because we are never told about this by our teachers or elders. Since centuries, talking openly about periods, sex and women health has never been an option. But we, the new generation people have the responsibility to change this taboo and make it a normal topic to converse in. Even if you’re unaware of PCOS, don’t worry, after reading this blog I’m sure you’ll get the idea of what it is and how it affects day to day life of a woman.
What is PCOS?
PCOS is a non curable disease as told by the researches, but it can be reversed with the help of proper diet and a disciplined routine. It is a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age roughly between the ages of 15 to 44. Women with PCOS produce higher than normal male hormones. This hormonal imbalance leads to less or no periods. PCOS affects a woman’s ovaries, the reproductive organ which produces estrogen and progesterone. These are the main hormones that regulates the menstrual cycle. The ovaries release eggs to be fertilized by a man’s sperm. The release of an egg each month is called ovulation. If the egg is not fertilized, it is sent out of the body during periods. In some cases, a woman doesn’t make enough of the hormones needed to ovulate. When ovulation doesn’t happen, the ovaries develop cysts. These cysts produce hormones called androgens, also known as male hormones. Women with PCOS often have high levels of androgens. This is what cause more problems with a woman’s menstrual cycle.
Causes
It is said and researched that the actual cause of PCOS is still not clear. Many women with PCOS have high insulin resistance, which means that the body is unable to use insulin properly. This increases the androgen levels. Obesity is also one of the major reasons of increased insulin resistance and can cause PCOS. This syndrome is also considered to run in generations. Researches has shown that women with PCOS have a type of low grade inflammation that stimulates polycystic ovaries to produce the male hormones which can lead to heart problems.
Symptoms of PCOS
There are so many symptoms of PCOS; the list goes on and on. I’ll be sharing the symptoms which I faced and if you relate to it, please go for a checkup.
· The major symptom is missed, no or very less periods. In my case, when I used to have less periods, I never took it seriously, which resulted in no periods later. There is no doubt, women feel relaxed if they have less periods or skip few days sometimes, but it may turn into some worse symptoms if not taken seriously. I’m not trying to scare anyone, but as a PCOS woman this is my responsibility to make everyone aware of the seriousness of this issue.
· Ovaries that are large or have many cysts. Again, not everyone having cysts have PCOS. Cysts are usually harmless until they’re small. Having cyst is a symptom of PCOS rather than a cause. PCOS cysts are a different kind of ovarian cyst which grow, ruptures and pains a lot.
· Heavy bleeding can also be a symptom of PCOS. The uterine lining builds up for a longer period of time, so the periods you do get can be heavier than normal.
· More than 70 percent of women with this condition grow hair on their face and body — including on their back, belly, and chest.
· Male hormones can make the skin oilier than usual and cause breakouts on areas like the face, chest, and upper back..
· About half of people with PCOS will have weight gain and obesity that is difficult to manage. But it has been seen in researches that women with lean bodies and who are underweight also deal with this syndrome.
· People with PCOS often report problems such as insomnia or poor sleep. There are many factors that can affect sleep, but PCOS has been linked to a sleep disorder called sleep apnea. With sleep apnea, a person will stop breathing for short periods of time during sleep. This means that even when you do sleep, you do not feel well-rested after you wake up. You could also have trouble falling asleep.
· Pelvic pain may occur with periods, along with heavy bleeding. It may also occur when a woman isn’t bleeding. And believe me when I say this, this pain is the worst.
· Many people with PCOS report increased fatigue and low energy. Related issues such as poor sleep may contribute to the feeling of fatigue.
I don’t want to scare you ladies, but precautions are always better than cure. So, if you see any of these symptoms in your body; go and consult a good gynecologist and get your blood tests done. PCOS is a serious syndrome, I agree, but it’s not the end of your life. If you get diagnosed from PCOS, no need to worry, you just need to make some positive changes in your lifestyles and you’ll start seeing the changes you want to. Just few good and healthy habits can help in reversing PCOS and I’m not even kidding! I’m working on it too. But since the day I actually started changing my lifestyle, I have been seeing some positive changes in my body and trust me, it feels so good when you start getting results of your hard work. Below, I’ll be giving few tips that I followed on how you can change your life with PCOS instead of regretting and getting upset about it-
· Start by drinking a lot of water. And when I say a lot, I actually mean it! If you forget about it, keep alarms on your mobile for this and try making it a lifelong habit.
· Start staying active. I can totally understand what the height of laziness is for the women suffering from PCOS. But we gotta work on it ladies! We can’t let a disease affect our lives right?
· Sleep on time! I cannot emphasize much on this. Have a proper sleep schedule and try having a good 7–8 hours sleep daily. It will help you wake up actively and it also reduces your cravings.
· Try limiting the sugar intake if you have PCOS. According to researches, women with PCOS complain about craving for sugar and carbs and this usually happens because of increased insulin in the body. Insulin creates a vicious cycle in women with PCOS: it makes you crave carbs. Once you eat those carbs, it increases your blood sugar resulting in more insulin needed to be secreted. Too much insulin causes weight gain, making you more insulin resistant, and secreting more insulin. Here’s a trick I follow every time I crave for anything sugary, drink one glass of water. Yes, drink water whenever you crave for sugar and trust me it works!
· Start eating healthy. I know opting for healthy food over our favorite processed foods is tough, but we have to do it. Think like this, every time you opt for anything healthy over processed or junk food, you get one step closer to kick this disease off your body. And once you start doing this, it’ll become your habit and the cravings will also reduce drastically.
· Practice yoga. This can help in balancing your hormones; decrease the mood swings, calms you mentally and also cut off fat.
· Be positive about your body and start loving it. I’ve seen many PCOS ladies( including me in my early days ), hating my body because of my weight, my skin and the kind of complications I was having. But with time, I learnt how much important it is to first start loving your body before you start following anything I said above. The way your body reacts because of PCOS is not your fault and you don’t have to feel ashamed or guilty about it in any ways!
· The types of food which you need to avoid are: sugary food, junk or processed food, gluten and dairy products(PS: usage of gluten and dairy products can vary from person to person). Start including these food in your daily life: high fiber food, proteins, leafy vegetables, fruits, homemade juices and lots of water.
PCOS can be serious only if you let it be. Thinking positive all the time is not possible, I agree. But, to achieve the goal you have, you need to work hard. Take your time, listen to your body, be kind to yourself and start working for a better lifestyle. No disease should stop you from having the life you want. Just some positive changes and you’ll start to reverse your PCOS. It takes times but trust me your hard work will not go in vain.
