My PCOS Story: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment
[Trigger Warning]
Not many people are educated on what PCOS is eventhough it is one of the most common things that girls and woman go through. PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovaries Syndrome. This is where you have liquid sacs called Cysts found in the outer layer of your ovaries.
The many side effects of PCOS are:
- Irregular period or no period at all.
- Excess hair growth in abnormal places.
- Thinning of the hair on scalp.
- Insulin resistance which leads to darkening of the skin behind neck area, under arm and groin.
- You may also be prone to having diabetes easily,
- Have greasy skin which leads to acne from normal to severe.
-Infertility
... and much more
There isn't any cure for PCOS yet, however with changes to the diet and doing regular exercise, you are able to reduce some of the symptoms.
So now it's story time!
My Symptoms:
When I first started my period I had them normally and regularly. However, as a year went by, my periods reduced until they didn't come for a whole year. I think I was about 13 or 14 years old when I went to the doctors with my mum to find out what was exactly happening to me. They did an ultrasound and when the results came in they told me I had cysts in my ovaries which were preventing me from getting my period. However, they didn't tell me that I had PCOS and instead told me I should go on the pill and lose weight.
Since a very young age, I had excess hair on my body, in places that I shouldn't. Honestly, sometimes I questioned why I had more hair than my dad. However, after finding out that one of the symptoms of PCOS was excess hair growth, i would have stopped beating myself down and instead, accepted that I had no control over my body and just needed to accept it. Not only that, I found it really hard to lose weight. Eating healthier and doing exercise was not an option when losing weight. The only time I saw a difference was when I started restricting which slowly developed in to a eating disorder.
Fortunately, I wasn't one who developed acne but I've always had problems with having really greasy skin and having a few hard and puss filled spots here and there.
Diagnosis:
Eventhough I was told at a very young age that I had Cysts in my ovaries, I wasn't diagnosed properly, so knowing little information about what was actually wrong with me, it left me disheartened. I lost all hope and didn't care if I wasn't going to get my period. I didn't go back to the doctors after that. Knowing that one of the main things that I needed to do was to lose weight, I went jogging regularly, decreased my food portion size and tried to eat more healthy. But nothing came out of it.
[Trigger WARNING]
I finally hit rock bottom one summer and didn't eat for 7 days. I slept in, didn't do anything, only drank water and green tea. From there, I noticed how much weight I had lost, my stomach was flatter and my period started. Now, that made me the happiest person in the world. Knowing that I can restrict and my period problem would go and I could finally be skinnier. From there I ate less and less and even started to develop bulimia. Like eating one slice of pizza was going to backtrack my entire weight loss.
Overtime, I realised at what a toxic place I was at and seeked happiness. I started to eat more, restricted less and searched within myself to find out what I wanted. I couldn't carry on restricting and constantly judging myself. I obviously started to gain weight... REALLY QUICKLY! My period started to come less regularly to the point where it didn't come for atleast 2 years. Eventhough I gained weight, I started to feel myself and felt a heavy burden lift of my shoulders. The only burden left was now looking after my body.
Gaining weight meant I gained my life back but then it felt unstable when I tried to lose weight again. This time I decided to do it in a healthy way but I guess I had damaged my body and slowed my metabolism down. On top of that I was dealing with PCOS without even knowing about it. I joined the gym and did regular exercise, sometimes 2-3 hours, going sauna after, and trying to eat healthily. My weight didn't budge and I felt discouraged again... It was like a hopeless cycle...
Treatment:
One day I accidentally came across a Youtuber called RachelAust who vlogged about her Journey with PCOS. That was the first time I was familiarised with the word PCOS and what it was. Nearly every symptom that she had, I had them too. She started following a Keto Diet and ended up controlling her symptoms.
Knowing that I might actually have this I finally got the courage to go to my local Doctor and ask them more about it. The first doctor I had was a woman and I really had to push her to tell me what it really was and what I could do to help myself through it. Instead, I was again recommended that I needed to get a ultrasound and some blood tests, and then they could do something about it.
It was the same cycle and this time i decided that I should go on the pill. I WAS DESPERATE and felt like I had no choice. Let me tell you, THE PILL is definitely an option but BOI did i have the worst side effects on it. I took the pills for 2 month before realising that I was harming my body and that my period was not coming naturally but instead, was forced.
There were several ways that my doctor could have helped me but I guess she wasn't educated on it. I did more research in to it and realised that I had to avoid foods with carbs and lessen my sugar intake. Losing weight was important but it was also important to not stress myself out alot. Doing 1 hour walks and just moderate exercise could really help with some of the symptoms.
Currently, I am focusing on meditation because of the amount of stress I take on. Having anxiety doesn't help with PCOS so it was important for me to take care of my self. Eating healthily is still a priority for me so now I try to take a more herbal approache. Like having one spoon full of turmeric with one glass of water. Drinking atleast 2-3 litres of water everyday. Doing Yoga more regularly and trying to walk as much as I can.
Yes, I haven't noticed that much of a difference but it is only just the beginning. Sometimes, it better to go through the process of things instead of anticipating the outcome. I'll also keep you guys updated on the improvements that I am making or if I see any sudden changes.
This is my before and after:
Before: Restricting to only 1 meal per day and doing regular exercise
After: Eating 3 meals per day, doing exercise 3 times a week and being lightly active
