Hey there,
Back in December when I sat in the Doctors room and was told I had PCOS, (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), I came over with all sorts of emotions. One part of me was relieved, as after three years of pestering my Dr, I had now got an answer, (Well kind of). But the other side of me felt confused as I wasn’t sure what it meant, and all I could think about was whether I would be able to have kids.
( I know I’ve breifly touched up on this in my Healthy Edit 1 and Healthy Edit 2 but I’ll explain my reason shortly for the PCOS specific post)
Having left the surgery with nothing more than a ‘loose weight and you’ll be fine’ verdict, I got straight to ‘google’ hoping there would be some answers somewhere. I knew I could do with loosing weight, (I’m about a stone and a half heavier than I used to be) but I’m still only a size 12, hardly obese territory.
I am the sort of person that likes to take control of things, and I wasn’t going to compromise on my health. I decided to start writing these posts to help myself and others with PCOS, and that is why I decided to go in to more detail in today’s post. So many people I know, know someone with PCOS, but always ask the question ‘what actually is it?’ I’ve even heard some people self diagnose it because they are overweight and hairy, (Not exactly the only symptoms to PCOS).
Not many people understand it, and I’m still trying to myself.
When you google PCOS, it only really talks about what it its and how it can create problems when trying to conceive, there is actually very little info on how to manage it. Its almost as if you should only consider it a problem if you can’t get pregnant, which is understandable to an extent. But not when it has an impact on your daily life, like it has mine. What I have more or less gathered from the Dr and google, is that PCOS is caused by a hormone imbalance in your body, your body is insulin resistant, which means when you eat certain food (Refined Sugar), your body doesn’t process it in the same way as everyone else, and it actually causes extra insulin production and testosterone, which results in the cysts forming on the ovaries. If not managed, it can even lead to further health implications like type 2 Diabetes. On a day to day basis my symptoms would change but overall I had high and low days, I also suffered from bad headaches, breakouts, fatigue, nightmares and barely slept a good night sleep.
These past 3 months, I have been trying to make changes in my lifestyle to manage my PCOS, so far I’ve lost 9 pounds, (Yup that was in the first two weeks, and err nothings changed since). And I won’t lie, I have had complete binge days and weekends where I’ve undone all the good, and guess what… I’ve suffered for it. But now that I have taken these steps to reducing the sugar in my diet, I have seen some positive changes in my body. For one, my periods have started again, (Not exactly on schedule, but I’m happy) , my headaches have reduced, (Apart from the days I decide to binge on), I have a lot more energy, and have lost some weight. The only time my mood starts swinging, is yep you guessed it, when I’ve had a binge day… And I still find myself having some bad sleepless nights, where I wake up all hot. But I’m blaming that on the hormones.
When I talk about ‘No sugar’ what I mean is the refined kind, not the natural sort you can get from fruits. I’ve pretty much taken up a more alkaline type diet, reading cookbooks like ‘Honestly Health for Life’ by Natasha Corrett, (I just add in the meat). I actually enjoy making food from scratch now, and am trying to go by the principal, if its not fresh, or doesn’t come in its natural form, its a no no. I’m also a big believer in taking your vitamins, so I have picked up some supplements which are meant to help PCOS, and also funnily enough prepare you for conceiving. These include, Folic acid, vitamin B, L’argenine, and Starflower oil.
In addition to all of the above, and in line with my goal of leading a healthier lifestyle and this loosing weight malarkey, I’ve decided to introduce 5 new things into my life this month.
1. Drink water
2. Yoga
3. Eat veg with every meal
4. Walk more
5. Switch off before bed.
And as always, I’ll update you in the next ‘Healthy Edit’.
Happy Friday all.
Lots of Love,
KBxx
P.S If you know anyone with poly-cystic ovaries, send my link their way. I’d love to swap stories, or help at all.
P.S.S *** Just a little disclaimer, I am in no way saying I am an expert or what I claim is fact, this is just my own experience with PCOS. I am now actually seeking some help from a ‘alternative’ medicine clinic, which I have been recommended, so finger crossed that helps.