PCOS: A Horror Story

This is not really a health blog. It is, however, a place for me to update and archive what's on my mind and this is a very important topic to me. In 2013 an ultrasound confirmed cysts all over my ovaries. This pesky little nuisance began with puberty and I truly noticed it while I was a sophomore in high school. Beginning with dark hair showing up on my chin and eventually resulting in massive weight gain around my middle section, excessive body hair everywhere, constant depression, fatigue & an insatiable craving for bread and sugar to the likes of which were not known to mankind.

Of course, back then, my parents thought I had A.D.D. and/or was only depressed. It's been devastating and my life has been massively impacted by this syndrome. I was treated horribly by my peers, misunderstood by my parents, completely ignored by doctors (and boys) and so lost for a lot of my life, hating my body and exposing it to what I believed it deserved: abuse. 

PCOS is something only women can be diagnosed with because its poly (multiple) cystic (cysts) ovarian (on/of the ovaries) syndrome (the collection of signs and symptoms that are observed in, and characteristic of, a single condition). What's really hard is the syndrome part. It's really a group of symptoms leading to the causation of cysts forming on the ovaries. Resulting in more symptoms.

Some women have an impossible time conceiving a child, some women rarely (or never) get their periods (me) which might sound like a blessing but a woman's body is meant to shed its inner uterine lining once a month. I don't care how bad your cramps are, not getting your period can be disastrous to your hormonal health and therefore the rest of your body. Some women grow thick, dark hair all over their bodies in places some men don't even have it. Some women's hair thins on their heads. And so much more. It's considered a syndrome and it's totally misunderstood, misdiagnosed and mistreated by most medical professionals.

The root cause of PCOS is insulin resistance.
What’s insulin resistance?
Well, when you eat and break down your food, you break it down into glucose which then enters your bloodstream (we tend to know this as “blood sugar”). Glucose needs to then move into your body’s cells so that they can use the glucose as energy. This process requires the hormone insulin, which is secreted by the pancreas in the correct amount to carry out the task.
However, most of us in the modern world are sending ourselves on blood sugar rollercoasters every day by feeding ourselves excess carbohydrates and sugars, which then results in the body pumping out tons of excess insulin to control the swing.
Eventually (because your you aren’t eating the right foods, or you’re genetically predisposed to it as is probably the case with women with PCOS) your cells become ‘resistant’ to the insulin because there tends to be so much circulating all the time. Once they become resistant to the insulin, the glucose begins to ‘bounce off’ the cells instead of going inside to be burned for energy. - Tracy Raftl of The Love Vitamin 

When I finally put a name to what was wrong with me it was devastating. Our amazing lactation specialist was over at our home 2 days after I'd given birth to my little mermaid. I was not producing breast milk and we couldn't figure out why. After explaining everything I was going through she asked me a series of questions and nodded, saying "dude, its obvious, you have PCOS". A couple of weeks later I had an ultrasound done to confirm it and she was right. I couldn't believe it, it was a massive mystery solved. I needed some time to absorb what this meant for me and just feel the frustration and anger that comes along with realizing it wasn't my fault, I didn't know, no one did. The big question became how it's been impacting my life all of these years and what I can do to control it. 

I've had my nose to the metaphorical grindstone for almost two years and learned very quickly that there are a lot of routes. Most information I've gathered has taught me that my only option is pharmaceutical. In listening to my instincts, I just knew that masking symptoms was never the answer. I dug deeper.

It can only be controlled by specific lifestyle changes: a natural (non processed or injected) diet, specific exercise targeted at metabolism and insulin, minimizing stressors (total opposite of standard american life), herbs and a whole new perspective on loving myself.

The very first step for me was quitting sugar (3 weeks ago):

1. I got my period. Yep, it was 3 months late and it showed up on day 4.
2. I don't need 30-45 minutes to get myself out of bed in the morning.
3. I don't feel hungover until noon.
4. My focus levels are much better and I'm finding the time and energy for things that felt impossible a week ago.
5. I'm being nicer to myself, not so irritable.
6. I'm looking forward to movement even if its just walking upstairs from the car.
7. I can see the cookies and organic peanut butter cup and not buy it.
8. I'm craving healthier foods like arugula & kombucha.
9. My eyes are brighter.
10. My skin looks much better, especially my chin.

Further Reading on PCOS

Here are a few stories from real women who have beaten their PCOS with nourishing foods:

Real Life Testimonial: A Paleo Diet for PCOS & Infertility

My Story: Recovery from Gluten Intolerance, PCOS, and Autoimmune Thyroid Disease

An Unconventional Approach to PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome)