Dear all,
I was telling you briefly
in my first post about some health issues that made me more conscious of my
current lifestyle and on getting back to a healthier lifestyle. I’d like to
tell you more about it on this post. What I’ve been diagnosed with is Polycystic
ovary syndrome (PCOS), I’m going tell you more about it, not to freak
you out (as I did!) but to inform more women and girls about that health problem
that can affect us. I think there’s really a lack of information on this and I wish
I had known more about it before so I could diagnose it earlier and take on
better care for myself.
I’ve only come across the
exact term recently, when an endocrinologist (on gynecologist’s referral after
finding polycysts in my ovaries) explained to me what was happening in my body.
I had been told I had
polycysts in my ovaries at a previous moment, probably over a year ago and I
was given a birth control pill for it but the gynecologist that I went to at
that time dismissed me very quickly and only said it was nothing to worry about,
she hadn’t explained causes, consequences, or solutions and even though I was a
bit worried, I didn’t look more into it. I probably should have, but I tried
not to worry more and just followed the indication of taking the pill.
I stopped it about 6
months later as I didn’t like the idea of taking the pill and sort of “forgot”
I had been taking it initially for the polycysts. I guess I thought they had
dissolved or disappeared since I had been taking the pill properly and hadn’t
been told to take it on a long term basis.
That’s when I started
having big gaps between my periods again, acne and a greasy skin. I usually get
my armpits, legs and bikini waxed and I realized I had to go every two weeks or
less when I would usually only go one a month, my hair was regrowing quicker
and it seemed thicker, I hated it! I also felt like I had mood swings and that
I was a bit depressed. I thought these were the result of stress at work and
being away from home (France or even just Europe as a whole at this point). I questioned
myself on a lot of the decisions I had made, it was a bit of a mad circle to be
honest and I felt very lonely even though I have a good and stable situation
here in Peru. Ahhh The things that go through one’s mind, you can imagine! I felt
so appalled by my appearance and I do feel like my waist has increased too on
top of an extra 5kg!
Anyway..
During one of my other
long gap between periods, I knew I wasn’t pregnant and I was reminded of my
polycysts so I went to see a gynecologist, this time at a clinic. There the
attention was a lot better and she redirected me to an endocrinologist, the
kind of doctor specialized in hormones. I needed some blood test results first
and then went to my appointment. The doctor was very clear in her explanation, as
I listed some of the symptoms I felt I had, she completed it with others:
- Infertility (not able to get pregnant) because of not ovulating. In fact, PCOS is the most common cause of female infertility.
- Infrequent, absent, and/or irregular menstrual periods
- Hirsutism (HER-suh-tiz-um) — increased hair growth on the face, chest, stomach, back, thumbs, or toes
- Cysts on the ovaries
- Acne, oily skin, or dandruff
- Weight gain or obesity, usually with extra weight around the waist
- Male-pattern baldness or thinning hair
- Patches of skin on the neck, arms, breasts, or thighs that are thick and dark brown or black
- Skin tags — excess flaps of skin in the armpits or neck area
- Pelvic pain
- Anxiety or depression
- Sleep apnea — when breathing stops for short periods of time while asleep
I think infertility as a
symptom or as a result is what frightens me most. I’m nothing close to having
kids and all of that but the idea of maybe not being able is what initially
made me freak out most. I guess some sort of maternity instinct undercover just
hit me.
She also told me how I
should lower my intake of sugar, improve my daily diet and do more exercise. There’s
no real “solution” to the problem, but changing one’s lifestyle is a big part
in improving one’s condition. Women’s Health website is very complete on
everything around PCOS and I’d like to recommend you their website (link
below).
I won’t be mentioning much
more about PCOS on the blog, I feel the link from Women’s Health is very
complete and I know it helped me a good bit in understanding even more what it
is. I hope it helps you too, if you feel like getting in touch to discuss more,
I’d be happy to do so. I haven’t share much on this with anyone in my
entourage, probably just with 1 or 2 close friends, I felt I needed to put it
down and maybe this way I’d virtually meet other women who are going through
the same. I want the blog to cover mainly my journey through a better and
healthier lifestyle mainly but there will be other subjects too of course JJ
Feel free to comment your
experience and how you’ve changed your daily routines!
Follow up, there’s more
coming ;)
Enjoy & Share
L.
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