Site icon Jessica Young Living

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Jessica Young

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or as it more commonly known PCOS is a hormonal disorder that affects women. This is my story.

My Diagnosis

I received my diagnosis after months of food elimination trials. It took 2 tries to follow through with the strict elimination list, and it was the most emotional experience I have ever had in my whole life. Going into this appointment, I was hoping to hear that I could have some of the foods I had been missing!

I left the appointment with wet eyes and answers.

My whole adolescence had been a purgatory of clothes that didn’t fit and shame. I was told so many times that I would be so pretty if I just lost some weight. I was constantly hungry and measuring my life in meals. I tried to work out and I walked almost everywhere, but by the time I was in high school, it felt like I couldn’t get any bigger. I was obsessed with weight, physical appearance, and FOOD.

What does this have to do with PCOS? MY journey was one of self-hatred and feeling helpless. So many get their diagnosis when they are struggling to conceive. The long road to diagnosis is hard and dissatisfying at the end.

The blessing is that PCOS means you’re a super sensitive individual, who will master self awareness. Our bodies do not process the same kinds of grains and sugars in the same way that most people do. Our bodies compensate for too much glucose and insulin by producing testosterone and androgen. This hormonal imbalance prevents our bodies from performing it’s scheduled processes; ovulating, hair production, and immune system responses. The hormone concentration causes unwanted hair growth, body fat retention, and ovarian cysts.

My doctor told me that I had limited options for treatment because they don’t really understand what causes PCOS, and there is no cure. We talked about the possible Metformin pill, very commonly prescribed to diabetics because of how it helps regulate glucose levels.

We decided to continue working with my diet to treat the PCOS naturally with food, lifestyle choices and vitamin supplements. My blood work showed that drastic changes were working! I became obsessed with food, but in a new way.

The craziest thing that has happened since my diagnosis-I was able to conceive, carry and deliver both of my children. I know my hard work had something to do with that, and I was set up for success because of my wonderful Naturopath. There is always more to learn about ourselves, and more resources every day-I included mine at the bottom of this post.

What is PCOS?

First things first; it should be said that hormones are a method of communication within the body. I was always under the assumption that our body sends electric messages through neurons, and this was the exclusive method. Pretty amazing to think our bodies make their own chemicals to regulate all of our bodily functions. If you want to read more about that, I highly recommend starting here (with Paleo Mom-she eloquently explains the biology of the endocrine and adrenal connections with beautiful graphics).

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is known to affect ‘sex hormones’, or the hormones produced by our ovaries. A delicate balance of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are released to keep things regular. These three, and a few more, work with the vast network of glands and organs to do SUPER IMPORTANT things like;

Symptoms & Complications

By telling you the symptoms experienced by Women who suffer from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome; I want to illustrate the magnitude it can have on the whole body. Symptoms range from small things, like unwanted hair growth or skin discoloration, BUT can also be serious or permanent, like Type 2 diabetes or cervical cancer. If you have been diagnosed, it was probably because you experienced one or more of the following;

If you have not been diagnosed and many of these are fitting you, this would be a good place to start the conversation with your doctor.

Causes of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Most of the resources on PCOS will state that ‘the exact cause is not known’. Research has shown that it can linked to certain genes. Women can live with symptoms all their life without realizing the underlying cause. Or they don’t have any visible symptoms until they have fertility trouble. PCOS manifests itself in excess hormone production, and the important takeaway is that hormones help regulate our organs.  Specifically, overproducing insulin and androgen/testosterone, which causes a chain reaction of overproduction which lead to the excess hair growth, acne, and cysts. Hence the name, Poly-(the prefix meaning many), so many cysts on ovaries. Poor ovaries can’t always produce an egg when it’s not getting the right messages/hormones or covered in cysts.

Ok, let me pause for a second and give you the simplest description about what insulin does. Insulin tells the body what to do with sugar and carbohydrates(ideally using for energy in blood glucose OR store it for later in your kidneys). When the body overproduces insulin, it stops regulating blood glucose. This is called hypoglycemia and it looks like; irregular heart rhythm, fatigue, pale skin, shakiness, anxiety, sweating, hunger, irritability, and THE LIST GOES ON…..

Your body’s natural response to an imbalance like this is it to try to heal itself. Your immune system is working on overdrive, leaving you constantly weakened and no doubt feeling exhausted most of the time.

There is NO Test

You may be asking yourself, how do they determine that’s what it is? The answer is; a pelvic exam, an ultrasound or blood test for excess/abnormal androgen production consistent with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

this is not the end.

It is hard to diagnose and hard to live with, and treatments can be a subject of hot debate. Medications will be offered to treat symptoms or help regulate blood sugars and hopefully the hormones that respond to it. Others highly encourage a lifestyle and diet that support the body’s natural power to heal itself. In the future we will have a blog post dedicated to; the holistic methods we practice, how to maintain a lifestyle that supports your PCOS.  It is not enough to know what it is, or what it is doing to the body, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome can be reversed with the diet and lifestyle.

Resources


Exit mobile version