What Is PCOS: Signs, Symptoms, And Causes

Yes, there is a lot of information available explaining what PCOS is and how to deal with it. So why am I writing this article?

When I was first diagnosed with PCOS, (Yes, I still have it) my whole life turned upside down. I was extremely confused. People told me about PCOS and how it affects my ovulation, excess male hormones and cysts everywhere etc. Honestly, I was overwhelmed with the availability of so much information on the Internet. All those big scientific words: Oligomenorrhea, High Androgen levels, low FSH scared me. I just knew that something was not right.

Having a Masters in Nutrition, it did not take me much time to understand what was going on. There are millions of women out there who are still confused about these ‘big & scary’ words, I thought I should pen my knowledge down in a way that would not only make it easy for them to understand but also becomes easy for them to make their partners/significant others understand their problem.

For all who I cannot reach personally, this one is for all of you.
 

So What Is PCOS?

Image Source: https://www.thefertilitypodcast.com

Ladies, this can be tricky, because it’s not a disease. It’s a collection of symptoms.

• You might not ovulate every month, which means that your menstrual cycles could be extremely irregular.
• You might have developed some cysts on your ovaries, but that’s not the biggest thing to worry about.
• The ONE thing to worry about is that your body’s ability to process carbohydrates is compromised, as it has become over sensitive to insulin.

Basically, you are going to produce too much insulin from the carbs that you are going to eat. This extra insulin is also going to make your ovaries release too much testosterone. You should know that all women produce testosterone. But women with PCOS produce and secrete in excess. But again, don’t panic, 1 in every 5 women these days suffer from PCOS. It’s pretty common and the symptoms can be tamed if treated properly.

What Are The Symptoms?

Image Source:https://www.everydayhealth.com

Apart from the ones I have already mentioned above, some of you may experience additional symptoms which make the path fairly rough.

The most common one is weight gain: All of that extra insulin (the main villain of this whole charade) that we have been talking about converts carbs to fat so fast that it gets stored deep down in your body, making the whole process of losing weight a tough job.

Hair, hair everywhere: I am not just talking about the unlimited hair fall but of unwanted hair growth in various body parts (chin, breasts, face, etc). So you get the added bonus of often needing to wax your chin way more than your friends.

That painful acne: Again, that testosterone is responsible for giving you those teenage breakouts (even though you have crossed your teens long back)

Infertility: One of the hardest and the most common problem that women with PCOS face
is infertility. Making a baby isn’t exactly the easiest job. There are already so many hormones in our body doing different things. When PCOS strikes, it goes to war with all of them and disturbs their balance. Due to so many unwanted hormones floating around, you either don’t get your periods or then when you do start it’s for a prolonged time. Basically, making it impossible for you to get pregnant as you are not ovulating. However, you should know that it’s not impossible by any means, it just takes a little extra time and patience.

What Causes PCOS?

Honestly, when I got diagnosed with it, I used to constantly wonder what really caused it. For some of you, it may run in your genes, but this condition is not purely hereditary. I used to go to my mother every time and ask her what they did in their time to cure this. But surprisingly their generation and the generations before them too, have never heard of PCOS. Wonder why? Because it’s a lifestyle syndrome. They worked hard and ate pure food. Most of us on the other hand hardly work and eat extremely unhealthy!

So, now that you know what’s going on in your body, what do you want to do about it? Frankly,  PCOS is not a death sentence and life has definitely not come to an end. I can confidently say this, as I have been there and done this!

You just need to embrace it because your body and hormones are certainly not your enemies. Everything is happening for a reason and all you need to do is get your balance back. There are varied herbs, nutrients, foods and lifestyle changes that can help overcome this.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this article where we will discuss the treatment options and healthy eating habits that can help you.