Five Things I’ve Learned from having PCOS
Back in October, I had been dealing with some health issues that prevented me and my husband from conceiving. I knew that we weren’t supposed to seek help until it had been at least a year, but I also knew something wasn’t right. I had brought up my concerns with my doctor and we decided that I needed to get some tests done to see what was going on. After several blood tests and ultrasounds, it was confirmed that I had PCOS. PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, it is an imbalance of hormones that can affect your chances of conceiving, increases your risk of miscarriages, diabetes, heart disease, depression, weight gain, among many other negatives. I was terrified, yet I had peace about it all at the same time because I knew that it was all in God’s hands. I had prepared myself for the worst and made the decision to not stress about it anymore.
After talking to several friends, I found out how common PCOS was. It gave me so much comfort knowing that I wasn’t alone. After finding out that PCOS affects so many women, I wanted to share 5 things that I’ve learned since getting diagnosed!
- It’s more common than you think. 15-20% of women have PCOS. It’s not something to be embarrassed about. Ask around and I can almost guarantee someone you know has it!
- When talking to my doctor about it, I found out that many women will go undiagnosed because a lot of doctors will prescribe birth control to mask the symptoms (this is what happened to me!)
- Limit the sugar. One of the ways that doctors test for PCOS is by checking your insulin levels. If you have PCOS, your insulin level is already higher than normal, so by limiting, or even eliminating sugar from your diet, you can start to balance out your hormones.
- Start working out. With one of the unfortunate symptoms being weight gain, women with PCOS generally have to work a little bit harder to get the weight off and keep it off. Working out will do wonders for not only your physical health, but also your mental health! Also, if you’re trying to conceive like I was, just losing 5% of your body fat can increase your chance at ovulation!
- Try the Keto Diet! This was something that my doctor had suggested to me. There are many women who have high success in balancing out their hormones by sticking to this diet. If you don’t want to commit fully to it, try to increase vegetable and protein intake and try to stay away from anything high carb!
My biggest takeaway from being diagnosed with PCOS is that living a healthy lifestyle is so important! The best thing that you can do for yourself is start eating healthier and working out! Try not to stress, and just take some time to do some self care, you deserve it! Also, in case you’re wondering, I’m currently almost 18 weeks pregnant with my little miracle baby! About a month and half after making some diet and lifestyle changes, I found out I was pregnant! So if you’re currently trying to conceive and are struggling, don’t give up and know that there is hope!
XO- Savanna