Being diagnosed with PCOS can bring on a rollercoaster of emotions, especially when you’ve never even heard of the condition before. as someone who was diagnosed at the age of 17, i’m here to tell you that it’s okay! you will be okay! i know it can be scary, but so many women are living very healthy & normal lives that you soon will too. the first step is understanding what pcos even means and how you can take the first steps to healthily reversing your symptoms naturally.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos) is a condition that occurs when a woman’s ovaries produce an abnormal amount of male sex hormones, also known as androgens. these hormones are usually only present in women in small amounts, so when excessive androgen is produced it can cause a significant hormonal imbalance. although all women with pcos may not have the same experience, it is likely for a number of small cysts (fluid-filled sacs) to form on the outer edge of the ovaries. these cysts contain immature eggs called follicles that fail to regularly release eggs like they are supposed to.
there are many symptoms of this condition but the first telltale sign could be irregular periods or periods that last many days on end. other symptoms associated with pcos may include:
women who are worried about their periods should always contact their ob-gyn to get a better understanding of what could be causing the irregularity. symptoms of pcos are more present in women who are considered to be obese, and struggle with maintaining a healthy weight.
your ob-gyn will be able to confirm your pcos diagnosis by testing your blood to see if you have high levels of androgen and other related hormones. they may also give you an ultrasound to evaluate the size of your ovaries and determine if there are any cysts present or not. an ultrasound can also help your obgyn examine the thickness of the endometrium, which is the lining of your uterus.
although pcos can not be fully cured, it can certainly be managed and you can find natural ways to reverse your symptoms. figuring out how to best manage your pcos can be tricky but can often be determined by the severity of your symptoms, your age, and overall health.
women who are diagnosed with pcos should focus on creating a healthy lifestyle to maintain and incorporate moderate physical activity in their daily routines. staying active can help women with pcos use their insulin more efficiently, which can benefit healthy weight management, reduce symptoms, aid in ovulation, and lower blood glucose levels.
when i first found out i had pcos i honestly had no idea what it was so i just listened to my doctor when she said take this birth control and you will be fine. well, yes… my period was more regular, but i was still suffering with so many other symptoms i finally reached a breaking point. i had enough. my acne was really bad, my weight was out of control, and i had no energy whatsoever. i decided to start doing my own research and implementing small changes into my daily routine until i figured out what worked best for me. getting to a point where you are seeing drastic changes wont typically be immediate, but that’s okay. just remember that you will soon have cracked the code to successfully manage your pcos – the healthy way! in the meantime, there are a few things i recommend you do to get started on your journey of kicking your pcos in the butt…
this is hands down the first thing I would recommend doing when trying to naturally take control of your pcos. being active does not mean you have to go do the most intense workouts at the gym 7 days a week (my first rookie mistake). i was so hard on myself when trying to lose weight thinking that would be the answer but it 100% wasn’t.
i started seeing the biggest difference in my weight loss journey when I prioritized low impact workouts and SLOW + CONTROLLED weight training. Once I started doing things like taking 30 minute walks after dinner or an occasional yoga/pilates youtube home workout rather that trying to kill myself in the gym everyday of the week. i reduced my weight training at the gym to 3 times a week and focused on doing more slow and controlled movements that keep my heart rate low. i know getting active can be intimidating but don’t feel pressured to jump right in, taking your time is good. start with one or two days a week and gradually move up to three or four! progressively increasing will help you stay more consistent in creating your routine.
now this.. this right here was hard because i am such a coffee girl but since i learned that caffeine isn’t good for pcos, i knew i had to make a change. it took a few weeks for my extremely constant coffee cravings to subside but there were a few things i did to help.
hot tea- i think part of my coffee addiction came from feeling like i needed something warm in my mug to start my oh-so-boring day at the desk when signing on to work my 9-5. so, rather than cutting out my warm morning drink, i just replaced it with tea. i typically make a cup of green tea (preferably with spearmint) because they both have so many beneficial factors that help manage pcos.
the friendly patch – this is something i didn’t use right away but wish i would have. even though i was drinking my tea in the morning, i would sometimes find that by 11am i was feeling completely drained and barely had the energy i needed to finish the rest of my work day, especially on days when i would work out before signing on. i started researching different sources of energy i could get that would help me naturally feel energized throughout the entire day, but nothing was sticking out to me… that’s until i came across the bomb ass product (excuse my language lol, but it’s just that dang good). using their boost energy patch has literally been such a game changer in my day to day life because it’s a super easy way to ensure i have the energy i need all day without consuming the caffeine. the boost friendly patch i use contains green tea extract, green coffee extract, yerba mate, and other nutritional antioxidants that help with keeping energy and focus levels up all day long.
trust me when i say i know exactly how hard it can be to make changes to your diet. in fact, i’ve tried and failed so many times that i’m almost too embarrassed to say. when beginning my journey of figuring out how to manage my pcos i tried to stop eating gluten and dairy cold turkey, but quickly found out that was not at all the way to go about it. i didn’t want to give up on being a gf/df girlie so i decided to try to work my way up to eventually fully removing it from my diet (which i will be the first to admit that even to this day, i can’t always say no to that slice of pizza). i then immediately made the decision to make the first round of realistic changes in my snacking habits. finding delicious gluten and dairy free treats wasn’t half as hard as i thought it would be. some of my favorites include: go oats, ashapops, and beef jerky – which is a double whammy because it is also a great source of extra protein! (p.s. by using my affiliate links, you can earn a percentage off or your orders)
meal prepping is also another element that helped me manage my gluten and dairy intake. as someone who works a full time job and also blogs, it can often be hard to find the time to always cook dinner so i started ordering from Jet Fuel Meals (a top rated healthy food service that would deliver meals to my front door just the way I needed them to be). i was nervous at first but food services are so convenient i decided to give it a try, and i was pleasantly surprised at how good the meals were! you have the option to customize your meal and decide how many you want delivered so they can align with your week schedule perfectly!
There are a number of vitamins and supplements I would recommend you take if you have pcos:
always remember that learning how to manage your pcos is not always linear so it’s okay to try a variety of things until you discover what method is best for you. in the meantime, i recommend continuing to do your research and the rest will fall into place 🙂
feel free to reach out to me with any pcos questions or if you want to chat about your pcos journey! i know exactly what you are going through so I’m always happy to share my experience and knowledge with anyone who needs it.
caio for now <3
-xoxo, dru
