Real Life with PCOS: Living and Thriving with PCOS

September is PCOS awareness month, so I am sharing my personal journey with PCOS. Please note that I am NOT a medical professional and I am simply sharing my journey and what responds well to my body, everyone is different.

My Story:

I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2015 by my OB/GYN. I will never forget going to the doctor and explaining that Drew and I had been “not, not trying” for a baby for 6 months and explaining my cycle that was “regular for me.” She looked at me and stated that I was NOT having a “regular cycle” and that my cycle length meant that I was not ovulating (therefore, not able to conceive). I was stunned, here I thought I was going into a routine visit and left feeling uncertain and confused, and with a scheduled ultrasound and bloodwork to determine what was going on.

Following the ultrasound and bloodwork, it was determined that I had a type of PCOS where my physical ovaries appear to have PCOS (described them as chocolate chip cookies) but my hormone levels did not. Therefore, we decided to continue to try to conceive and then if it didn’t happen, I would go on Metformin to assist with ovulation.

Lets just say, I got a little determined and impatient…so, about a month later I started on Metformin. And you know what happened–we conceived within the next month! I am not sure if it was the Metformin or if we conceived on our own (both have similar side effects). I continued to take Metformin for my first trimester. Fast forward a couple years, we conceived our second son without any assistance or issues (much to our happy surprise!). TMI: I never had a period between my first pregnancy and second pregnancy.

What PCOS looks like for me:

Adult acne/oily skin
Irregular periods: I went 7 years without one, now mine are about 40 days apart.
Heavy periods
Mood swings (especially right before my period)

Things I have done to help symptoms:

Nutrition: I am more intentional on what I eat and try to eat whole foods over processed foods and limit refined carbs.
Cut out caffeine: I read somewhere that caffeine has a negative impact to PCOS (not sure if thats true or not) but I decided to cut it out and found that going caffeine free helps with my PMS.
Supplements: I take Happy Healthy Hippie supplements and a multivitamin (I’m not sure if its placebo effect, but I have noticed a slight difference with mood swings and PMS)
Exercise: I cut back from marathon distances to about 9-12 miles a week. Additionally, I take barre classes to help relax and stretch.
Mood management: I am much more aware of my mood swings and PMS, awareness helps a lot. I journal, pray and mediate to help ease my mood.

Things I may try in the future:

Dietary restrictions: Cutting back on processed foods, dairy and gluten (all things I have read that may impact PCOS).
Birth control pills/IUD: I am a fan of holistic medicine and lifestyle changes before taking prescribed medication. However, if symptoms become unmanageable I will definitely take this route per my physician’s advice.
Strength training: Many articles talk about strength training being good for PCOS (as opposed to strenuous cardio). I am not a fan of strength training, but know I need to incorporate it into my weekly routine.

What I have learned from living with PCOS

My diagnosis makes me understand my symptoms a lot more and rather than being frustrated by them, I am determined to help ease them. I have learned how certain foods and workouts can trigger my symptoms. I have learned to supplement to mitigate the severity of symptoms (may be placebo effect too).

While my symptoms are not perfect, they are much more manageable. Testing what works best for my body is a learning curve and while there is no cure for PCOS, I am hopeful I can still live my best life 🙂

I want to urge others who have PCOS to try different things to help mitigate symptoms. It is a process, but it is not hopeless–there are many small changes you can take to improve your body. While I was embarrassed about the diagnosis for years, as the symptoms associated with PCOS are not pretty at all, I have grown to understand that it is a part of my story and a part that I am here to share with others.

Sending everyone so much love. Hope you have a beautiful day, friends!