So you’ve just walked out of your doctor’s office with the news that you have been diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). There’s probably a mix of emotions right now – from confusion, to overwhelm, to fear, to motivation…maybe even a bit of relief thrown in there to finally get an answer to what has been happening with your body. Getting a PCOS diagnosis is different for everyone, so be easy on yourself.
PCOS is a hormonal, metabolic and possible auto-immune condition effecting at least 1 in 10 people born with female hormonal systems worldwide. It is the world’s leading cause of fertility issues in menstruating people and there is no definitive cause and no definitive cure. However, there are many treatment options available for us and being diagnosed with PCOS can actually be the beginning of a really important journey for you and your body (sounds crazy but it’s true).
In all honestly, the first thing you should probably do is breathe. It’s going to be ok. PCOS is manageable, there are tonnes of PCOS treatment options for us and most of us can conceive.
But this article is about the first practical, actionable thing you can do. The first step you can take. Because once this PCOS diagnosis has settled in, I can assure you that you are going to want to do something about it.
So you’ve been diagnosed with PCOS, now what?
The very first thing you should do is get a thorough hormonal panel blood test done.
The thing about PCOS is that it is complex. All people with PCOS are different and our hormones aren’t all acting in the same way. Some of us have high testosterone, others high DHEA. Some have low oestrogen, high oestrogen or low progesterone. And then there’s the matter of cortisol.
All of these hormones have a part to play in PCOS and it is important we know which hormones aren’t where they should be.
Why does it matter what hormone levels we have? Can’t we just treat PCOS?
That’s just it – PCOS can be treated in a number of ways, dependent upon the hormonal imbalance YOU have.
And this matters massively for you because knowing what hormones to work on is going to allow you to improve your symptoms, faster.
For example, a lot of the medicines out there for PCOS work by lowering testosterone and they work awesomely for women who have high testosterone.
But I don’t have high testosterone. If I didn’t know that my testosterone was normal, I might waste months or even years trying medicines that have done wonders for other women, but will never do anything for me.
This could leave me feeling frustrated, worried and defeated.
And no closer to improving my symptoms.
Ok, how can we find out about our specific PCOS hormonal imbalance?
What you can do is go to your Doctor and ask them to do a full hormonal panel for you. Make sure you tell them you want your androgens, progesterone, oestrogen, luteinising hormone, follicle stimulating hormone and cortisol tested. I also recommend asking for inflammation testing, thyroid testing and iodine testing as all of these things can also feed into PCOS.
I’ve got my PCOS test results. Now what?
When you get the results, I encourage you to get a copy of them and take them to a naturopath or functional medicine doctor. I know this might seem unnecessary as your Doctor will give you feedback on your results, but naturopaths and functional medicine doctors generally look more deeply at test results than doctors do.
This is because doctors are very busy and only look at whether the test result falls within the normal range. But here’s the thing. As the lovely Brigitte from PCOS to Wellness puts it, there is a difference between “normal” and “optimal”. A naturopath or functional medicine doctor will look at all your levels, notice the subtleties and make a detailed approach for treating your PCOS.
Once you begin treating your specific hormonal imbalance, you should start to see improvements in your symptoms.
But remember, the true first step is to take a deep breath and know that you will be ok. There are many people out there like me who are here to support you on your journey and there are so many approaches we can take to get you feeling like yourself again. If you happen to be trying to conceive, you can book a 1 on 1 pcos fertility coaching consult with me here.
Don’t worry, you’ve got this and you’ve got me!
Mel xo