Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal condition effecting at least 1 in 10 people born with a female hormonal system worldwide. It is the world’s leading cause of fertility issues in menstruating people and there is no definitive cause or cure. You can manage PCOS though. I only wish my past self knew that I would one day have a PCOS success story.
PCOS is a chronic condition. And chronic conditions can take a toll. Not only because there is a lot to heal but because it is a lot to juggle. And with supportive doctor’s being few and far between when it comes to the management of PCOS, it can leave you feeling overwhelmed, lost and worried.
This article isn’t about the one medicine that will heal you. Even for myself, that medicine has had to change over the years as my PCOS has morphed. So it is impossible for me to be able to tell you what that medicine would be for you. This article is about how I have managed the epicness that is PCOS. How even on my worst day, I still have confidence in my situation and a clear path to improved symptoms.
My PCOS Diagnosis
I was diagnosed in 2012 after noticing I hadn’t had my period for quite a while.
Unlike many other people with PCOS, I managed to get a diagnosis quickly and easily. It was after this that I felt let down by my doctor.
My doctor told me not to worry about my PCOS as it was very common. That seemed weird to me. Shouldn’t we be worried about a condition that is so commonly found?
He also offered me nothing but the contraceptive pill and told me to come back when I wanted to conceive so we could discuss fertility treatment. At this stage I didn’t fully understand the dark truth about the pill but my gut told me that it wasn’t right.
So I left that room and took it upon myself to get to the bottom of this thing called PCOS.
In all honesty, I was relieved to have the diagnosis. It was an explanation to my disproportionate belly, my adult acne and terrible mood swings and I felt super energised to help myself.
This lead me on an amazing journey of self-discovery and self-connection.
Not only did I work on my diet and lifestyle but I also sought help from Naturopaths, Ayurvedic Doctor’s and Chinese Medicine Doctor’s.
I became obsessed with learning about health and the natural treatments available to people with PCOS and everything was going well, until…
The day everything changed
In 2015 my husband and I sold our house and took off overseas to backpack through Asia and Europe for a year.
Whilst trekking in the Himalayas of Nepal, we conceived. It was absolutely magical and a whole other story.
But unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be.
After three months of worst of the worst morning sickness, I miscarried our baby in India.
The events that unfolded after this are also another story but to stay on point, I found myself neck-deep in trying to cure my PCOS. With miscarriage rates almost twice that of people without PCOS, it was fairly reasonable to believe I had miscarried because of my condition. I was absolutely devastated and was so afraid of having another miscarriage or of never conceiving again and I was determined to ensure that wouldn’t happen.
So I researched everything and I tried everything. I very quickly discovered that although I knew all about PCOS and I had made my health my priority, I had failed to really understand my own body and how the treatments I was taking effected it.
So I set about changing that.
How I improved my PCOS
I began tracking everything to do with MY health, MY body and soon felt incredibly in control of what was going on. Within 5 months I had healed, my PCOS symptoms gone, and I felt ready to try and conceive again.
We did, first time trying and I gave birth 9 months later to our son Koji (I now have a daughter Elma as well!)
So how do I feel so in control? How do I manage my PCOS?
I have worked out there are 3 things I have done to improve and manage my PCOS:
1. I prioritise my health
- I really have to make my health a focus if I want to see results. Whenever I let it fall to the wayside, my symptoms start creeping back. To focus on my health I record my journey in my PCOS Journal…these are now sold out unfortunately but I do have something coming in July 2023 that fills the void!! Make sure you’re one of my subscribers to be the first in the know, you can join here, it’s totally free.
- I prioritise my health by prioritising time for self-care every day (check out my podcast to find episodes on specific self-care practices that are helpful for PCOS!!) and by prioritising money in our family budget for my supplements and health appointments.
2. I understand PCOS – the PCOS drivers and the PCOS treatments
- Becoming super informed about PCOS was essential. By talking to heaps of practitioners and doing lots of online research, I was able to build up a really comprehensive understanding of this condition (especially when I started doing research for The PCOS Journal). Once I learnt what was driving my PCOS, I was able to address my drivers and instantly saw improvements. Check out my free PCOS supplement guide here, which details all the drivers of PCOS and how each driver and hormonal imbalance can be treated.
- But the most important part of learning about PCOS for me, was learning that there is more than one way to treat it. Exploring naturopathy, Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Functional Medicine and Yoga has really helped me. If I’m finding a medicine isn’t working for me, I’m never worried because I know there are so many other medicines I can turn to.
3. I understand my body
- This has been essential. There are pretty much no guessing games going on over here now. I’ve done all the testing, I know what needs help and I know what works for me. Because I have the charts in The PCOS Journal to track EVERYTHING that’s going on in my body, I personally find it really easy to stay on top of all my symptoms and treatments and I understand my cycle thoroughly. Again, I’ve sold out of the journal but my July 2023 release is going to be so good for everyone wishing they had a PCOS Journal!
- The testing is a big thing. I recommend you get a full hormonal panel done by your doctor and then take the results to a Naturopath or Functional Medicine doctor. They will be able to interpret the results on a deeper level. If you want even more extensive testing done, then I recommend a functional medicine doctor. The deep testing I had done through this modality shed so much light on my PCOS and is the reason I now have a regular cycle and am pregnant again. In particular I had the DUTCH test and hair mineral analysis done. I’ve got a list of all the PCOS tests you should get to thoroughly understand your body, over here on this youtube short.
Once you’ve got those three things under wraps, nothing can stop you. But I also know that there were lots of little steps involved to be able to get these three things under wraps – way too many steps to include on a blog.
If you want someone to guide you and support you through each step and you’re trying to regulate your cycle or conceive with PCOS, then book a 1 on 1 coaching session with me! I would absolutely love to help you out.
Mel xo