The Eternal Fight of Women and PCOS

Women have shown inexorable growth in the work industry. Be it personal or professional success- women have broken stereotypes and stigmas attached with being independent and strong-headed. Makes you think what women still struggle with amidst their success trajectory, right? Well, it’s their own body. Women go through a series of hormonal fluctuations that drive their menstrual cycle; however, slight imbalance in these hormones lead to a condition called “Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.” Presently, nine in ten women suffer from PCOS; it is proliferating and a serious concern. Even though it can be cured easily, owing to lack of resources and accurate knowledge, it is not well understood. It is essential not just for women, but also men to have the right approach and repository to deal with PCOS without which women tend to follow unreliable habits and solutions, and end up aggravating their condition.

PCOS, although identified as “normal” and “common” can turn the body's mechanism upside-down overnight. Menstruation is majorly regulated by the pituitary gland that triggers the ovaries to secrete progesterone and oestrogen, which in turn are responsible for regular period cycles. However, if the pituitary gland, in the first place, does not trigger the ovaries, the menstrual cycle goes for a toss, and results in irregular periods- which is the most common and significant symptom of PCOS.

PCOS can happen to women of any age, and not necessarily only teenagers. Though a lot of researchers claim stress and lifestyle to be the most common cause, it is not proven and may not be true for all women. A lot of stereotypes go with PCOS: only women who are obese and overweight suffer from this syndrome, only women with sedentary lifestyle are prone to developing PCOS etc, but it is about time we spread awareness and not mislead people with irrational concepts and assumptions. In majority cases stress is the number one attribute, followed by diet and lifestyle. It is said that women with PCOS should follow a “military” diet, in that they should lead an abstemious lifestyle- no sugar, no gluten, no dairy, no carbs! Basically starve yourself to death, LOL! A lot of women starve themselves to lose weight; if anything, this worsens the effect of PCOS.

Let’s not forget the innumerable mental, physiological, and emotional damages this syndrome causes. Irregular periods, hair thinning, excessive hair growth, uncontrollable hair fall, acne breakouts, and sudden weight gain are few of the many consequences of hormonal imbalance caused by PCOS. Women often find it difficult to cope up with these drastic changes occurring in their bodies during this time, and often slip into depression, develop anxiety, suffer from terrible mood swings, and have insatiable cravings. There is no doubt in the fact that their confidence and self-esteem completely deteriorates and they feel like an outlier, especially in the ubiquitous presence of social media where people showcase unrealistic body ideologies and influence people in conforming to the same. Also, it is said that women with PCOS have low fertility rate and hold fairly low chances of conceiving a baby; however, several doctors have invalidated this. It depends on the intensity of the cyst in the ovary along with other factors like birth control pills, or genetics.

It takes years for women to find the PERFECT diet and lifestyle that alleviates symptoms of PCOS, this is mainly because they are devoid of apt knowledge and right approach. It is easier said than done, but from personal experience I can say that cutting down on sugar is the fastest way of reversing signs of PCOS. It is indeed difficult to not include sugar in your diet, but replacing it with natural sugar like honey, stevia, maple syrup etc., can greatly help. Further, it is imperative to not skip meals or follow irrational diet fads like keto and intermittent fasting; especially breakfast- it prepares and energizes the body for the day, which is a mammoth task for women with PCOS, as they deal with perpetual fatigue, tiredness, and brain fog. Additionally, following a workout routine is beneficial in fighting PCOS. I have been practicing yoga for over three years now and in my opinion it brings holistic balance. Lastly, and most importantly, practicing mindfulness, being positive, self love, staying aloof from negativity, and patience is absolutely necessary. Regardless of how rigorously you workout or follow a stringent diet, if you’re not mentally healthy all your efforts will go in vain. Remember, mind is where all the hormonal regulation takes place, take care of your mind and it will take care of your body.

To recapitulate, PCOS is not a cake walk, even though it may vary, it is not as easy as it sounds, but also not impossible to defeat. Rather than following internet trends whose veracity is far-fetched, build and curate your own lifestyle, because every woman is different, and every body is unique. Above all, stay mentally healthy, meditate, and take charge of your thoughts and emotions, that’s the first step toward fighting PCOS.