I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 22. I had irregular cycle. At first doctor
told I have cysts in both ovaries. I did not take it seriously. Shock awaited
me only when she told me that I had to undergo laproscopic drilling and that I
will have fertility issues. I did not know much about this disorder. Reading
from websites only scared me further. I was very depressed. Now that PCOS
Foundation is established, I feel those undergoing my condition will have a
place to share their experiences and problems and understand about this
disorder. I hope their motivational and PCOS management programs will help all
women.
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I (22, female) was
diagnosed with PCOS in the summer of 2019. I used to skip periods for three months
during stressful times and started to experience hirsutism and hair loss. The
lack of early diagnosis had left me with lower self-confidence due to the
noticeable facial hair I had, and due to the psychological disturbances like
brain-fog and mild depression I was experiencing. It became difficult for me to
pay attention to classes due to fatigue I was experiencing. After starting
birth-control pills to regulate my menstrual cycle, I saw a drastic change in
my mental health, stamina and hirsutism. The changes were seen after taking
medicines, exercising and setting a clever eating habit for over 6 months. I
stopped taking pills after a year and am regulating my periods by avoiding
unhealthy food habits and sedentary lifestyle.
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I was first diagnosed with
PCOS when I was thirteen years old. Symptoms such as irregular periods, excess
weight gain which is very difficult to reduce, acne, and excess hair growth in
the body, hair loss, depression and anxiety were seen. Since I was young at
that time I thought my weight gain was due to junk foods but when I missed my
periods for two months my mother got scared. So we went to the hospital and got
diagnosed. Yep as usual the doctor gave me medications and also told me to lose
weight. When I started consuming the tablets, my periods were regular but I
faced over bleeding where my periods last for more than 10 days a
month. Again I went to the doctor and she gave me pills to get period and
also stop over bleeding. After a year I was so fed up I stopped the medications
and my periods were irregular. But in that scenario I got my periods every 3
months once but it lasted for thirty days. It was very hard for me as once my
white uniform at school was full of blood. My mother took me to siddha,
ayurveda and herbal clinics too but I was not interested at all. I hated taking
medicine. Then I changed my physical activities by gymming and practicing
dance. It really gave me a good result and periods became regular when weight
was reduced. But due to a lot of stress my weight gained again. I won’t give
up. I am fighting PCOS with Physical activities again which is giving me
results.
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In terms of having
my menstrual cycle every month, I always felt that I’m easy like a Sunday
morning. I was very casual and never understood that there is a big difference
between being healthy and maintaining the state of healthiness.
My period cycles were
always regular. Even if I hate to exercise, I always ensured that every week, I
would have a cardio session for an hour. I was preparing for the abroad and
Indian entrance exams for my Master’s degree in May 2022. I was under a lot of
stress. I had the burden of clearing the exams, as I felt I was already two
years late to enroll for the same. Every day, I ordered some junk food for the
sake of so-called ‘my mood will be good, without realizing its side effects.
Every day, I studied, ate a lot of junk food, and never exercised. Apart from
this, I have trouble falling asleep. I felt very disappointed when I did not
clear an abroad University’s entrance exam. I couldn’t bear the failure. Even
after a month, I did not get my periods. I waited for one more month. My
gynaecologist asked me to do CBC, a set of hormonal tests as well as Pelvis
USG. All the blood reports were normal, and the USG report showed the presence
of polycystic ovaries. This is how I got diagnosed with PCOS. I had to take
Progesterone tablets for artificially inducing the periods.
I moved to Chennai
for higher studies. I found out that one of my professors in SRM University,
Dr. Usha B. is currently working on PCOS research. I approached her, asking the
basic queries regarding diet and exercise. She suggested me to do cardio, to
use the staircase instead of using an elevator to go to my classroom and lab.
In terms of diet, I had to avoid junk food, include more of veggies and fruits
in my diet. I knew that PCOS can never be cured, and it can be only managed with
a healthy lifestyle. I attended a symposium in SRM University on PCOS organized
by the PCOS Foundation. It was very informative and taught me a lot of things.
I started realizing that if I have to make things better, be a healthy
individual, I have to take my stand and start working for it. I started
following all the things that I have learned from my professor and symposium.
I have kept some
progesterone tablets with me and always controlled the urge to consume them. I
wanted the process of ovulation to occur naturally inside me. After
consistently working on myself, I got my periods naturally. I felt satisfied
and happy. I believe, we should keep trying, go by the book and be consistent
towards the good practices. I thank my professor Dr. Usha B. for enlightening
and guiding me.
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I was diagnosed with
PCOS at the age of 19 (2018), when I came to know this, it doubled the stress I
was already facing. I started to figure it out and was willing to do all kinds
of activities, diet intake, and lifestyle changes suggested by others. In the beginning,
I led a normal college life which automatically became my routine lifestyle. As
a result, I reduced my weight and my periods were normal. Then came the COVID-19
lockdown: being at home, eating healthy food, and work stress-free actually
made me lazy and increased my weight which in turn invited my PCOS condition
back. Now again back to routine college life, my body started to adapt to the
routine physical movements and my mind stopped worrying that I have PCOS. Month
by month all my old dresses got fit to my body and my ovaries started to do
their monthly cycle routine properly.
These 5 years of
Journey have taught me that – Our body is made in such a way to go along with
nature, do the basic regular works by ourselves, and eat healthy food. Personally,
I think there is nothing such as good food and bad food but the portion we
intake and never skipping the food are the two main things we should consider
as a diet.
“Being a Quaintrelle
and a Geneticist, I firmly believe that the universe and the cells in our body
reflect our manifestations”.
Eyes Can’t See What Mind Can See...!
