PCOS is a pretty common thing that we all have been hearing about in recent times. If you are a woman, you either go through this condition or atleast have a friend who is going through it. And for others who have no idea on what PCOS is, I’m here to tell you a little bit about it.

“What is PCOS?”

PCOS is a Polycystic Ovary syndrome (PCOS), which is a very common condition affecting 5% to 10% of women in the age group of 12-45 years.

This is caused due to increased levels of insulin , DHEA , androgen (which is a male hormone) causing hormonal imbalance in the body.

And if it is not treated, it can cause insulin resistant diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol leading to heart disease.

Do you ever feel like you have gained weight irrespective of eating well?

Well, unexplained weight gain is one of the symptoms of PCOS.

Increased levels of insulin can cause resistance in leptin. With decrease in leptin , it can cause hunger and never feeling satisfied in obese.

Do you get your periods once in 3 months or even worse once in 6 month/ a year?

Irregular Periods are one of the major symptoms of PCOS. 

This is because PCOS/PCOD is caused due to hormonal imbalance due to various reasons. Women with PCOS produce higher than normal levels of androgens which are male hormones preventing the ovaries from releasing an egg causing them to skip their menstrual period.

Need it be only skipping of periods as a symptom of PCOS?

NO. Due to excessive production of female hormones in the body as a result of the opposite reaction to the increase in androgen level in PCOS, it can also cause frequent periods.

Do you feel exhausted even after sleeping for hours and still end up feeling fatigue/anxious and depressed?

PCOS can cause symptoms like infertility and hirsutism (excess facial and body hair). Some people with PCOS report feeling frustrated and anxious about their ability to become pregnant, their weight, excess body and facial hair, or lack of control over their health and bodies.

This being one of the reasons you would put yourself into being stressed and sad, there can be a lot going internally.

Cortisol being the stress hormone is dysregulated in PCOS.Elevated levels of Cortisol , Insulin , DHEA-S , Male hormones causing hormonal imbalances can also trigger depression , anxiety in PCOS.

Self care being very important in general, PCOS women need to put that as a priority and do things that make you feel good whenever you can.

Have you tried various diets and still end up with no result in reducing your weight?

With various underlying hormonal reasons for inflammation , unless knowing the type of PCOS , it can be hard to start with the right treatment inorder to reduce your weight.

Weight loss can be difficult to achieve with PCOS as a customised PCOS diet plan, lifestyle changes and PCOS based exercises are necessary.

HIIT workout might not show efficient results as it does in terms of people with no PCOS.

Due to PCOS there can be symptoms such as no ovulation, acne and hirsutism and unexplained weight gains, depression and anxiety, indigestion. But most of the cases go undiagnosed as many are unaware of their condition and its symptoms. 

Diagnostic tests could be a first step to begin with on having these symptoms.

Dealing with PCOS alone can be tiresome. Going through the process of weight loss with PCOS gets difficult as it requires workouts and diet plans which are different from the regular. 

NOTE TO A HAPPY MIND!

In this blog, I wanted to let the ones with PCOS know that it isn’t your fault for gaining the unexplained weight since everyone around thinks the only possible way to gain weight is by eating a ton of junk food.

At times there can be various reasons why one has gained weight and the unnecessary assumptions and solutions from others can be burdensome.

Let me know if this was of some help to you in the comment section and I would be glad to have a discussion on it.

Thank you for reading my blog.