Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS): What You Should Know
By: Sydni Hatley
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome - what is it and how do you know you have it?
Women deal with many things that feel close to the unimaginable. From cramps and menstrual cycles, to mood swings and hormone fluctuations, all the way down to bringing forth new life and the bodily changes that come with it—women deal with a lot. But what is PCOS and how does it fit into all of this? It’s actually a lot more common than we think, and may be the cause for a lot of unfavorable bodily functions that women do not like.
PCOS is a condition that affects the hormonal balance within women. Women with PCOS have higher levels of male hormones than the average, and experience things like irregular periods, weight gain, excessive or unwanted hair growth, ovarian cysts, acne, and difficulty getting pregnant. Many women actually do not realize that they have PCOS, as it is something that must be diagnosed by a doctor. However, it is possible to make a personal assessment of your own body to see if what you experience aligns with any of these listed symptoms. After that you can inquire about it to your doctor whenever you are comfortable.
So now you are probably wondering: is this life threatening, and how can I deal with the symptoms? In general it should not be life threatening, and there are ways to remedy these symptoms. For your period and excess hair growth, the most common recommendation is usually birth control. Birth control is known to regulate the period, and it will also balance out those imbalance of hormones that are throwing things off.
You can take vitamins as a source of vitamin D to help promote ovulation and fertility as well, and when it comes to the weight gain caused by a metabolic dysfunction from PCOS, you can manage it by changing your diet and going gluten and dairy free. It may not be easy, but it may be worth it! As far as ovarian cysts, you can get those surgically removed, and talk to your doctor/dermatologist about ways to remedy the acne you experience. Natural alternatives to helping remedy PCOS symptoms will also be linked below.
The unwanted hair specifically can be annoying, but there are ways to help reduce it that are natural as well. You can drink spearmint tea twice a day to slow the growth of the hair, and take zinc tablets to help as well. If you are plucking the hair and experience scarring (especially for black women) due to ingrown hairs, you can use treatments such as “Tend Skin” or the Ingrown Hair Serum from the European Wax Center twice a day for reference.
Keke Palmer recently opened up about discovering that she herself was diagnosed with PCOS in order to bring awareness to it.
“For some of you this may be TMI, but for me my platform has always been used for things much greater than me,” she said. “Polycystic [ovary] syndrome has been attacking me from the inside out my entire life and I had no idea.”
The bottom line is, for women it takes a lot to feel beautiful, let alone when you have what seems like so many forces working against you with PCOS. The silver lining is that you or not alone in having this condition, as more women have it than you think. With the right tools and research, you can reverse these symptoms and finally live the life you want to.
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