PCOS Success: How to Overcome and Live with Your Symptoms
When I was 14, I once had my period for five months straight. At the time, I was new to periods, so part of me thought the prolonged bleeding was normal. But after weeks of feeling tired and bloated--and after bleeding through two different pairs of pants (once in front of several students)--I realized I needed to tell my parents, who promptly took me to the doctor’s where I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, is a fairly common metabolic disorder that affects 10% of women. Some common symptoms of PCOS include pre-diabetes, amenorrhea, and excessive facial hair. The condition can also lead to fertility issues. For me, the main symptom was a little less common: heavy, nonstop periods instead of no period. But I could check several other items off the list, like weight gain, elevated testosterone levels, acne, and high cholesterol.
At first, my diagnosis felt like a mean-spirited joke. High school was already hard enough--I had plenty of insecurities for bullies to target, and I didn’t need any more. Plus, what if I wanted to have kids someday? Or what if my sugar levels spiked and left me diabetic? This one syndrome was disrupting my life on so many fronts, and I needed to gain back control.
Managing my symptoms all started with medication. Though it doesn’t work for everyone, for me, metformin was magic. It helped me lose weight and feel more energized. Coupled with birth control, my periods were soon (mostly) normal. And when I started making food and exercise changes, I slimmed down, lowered my cholesterol, and dropped my sugar to normal levels.
These changes didn’t happen overnight. They took months of trying to change, then years of committing to those changes. They also required a new way of thinking: I had PCOS, but that wasn’t the end of the story. I had a say in what to do about it.
Nowadays, I’m an active vegan who still has more facial hair than she wants and thinning hair on her scalp. But I’m controlling the parts of my narrative I can, and I’m learning to live with the parts I can’t.
A hairy face can be plucked. It can also be allowed to stay hairy. And thin hair can be brushed to the side, put up in a ponytail, or simply allowed to thin. I’m not saying I always love these parts of myself, but I am learning to be okay with them. And maybe that’s the most important thing: trying to manage your symptoms doesn’t always mean stopping them. Sometimes, it means acknowledging that they’re there, that they make you feel certain ways, and that you have a say in what to do with those feelings.
Not all women have the same experience as me. Some of them diet but can’t lose weight. Others want nothing more than to have a child but find themselves unable. These situations might be harder to accept, but knowing you’re not alone can make a difference. If you want resources, there are plenty of message boards and “soul cysters” willing to lend an ear. And while none of us will have the exact same battle, we’re all allied toward the same cause.
Recently, PCOS has been linked to high exposure of anti-Müllerian hormone in-utero. This new discovery could mean that future generations of girls won’t have to deal with PCOS at all. And for those of us who have this disorder, the new knowledge might mean a future cure for PCOS. But right now, I’m empowered by the ways in which I’ve made my own cure--a cure based not on eliminating PCOS, but in doing what I can to manage, live with, and accept it.