The Challenges of PCOS

by Deshika Sookoo
(Cape Town South Africa )

Me on my wedding day - half the weight I am now

Hi there!

I am now 31 years old and was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 19 after a cyst on my ovary burst and started bleeding internally.

After surgery I was put on the pill to regulate my period. I do not have regular periods. It fluctuates like crazy. Every 2 weeks or don't see it for months at a time and then get it for weeks or months at a time. The longest I've ever had it was 9 consecutive months.

The pill never helped, the Mirena, nothing helped.

I went for drilling on my ovaries which helped for a few months and year later my doctor found a tumor in my uterus which was benign.

Miscarriages, stress, eating comfort food, not exercising and depression plays a big role in PCOS cycle. I have facial, nipples and tummy hair which is also a side effects of PCOS. I have 9/10 for both metformin and Glucophage which do not help.

I am now on no contraceptives or any drugs. I am taking inofolic which is folic acid to help with the insulin resistance.

After seeing a dietician recently, I cut out 90% of unhealthy carbs. Sometimes it feels like you cannot eat anything because everything has carbs and sugar, etc. But remember, you should also have a balanced diet. Always check how much of sugar in carbs - less is better. 5g is 1 teaspoon - ask yourself: would you eat X amount of teaspoons of sugar in your mouth?

Exercising and not working 25 hr days definitely helps.

As someone once told me, you never put the weight on overnight so you not going to lose it overnight. It takes time and a lot of dedication. It's thrice has hard for a woman with PCOS to lose weight compared to your average person.

One day when I have children, I will teach them to live a better and healthier lifestyle so they can try and prevent my problems from being passed on!

Thanks for reading my story!

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Congrats on getting rid of sugar
by: PCOS Editor

Hi Deshika,

Thanks for your story and interesting comments.

Without a doubt, refined carbohydrates are a driving force for polycystic ovary syndrome. So congratulations on removing them.

You said that metformin did not help. That's a surprise. Metformin is proven to help with symptoms if the person has high insulin or insulin resistance, IF it can be tolerated.

We agree that weight loss is a slow process. Even more important than weight is your waist circumference. If the waist is shrinking, that's a very good sign of progress. Abdominal fat produces a lot of hormones and signaling molecules that worsen symptoms.

How much sun exposure are you getting? Exposure to sunlight is vital. You need vitamin D in order to control this disease. We recommend that everyone get a vitamin D blood test. If test results low, supplemental vitamin D is recommended.

Careful selection of fats and oils is important. Minimize vegetable oils. Fish, coconut, olive oils are better choices.

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