PCOS is a challenging disease to understand. You look normal, for the most part. You don’t necessarily have to take any medicine. And no one has ever heard of it. Receiving a diagnosis is a double-edged sword. Loved ones want to understand and support you, but you look like you’ve let yourself go by your own lack of willpower, so maybe after a little while you should just buck up. Now you’ve got loved ones who think you’re lazy and you are on your way to debilitating health problems. Awesome.
But here’s the deal. With PCOS, it feels like being first-trimester pregnant. Forever. Except you don’t get to play those pregnancy sympathy cards. And there’s a good chance you don’t even get the chance to be pregnant.
Here’s a little pictoral journey into our world:
Irregular or Absent Periods. Not as cool as it sounds.
Male-pattern baldness. Even less cool than it sounds.
Fatigue and Sleep Apnea. This is where your friends start saying, “Suck it up, buttercup.”
Acne and Oily Skin. This was embarrassing in junior high when everyone had it. Now it’s just you and your teenage son.
Facial and Body Hair. Right, sexy.
Depression. Probably because of the facial and body hair.
Nausea, Migraines, and Overall Yuck. There were many-a-day I felt I was dying.
Obesity, Trouble Losing Weight, and Rapid Weight Gain. Despite 2+ hours at the gym and a 1200 calorie diet, everyone still assumes you don’t understand the concept of “calories in/calories out.” (which by the way, is total bunk, but I’ll save that for another post)
Infertility and Miscarriage. That black hole of despair. That millstone around our necks. That never-resting reminder of hopelessness.
So when you meet someone with PCOS and think they should “suck it up,” you’re probably right. But cut us a little slack, please. We’re doing the best we can.
Tags: Infertility, PCOS, PCOS Cure, PCOS Symptoms, PCOS Treatment, PCOS Weight Loss, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Women's Health
This is a great description of what it’s like to live with PCOS.
Thanks Stephanie. Sometimes I get depressed just looking at what PCOS feels like…
Ugh, God, I am so glad I found this blog. It’s so simple, but knowing that anybody understands you is such a relief – thanks for setting up this blog! I’m at the beginning of combining paleo/marksdailyapple.com habits and I know for a fact I feel better this way. My biggest obstacle is continuing my eating habits around my family and friends. The social anxiety of changing my diet is absolutely the hardest thing for me. Over the years, having people tell me about losing weight while lightly insinuating that I’m lazy and undedicated just makes me want to explode – especially when it comes from that thin friend who thinks she’s a pro on the topic because she makes it to the gym once maybe twice a week. I’ve lost 25 pounds and a dress size so far (which puts me at 200 pounds and a size 18), but have hit a wall while at my parents’ and being unemployed during December. Every time I try to find a way around eating my bread, everybody rolls their eyes at me – but what are you supposed to say? They don’t see the hair growing on your boobs and it’s not exactly something you want to bring up at the dinner table. And any time I do try to explain other health benefits of paleo, I hear the internal monologue of the other person saying, “See that’s exactly why Ms. Fatty McFatFat is fat.” I’ve recently come up with a response, though, to the why do you not eat caffeine/dairy/wheat/fruit/any sugar? And that is: Not because I love giving dissertations on the topic every time I eat with others. I hope people get the point and squash the topic after that so I can just do my thing. I know that eventually I’ll have big results to speak for themselves, but this stage sucks so much. Again, thanks for the support this blog offers!
Malory, thank you for commenting. It was so hard to go through all of this alone, which is why I started the blog in the first place. I’m delighted to hear you feel better combining the Paleo/Primal lifestyle.
Congratulations on losing 25 pounds–that is an immense accomplishment!
And the social stuff–it’s hard. People really don’t understand unless they’ve been through it, and I don’t really want anyone to go through PCOS, but it would be so much easier if they would stop telling me that if I just ate LESS and exercised MORE, I would lose weight. Ha.
I find that a very simple, “I eat this way because it makes me feel better” has kept the social awkwardness to a minimum. They don’t have to agree that it’s right or wrong, but it sure is hard to argue with how it makes you feel (though I’m sure someone will find a way).