FAQs PCOS

My most frequently asked questions about PCOS.

Following the list are the short version answer. Click on any of the hyper-linked questions to find a previous post with the long version. Updates will follow.

Email questions to: vibrantsexystrong (at) gmail (dot) com

PCOS Queries

1. Why vibrant, sexy, strong?
2. What is PCOS?
3. What are the symptoms of PCOS?
4. How is PCOS diagnosed?
5. Why do you say PCOS “steals womanhood’?
6. Why does PCOS cause weight gain, hair loss, acne, infertility, etc…?
7. Can I still have a baby with PCOS?
8. If PCOS is so common, how come I haven’t heard of it?
9. What kind of treatment is available for women with PCOS?
10. Is there a cure for PCOS?

PCOS Answers

1. Why vibrant, sexy, strong?
For a very long time, I felt lifeless, ugly, and weak. Once going Paleo, I started to feel the way I was meant to feel: vibrant, sexy, and strong.

2. What is PCOS?
PCOS is a hormonal endocrine disorder that affects between 5-10% of women of childbearing age. It is also known as Stein-Leventhal Syndrome. Common indicators include weight gain or obesity, multiple cysts that look like a string of pearls, insulin resistance, and elevated testosterone levels. However, symptoms vary from woman to woman.

3. What are the symptoms and associated risks of PCOS?

Symptoms include, but are not limited to:
Infertility, irregular or absence of periods, acne, oily skin, insulin resistance, male-pattern baldness, excess facial hair, excess body hair, weight gain, difficulty losing weight, difficulty gaining weight, decreased sex drive, depression, multiple cysts on ovaries, sleep apnea, dark patches of skin, skin tags (esp. near neck and armpit areas), pelvic pain, anxiety, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension

Increased risks include, but are not limited to:
Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, miscarriage, gestational diabetes, sleep apnea, uterine cancer, infertility, obesity, liver disease, and heart disease

4. How is PCOS diagnosed?
There’s not a specific PCOS test; it is a combination of factors that include medical history, blood work (to measure for elevated testosterone, elevated glucose, insulin sensitivity), physical exam looking for evidence of hormonal imbalance, and a vaginal ultrasound to examine ovaries.

5. Why do you say PCOS “steals womanhood’?
PCOS takes away the very things that make me feel feminine. As a woman, I want to be able to have babies. I want to feel beautiful on the outside, not just be beautiful on the inside; the facial hair, body hair, inexplicable weight gain, inability to lose weight, zits, skin tags, male-pattern baldness, oily skin, and dandruff don’t make me feel beautiful on the outside. The depression makes me even doubt that I am beautiful on the inside. PCOS steals womanhood by taking away the things that make a woman just that: a woman.

6. Why does PCOS cause weight gain, hair loss, acne, infertility, etc…?
Hormone imbalances. Plain and simple. Our hormones control everything from our stress levels to our hunger signals. My Science Made Simple series will feature many of the key players: insulin, glucagon, testosterone, estrogren, leptin, cortisol, etc…

7. Can I still have a baby with PCOS?
Many women do. Many women don’t. Generally, a fertility doctor will prescribe in this order: Metformin (or Glucophage), Clomid (or some other fertility-enhancing pill), artificial insemination, then in-vitro.

I personally think the most effective way to increase your fertility is through lifestyle management. Switch over to a Paleo diet and see what happens.

8. If PCOS is so common, how come I haven’t heard of it?
It’s kind of an embarrassing thing to talk about. What woman wants to mention she has hair on her chest or has to shave her neck? Plus, it is generally diagnosed when a couple is trying to conceive and fails to do so after about a year. That’s when blood is drawn and other factors start being considered. Also, the medical community is still fairly unfamiliar with the disease, making it challenging for a general practitioner (or even ob/gyn) to diagnose just by seeing a patient once a year for a routine check-up.

9. What kind of treatment is available for women with PCOS?
There are a handful of treatments that work to alleviate the symptoms, generally in isolation: birth control, Metformin, ovarian drilling, fertility drugs, Vanique, etc. Unfortunately, none of these actually solve the underlying problems and many create additional side effects.

10. Is there a cure for PCOS?
I’m of the opinion that yes, there is a semi-cure, depending on how far your body has gone down the PCOS path. Mine went very far. I wouldn’t say I’m cured; if I return to my old way of living, I feel junky again. However, the symptoms (including the insulin resistance and other medical factors) are completely manageable, which is what ultimately matters.

I have found great relief in a solid nutrition program–Paleo–which happens to counter everything my doctors have ever told me. Other lifestyle factors that influence it are sleep, a good strength/conditioning program, and stress management. But nutrition comes first, second, and third. And amazingly, with squeaky clean nutrition, the sleep, exercise, and stress issues are resolved much easier.