Living with PCOS

I was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) when I was 19.  

What a drag.  

There are some pain-in-the-buns symptoms and for the most part I figured out ways to keep them under control.  It wasn't until the past few years though that more symptoms appeared.  At first I went through the usual phase of ignoring it.  But I've realized that this is never a good thing when it comes to your health.  

The last few years have been not so kind to my body.  I won't come up with excuses for why I haven't kept up with my health because it generally comes down to one simple thing: laziness  Keeping healthy and maintaining your health is essential with PCOS.  Your symptoms can go through the roof if you don't manage things like diet and exercise and can end up causing some pretty serious damage, i.e. infertility, diabetes, obesity. 

One of the worst symptoms I am experiencing is hair loss.  It is pretty common with PCOS and if left untreated you may end up looking like Elmer Fudd aaand I'm pretty sure that would be kind of a blow to any girl's self confidence!  

A few weeks ago I had a huge pity party for myself after I found an unsettling amount of hair in the shower drain.  I knew my hair had been falling out for sometime, but for some reason it hit me hardest in that moment.  I spent the next few weeks researching and researching (I'm embarassed to say its something I really never did) about the syndrome.  Reading how others have managed without harsh chemicals and treatments.  Every day things I can do to help reduce and mitigate my symptoms.

I have made some big changes the past few weeks.  I know that results take hard work and time, but I am more than determined to make these changes.

I have been working hard on what I put into my mouth, decreasing the amount of carbohydrates (PCOS causes insulin resistance) and slowly beginning to incorporate exercise into my daily routine.  Exercising is usually the last thing I want to do and it can easily become my worst enemy.  But not anymore.

I've also been doing a lot of research on other simple changes I can make.  Certain foods I should eat more of (i.e. broccoli, spinach) and certain supplements I can take (like Biotin and Saw Palmetto) that have proven results to help block that pesky chemical called  DHT that is making my hair fall out.  No harm in trying.

My new daily regiment 

I'm feeling better now that I've started to take back control.  I'm sure it will be sometime before I gain my confidence back in the hair department, but even more importantly I am taking great strides in becoming healthy again.