So You’ve Been Diagnosed with PCOS? Here’s What You Should Look Out For

If you have recently, like me, been diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), then you might be a bit all over the place. For me, it was nice to have some answers, but I was still unsure of what to do. My GP was pretty useless to be honest. Harsh but fair. So it lead to lots of research online as to what are my symptoms, what I should be looking out for and what I could do about it.

I will go into the latter another time (otherwise this would be a really long post). And just address this daily symptoms that you may have been experiencing. You might not get all of these; you might just get one. You might have had one or two start, but more could happen as you go along. So hope this helps you on your journey, as you cope with the symptoms.

Menstrual Problems

For me, this was the first sign that something was wrong. I breastfed my daughter until she was 18 months old, and had not had a period since before she was born. I knew if you breastfed that it takes them a little longer to come back. But after I stopped feeding here, they didn’t come back. Then occasionally I would have irregular but insanely heavy bleeding (sorry, TMI). So they just flit from not having any to having a heavy one. But it is so irregular, I often get caught short and not expecting it. So that’s great. But if you are experiencing this with PCOS, then know that you are not alone.

Hair Loss

So far this hasn’t happened to me but I know people that it has. First of all, how does it even happen? As PCOS is an endocrine disorder (basically, a hormone disorder), it means a crazy balance of hormones in the body. One called DHT, which is predominately a male hormone, can lead to hair loss from your scalp, when the levels of it are high. It has got to be one of the hardest things to deal with I think. Emotionally at least. When you look in the mirror and don;t recognise who you are, it can be horrible. If you have experienced hair loss, for this or any other reason, then there are options. You could think about something like a hair transplant. There are modern techniques that they use these days, so it can make the new hair look just like the rest.

Insulin Resistance

Not everyone will see the affects of this. It can be hard to say ‘oh, I have such insulin resistance’. But if you have PCOS and are overweight or get skin tags, then it is pretty much a sign. When there is too much insulin in your body, it can cause these things. I have been getting skin tags (grim) but they can be tied off with a piece of cotton. I have also use oregano essential oil and it sort of dries them out and they fall off. So it isn’t the end of the world and can be dealt with.

Acne or Oily Skin

Yes, I’m nearly thirty and still get big breakouts. To be fair, my spots have always been hormonal. Since I was a teenager I knew when I would break out right before having a period. Now I still break out but rarely get a period. Where is the justice? This is one of things that has to be dealt with though a good skin routine and managing through diet and lifestyle. As with most of the above.

I hope this quick guide has been useful to you. The symptoms aren’t glamorous and can make you feel pretty crap, let’s be honest. But there are ways to deal with them all. Good luck!

*collaborative post