LIVE & LEARN: Living with PCOS

Shalom!

 I originally started my blog to document my weight loss journey, share some inspirational messages and share my love of  fashion. However, during my journey, I have met several women battling the issue of weight-loss and underlying factors that hindered their progress to successfully loose weight.  I found myself relating to a lot of the stories shared.  One of my biggest goal with my blog was to be transparent and provide self love, and  encouragement.

 So, I've decided to share my story, and my road blocks with  my weight. Although I have successfully found a way to manage my weight, I can't deny the hurdles and hard work it took to get a control over it. See,  I  am a 33 year old African-American Women and I have PCOS( Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome).  I self diagnosed myself at the age of 15, but was officially diagnosed in 2007. Poly-cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormone imbalance that can cause irregular periods, unwanted hair growth, infertility, weight gain, and acne. PCOS begins during a girl’s teen years and can be mild or severe.  PCOS is caused by an imbalance in the hormones (chemical messengers) in your brain and your ovaries. PCOS usually happens when a hormone called LH (from the pituitary gland) or levels of insulin (from the pancreas) are too high, which results in extra testosterone production by the ovary.

Some of the most common signs of PCOS include:

• Irregular periods that come every few months, not at all, or too frequently
• Extra hair on your face or other parts of your body, called hirsutism (her-suit-is-em)
• Dry skin
• Acne
• Weight gain and/or trouble losing weight
• Patches of dark skin on the back of your neck and other areas, called acanthosis nigricans
• Problems with Fertility

 Growing up, I would describe myself as a very active and health conscious teen.
 I was a very active teenager who engaged in sports as well as routine exercise, and overall a healthy individual. At the age of 14,  I remember having a menstrual cycle that was very irregular. At the time, of course it felt like a blessing to not have a cycle for a few months. It did not alarm me at all since it was quite common for teens to experience a missed periods if they were  engaged in sports. However, not having a cycle for an extended period of time also had its own downfalls.  When my cycles would come, it would last for months!  Still, I was not alarmed and made up possible reasons why this was happening. I had my routine women visits and never mentioned a word. I believe I did this because I was more terrified of what the diagnosis would be. So, I went on with life and dealt with my "issue" as best as I could.  

I graduated high schools and began my college career, still dealing and managing my condition on my own. Of course with school, life and work; the freshman 15 quickly turned into the freshman 30. I quickly packed on the weight in less than a year. I chalked it up as having no time to exercise, and living the free life of a  college student. 
 Living with the unknown condition became a normal routine in my life. I made it fit and adjusted whatever needed to be adjusted. Instead of buying one bag of Always with wings overnight, I started buying 2-3. and of course convinced myself that this was just normal and how my life would be. Although I tried to ignore this unusual new life,  something inside knew this was not normal.I started researching my symptoms and came across a blog with women dealing with PCOS. I quickly identified that I too experienced many of the  symptoms these women were going through. That day, a light bulb went on and I knew that this must be what I have. 
 At the time, little was known about the condition and the only remedy floating around  were birth controls to alleviate some of the symptoms. I grew frustrated and finally had a breaking point in my late 20's and decided to seek medical attention. My irregular heavy menstrual cycles were beginning to control my life. When it would arrive,  It left me debilitated. Confined to my home, and emotionally drained. My wardrobe of bright and fun colors quickly changed to dark blues and blacks to avoid any accidents that may happen. So as quickly as my world was changing, I decided it was time to go in and officially find out what was wrong. After countless of test, ultrasounds, and blood work  my Dr. gave me a diagnosis of Uterine Fibroid. I thought to myself, "that's it?" Okay, I can deal with that. She decided to start me on Birth control to regulate my cycle. After researching the drug, I declined the treatment because of  possible complications it can cause, as well as causing my Fibroid to grow.  So, as usual I went on with life.  

In 2007, during a routine examination I told my Dr, that I wanted to check my hormones for any underlying issues that may have been missed. my Dr. suggested that I test my testosterone levels and from there we can look into further testing.  My results came back with  high levels of testosterone and an official diagnosis of PCOS. We discussed treatments including a drug called Metformin. Although I have always  preferred holistic healing, I agreed to try the metformin. I also decided to start an exercise routine and that year I decided to  convert to  a vegetarian. 

My decision to become a vegetarian greatly helped my condition. I was able to loose 30lbs within the 1st three months into my journey and the Metformin along with the exercise helped my cycle greatly. However, the side affects of the medication were debilitating. If you suffer from PCOS, a Diet and exercise plan are essential to   managing PCOS. This is partly because young women with PCOS often have higher levels of insulin (a hormone) in their blood, and many have trouble maintaining a healthy weight. Knowing the right foods to eat as well as the kinds of food to limit can improve the way you feel. It will also help you lose weight. Eating well, staying active, and maintaining a healthy weight (or losing even a small amount of weight if you’re overweight) can improve PCOS symptoms.

So, there it is. I will continue to share my journey because I believe you can only help others by being truly transparent. 

Love Naturally,

JoJo

Shalom!

 I originally started my blog to document my weight loss journey, share some inspirational messages and share my love of  fashion. However, during my journey, I have met several women battling the issue of weight-loss and underlying factors that hindered their progress to successfully loose weight.  I found myself relating to a lot of the stories shared.  One of my biggest goal with my blog was to be transparent and provide self love, and  encouragement.

 So, I've decided to share my story, and my road blocks with  my weight. Although I have successfully found a way to manage my weight, I can't deny the hurdles and hard work it took to get a control over it. See,  I  am a 33 year old African-American Women and I have PCOS( Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome).  I self diagnosed myself at the age of 15, but was officially diagnosed in 2007. Poly-cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormone imbalance that can cause irregular periods, unwanted hair growth, infertility, weight gain, and acne. PCOS begins during a girl’s teen years and can be mild or severe.  PCOS is caused by an imbalance in the hormones (chemical messengers) in your brain and your ovaries. PCOS usually happens when a hormone called LH (from the pituitary gland) or levels of insulin (from the pancreas) are too high, which results in extra testosterone production by the ovary.

Some of the most common signs of PCOS include:

• Irregular periods that come every few months, not at all, or too frequently
• Extra hair on your face or other parts of your body, called hirsutism (her-suit-is-em)
• Dry skin
• Acne
• Weight gain and/or trouble losing weight
• Patches of dark skin on the back of your neck and other areas, called acanthosis nigricans
• Problems with Fertility

 Growing up, I would describe myself as a very active and health conscious teen.
 I was a very active teenager who engaged in sports as well as routine exercise, and overall a healthy individual. At the age of 14,  I remember having a menstrual cycle that was very irregular. At the time, of course it felt like a blessing to not have a cycle for a few months. It did not alarm me at all since it was quite common for teens to experience a missed periods if they were  engaged in sports. However, not having a cycle for an extended period of time also had its own downfalls.  When my cycles would come, it would last for months!  Still, I was not alarmed and made up possible reasons why this was happening. I had my routine women visits and never mentioned a word. I believe I did this because I was more terrified of what the diagnosis would be. So, I went on with life and dealt with my "issue" as best as I could.  

I graduated high schools and began my college career, still dealing and managing my condition on my own. Of course with school, life and work; the freshman 15 quickly turned into the freshman 30. I quickly packed on the weight in less than a year. I chalked it up as having no time to exercise, and living the free life of a  college student. 
 Living with the unknown condition became a normal routine in my life. I made it fit and adjusted whatever needed to be adjusted. Instead of buying one bag of Always with wings overnight, I started buying 2-3. and of course convinced myself that this was just normal and how my life would be. Although I tried to ignore this unusual new life,  something inside knew this was not normal.I started researching my symptoms and came across a blog with women dealing with PCOS. I quickly identified that I too experienced many of the  symptoms these women were going through. That day, a light bulb went on and I knew that this must be what I have. 
 At the time, little was known about the condition and the only remedy floating around  were birth controls to alleviate some of the symptoms. I grew frustrated and finally had a breaking point in my late 20's and decided to seek medical attention. My irregular heavy menstrual cycles were beginning to control my life. When it would arrive,  It left me debilitated. Confined to my home, and emotionally drained. My wardrobe of bright and fun colors quickly changed to dark blues and blacks to avoid any accidents that may happen. So as quickly as my world was changing, I decided it was time to go in and officially find out what was wrong. After countless of test, ultrasounds, and blood work  my Dr. gave me a diagnosis of Uterine Fibroid. I thought to myself, "that's it?" Okay, I can deal with that. She decided to start me on Birth control to regulate my cycle. After researching the drug, I declined the treatment because of  possible complications it can cause, as well as causing my Fibroid to grow.  So, as usual I went on with life.  

In 2007, during a routine examination I told my Dr, that I wanted to check my hormones for any underlying issues that may have been missed. my Dr. suggested that I test my testosterone levels and from there we can look into further testing.  My results came back with  high levels of testosterone and an official diagnosis of PCOS. We discussed treatments including a drug called Metformin. Although I have always  preferred holistic healing, I agreed to try the metformin. I also decided to start an exercise routine and that year I decided to  convert to  a vegetarian. 

My decision to become a vegetarian greatly helped my condition. I was able to loose 30lbs within the 1st three months into my journey and the Metformin along with the exercise helped my cycle greatly. However, the side affects of the medication were debilitating. If you suffer from PCOS, a Diet and exercise plan are essential to   managing PCOS. This is partly because young women with PCOS often have higher levels of insulin (a hormone) in their blood, and many have trouble maintaining a healthy weight. Knowing the right foods to eat as well as the kinds of food to limit can improve the way you feel. It will also help you lose weight. Eating well, staying active, and maintaining a healthy weight (or losing even a small amount of weight if you’re overweight) can improve PCOS symptoms.

So, there it is. I will continue to share my journey because I believe you can only help others by being truly transparent. 

Love Naturally,

JoJo