i've experienced symptoms of polycystic ovarian syndrome in varying degrees for many years. it was not until my twenties during a toxic relationship that the symptoms of pcos really began to run their course. prior to pcos, during my teenage years, i was diagnosed with endometriosis / adenomyosis. like pcos endometriosis and adenomyosis are hormone-related.
both endometriosis and adenomyosis are caused by uterine tissue growing outside of the uterus. endometriosis tissue growth typically occurs in the pelvic area. along with the uterus it can also occur on the ovaries, bowel, rectum, bladder and the lining of the pelvis. these tissue implants can grow in other areas of the body as well. adenomyosis tissue growth occurs within the muscular wall of the uterus. the usual result of both is painful menstruation. i, however, have pain before, during and after menstruation. it can feel like anywhere from a dull ache to a sharp stabbing pain. it can last a few seconds or a few hours.
i was 19 when i was formally diagnosed with endometriosis / adenomyosis. i began seeing a specialist to help with the symptoms and was put on birth control to help alleviate the pain. thankfully the pain decreased significantly but my mood changed and anxiety and depression set in. my body also started to change and extra weight began to creep on. i exercised more, ate more protein, did whatever i could to lose the unwanted weight. i did weight training and noticed that my body mass increased. i remember wondering why am i getting bigger? aren't women supposed to have lean muscle mass? why was i starting to look like a male body builder? blood tests were done to check hormone levels, but labs and doctors all have different ideas of what is "normal", and because i was still menstruating the diagnosis of pcos was ruled out. to combat the anxiety and depression i was put on an anti-depressant. nothing changed and the weight kept creeping on. the specialist changed the birth control and anti-depressant medication and still nothing changed other than my thick hair was falling out in droves. it didn't matter what i did -- eat more, eat less, exercise more, exercise less, read self-help books, seek counsel -- nothing worked to alleviate the negative changes physically and mentally.
down and out but holding onto hope, i began to research symptoms that i had been experiencing up to that point, many of which started before puberty:
- acne
- heavy periods
- excessive facial / body hair
- insomnia
- hair loss
- fatigue
- difficulty / inability to loose weight
- skin tags
- changes in mood
- changes in memory / concentration
- borderline high cholesterol
research lead me to pcos. appointments with internists and endocrinologists lead me to disappointment, devastation and tears. the doctors ignored my blood tests and my symptoms which were screaming "pcos!" because i was still menstruating. they ignored my muscular body shape and only looked at the numbers on the scale in reference to the suggested weight for my height, insulting me with suggestions of lap-band surgery. my body increased in size (a few to be exact) but i did not have a problem with the quantity of food i was eating. it didn't matter what i said to doctors -- they didn't care to hear it. they were set in their diagnosis.
screw them! i weaned myself off of the medication (although not recommended, i did this on my own), began to eat clean and started to notice that my spirt and body felt lighter. but my symptoms were still there. the hair was still falling out (down to 1/4 of the thickness it used to be). the weight didn't shift much. i still could not sleep.
i then found an "out of the box" hormone specialist and figured i'd give it another go -- although i expected to walk out of her office in tears. after reviewing my blood tests she revealed that i have high levels of good estrogen and high levels of testosterone. my body thinks that it is pregnant, which accounts for my curves. my body also thinks that it walks like a man, which accounts for the heavy muscle that lies beneath the curves. no wonder i get bigger when i weight lift! she also said that although i menstruate i do have pcos, and the reason my mood changed while on birth control was because of my already-high estrogen being further increased by the added hormone provided by the pill. instead of leaving in tears i walked out of her office with renewed hope and relief that i wasn't completely crazy.
to combat the symptoms of pcos i was placed on metformin and spironolactone. unfortunately after giving the medication a year i did not notice a difference in my symptoms and found that i had actually gained a bit of weight (my body does not seem to do well on man-made pharmaceuticals). i threw in the towel and eating clean went out the door. it's hard to say, but maybe i didn't give it enough time. my body changed slightly after coming off of the medication and i realized that i truly did feel much better when eating clean (lighter body, lighter spirit). such a bummer that grease doesn't have the same affect! after a few months of all-out laziness i began research on alternate medicine options for pcos and came across insulite labs. after much consideration i am starting their nutraceutical-based system.
fingers are crossed that this will do the trick in helping alleviate many of my symptoms physically, mentally and spiritually!
