LIVING WITH PCOS

Hello my lovelies, something much more serious this week but it's something I have wanted to blog about for a while. I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) which has a major impact on not only my day to day life but my future but i know I am not the only one with this condition as it effects 1 in 5 women worldwide. I am currently 20 years old and was diagnosed at 15 so living with the condition has become normal life. I want to share my experience of living with the illness in the hope it may help some of you having the same problems or even just as an outlet for PCOS sufferers to discuss how they cope with it. I hope you find this useful and if you want any help or advice then feel free to contact me on here or on my social media, I will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. 

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common condition that affects how a woman’s ovaries work. The three main features of PCOS are:

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irregular periods – which means your ovaries don't regularly release eggs  

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excess androgen – high levels of "male hormones" in your body, which may cause physical signs such as excess facial or body hair  

• 
  

polycystic ovaries – your ovaries become enlarged and contain many fluid-filled sacs which surround the eggs  

If you have two of these you could be diagnosed with PCOS but I thought I'd give you an idea of the signs and symptoms to look out for and how these affect me:  

• irregular periods or no periods at all

• difficulty getting pregnant as a result of irregular ovulation or failure to ovulate

• excessive hair growth (hirsutism) – usually on the face, chest, back or buttocks

• weight gain

• thinning hair and hair loss from the head

• oily skin or acne 

I did not have a period for around 3 years before I had a diagnosis and without the right pill I would not have one at all; I have also been told my case is very severe and I am very unlikely to conceive a child naturally, leaving IVF as my best choice. I have excessive hair pretty much everywhere and it is very thick and black so I have to shave everywhere every 2 days which has a major impact on my quality of life. I do not feel attractive with this condition as it makes me feel less of a woman. It's such a chore having to shave your ENTIRE body every couple of days, I know there are other options but I've just gotten used to doing it this way. I am also plus sized as living with PCOS means finding it twice as difficult to lose weight but twice as easy to gain it, I have never been comfortable with my weight but losing it is incredibly difficult I've found and this exacerbates the other issues. I also have trouble with oily and acne prone skin. I try not to wear makeup too much and If I do I go to extreme lengths to make sure it is removed completely- I have a well thought out skin care routine which does work but I have issues with acne 24/7 regardless of this and this affects my entire body not just my face.  

There is no cure for PCOS and no known cause but I'm hoping this will change in years to come. I know there is a lot of conditions out there much more severe than PCOS but that doesn't make it more debilatating. It means I have battled with my self confidence and mental health because of it and it's something I would normally hide from people in my daily life.  

Having PCOS can also increase your chances of developing other health problems in later life such as: type 2 diabetes, depression and mood swings, high blood pressure and high cholesterol and sleep apnoea. This means you have to control what you eat and drink in order to not exacerbate the problems further. There is so many problems associated with PCOS that people aren't even aware of- I'm just seen as the far girl who must be happy being fat seen as I haven't lost weight, however this couldn't be further from the truth. I am a 20 year old student nurse who has yo-yo dieted since the age of 10 and hates looking at herself in the mirror because of her weight but has never been able to lose it. Please don't judge me people on their exterior, You never know what someone has going on!  

If you have any of these symptoms please do not keep them to yourself, talk to someone or ask a professional, do not feel scared as there are more women than you think in the same position who understand how hard it is. I hope you have found this helpful or even just given you some insight into the illness if you know someone suffering from it. I don't want to suffer in silence and hide anymore, I've let PCOS get me down for too long and it should not be that way.  

If you suffer too, feel free to share your own experiences and create a discussion in the comments or contact me on social media and I'll reply as soon as i can! I will be back to my happy go lucky self next week with something less serious but I felt this needed to be talked about. 

I love you all so much and I really appreciate you reading, having blogging as an outlet for my thoughts has really helped with my mental state! I hope to see you back here next Sunday, subscribe if you enjoyed and want to hear more from me! 

Also, great news! I have been asked to blog about my nursing experience for my university so if you are a student nurse I will post the link to the blog on my social media when i upload my first post so you can check it out! Exciting times ahead!  

Lots of love, Lois❤  

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