25/365 - More on PCOS

 I went against doctor advice and stopped taking the pill. It was known that some women get depression from them, but it was not openly discussed. Since then we have more research on synthetic hormones, but also into PCOS.

The doctors at the time told me that PCOS has no known cause and that it is most likely hereditary.

More recently it has been linked to insulin resistance. When I first read about this I was not surprised. 

My relationship with food in childhood and all the way till I left for university was anything but normal. Actually, a staple meal for most of us was chips and bread, maybe with some pickles.

Then there was the moderation problem.

I had an aunt living in Germany and she would send a few times a year massive parcels loaded with chocolate. Imagine a child opening a parcel with almost 20kg of chocolate of all kinds and shapes! That was not rationed, it was gone in a couple of weeks!

It probably did not help my genetic predisposition to PCOS that I visited her in Germany twice in my teenage years, for a total of about four months. After my first visit in 2000 when I was 14 years, I had gained 9kg in two months! That was a critical year for my physical development.

Fast forward to 2012 when I was cycling to work four times a week and going to the gym about three times. I was vegan, I dare to say raw vegan for most of 2011 and 2012.

Around that time we also agreed that we would like to become parents.

PCOS is known for infertility so, we were not sure if we could have kids. We talked about adoption too - many times! For us adoption will never be off the table.

It was a coincidence that on April Fools Day 2013 I was sharing the news with my family, that I was pregnant. I had been pregnant unknowingly for nearly 2 months. The perks of PCOS!

In all fairness I started to take more control of my nutrition and body weight around age 19. These days I always have a nutrition book on my reading list because I like to know about the latest findings.

It does not mean I eat perfectly, but thank goodness there is so much more help and information out there!

PCOS was the main reason I purchased the continuous glucose monitor and I am glad I did. It is interesting to see your body’s glucose reaction in real time, especially because we all tend to have the same foods regularly.

My son was my reset button, things started working clockwise after having him.

Please do not consider my story medical advice. I was very young, I had bodily autonomy, I was not receiving proper medical support and I was falling apart from the pills. I did what I thought was best at the time and have no regrets.

The way I was bullied into two more years of taking the pill, without them even wanting to talk about the side effects, will stay with me forever. I will always think thrice before taking a medication, but that is just me.

I hope you feel that you have the freedom to choose what is best for you. Your body, your choice!

You got this!