I found out when I was studying for my university degree in London that I have PCOS. It came quite suddenly as I didn't go to the doctor because of my symptoms, I went because I had a copper spiral put in and where in so much pain (yes my pain threshold is like a three-year-olds but anyway I was struggling). They then decided to screen my uterus and then saw that I had cysts on my ovaries, took some tests and a couple of days later a doctor called me to say, "You have PCOS, but so does about 15% of all women in fertile age and you're already healthy so you just have to live with it".
So there I was, 21 years old and with no idea what he had just told me or how it would affect my life. (or that it was in fact the answer to why I was fainting at the office randomly, had low blood pressure and severe depression every time I had my period).
It wasn't until years later that I realised that I could actually do something about this and didn't have to be in so much pain every time my period came along. I stopped the pill because I was wondering what my mood would be like without synthetic hormones, and didn't get my period back. As a woman you don't really feel like a woman if you don't bleed every month, and I knew something was up. I heard a podcast from Bossbabe about PCOS, how they healed it naturally, and didn't suffer the symptoms anymore. And as I am, I grabbed every book I could find, searched podcasts and all over the internet for answers, and changed my whole life overnight.
I healed my PCOS in just three months.
So what did I do? My main changes were to my diet, stress levels and workout routines. And worth mentioning is that I was already living a "healthy" life according to what society says. I removed all processed foods from my diet (including all vegan substitutes), all dairy, alcohol, coffee, sugar, sugary fruits and gluten.
I stopped with super high-intensity workouts and began to do more yoga and stretching, long walks, and what I call conscious workouts - in tune with my body and what I felt like doing there and then.
I added more meditation (I already practise some self-care and bio-hacking as it was already an interest but changed my mindset around it, so my cold showers had to stop for a while).
I was very mindful to get 8 hours of sleep every day and to not look at my phone at least an hour before bed and I started with acupuncture weekly.
After living like this for three months my first period came. I can't even begin to tell you how happy that made me, I cried and jumped out of happiness. I was finally a woman again?
Do you have any experience with PCOS or hormone imbalance? Feel free to use the comments section to ask questions or just share your experience!