PCOS & Our Bodies

While browsing the web, I found this site which maybe helpful to those who are trying to conceive, it’s a fertility help website and simple to use. All you have to do is take a quiz (doesn’t take longer than a minute), locate a specialist in your area, then set up a consultation that will help provide you with information and answer any questions you have. It also shows you how to choose a fertility clinic, questions to ask yourself, and recommended resources that are also helpful in your research into fertility treatments. You can download a free doctor discussion guide that’ll have questions you might want to ask your doctor, along with fertility treatments listed below on the page. Click here to check out the site!

There is a lot to talk about this week, but of course, I want to begin by welcoming new members and let you all know that if you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to send a message! I cannot believe the amount of people who have followed within the past week, it’s honestly amazing to me and thank you all so much.  Remember that you are strong and PCOS doesn’t not define who you are as a person, you can manage it and recognize your strengths throughout your journey. 

OurPCOS Weeklies began two weeks ago, the spots for the week are filled up, and we are posting daily! Sam and Pia will be writing on their specific days eventually, probably within the next month or so, but first need to get certain situations settled. Sundays are still available for anyone to guest spot in, just send a message two days before, then submit it by Sunday afternoon! If you would like to see a certain OurPCOS Weekly’s posts, just click on their name or the day behind a post. 

The Tinychat last Friday went well and there will be Tinychats throughout the month, but while there isn’t, you can always leave a message in the chatbox on the right of the page! It’s a quick and easy way to chat with others who are visiting the site.

Lately I have been seeing a few talking about apple cider vinegar, asking about the benefits and what it does, here and also here are two posts explaining their benefits for those who are unaware/wondering.

For those who didn’t see the Weekly Workout that was posted back in June, it can be found here.

The PCOS Foundation offers volunteer opportunities in a variety of ways. I posted about it earlier in the week and I think it’s really important for people to be aware, both supporting and bringing awareness to PCOS. Volunteering is a perfect way to do so, here you’ll find the post with more information.

Throughout the week I’ll be editing tags and fixing the blog up a bit, so if things seem a little off, please bear with me! I need to add/remove some tags, fix certain posts, and do things of the such, but it won’t take long, if anything a few days. If anyone has any questions, concerns, or would just like to talk, please don’t hesitate to send a message. If you would like to talk privately, just state it in your message as well.

• Be Aware of PCOS
• OurPCOS Weeklies
• 30 Day PCOS Challenge
• My PCOS Page Questionnaire
• Inspirational & Motivational Quotes

Also, for those who have not seen two posts for a few days ago, I suggest you take a look at What causes PCOS and Regular Menstrual Cycle/PCOS Cycle.

I hope you all have a fantastic week and remember, you are strong. 

Stay creative, motivated, inspired, and hopeful.

My partner is living with PCOS- and the hormonal plus resulting depression/anxiety has put a huge strain our relationship. Do you or your followers have any suggestions on how to best support her?

Hello~ I’m Pia, not my real name but my preferred name, 27 years old, kind of a huge geeky dork, aaaaand currently quite a bit out of sorts as I am recovering from (laproscopic cyst removal from left ovary) surgery on the 12th, and it was my first ever surgery EVER, but I wanted to go ahead and get at least my introductory post done this week. @_@ I am currently dating the love of my life, who sadly lives in New Zealand and won’t be able to live stateside for about 3 more years.. but he has been unbelievably supportive through every one of my PCOS-related breakdowns and keeps me hopeful on us having a family someday.

Diagnosis Story

I feel mostly lucky, here, as I started my period at the average age of 12/13. I was even prepared for it, so when I started it in the middle of the school day, I was good until I got home.

My periods were always heavy, but never painful, and for the first four - five years they were pretty regular (and consistently heavy) so I never suspected anything might have been wrong. I continued to be unsuspecting until I got pregnant at 18 and had a miscarriage, at which point I only started to think MAYBE there was something wrong with me, and MAYBE I should seek out a doctor..

After that my periods starting becoming a little less regular, and then a LOT less regular, but I am unfortunately one of those ridiculously shy girls who won’t speak up to her doctor, so I never got an official PCOS diagnosis until I was in my early 20s (22, I think), after my doctor asked me about my irregular hair growth on my stomach, which had seemed to pop up overnight. I was put on metformin, and considered it a godsend for how well it worked for me.. until, as my luck goes, I lost my insurance about a year after.I felt fine, though, and never sought out another doctor until recently (this is a bad move, ladies).. completely ignoring my worsening hair growth and (once more)wildly irregular periods.

So.. for the last 6 years, I have been unmedicated and only barely scraping by on keeping my diet healthy. Somehow, because I am some sort of magical creature or something, all but two of my cysts disappeared over my years of avoiding doctors. One was the one I just had removed, and the other is a small fibroid in my uterus that we are now keeping a close eye on. My right ovary, however, seems in perfect shape.. and we are keeping our fingers crossed for it to stay that way, because I want me some babies. /ramble

The only thing that keeps my periods regular these days is exercise - which I am thankful for, as my body does not seem to agree with birth control of any kind.

And.. all that being said, I think the most important thing for me to point out is that I have never had what I’d consider to be a painful period. And considering they just pulled the equivalent to a tangerine off my ovary, I think it’s worth noting - even if you aren’t having pain, keep up with your appointments! And definitely, definitely do not hesitate to talk to a doctor. Never hesitate when your health is on the line. And if you have a Douchey McDouche doctor who tells you that you are going to get cervical cancer and die because you are fat, don’t feel bad about finding a new doctor. (true story, sadly)

Also, just.. do not follow in the Pia footsteps, the Pia exists so that others may point to me and go “See that? Don’t do it.”

So. Yeah. Feel free to contact me to chat or if you have any specific questions about me or my situation.. I’m insanely shy but I do my best, you can find me at awkward-octopus.tumblr.com.

Hey ya’ll! I’m Michele! I’m 20, almost 21. I’m entering my senior year at the University of Florida, finishing up my bachelors in Political Science. I love being a Gator and I have met my most amazing friends here! Through college, I‘ve learned so much about myself and about living with PCOS. After I finish my senior year, I hope to stay at UF and get my masters in Secondary Social Studies Education. I’m so passionate about teaching our future generation about America, Civics, and History.

Diagnosis Story:

 I started my period when I was 14. It was a pretty normal period and lasted about 4 days. My mom was all excited, treated me special. I felt like a normal girl. However, my next period didn’t come a month later. My mom just thought that it was my body getting used to having a period, however it became quite obvious that something wasn’t normal within a couple of months. I would go like 6 or 7 months without a period. I would spot a little in between, but in general, I had no idea when my periods were coming. My pediatrician at the time told me that because I was overweight my body couldn’t regulate itself properly and that I needed to lose weight. However, no matter how many diets I did or how much I exercised, the weight didn’t come off. In fact, I continued to gain weight. My mom decided to switch me to an adult primary doctor when I was around 15. She had a hunch that something just wasn’t right. She ran blood tests on me and discovered that my hormones were completely out of control. She said that the best thing for me to do was to see a pediatric endocrinologist to figure out why my hormones weren’t functioning properly. When I was 16, I finally got an appointment with him and he ran some more tests on me. He finally diagnosed me with PCOS. Throughout my life, I haven’t had cysts on my ovaries and haven’t had the painful bursts like other people. I have had excess hair on my abdomen and upper lip. I’ve had a lot of extra weight issues. I’m currently about 75 pounds overweight. But I’ve successfully been able to lose about 15 pounds from my highest weight so far. I’ve struggled with irregular periods, but have been on birth control for about 2 years so that’s the only reason my periods have been regular. I’ve also had thinning of hair on my scalp. I’m on my journey to being a healthier and happier me. You can keep following my journey at pcoswontwin.tumblr.com. 

This great tasting banana smoothie is perfect for breakfast or for cooling down on a hot day. The smoothie is surprisingly sweet but has no added sugar and has a low glycemic index. It is a great way to use up left over bananas.

1. This simple recipe is in my opinion best made with bananas that are starting to go over ripe but fresh bananas can also be used. Peel the banana and cut into slices then put in a freezable sealed container and freeze over night. You can freeze them for longer but I recommend using them within a month. 
2. Remove the banana from the freezer and put in the blender. Add a shot of boiling water to the banana to speed up defrosting, it will have little affect on the taste. Use a pulse technique to blend until a smooth paste is formed. Each time the blender struggles add a shot of boiling water, don’t push it too hard or you may break it.
3. Slowly add the milk whilst continuing to pulse the blender. Once well mixed in serve in a glass. 

My name is Renee Miller. I was born 9-12-90 making me 21 years young. I married my true love Travis Miller (24) on 8-22-09. We were high school sweethearts after meeting on a blind date my freshmen year.  We knew from the moment we met that we had found love and nothing would change that. After we got married things kind of went downhill for us. I lost my job, and his job wasn’t enough to pay the bills, so we had to move back in with family. We are just now finally getting back up on our feet and making our way in life. He has a great job with amazing health insurance and I just finished school to become a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant. Everything is going as good as it possibly can right nowJI am very happy to be apart of the team here at OurPCOS 

Diagnosis Story 
I started my period when I was 11 years old. I will never forget the day either because we had company over at the house. I was in 5^th grade at the time and the 2^nd of my 4 friends to get start our periods. I didn’t have a great period at 11 years old. I would get so sick sometimes that I would have to go home and just lay in bed because of the cramps. My poor dad had to come get me some days and he didn’t even have to ask questions, he just had the Pamprin ready at home and a sandwich. My mom was the one who would sit up with me at night when I would be puking because I hurt so badly. After a year or so the symptoms started to die down some, but it still wasn’t a pleasant time. At about 14 years old my periods started to become very spread apart and some months I would not even have one. One night when I was 15 I woke up with the worst cramps I had ever had in my entire life. I could not move, or barely scream for my mom. She rushed me to the hospital. Now back when I was 13 I was diagnosed with Iron Deficiency Anemia, not a good thing for me since when my period did come they were super heavy and I would get really sick. At the hospital the doctors ran blood work. Not only was my iron level low causing me to get light headed, but I had ovarian cysts. So at 15 years old I had to start seeing an Ob-gyn. All they did was put me on birth control, one with extra iron. Yea it helped the cysts go away, but my periods were awful heavy and I couldn’t stand it. Now fast forward to February 2010. My periods had once again became kind of spread out but still usually only 30 days apart, and when they came they lasted 3 or 4 days. I had wen to the OB because I had gotten a positive pregnancy test! My hubby and I had been trying to get pregnant since we said I Do. Unfortunately my pregnancy was not there. They said it was chemical pregnancy. The OB immediately started blood work and tests. I was then diagnosed with PCOS. A year and a half later, I still have PCOS, and I am still waiting for my sticky seed. My husband and I are both trying to live a better healthier lifestyle. Now that we have insurance the actually covers PCOS diagnosis and infertility, I am starting to make appointments with the appropriate people and get on the medicines I need. I document my TTC journey here on tumblr at meyouandbabymakesthree.tumblr.com if you care to follow along.

Homemade chicken stock is the best for this. Also, if you can’t locate any of the mushroom types indicated in the recipe, crimini (aka: baby bellas) will do just fine. Or, you can just leave them out all together.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 cups of chicken stock*
• 1 tablespoon of corn starch
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce*
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper
• 3/4 cup of straw, enoki, or sliced shitaki mushrooms

*If cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free stock and gluten-free soy sauce.

METHOD

1 Reserve 1/2 cup of the stock and mix with the cornstarch until dissolved.

2 Place the chicken stock, ginger, soy sauce, green onions, mushrooms and white pepper in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch and stock mixture and stir. Reduce heat to a simmer.

3 Slowly pour in the beaten eggs while stirring the soup. The egg will spread out into ribbons. Turn off the heat and garnish with a few more chopped green onions. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Name: Hannah
Age: 19
Url: http://brightprospects.tumblr.com

I want to share my story as I think it’s similar to other peoples and is underrated.  

1. What year were you diagnosed with PCOS? I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was around 14.

2. What was your reaction when you found out?  Relief. I was so confused as to why I wasn’t getting regular periods, and when I found out, things started to make sense. I didn’t feel so odd any more. Whilst I now embrace my condition and deal with it, I hold more resentment than I used to!

3. Since being diagnosed, what changes have you made?  I have made a multitude of changes. At first I pursued a healthy lifestyle, and then I developed anorexia. I think when you’re given so much conflicting information about how to eat healthily and lose weight with PCOS, more girls than we recognise just give up and stop eating completely. I think there is a strong link between PCOS and anorexia, as I feel my old eating disordered thoughts come round in a monthly cycle. I don’t completely understand how, but knowing it is biological in some form helps a lot. Since then, i’ve gained a lot of weight, lost a lot of weight, and gained a bit back. Now, I feel like i’ve reached a great medium- eating healthily, losing weight slowly, and exercising to control my PCOS.

4. What medications were you prescribed? Birth control. Even though I was quite young, I wanted to know when I was getting my periods, and I wanted to feel like a woman. 

5. Had you heard about PCOS before being diagnosed? No!

6. Have you met any other females with PCOS? A couple! It’s generally something I don’t feel the need to talk about, but when it does come up, I find that people generally know someone with it, or someone in the group has it.

7. How did you educate yourself about PCOS? My doctor was very useful, but I think mostly I have had to learn about myself. Everybodys PCOS affects them in different ways, and so there is no remedy. I think that’s why I have struggled with eating correctly in the past, because I was trying to follow conventional guidelines- when really you need to learn your bodys own routine!

8. Is it difficult to talk about PCOS with family and friends? Do they show support? Yes and no. I find it hard knowing that my boyfriend knows that I have something which symptoms are ‘acne, facial hair and weight gain’, but explaining PCOS to the people around me has really really helped. It explains to them why perhaps going on a run is more important to me that sitting around and smoking and drinking- they now understand that I’m not growing up too fast, I just have to think about future consequences more than they do!!

9. What were your symptoms before being diagnosed? How are your symptoms now? Weight gain, definitely. I have also always had a more ‘male’ personality, which, controversially, I put down to my PCOS! But this is what my friends love me for-  being a little bit more fiesty, sexually orientated and having a bit more fight in me! I also suffer from the conventional PCOS symptoms.

10. Do you see an Endocrinologist or OB/GYN? INope! Saw a gyno for a while aftet being diagnosed, and now just the doc for regular check ups.

11. What are your interests/hobbies? Running! I have decided to run a half marathon in a few months in aid of PCOS sufferers and to prove to everybody what we’re capable of. 

12. What is one of your guilty pleasures? Cheeky G&T, chocolate cake and the occasional cig!

13. Is there anything else that you’d like to see on this blog? I think you’re doing great. Perhaps some pictures of girls with PCOS to show other people how wrong they are with their pre conceptions!! 

14. What do you think of the new category for meeting other females with PCOS? Great!