Introduction: What the heck is PCOS?

Hello Readers!

Welcome to my first post. Glad you are here reading! I asked if I were to write a blog about PCOS if anyone would read it. I had enough people say yes that I finally decided to do it. I have felt for a long time that I needed to do this, for some of my friends and family who are struggling with this disorder, those who don't know about it and are wondering what I'm talking about, as well as for myself. It's very therapeutic to get your thoughts out in the open. As a warning, I will be very open about my experience. PCOS is not fun, comfortable or easy to deal with it. It is...an absolute roller coaster that you never get off of. Most of what I will talk about is from my own experiences, but this disorder differs in severity from person to person. My hope is to educate others as I continue to educate myself.
To start I feel I should explain Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) to those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about. Don't feel bad. This disorder is not well known. In fact for some of you this may be the first time you've ever heard about it. PCOS is an Endocrine disorder. To put simply, its a disorder in which a woman's hormones are out of balance. Basically my body makes too much testosterone, and too little woman hormones like estrogen and progesterone. Doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this. They think it could be genetics, but they aren't sure. This disorder usually starts with puberty, but many women don't end up getting diagnosed until later. I was lucky to be diagnosed at fifteen. I was one of those girls who hit puberty earlier than everyone else. By the time I was in high school I was still not regular (or as regular as a fifteen year old would be). I was lucky to have two periods a year, and I never knew when they would come. Most of my friends were fairly regular, so you can imagine I was starting to wonder what was going on. My mother decided to take me to a Gynecologist to make sure everything was okay. Well it wasn't.
There are a lot of symptoms to look for, the most common being irregular cycles. This was the only symptom I had until I graduated high school. I had started birth control to regulate my cycles, but didn't like it so I stopped taking it. I ignored my body for three years without any real problems. After I graduated however, things really took a nose dive. I gained a lot of weight. Not your normal freshman fifteen (I gained that in two weeks!). I gained more to the tune of 40 in a year after high school. Scary right?! Weight gain is normal for women with PCOS. Our bodies can develop a resistance to Insulin. Because of this women with PCOS are more at risk for diabetes. Usually symptoms are mild at first. As I said earlier, no two cases are the same. Here's a list of some of the symptoms:

• Acne 
• Weight gain and trouble losing weight
• Extra hair on the face and body (I'm talking dark hair! I have to shave or wax my face people!)
• Thinning hair on scalp
• Irregular periods. Some have fewer than nine periods a year. Some have no periods. Others have very heavy bleeding.
• Fertility problems (This is one that has caused much heartache for Joshua and I)
• Depression/Anxiety

So now you guys know what it is and some symptoms. I will also add that there is no cure for this. I have recently started treatment. I was talking to a cousin the other day at a family function, and she asked me how long I had to stay on my medication. Well, I will always have to. I will always have to counter the crazy hormone imbalance, and the fact that my body doesn't know how to break down my insulin properly. I will always have to watch what I'm eating, work out like a maniac (this part I'm not very good at), and try to stay ahead of what is going on inside me. Hormones control everything in our body. When you have PCOS, you're just trying to stay ahead of them.
To my sweet friends and family who have this disorder, I really appreciate your support and I hope that this will help you all as much as it helps me. If you have any thoughts or stories that you would like me to share on here I would love to hear from you! To my friends and family who are reading this out of support for me and to understand this better, you have no idea how much it means to me. I have really struggled the last few years with deep depression and anxiety. Constant prayer has carried me to writing to help myself overcome these challenges. Your love and support are very uplifting. For a long time I felt ashamed to tell anyone about this. I was afraid that people wouldn't understand, that it would be too hard to explain, etc. I have no shame now. I have come to accept this as a part of my life. Without this challenge in my life, I would not have had the perspective I needed to lift some women I've met who needed it, and in turn be lifted by them. I am very thankful to the Lord for the challenges that he has placed before me, and the opportunities to grow. Thank you all for reading! Look next week for a new post!