No, I’m not pregnant” the amount of times I’ve had to answer this question recently is utterly ridiculous (BTW, if you have to ask someone if they’re pregnant then maybe consider that it’s actually not your business to know in the first place). If you follow me on Instagram, then you might have come across my post all about my PCOS and current fertility struggles. This blog post is mainly based on that very first post that kickstarted the whole conversation except now, I am going to delve a little deeper and share a little bit more about my journey, what I’ve been doing and the resources that I have been finding helpful.
Nearly a year ago I started feeling like something was wrong with my body. My period disappeared for months and I suddenly picked up 10kgs. My arms, tummy and chin were unrecognisable and I had no idea why. After tests, I found out that I had PCOS – at least 25 cysts on my ovaries. This news was the biggest shock and while I suspected that something was wrong, I never thought it would be this. I felt (and still do feel) hopeless and as if nothing is working. I’ve blocked family members who thought it might be funny to constantly ask me if I’m “sure” I’m not pregnant. I feel as if I’ve done every diet out there to try and help but have come to the realisation that cutting out gluten, dairy and sugar by quite a bit makes a huge difference. A combination of Rushtush and Aimee Raupp’s Egg Quality Diet has been what I’ve been leaning towards and following and while I am still struggling to lose weight, good, nourishing food makes me feel incredible.
Those who have known me for years know that I also have fibromyalgia and since both fibro and PCOS are caused by inflammation, I figured that they were related. While I did get lots of my cravings under control due to cutting out dairy, sugar and gluten, this is still something that I struggle with on a daily basis.
I’ve also been going for regular acupuncture (at Blissful Acupuncture) which has been an incredible help with helping me get my period back and I’ve seen great results so far. After just 2 sessions (once a week), my period came back after being gone for a few months. We also did some moxibustion along with the fertility acupuncture when I was on my period and it really helped me feel calm and experience less pain.
If this is something that you’re struggling with, then I highly recommend that you do your own research on it. There are some incredible doctors and fertility specialists out there who can help and I have listed a few of my favourites below. I will go into more depth on each one as I continue this journey but for now, it might help you to understand your body some more and give it the love and attention it needs.
People I am currently loving right now
- For accupunture, I highly recommed Dr Jugroop. She is based in Rylands and is honestly one of the most incredible people to have with you on your fertility journey. She works to heal an array of issues like stress, anxiety, pain, inflammation and a myriad of other things. If there is one thing you do for your health, then let it be a consult with her.
- Aimee Raup is an incredible TCM doctor. I was lucky enough to have a consult with her and she helped me undersand what I was going through. Her books are super helpful and she has shares a wealth of information regarding fertility and wellness.
- I am incredibly obsessed with Alisia Vitti. If I could have only 1 person at my dinner table, it would be her! Founder of Flo Living, she’s the best female scientist whose work on feritility and the reproductive system I have ever read. I highly recommend reading her book “Woman Code” and “In the Flo” and listening to podcasts with her – your mind will be blown!
- We all know that spending time with yourself, trusting yourself and being kind to your body and mind is incredibly important and Nicky Rowbotham has been the biggest inspirationfor me in that regard. She is the author of “Flip the script on stress” and has a few incredible journals which really force you to dig deeper and focus on what you need.
- Another local wellness advocate is my dear friend Dhanusha. She focuses on self-care and her daily posts always remind me to take a moment to love and appreciate myself which is so needed after a long and stressful day at work.
If you have any questions or comments or want me to touch on something else within my PCOS journey, then please do let me know.
PSA: Commenting on someone’s weight gain is rude. It’s not your business. Grabbing someone’s stomach or arms and saying “you’ve gone fat” is unacceptable and it hurts. It might seem like a joke to ask a woman if she’s pregnant but you have no idea how that affects her and those around her. I’ve been keeping this to myself and only told those closest to me but I also feel that no one should have to deal with these kinds of comments. PCOS (and any other health issue that causes weight gain) is a really crappy thing to deal with so don’t assume that you always know what someone is going through.
Have compassion, be kind and stop asking women if they’re pregnant
6 Comments
So what did dr sadien dr vassen and the accupuncturist say is the cause of the fibro or the pcos? Are they able to cure it?
Hello, I don’t think there really is a cure but you can reverse the symptoms with excercise. diet and lowering stress. I’ve found that these helped me with both PCOS and fibromyalgia. Losing weight definitley assisted in PCOS and now I am basically symptom free!