What is PCOS?

One of the questions that I get asked is what exactly is PCOS? Even though I have known I have had this for a while I have never actually posted about it. It is something that is not pleasant at all to have and so I haven't talked about it much.

PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome is an endocrine system disorder, which basically means your hormones are out of balance. The hormone imbalance causes cysts to form on your ovaries. It can also cause a variety of other things to happen such as no monthly ovulation (no egg being released each month), thin hair, facial hair, insulin resistance (which can lead to weight gain), and a variety of other lovely things.

Growing up, I had always been larger than most of the kids but I never knew why. I figured diet was of course at least part of the issue but whenever I would try to eat better I would still just gain weight. I also had a variety of other symptoms that I just didn't understand. I was relieved when Dr. Foulk was able to tell me what was really happening. I remember our first appointment with him, he walked in and said he knew at least a part of our problem and was very confident about it. He did an ultrasound to show us the cysts that were all over my ovaries. He asked about my weight history and he was able to tell me that it was a huge symptom of PCOS. He told me that when someone would have to do x amount of exercise to lose weight, someone with PCOS would have to do about 3 times that much to lose the same amount of weight. It made me feel better that it wasn't just me, that there was actually something else causing it, as well as all of my other symptoms. I had other doctors that had done one or two tests here or there but never really came up with a diagnosis for it all.

Dr. Foulk was able to prescribe some medications for me that help with some of the symptoms. I am so grateful that he did. He was able to do further testing to help fix some of the hormone issues as well. Before meeting with Dr. Foulk I would have an extremely hard time getting up in the morning and get going with my day. I would drag and couldn't seem to function at all. One of the prescriptions he prescribed me has made me feel so much better. I take it a half hour before breakfast. I usually take it about a half hour before I plan to get out of bed and within that half hour I am able to function normally and get up and going for the day. It makes life so much easier to get started out better in the morning.

Since being diagnosed, I have also become more patient with myself and my symptoms. I get frustrated with it all the time and feel like I am broken since I don't function like a normal person, but it is me. Now that I have a diagnosis I  have been able to cope with everything it brings.