This is the second blog in my series on having PCOS. In my first blog I wrote about what PCOS actually is and how I was diagnosed with it. In this blog I want to go through some of the treatments I've had to deal with the effects of having it.
As I said in my first blog, the doctor who adviced me that I actually had PCOS was not helpful at all and only told me to come back once I wanted to have children. However, once I went back to my actual doctor we discussed it a little further, looking at the effect it was having on my menstrual cycle. Whilst the idea of never having a period is a great one it, unfortunately, it is not particularly good for you if it doesn't occur naturally and increases the chance of you getting endometrial cancer (also called womb or uterus cancer). The endometrium is the lining of the uterus and, during a normal menstual cycle, it is exposed to hormones like oestrogen causing it to thicken. If pregnancy doesn't occur the endometrium sheds itself causing us to menstruate. However, when ovulation doesn't occur, as in PCOS, the lining doesn't shed but is instead exposed to higher levels of oestrogen, causing the endometrium to grow much thicker than normal. This increases the chance of cancer cells beginning to grow. As products like the pill keeps your hormone levels low, the endometrial lining remains thin and there is a dramatic reduction in the risk of getting endometrial cancer.
I had already been on the pill for many years and so had already been receiving the benefit from this, but I wanted to move onto another form of contraception as I didn't like taking the pill on a daily basis and had found in my research that taking the pill may increase insulin resistance (something you don't need help with when you have PCOS), the risk of having a heart attack or a stroke, and lowers the levels of some nutrients we need such as B-vitamins and vitamin C and E. To start with I went back on the contraception injections, but that just turned me into a complete psycho with no control over my emotions, and then the coil, but that didn't suit me at all and just caused me to bleed constantly. Now I'm on the NuvaRing which is working out really well (maybe I'll do a blog on my contraception journey). It regulates my periods, but as the hormones are localised it doesn't seem to have any effect on my moods and is very easy to use. So that's the endometrial cancer dealt with - hopefully.
Unfortunately taking the pill (and then the later forms of contraception) didn't have any positive effect on my weight. In fact, it might have actually made me put on weight. For that I've worked on my diet, which I'll go into on another blog, and that has made a massive difference not only to my size but my general well-being and other factors in connection to PCOS. The pill also didn't have any positive impact on my hairiness either, for that I had to go down a slightly more painful route.
PCOS for me started when puberty did and by 15 I had a very curvy body I didn't know what to do with and I had begun to be very hairy. Most of the areas I could deal with in the normal manner and wasn't too bothered about (apart from the hairy, hobbit's feet), but I was very conscious of the hair I had on my face as it was obvious to everyone on daily basis. To begin with I tried bleaching the hair, but as I have olive skin the blonde hair was just as obvious as the dark, so I moved to waxing. This was very painful and, though it was pretty effective, difficult to do without other people seeing you do it (I was in boarding school) and the permanent effect would take a while to take hold. Thankfully I was lucky enough to have parents who arranged for me to have laser treatment on my face. This was also quite painful and made my face just as red as the waxing, but it wasn't as painful as the waxing and had much more lasting effects at a quicker rate. Unfortunately laser treatment is only really effective if you have dark hair and pale skin, so !at not be suitable for everyone having the same issues.
The laser did a good job at helping to reduce the hair, but it was still obvious a lot of the time and after a while I returned to waxing during most of my 20s as it was cheaper and easier to find locations where this was available. Then in my late 20s the beautician who carried out my waxing told me she had been training in electrolysis. So I did some research on this and, as I trust my beautician completely, decided to give it a go. Electrolysis is where a tiny needle like rod is inserted down the hair follicle to the root and a small charge is passed through it. This damages the root either by heat or a chemical reaction or both. It is most effective when they are able to catch the hair whilst it is still growing, but unfortunately it's not as effective if the hair has stopped growing and the root is resting. This is not the cheapest treatment (it's also not ridiculously expensive either) and I found it pretty painful. Definitely the most painful of my hair removal treatments. However, it is definitely the most effective in permanently removing the hair and, while I do have some hair still here and there around my face, I don't feel like I have the full on moustache and beard I used to have. There are still some hairs, but right now I'm happy to just treat them on my own for now. It is meant to be for all hair and skin types (unlike laser treatment), however, the pain level does seem to depend on your hair colour. I would recommend looking at it is you're interested in permanently removing hair and I am thinking of going back to carry on treating my upper lip area.
So that is what I did initially to deal with the effects of PCOS, but once the diagnosis was confirmed I started doing more research into it. I'm not someone who likes to use medicine all the time to fix a problem and wanted to find a more natural solution to this illness. That is when I started looking at ways in which my diet could actually work against PCOS and help me with my hair, weight, and periods. And that will be in my next blog.
If you would like to read my first blog you can find it here.
