How to Care for PCOS

It is September which means that it is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Awareness Month!  I am hoping to bring more awareness to this syndrome and help educate you along the way.  I am not a doctor or a nutritionist.  I am a woman who was diagnosed early in life and has been learning about my diagnosis ever since.  If you have specific questions, you can, of course, ask them, and I will do my best to answer.  However, I would encourage you to take them to your doctor as well.

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While there isn't a cure for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and the treatment options mainly help suppress the symptoms, there are some things that we can do to make us more aware of what is going on in our body.

Here are my tips for caring for yourself:

1. Go to your OB/GYN yearly.  It's important to be proactive about your healthcare.  I mentioned earlier on that something to be aware of is the risk of endometrial cancer.  Going regularly to your doctor will help you be preventative.
   
2. Get annual blood tests.  The outside doesn't always tell the truth.  Knowing what is going on inside of you is just as important.  It will also help you decide what the next steps are in your healthcare.  You can ask your family practitioner for these tests or your OB/GYN.  Some blood tests you may want to consider are:  Vitamin D, androgen levels, LH and FSH, TSH, T3, T4, and rT3.  I also personally have my Hemoglobin A1C and glucose tested (normally a 2-hour glucose test). What you have tested is up to you.  You can also ask your doctor for recommendations.
   
3. Spend some time for self-care.  Cortisol is another hormone that can become out of whack in our system.  When we are stressed out, our cortisol levels rise.  This can mess up other things within our body.  Keeping our stress low will help with that.  I know, easier said that done, right? Take time for yourself once a week.  Do something that you love and enjoy.  Read a book.  Take a walk.  Go floating. Take a relaxing bath...if you like that sort of thing. ;)  Eat healthy and workout.  When we do those things, we feel physically better and more confident about ourselves.

It is best when you know what is going on with your body.  Knowledge is power and it empowers you to make good decisions for yourself.

If you know someone who could benefit from reading this blog, by all means, share it!  After all, sharing is caring and greatly appreciated!