I’ve always prided myself to having a regular cycle when it comes to menstruation. So you can imagine my surprise, a little over a year ago, when the doctor came back after a long invasive checkup to tell me that I had PCOS. Like all doctors’ diagnosis, I was completely lost as to what that diagnosis meant, and so the doctor graciously went on to gruesomely list some of the worst outcomes.
First, he went to show me the ultrasound results we had done, and pointed out how my ovaries were enlarged to almost double the normal size. This he explained would have a number of implications in my life, which was that I’d have difficulties getting pregnant.
The news was dumbfounding at the very least, but then the doctor said that I’d need to recreate how I live, what I eat and how I stay physically active. Armed with this assignment, I veered into the world, in pursuit of a reformed lifestyle.
So what is PCOS? PCOS, short form for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, is a very common, yet still very scarcely understood hormonal problem that affects women of child bearing age. It is suspected that the causes for this could be either genetic or environmental, or perhaps both. Some symptoms include; irregular menstrual cycles, enlarged ovaries, excess hair growth, acne, and obesity.
Global prevalence is estimated between 4% and 20%, with the World Health Organization estimated that approximately 116 million women are impacted by PCOS. Doctors worldwide have resolved that this is a lifestyle disease, and every visit to the doctor ends in the same result. Eat well, exercise and in some cases, some have been directed to take medication, to prevent diabetes.
The question remains, with the prevalence growing at a very fast rate, why is the World Health Organization not investing in finding out the actual cause of the syndrome? If it is suspected that eating habits is a contributor, is there any research being done to determine what is the relation between PCOS and genetically modified food? In what way should we move our bodies to ensure that we are remaining active and thus subverting any health inclined issues that we may face as women?
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