The misperceptions and myths surrounding PCOS can cause more stress and anxiety for women with PCOS than the action condition itself! This post is intended to help you all understand what to believe and what are the myths about PCOS.
What is PCOS?
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)is a common hormonal condition that is often undiagnosed. About 10 per cent of women of reproductive age experience imbalances with their menstrual cycle, high levels of androgens, and small follicles in their ovaries, which may indicate PCOS.
- “Women with PCOS are incapable of conceiving or suffer from infertility because of PCOS”
There is absolutely no truth in this whatsoever. If you have ovaries, a womb, and a uterus you absolutely can have a child. Yes, PCOS can cause complications due to lack of periods and ovulation, but that is where we need to improve our diet and lifestyle to get out regular periods back! Birth control has prohibited women ovulating which in turn has increased IVF and infertility rates through the roof. If you are wanting to conceive and are on birth control, I strongly advise you to come off sooner rather than later to get your natural fertility hormones back to the correct level.
Getting pregnant naturally really can occur as I’ve helped so many women conceive naturally with PCOS, even after IVF. Believe that you can overcome PCOS with the right amount of nutrition, exercise, diet, sleep, and stress management, not medication.
- “PCOS does not affect pregnancy.”
There is no doubt that PCOS impacts pregnancy due to not ovulating which I have explained above, but research has proven that women with PCOS are also at risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and endometrial cancer which can also affect your change of getting pregnant.
Ignoring them may result in significant long-term health consequences.
- “PCOS only affects overweight women”
This is one of the most common misconceptions. PCOS can affect any women no matter what their size, infact 20% of women have something called ‘Lean PCOS’ which doesn’t increase weight gain! Insulin resistance or increased androgen hormones can cause PCOS even in women who are at an ideal weight.
- “Losing weight can cure PCOS”
Although you may not completely overcome PCOS through exercise, diet, and weight loss, you can lower your blood sugar levels, increase insulin sensitivity, and regulate your hormones. You can improve insulin sensitivity and ovulation simply by losing 10% of your body weight!
- “PCOS often results in polycystic ovaries in women.”
The term is misleading. The presence of cysts on the ovaries has not always indicated PCOS and the absence of cysts has not necessarily indicated PCOS. The name is also misleading as the black dots on the ovaries are not actual cysts. They are baby follicles that have not been released in ovulation.
The symptoms in both cases included irregular periods or no periods at all, excessive hair growth on the head and body, along with weight gain or difficulty losing weight.
- “Acne and hair growth are common symptoms of PCOS.”
There are some women who have facial hair, and there are others who do not. There are higher levels of androgens in the body, which affects everyone differently. PCOS does not always cause unwanted hair growth in all women.
- “PCOS women can stay contraceptive-free”
PCOS is a hormone imbalance condition and metabolic disorder, therefore pumping synthetic hormones into our body will only make it worse. Birth control might ease some symptoms for the time being but it’s putting a plaster over a wound and not addressing the root cause.
I would absolutely advise anyone with PCOS to stay away from birth control and other medications. It needs to be treated through the right diet and lifestyle, and the focus on getting regular periods back.
- “PCOS is caused by irregular menstrual cycles”
There is still no exact proof of what causes PCOS, but one of the main symptoms is irregular periods or none at all. The aim of the game is to get our regular cycles back and trust me, this can be done! I am living, walking proof along with hundreds of other women I have helped on my coaching programs.
A woman is meant to have healthy, regular periods. They are not meant to be heavy, painful, long or short. If you are suffering with any of these, or the other symptoms I have mentioned please do reach out to me and let’s jump on a call to discuss the right program to best help you about the myths about pcos.
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