Intense day today.
It should be noted that by no means am I looking for any sympathy or looking to have a moan with this post. What I’m doing is trying to make sense of a new situation. I’m looking to accept it, deal with it and come out on the other end wiser and hopefully skinnier.
So here’s whats up.
Today I went to the doctor to go through some blood tests I had about a month back. I was getting a bit worried because my.. ‘womanly times’ were not flowing as normal as they should so I decided to go for some tests to rule out all possible things.
To make things clear to friends and family so you don’t read the post looking for this – no, I’m not pregnant.
Good, now that thats out of the way….
Didn’t wanna be setting off anybodies fat programs or giving any old people a heart attack!
So I got my results back today.
Turns out, judging from my hormones or should I say an excess of my hormones – I am likely to have somethings called…
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
My hsh and I think my hs levels are high, my cholesterol high-ish and my male hormones numbering in the high aswel.
A ‘vicious cycle’ of weight gain and hormone imbalance then more weight gain then more hormone imbalance – blah blah blah and the cycle goes around.
The most notable of sources – Wikipedia (not), tells me that this disorder is ‘common’ and affects about 5 – 10% of women in the ‘reproductive age group’. Cheer’s Wiki – way for making me feel common in a not so common way.
I am also told that it is possibly genetic. Awesome. That will be a great conversation with my mother.
Skyebro: “Oh mum, do we have many women in our family with POS?”
Mum: “POS POS WHAT??”
Skyebro: “Polycystic Ovarian Syndrom – POS is an acronym”
Mum: ‘Awkawrd pause’ – “Why?”
Skyebro: “Erm…”
Mum: “Oh…” Followed by snuffled pause where of which you can hear her eyes getting wide and the thoughts processing.
Skyebro: “Yeah mum, ‘oh’ is right”
Though the conversation did not go like that, I would imagine someone, somewhere would have had one like it.
—————————————-
Did a bit of surfing around the net and I found some particularly bleak information around it. Seriously, this does not bode well for my FAT programs but hey – lifes not without ups and downs huh?
- from http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/polycystic-ovary-syndrome.cfm#j
Health Problems
Women with PCOS have greater chances of developing several serious health conditions, including life-threatening diseases. Recent studies found that:
- More than 50 percent of women with PCOS will have diabetes or pre-diabetes (impaired glucose tolerance) before the age of 40.
- The risk of heart attack is 4 to 7 times higher in women with PCOS than women of the same age without PCOS.
- Women with PCOS are at greater risk of having high blood pressure.
- Women with PCOS have high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.
- Women with PCOS can develop sleep apnea. This is when breathing stops for short periods of time during sleep.
Women with PCOS may also develop anxiety and depression. It is important to talk to your doctor about treatment for these mental health conditions.
Women with PCOS are also at risk for endometrial cancer.
Irregular menstrual periods and the lack of ovulation cause women to produce the hormone estrogen, but not the hormone progesterone.
Progesterone causes the endometrium (lining of the womb) to shed each month as a menstrual period. Without progesterone, the endometrium becomes thick, which can cause heavy or irregular bleeding. Over time, this can lead to endometrial hyperplasia, when the lining grows too much, and cancer.
This is what CAN happen though. Not the bottom line in my case my doctor said.
She told me that I could control it early and the way to do that is to loose weight.
Yup there’s that phrase again ‘loose weight’. Now, she did not say it to me in a ‘O.M.G your fat and its your fault for doing it’ sort of way. It was a understanding sort of thing and I didn’t get the ‘eye’ either for being the ‘big girl with health issues’ either.
So here’s the dilly – I have to loose weight and my hormones and that should reverse and get back to normal which will in turn mean good things for my ovaries and my ‘womanly cycles’. Now obviously it is better in this situation to loose weight now rather than later and I NEED to loose weight lest I loose my child bearing properties and become something similar to an old lady with many cats.
That’s what we DON’T want. Push the old cat lady image to the side for a moment.
I have to loose weight somewhat soon however I am opposed to doing it the routine way of ‘normal dieting’. I would like for the Gabriel Method to be the shovel, nay, the big arse digger that heaves me out of this shit hole but I am unsure as to whether weight loss over a long period of time is something I can wait for.
PERPLEXED MUCH???
Gah!
If anybody has any info or comment to make please feel free to do so.
Signed,
Annoyed and Perplexed x
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Tags: Gabriel Method, polycystic ovary syndrome, polysystic ovaries, Skyebro
Hey Skyebro, it’s been a while since I read your blog. I’ve only just returned to the GM forums (babibi) so hope to see you there. Come and chat to us in the PCOS thread.
I had no idea that depression and anxiety were related to PCOS. Would explain alot for me. I need to do some more research on it, I think.