Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is thought to affect about one in 10 women in the UK, according to the NHS. It is thought to be caused by a hormone imbalance, which affects the function of the ovaries. Follicular cysts develop on the ovaries, which are non-cancerous, but interfere with the normal menstrual cycle.
The exact cause of PCOS is unknown, but it tends to run in families, with sufferers often having a mum or sister who suffers from the same problem. While it is not a life threatening or limiting illness in itself, it can lead to infertility and more complicated health conditions if left untreated.
It can also impact on self-esteem and quality of life, with distressing symptoms such as unwanted body hair, acne, weight gain, and thinning hair. There is no cure for PCOS, although there are some treatments which can help. Your doctor may be able to prescribe medications which ease period problems and excessive hair growth.
Women with PCOS are also advised to lose weight or eat more healthily, by cutting out sugar and carbs. However, this is often an unrealistic ask for many women, who find that eliminating all foods that they enjoy from their diet in one go leads to cravings.
This may result in the onset of binge eating, putting in place a cycle of guilt and starvation which is very difficult to break out from. It is also far more damaging for the health in the long term than sticking to a regular diet. Therefore, any new eating regimen should ideally be planned with a holistic approach.
Instead of banning all treats, it is much better to aim for a healthy and balanced diet, with the inclusion of a treat food once or twice a week. This approach will be far more likely to succeed than a restricting and uninspiring diet, which will probably lead to yoyo dieting, and may even cause mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.
It is very important not to crash diet or skip meals to try and lose weight. This is not only unlikely to work in the long term, but it’s also dull, and can make you tired, irritable, and depressed. It can also lead to you gaining more weight than you lose, because cortisol levels may become elevated, which promotes weight gain.
Instead, include foods from all the major food groups in every meal. People often make the mistake of cutting out carbs altogether, when it is actually the type of carb they are consuming that matters. Complex carbs, such as whole grain bread, brown rice, and quinoa are filling and packed with essential vitamins and nutrients.
Highly processed carbs on the other hand, such as white bread, white pasta, and pastries, contain carbs with low nutritional value, and will soon have you reaching for a snack to fill up. If you have sugar cravings, try and swap sugary desserts for fruit such as raspberries or strawberries with natural plain yoghurt.
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