My Personal Experience with PCOD
I have PCOD: This is how I ended up getting period again.
Well yes, you read it right, I have PCOD. I was 11 when I had my first period then after like six months of the regular menstrual cycles, my period got lapsed for a year and was followed by an irregular menstrual cycle. I was wrestling with other PCOD symptoms like acne and weight changes — but I wasn’t aware I had PCOD.
Sounds familiar? Read on to find what I have experienced— and, how I have been tackling with this disease.
What is PCOD? Why does it occur even at an early age? Does it affect your fertility? Is it because of hormonal imbalance, or hereditary? All these questions arose only when you know the disease, but nobody had mentioned PCOD to me earlier. I remember the gynecologist saying, “It’s because of the immaturity of hormones”, and sending me back home with piles of pills.
Afterward, the doctor went on prescribing the medicines daily for months and years. In between that, I had my period once or twice only and I was already tired of taking pills. One fine day, I decided not to take pills anymore because at the back of my mind I always had this simultaneous sense of, allopathic medicine affecting my body negatively. I even had started taking homeopathic medicines and by that time, I was already 21 and had already visited four different hospitals (both homeopathic and allopathic).
Finding the way back to normal
The city was on the verge of an uncontrolled COVID-19 spread due to which I couldn’t get to follow up with the doctor. So, I decided to take care of PCOD myself. Initially, I started researching and advocating myself about PCOD, its types, and ways to rebalance hormones naturally. Over time, I realized there is a connection to inflammatory foods. So, I cleaned the kitchen of inflammatory processed foods, high-sugar snacks, and dairy products and added foods that support healthy reproductive hormone levels. There isn't one size fits all plan — everyone’s hormonal makeup is different — but, I think, these foods can be a good place to start, no matter what kind of imbalance you are facing.
Along with a healthy diet, I started doing regular exercises and yoga: Cat & Cow Pose, Bow Pose, Boat Pose(Navasana), Surya Namaskar, The Bridge Pose, Cobra Pose (Bhujang), and the Butterfly Pose — these are the few yoga postures I have been following. Similarly, I have been trying to embrace positive thoughts and affirmations to alleviate stress and build positive mindsets.
After like a year, I finally got my period back a few months ago. The menstruation cycles are still not regular. But, on the bright side, there has been a slight hormonal shift towards the optimal range. During the entire process, what I learned is, expecting to get the result soon, you should not pressurize yourself to implement all of those principles overnight as it takes time and perseverance to become your habit. On top of that, you should not get stressed out — This isn’t going to help you anyway. Alternatively, you can cultivate the habit of adding positive affirmations to your daily routine.
There are different types of PCOD and treatment method also depends on the type of PCOD and what causes it, however, its symptoms might look alike. So, the first and foremost thing to do is to know your PCOD type by consulting your gynecologist. Regarding PCOD friendly food, you can always integrate that in your diet plan, no matter what type of PCOD you are suffering from.
