91: If your PCOS symptoms have been dismissed as ‘normal’, you need to hear this

Are you dealing with PCOS symptoms that you’ve been told are normal? And it’s only recently that you’ve questioned those symptoms after doing your own research? Maybe your acne was put down to puberty when you saw your doctor in high school about it but all these years later you’re still not getting anywhere. Or maybe you’ve never had a regular period but you’ve been told it’s because of sports so you should ‘go on the Pill to regulate your period’.When you come off the Pill, you find your period has gone AWOL, your acne has gone batsh*t crazy, you’re exhausted and you kinda just feel like flaming hot trash? You end up being diagnosed with PCOS but aren’t really given much information about what to do next and the complications long-term are really daunting.Often our symptoms are dismissed by doctors and specialists because we’re not on the floor dying. We’re told it’s not a big deal and to take medications for it (which works for some people but isn’t for everyone) and to go on our merry way. But that doesn’t mean our symptoms are something we have to deal with and that this is just the way we are.Today’s podcast guest, Maggie, was dealing with all of the above. Her irregular cycles were put down to her being a ballet dancer, she was told to try a whole bunch of topical and oral treatments for her severe acne and was prescribed birth control to help with her symptoms. It wasn’t until 2019 that she ended up coming off birth control and all hell broke loose with her symptoms. Lots of acne, no period, exhausted, hangry attacks, random weight gain, the works.We started working together earlier this year when she decided she didn’t want to live with these symptoms anymore and didn’t want the long term complications that come with leaving PCOS unmanaged. By the end of the Protocol, her period had started to regulate, her brain fog that she didn’t really know she had had lifted, her sleep was better (as was her gut) and most importantly her mindset around her lifestyle and food had drastically improved.You may have been reassured that your symptoms are nothing to worry about but if you’re feeling awful, this can feel like such a blow. The great news is that you don’t have to put up with those symptoms - I’ve created The PCOS Protocol to get on top of those nasty symptoms once and for all.This episode is for you if:Your periods are irregular or non-existentAcne has been something you’ve been dealing with for years and you haven’t gotten anywhere with itYou’ve been taking topical and oral treatments for acne but don’t want to have to rely on them anymoreSugar cravings happen to you on the daily (sometimes multiple times a day)Weight is continuously fluctuating a lot for youEven after 8+ hours of sleep, you still wake up feeling like you’ve been hit by a busYou know you have or think you might have insulin resistanceSome things we cover in this episode:Understanding when your symptoms aren’t normalKnowing that it’s not a lack of self-control that’s leading you to these habits, it’s your physiology (and learning what to do about that)Hangry attacks, binging and knowing what level of hunger is normalWeight gainDealing with angry, consistent acneThe mental impacts PCOS can have on youLow energy - even when you’re getting enough sleepComing off hormonal birth controlResources and References:My Book: Getting Pregnant with PCOSLinks to our programs: