How to choose treatment plan for your PCOS?
Choosing Treatment for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
In a previous post I outlined for you the treatment options available for polycystic ovary syndrome. Now we will focus on how you can choose a treatment plan that will work best for you.
PCOS causes many different sets of symptoms that vary from one woman to another. There is no one approach that fits all. Also PCOS is a multifactorial syndrome and treating it should be multidimensional.
There are few factors that you can consider when choosing treatment plan for you.
1. Know your PCOS symptoms
First of all, you need to see what physical and psychological PCOS symptoms you are struggling with.
Is it hair loss, acne, weight gain, anxiety, binge eating or mood swings?
Even though it is all connected, different symptoms might require different strategies to treat them.
I recommend writing down all the symptoms you are having. That way you could look at them from a distance and see how each symptom could be treated.
Of course it would be best to focus on the underlying reasons for your PCOS, but it is not really easy. Science still didn’t find an answer to what the underlying reasons are. There are some theories, but I will discuss them in a future blog post.
Observing yourself and noticing any changes that your body and mind go through is a useful skill that will help you determine what works and what doesn’t.
2. Think about your current life situation
You need to consider your current life situation. Why is it important? Because making changes to your lifestyle might require resources, energy and sometimes even sacrifices.
You need to know your limits and your strengths. Ask yourself:
- TIME: How much time am I willing to dedicate per week/day for treating my PCOS symptoms?
- FINANCE: How much money can I spend? What is my weekly/monthly budget?
- PRIORITIES: What is important for me at this moment of my life? What am I willing to give up?
- EMOTIONS: What am I ready to handle right now? Will my mental health be compromised?
- RELATIONSHIPS: Will my relationships change? Will people close to me understand
- SUPPORT: Do I need someone to help me with it? If yes, who can support me?
Answering these questions will help you determine what changes you are able to implement immediately, and what you might be able to change in the future.
3. Do your blood tests
There is a difference between noticing your physical PCOS symptoms, and knowing what is going on deep inside your body.
By doing blood tests you can have a clear view on what hormones are actually out of balance, is your blood sugar in normal range, or if you have any food allergies/intolerances.
Then you could treat underlying issues with a more targeted treatment plan. Without blind guesses, without taking supplements that may do nothing for you, without going on a gluten/dairy free diet.
4. Individualise approach
Remember even though we all have PCOS each of us will experience the symptoms differently, each of us will have a different attitude, each of us will have a completely different current life situation. It is very important that you find a treatment plan that will work for YOU!
Use the experience of other women with PCOS as an inspiration, but if there is something that doesn’t work for you just let it go.
5. Experiment and be flexible
You are the only person who lives in your body. You are the only person who knows what kind of things make you feel better or worse.
Don’t be afraid to try something new or leave things that don’t serve you anymore. Keep your treatment plan open.
Your symptoms, health goals and life situation might change over time. So be flexible and adjust your options.
6. Find professional who understands PCOS
Working with someone who understands PCOS and who won’t ignore your symptoms makes a difference.
If you decide on pharmacological treatment, talk to someone who can explain to you how those medications really work, discuss its side effects and its effectiveness.
If you decide to go on a diet, find a nutritionist or dietitian who understands PCOS, it struggles with cravings, insulin resistance and eating disorders.
If you have psychological symptoms like depression or negative body image don’t be afraid to talk about it with someone who is qualified to deal with it in a professional way.
Exercise:
Write down all the PCOS symptoms that you are dealing with and all the treatments that you have tried so far.
Are you limiting yourself to one option? Or have you already tried a few things?
Rate effectiveness of each of the treatments, its side effects and how easy it was to implement them.
Reflect and evaluate your past/present treatment plan.
This should give you a little perspective on how to choose your treatment plan for PCOS. The more you know your body, your emotions and your mindset the better decisions you can make to manage your PCOS.
If you want you can share with me your thoughts here.
As always, remember that I am here for you.
I love to hear from you. You are mine motivation to continue my work and research about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
Thank you so much!
Yours Agnese
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