When I was diagnosed with PCOS at 27, I had never even heard of the condition before, let alone did I have any idea about how to handle my symptoms. My period had vanished for months, I’d regularly end up doubled over due to excruciating pain in my abdomen, and I just wanted to cry all of the time.
I finally found a doctor who did a sonogram and correctly diagnosed me, and while there was a sense in relief knowing what was causing my ailments, a wave of incomprehension, fear, and anxiety washed over me.
How could this happen to me so young? What do I do now?
My doctor advised me it was unlikely I’d ever get pregnant, handed me a pamphlet with the laundry list of PCOS symptoms, and sent me on my way. I was left in the dark to figure out what was causing my PCOS, but more importantly, how to treat it.
I had been dating my boyfriend, now husband, for 1 year, and we were at the point when we were talking about marriage and kids. I almost felt as if my womanhood had been taken away from me, and the idea of being infertile was devastating.
I had no support, and like you may be feeling now, I felt sad and alone. I decided to take matters into my own hands to see if there was anything I could do to at least get rid of the pain. I enrolled in a holistic nutrition program, drastically changed my diet and lifestyle, and within 6 months, I was a new woman.
By changing my diet, my period came back, and regularly. I was no longer in pain from ovarian cysts bursting; my mood had stabilized; and at my 6-month checkup, my doctor couldn’t believe it: I went from having more cysts than she’d ever seen, to having none that she could detect. My ovaries went back to normal size, and I began ovulating on my own again.
And, to my delight, I was soon able to give birth naturally to not one, but two precious little boys.
After watching my own symptoms go dormant by changing my diet and lifestyle, I vowed to dedicate my life to helping other women find freedom from PCOS.
After completing nutrition school, I opened a private practice in a medical office in Manhattan, and eventually Westchester, as well.