‘Overcoming Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). A Real Life Story’ by Melissa Madgwick published in Great Health Guide (July 2015). Many women suffer from PCOS but you shouldn’t suffer in silence. Read Melissa’s personal experience and how she overcame it.
Read other Great Health articles on Great Health Guide, a hub of expert-inspired resources empowering busy women to embody health beyond image … purpose beyond measure.
GREAT HEALTH: Overcoming PCOS. A Real Life Story
written by Melissa Madgwick
If you’ve been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), like me, you probably feel like you’ve reached a dead end, alone and an outcast from ‘real life’. But please know, you’re not on your own.
At least 1 in 10 women are diagnosed with PCOS during their lives and 10% of women between 12 and 45 are told EVERYDAY ‘You have PCOS’. There is hope. You can get your life back as millions of women have and I have too.
In this article I’ll share a few of my experiences, failures, learning and successes on how to heal from PCOS. I’d like to open your eyes to the diversity of polycystic ovarian syndrome as well as natural interventions for overcoming it.
Firstly, you can speak to your health professional about your ideas and craft a plan together as you move forward. Your health professional knows you and your personal medical history. I have not attended medical school nor been licensed by any committee or board or government to give any health advice. I am simply a normal person like you: but I have found the road to recovery. I have read hundreds of blogs and poured many hours of research into the journey of healing myself.
Because this information has made such a difference in my own life, I’ve made it my mission to pass it forward and help as many women as possible live the same vibrant healthy life that I now enjoy—that vibrant life that I once feared I had lost.
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My PCOS Story
Hi my name is Melissa Madgwick. I was someone who had it all— active 28 year old, entrepreneur, sociable, loved life, was travelling and was healthy as you get—however I started seeing awful PCOS symptoms back in September 2013. It felt as though my life was going down the tube in front of my eyes. I actually hid in my house for 2-3 months because I was so tired, my face and body broke out in severe acne and I gained 8 kilos. I had no clue what was happening.
I saw an endocrinologist who did a few tests, offered no support and was told I had PCOS. My older cousin from Western Australia was diagnosed with PCOS many years ago. I remembered she was told she could never have children. I thought I was doomed. I was prescribed medications—antibiotics and Metformin—to regulate insulin resistance which was one cause of my PCOS. However rather than helping, the medications added a whole host of new issues. I was throwing up after eating and felt like death. I knew from this point that I had to take control of my life. The medical way of dealing with this problem would NEVER work; it was up to me to find another way to heal. My breakthrough came when I began researching PCOS and natural ways whilst I was house ridden for all those months. Through healthy living, exercise and adopting the right lifestyle changes my symptoms became manageable and then finally disappeared. There is light.
Four Tools to Heal from PCOS
What do you need to overcome PCOS? Knowledge is power, so put that first. Knowledge of who you are, what type of PCOS you have and what your body needs to combat the root cause, is essential to becoming free from hormone imbalances, with the myriad of symptoms that follow.
1. Know your type:
Firstly, start with knowing what type of PCOS you have. In my eBook ‘Heal My PCOS’ I discuss the 4 main types of PCOS – what they are and how to manage each. Once the insulin resistance and auto-immune issues were addressed in my case, the PCOS symptoms faded.
2. Positive mindset and lower stress:
A positive mindset is so important! When you understand yourself and your body, you’ll be able to view everything about yourself in a very different way. You are in control of your body – and stress is a major cause of hormonal imbalances. My tip is to start praying / meditating for 10 minutes per day whilst doing deep diaphragm breathing. Do not be overwhelmed! Take baby steps until it becomes a habit.
3. Nutrition and supplements:
Your body doesn’t need just any food and nutrition; it needs the right food and nutrition. Cut out the empty calories and instead nourish your body with foods that build you up, give you energy and help eliminate toxins. Read about my Low GI PCOS eating plan in my eBook ‘Heal My PCOS’, then take the time you need to shop for, prepare, and enjoy eating real food. You’ll be surprised how different you feel.
4. Find the right support:
Your fourth tool is to find a supportive environment. Participating in a community of like-minded women or supportive friends can help you immensely in navigating your PCOS—and in overcoming it. If you’re going through a rough time (like I was), there’s nothing like a helping hand to get you through it. Avoid interacting with negative, judgemental people, but instead craft for yourself a network of loving people that will be there for you when you need them. I’m creating a loving community at www.healmypcos.com and you can plug in anytime to share your journey.
Your Road to Recovery
You might ask, can simple tools such as new knowledge, a positive mindset, a supportive community and the right nutrition – really do more for you than medicine? IT CAN. I am living proof. Once I gave up the medications and put myself first, that’s when the magic started to happen. Every woman is different. PCOS reflect symptoms that SOMETHING is out of balance in your body – largely due to what you are eating, thinking and/or how you treat yourself.
I’m excited to share new tips in my new edition and to help you on your road to recovery.
The tools that helped me and countless other women are in my eBook ‘Heal My PCOS’. To be a part of the loving supportive community and to download my eBook ‘Heal MY PCOS’, please visit: www.healmypcos.com.
Stay strong and learn to love the beautiful person you are.
