I was diagnosed with PCOS, now what?

After experiencing symptoms of hormone imbalance for weeks, months or maybe even years, you now finally have a PCOS diagnosis. While it’s comforting to have a diagnosis, it can feel like a whirlwind to now have to figure out how to manage your condition. Many times we’re not given answers on how to manage it either, other than to go on the hormonal birth control pill. If you’re like me, that “solution” always felt like a band aid approach that wasn’t ever addressing the root of my issues.

When I was diagnosed with PCOS a few years back (more on my story here), I remember scouring the internet for hours for anything I could get my hands on that would tell me more about managing my condition holistically. I spent months researching what worked for others and reading medical articles on alternative therapies. I was literally my own guinea pig for the first year or so. Through this journey, if I had to sum up the best place to start for someone recently diagnosed with PCOS, this would be where I would begin:

1.       Stress Reduction

First and foremost, try not to stress… I know, easier said than done but stress does not help any of your PCOS symptoms. Instead find stress reduction techniques that work for you. It could be reading a good fiction book, taking an Epsom salt bath or drinking a warm cup of your favorite tea. Whatever relaxes you, make time for it every day even if it’s just 15 minutes.

2.       Nourish Your Hormones from the Inside Out

I probably sound like a broken record, but real whole foods have the power to heal! Start eliminating any process or packaged foods that don’t have clean ingredients. Even stuff that has “natural flavors” isn’t considered a real, whole food so toss it, at least until you begin to manage your symptoms. Focus on the most nutrient-dense foods you can get your hands on. Some of my favorites include avocados, berries, wild salmon and spinach.

As you get the hang of eating real food, you can begin getting more and more creative with your recipes. I always find a lot of inspiration from Instagram or Pinterest. A safe place to start is by searching for Whole 30 meals as they are typically clean and have real food ingredients.

3.       Get Your Hormone Levels Checked with a Blood Test

Most likely you will already have this information from your healthcare provider who diagnosed you with PCOS, but if not, make sure to get a complete hormone panel run. This allows you to see exactly where all your different hormone levels fall and gives you a good starting point on what to tackle first. For instance, when I was diagnosed, I had high testosterone levels. This allowed me to dive into the research and tools that addressed lowering this specific hormone. It’s also helpful to have this information as you peruse this resources section so you can find what information directly applies to your situation.

There are many other things that you can focus on when diagnosed with PCOS but these are the three things I would start with and master before digging into the rest. It’s one reason why I wanted this to be the first blog post, as it includes the foundational elements you need before you start incorporating anything else.