I got diagnosed with PCOS at a tender age of 22. I don’t remember worrying much about that. A quick Google search didn’t yield me much, so I forgot about the diagnosis.
Three years later, a routine check-up at a public hospital reinforced the idea that PCOS is just a fertility issue. I was told to take birth control pills until I was ready to get pregnant, and when the time came, they’d give me other pills to help
Let’s skip the part where I learned about insulin sensitivity, followed the keto diet, lost 7 kilos, became a health blogger, shut down my blog due to chronic autistic burnout, and went back to eating junk food.
Now, I’m 31, I gained 10 kilos in 10 years, and I started planning my first pregnancy.
And here I learned: PCOS is not just a fertility issue.
Getting pregnant with PCOS isn’t that hard: take the pills, do IVF, lose weight, and you’ll have that little human in your arms.
Here’s the problem: if this human is a girl, and you, her mother, have PCOS, your little baby girl might face the same struggles you did. Up to 70% of daughters of women with PCOS may develop the condition themselves.
If you think PCOS is the only problem, think again. There’s a long list of potential complications that could affect you during pregnancy, labor, postpartum, and even your baby. That thought might sound frightening, but here’s another perspective:
You have the power to make your pregnancy healthy and give your baby the best advantage ever: health.
The journey starts long before you try to conceive. It has started before you were born. But you play your part here and now: you take responsibility for your health and your future baby’s health.
Even if you don’t have PCOS, preconception planning is essential: ditch plastic and phthalates, address nutrient deficiencies, build muscle, lose some weight if needed, and get all the necessary check-ups.
Sounds overwhelming, right?
That’s why I never finished a single book on planning a pregnancy—I just started taking action. In this blog, I’ll be sharing my journey step by step.