So here is something interesting. Did you know that the condition PCOS, Polycystic ovary syndrome, causes girls to have food cravings and harsher mood swings? Well fuck me. Now as you may have inferred from my dismay I myself have recently been diagnosed with PCOS. To be diagnosed with PCO you need to show 2 of 3 possible symptoms: cysts found within the ovaries, not getting your period and overproduction of testosterone. Now luckily I only have the first two symptoms that I mentioned and don’t have issues with overgrowing facial/body hair.
So now with the BREIFEST of introductions to the syndrome let me explain treatment: forcing… my… period. Now you may ask how and why is this treatment? Well by forcing my period (using the contraceptive pill) I am flushing out my system and allowing there to me some form of regulation on my hormones. This will deal with the bad mood swings and food cravings. Given I only will have to “force” it maybe 4 times a year I still fear the weight gain that often is associated with contraceptive pills. Obviously a ridiculous fear considering I will distribute my 4 times a year over the course of the entire year.
But getting back to PCOS symptoms: how does this affect treatment of my eating disorder? Well, I don’t know! To be honest, I am getting a much better handle on my binges. The frequency has diminished drastically and the size of my binges are now comparable to a heavy meal (sometimes less) rather than the thousands of calories I used to binge on. So I am JUST NOW finding out that I actually had a medical excuse for my overwhelming urges to eat, BUT it was me who took it to a level where it was considered binge eating and an eating disorder. So although in my head I would like to blame my eating disorder on my PCOS, I have to take that impression with a grain of salt. Because there are thousands of women all over the world who suffer from PCOS and don’t have an eating disorder. So after obtaining all that information the main idea I think I am trying to put out is: this changes nothing. I am still sick, and I still need therapy. Because it is me that tells me count the calories I eat, not my PCOS.
So now with the BREIFEST of introductions to the syndrome let me explain treatment: forcing… my… period. Now you may ask how and why is this treatment? Well by forcing my period (using the contraceptive pill) I am flushing out my system and allowing there to me some form of regulation on my hormones. This will deal with the bad mood swings and food cravings. Given I only will have to “force” it maybe 4 times a year I still fear the weight gain that often is associated with contraceptive pills. Obviously a ridiculous fear considering I will distribute my 4 times a year over the course of the entire year.
But getting back to PCOS symptoms: how does this affect treatment of my eating disorder? Well, I don’t know! To be honest, I am getting a much better handle on my binges. The frequency has diminished drastically and the size of my binges are now comparable to a heavy meal (sometimes less) rather than the thousands of calories I used to binge on. So I am JUST NOW finding out that I actually had a medical excuse for my overwhelming urges to eat, BUT it was me who took it to a level where it was considered binge eating and an eating disorder. So although in my head I would like to blame my eating disorder on my PCOS, I have to take that impression with a grain of salt. Because there are thousands of women all over the world who suffer from PCOS and don’t have an eating disorder. So after obtaining all that information the main idea I think I am trying to put out is: this changes nothing. I am still sick, and I still need therapy. Because it is me that tells me count the calories I eat, not my PCOS.