In 2020, I decided to come off the contraceptive pill after almost 10 years. That’s when the symptoms started. Seemingly out of nowhere, clumps of hair began clogging the plughole. I started gaining weight, despite not making any changes to my regular exercise regime or my generally healthy diet. My periods, which used to arrive like clockwork, stopped – and didn’t return for years. Coarse, dark hair started appearing on my face and grew more visible by the week. It was like a domino effect: slowly but surely, my body was changing in ways that felt beyond my control.

“Maybe you should go to the doctor,” my mum suggested. An ultrasound confirmed that all these symptoms were linked: I had polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal condition affecting around one in 10 women of reproductive age (although at the 2023 Endocrine Society International event, experts suggested that the numbers are rising). The pill, it turned out, had been suppressing my symptoms for years.  

When it was time to discuss the ultrasound results with my GP, he had only two suggestions: go back onto the pill or have a prescription for Clomid – an ovulation stimulant that can help with conception difficulties (PCOS is a leading cause of infertility). Neither seemed appropriate – I wanted help in tackling the root cause of the syndrome, not masking the symptoms or dealing with the fallout further down the road. I felt let down and dismissed. And that’s when I decided to take matters into my own hands. 

All of that was four years ago, and since then, I’ve managed to adapt my lifestyle to support my body in the best way possible. These are the four small changes I’ve made.

Swapping HIIT for strength training

A year into my diagnosis, I was busy trying to mitigate the unexplained weight gain with regular HIIT. I may have looked leaner, but I felt awful; I was exhausted every day and my period still showed no signs of returning. Eventually, I decided to ditch the HIIT, turning instead to less intense forms of exercise.

According to a 2020 study in Frontiers In Physiology, resistance training plays a crucial role in improving health outcomes for women with PCOS. That’s because it can reduce insulin resistance and testosterone levels. In fact, a 2016 study found that after just 16 weeks of strength training, women saw a “significant decrease” in testosterone levels.

These days, I split my time between strength training, swimming, walking and pilates. Occasionally, I go running – but I’m no longer obsessed with ‘go hard or go home’ fitness classes. That’s made a huge difference to my energy and mood.

Eating more (and trying to avoid disordered eating)

Weight gain is an extremely common side effect of PCOS (it tends to be linked to insulin resistance), and it’s hard to deal with – especially when GPs home in on weight loss as a management tool. 

Registered dietitian and PCOS specialist Jodie Relf tells Strong Women that the medical focus on weight loss is problematic for a few reasons: “Weight loss does not necessarily improve PCOS symptoms, and weight is not an issue for everyone with PCOS. For those who do struggle with their weight, losing weight can be incredibly challenging, which is why this advice is not helpful.” 

I struggled to come to terms with my weight gain and found myself mentally applying labels to everything that went in my mouth, categorising foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, cutting most carbs and leaving big gaps between meals, which sent my blood-sugar levels plummeting. Before long, I was trapped in a binge-restrict cycle and the more I tried to pivot away from carbs, the worse my gut health became. Something had to change.

Fast forward four years and I’ve managed to undo a lot of the negativity I had around food by focusing on what I can add rather than take away. As I’ve been doing more strength training, I’ve had to prioritise protein to help my muscles recover after sessions. I’ve retrained myself to see carbs as fuel rather than something to avoid. But it’s a fact that women with PCOS are more likely to suffer from eating disorders, and I’m aware that it’s all too easy to slip into that damaging mindset. 

Investing in treatments to deal with hair issues

Two major symptoms of my PCOS are hirsutism (hair growth on unwanted places such as my face and back) and thinning hair on my head. Around three-quarters of people with PCOS experience unwanted hair growth, and I’m fortunate enough to be able to afford treatments that help with both of my issues.  

I’ve been getting dermaplane facials to get rid of the ‘peach fuzz’ on my face and nanobonds (micro-ring hair extensions) give the appearance of naturally thicker locks so my thinning hair goes undetected. I’m aware this level of self-care doesn’t come under ‘essential’, but they are two privileges that make a huge difference to my self-esteem.  

Taking myo-inositol (and experiencing instant relief)

All of the things above have made a huge difference, but taking an inositol supplement might be the most effective intervention of all. Inositol is a simple sugar and can naturally be found in small amounts in some foods (such as fruits, beans, grains and nuts) and is now proving very effective in the management of PCOS symptoms. One study looking into the use of myo-inositol as a treatment for ovulation induction found that 88% of the patients regained at least one spontaneous menstrual cycle and 72% maintained normal ovulation during the follow-up period.

“More and more research is being done on the impact of inositol and the results are very promising,” says Relf. “We can see that regular supplementation with myo-inositol improves insulin sensitivity, restores regular ovulation and regulates the menstrual cycle as well as reducing elevated testosterone levels. You can quickly see why this would be of interest to those with PCOS.”

After taking an inositol supplement for just two months, my period came back.

I can’t change the fact that I have PCOS (there’s currently no cure), but I can choose to keep going with these lifestyle tweaks. They’ve helped me physically and mentally with a condition that can, at times, feel out of control. Talking about my PCOS has really helped too, connecting with women going through a similar experience. Small changes go a long way when it comes to hormonal health and while I certainly don’t have all the answers, I feel like I’m moving in the right direction to ensure that PCOS won’t rule my life anymore.  

Images: Daniella Gray