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Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Zone…
Beware, the subject matter found within this web page is designed to enlighten and encourage women with this dreaded condition. If you enjoy being miserable and feeling like you’re the only person in the universe who must endure PCOS, then you have come to the wrong place!
Hello and Welcome to my web site! My name is Dawn and I am a 34 year-old woman who lives with a condition called PCOS.
My original intent for publishing this web site was to help educate and comfort the average PCOS-inflicted woman who happened to find her way into my domain. In retrospect, it was a rather cathartic endeavor that greatly helped to lift my own spirits as well. Please feel free to explore my little chunkof the universe and e-mail me with any comments you might have.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD), and Stein-Leventhal Syndrome are all names for the same condition, which I will simply refer to as PCOS throughout my site.
PCOS is an endocrine condition that afflicts roughly 6-10% of all pre-menopausal women.
The most common symptoms include irregular menstrual cycles, male-pattern baldness, obesity or unexplained weight gain, excessive facial hair and/or body hair, insulin resistance and infertility.
Women with PCOS have an increased risk of early-onset heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, reproductive cancers, and a higher incidence of miscarriage and infertility.
Please note that not all women with PCOS share the same symptoms and that lacking any of the aforementioned symptoms does not necessarily preclude a diagnosis of PCOS.
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I believe strongly in the human body's ability to protect and heal itself from disease when provided with the proper nutrients. Most PCOS-inflicted women, myself included at one time, lack these nutrients. In fact, our diets consist primarily of simple carbohydrate-based food products, which make us overweight, lethargic, and prone to mood swings.
In my opinion drugs are not the only alternative to our health problems. In fact, I believe that in some instances they may actually exacerbate the problems associated with PCOS. Therefore, if you are being treated with clomiphenecitrate or any other ovulation-stimulating drug, I strongly urge you to closely examine what you are putting into your body and question if it is worth the risks involved. Enough said on that topic.
Although the root cause of PCOS is not known, several avenues of therapy beyond pharmaceuticals are available. There are a wide variety of nutritional supplements available for consumption from which many women have achieved varying degrees of success. I have heard from several women who have experienced positive results using acupuncture and other non-traditional forms of treatment. Please keep in mind, however, that each person is unique and the results from various forms of therapy will vary from one individual to the next.
Self-education is a must when deciding which treatment alternatives are right for you. The best way to educate yourself, not only about PCOS but the various treatment alternatives available for women's health needs, is to read as much as possible. I have exhaustively read book upon book trying to make sense of what was going on with my body. I've included links on my web site to the books I have found to be most beneficial in my quest to find some answers and to amazon.com, an online bookstore I've ordered most of my books from over the past several years. I hope these book suggestions will be of benefit to you as well as you try to make sense of your own personal "strain" of PCOS. (Sorry, I'm a microbiologist...the language sometimes carries over into other aspects of my life!) ;-) The search box below may be utilized to search for PCOS or natural healing books I have not listed on my site.
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The original inspiration for putting together this web site was to show you how I used some natural products to offset the ill effects of PCOS from which I suffered. Now, 5 years later, I have come to the realization that the products I took had an indirect affect on my PCOS symptoms in that they assisted me with weight loss at that time. I have long since eliminated those products from my diet (primarily due to their prohibitive costs), but the one common denominator I have noticed throughout the years between feeling well and feeling ill is very simple - weight loss/proper diet! I made a radical life-change 14 months ago and cut out all sweets from my diet - NO EXCEPTIONS (EVER)!! Gone are the days of chocolate, ice cream, cake, cookies, pie, etc. This was done in an attempt to avoid becoming diabetic. But, much to my delight I lost roughly 50 pounds and went from a size 16 to a size 4 in the span of about 6 months (see photos). The love of my life, Paul, began dating me when I was between a size 12 and 14. The shock has still not worn off, and he can hardly believe he is living with a woman of my minute stature (I can hardly believe it either!). More important than how I look is how I feel (I realize the two are intimately intertwined). I feel fantastic and don't ever want to touch another piece of chocolate again in this lifetime. When I have more time to update my web site, I will go into the details of my journey on the "Read My Story" link below.
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I was diagnosed with PCOS in October 1995, when I failed to become pregnant after 18 months of trying to conceive. Now, eight years later, I have long since come to terms with my health and fertility (or lack thereof). Because my diet has been purged of most processed sugars I have taken back control of my body, overall health and most importantly my sanity! I see things more clearly, have more energy, and have experienced a trend of normal(ish) cycles. (By “normal” cycles, I am referring to an average of one cycle every 5-6 weeks. Please note that I have not verified ovulation and I don’t intend to mislead anyone by claiming I am now a “fertile” woman… this is no longer my goal!
Although PCOS is a physical condition, there are many emotional side effects that all too often are not taken into consideration by physicians, family and friends. It is my hope that by sharing my story I will be able to help at least one person feel more "normal", in control of their lives and destiny, and have an overall brighter outlook on life. PCOS is not a terminal illness, nor a sentence for life imprisonment. Don't view it as such and you will be a much happier individual!! (I know this from experience!)
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Find out how to join the PCOS Natural Mailing List!!
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Findout how to join the PCO Mailing List & Read the Archives
Links to other PCOS personal home pages
Make sure to include your CORRECT e-mail address when sending me mail and please include the letters "PCOS" in the subject so that your message won't land in my Spam Catcher folder, never to be viwed by me. I cannot respond to a small percentage of all e-mail I receive due to incorrect return addresses or for fear of opening questionable correspondence. Thanks!
This site was lastupdated on December 21, 2000.
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