I am the change

This is part four in a series chronicling Chloe’s struggles with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), as well as with infertility as she embarks on a project to get pregnant. Many women struggle with the disease and Chloé hopes that by sharing her story, she can encourage other women to explore their options.

“A weh yuh a get big a go missis,” is another of the constant refrains I’ve heard over the years as I steadily gain weight on my upper body. Maybe I wouldn’t feel so guilty if I had known all along that weight gain is one of the side effects of PCOS.

Research conducted in the United Kingdom has found that 50 to 60 per cent of women with PCOS are considered obese. Therefore, weight loss seems to be an important issue for women with this problem. Some women even find that their periods return to some semblance of normalcy after they start losing weight.

Now don’t get me wrong, not every woman with PCOS is overweight. There are slim PCOS sufferers, but these women are in the minority. One such woman is Kate Gosselin of John and Kate Plus Eight fame.

Kate was diagnosed with PCOS shortly after she married Jon Gosselin. She sought fertility treatment, was put on Clomid, and later gave birth to twin girls in 2000. After trying to get pregnant later on, the couple again pursued fertility treatment, was again prescribed Clomid, and later gave birth to sextuplets.

Kate Gosselin is not alone. Estimates are that there are over 14 million women in the United States with PCOS.

Quick-fix diets don’t work

From experience, I know that those quick-fix weight-loss plans do not work. They only cause disappointment, anger and frustration. The only way to win the battle of the PCOS bulge is to take whatever medication or combination of medications the doctor prescribes, coupled with a low-calorie diet and a conscientious exercise programme.

In the past, I have tried various weight-loss methods that end in disappointment. And at the end of whatever programme, I would regain the little weight that I had lost and gained even more to boot.

In 2007, I went the gym five days per week, sometimes six days, and worked out under the supervision of a trainer. I went on a radical diet of seaweeds, brown rice and various staples and natural supplements from the health food store. At the end of 12 months, I had only lost 17 pounds — barely one pound-per-month. That was frustrating. I must admit though, that I felt better, had more energy and slept better.

PCOS and weight gain

About 90 per cent of people with PCOS are insulin resistant. This is an impairment of the body’s normal biological response to the naturally occurring hormone insulin.

In this impaired process, the body’s cells have a decreased ability to react to insulin which prevents it from transporting glucose to the tissues of the body. Fatty tissue and cells in the various muscles need insulin to absorb glucose. When these events fail to happen, the level of sugar or blood glucose rises, causing a whole other series of health problems.

All of the food we eat — fats, proteins and carbohydrates — is broken down during digestion into proteins, micronutrients and glucose. The body uses the proteins and nutrients in cellular metabolism, immune function, and cell replacement. The body uses glucose as its basic fuel, which is carried by the bloodstream to individual cells.

Our demand for fuel varies from moment to moment, but the brain needs our blood sugar level to remain stable. So getting the cells the energy they need without changing that level is a critical function — and that’s the role that insulin plays. Insulin signals the cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. The body monitors what we’ve digested, blood sugar levels, and cell demands, and releases insulin in just the right amounts. That’s why a healthy body is described as ‘insulin sensitive’.

I am the change

In order to fight this monster, my gynaecologist Dr Simms-Stewart has encouraged me to change my diet and start exercising. I am to avoid processed foods, sugar cereals, high-sodium snacks and soda.

I have also been encouraged to go on a diet consisting of lean meats, high-fibre grains, vegetables and legumes, leafy greens and fruit, which are supposed to aid the body’s ability to balance insulin levels.

This is going to be hard, but I have resolved to start exercising. I spent 10 minutes on the stationary bike but the target is to do at least 30 minutes per day.

Have you been diagnosed with PCOS, tell me about your struggle at allwoman@jamaicaobserver.com.