Ria's PCOS Story
“‘When I was first diagnosed and started talking about this I was surprised to learn how many other women are affected by this. And how little we know about it, despite that. We still don’t even know what causes it! And even more surprising is how similar our experiences are. ”
Ria @rii_fitness_ , works for the NHS and is a part-time fitness coach focusing on clients with PCOS.
Ria, like so many other women, has had a bumpy ride with her menstrual cycle. She first got her period when she was 13 and unlike what was expected, her period didn’t show up as a trusted friend every month. For years it was irregular, sometimes going months without appearing. Eventually, her mum (yay, mums!) decided that it was time to talk to a medical professional. She and Ria showed up at the GP's office, and promptly, Ria was put on the contraceptive pill.
Ditching the pill
In the following years, Ria went on and off the pill and at age 24 she decided to ditch the pill completely: ‘I just wanted to have a healthier understanding of my body and to see what my periods were actually like without the pill’.
Her periods, when not on the pill, were as irregular as before going on it and she continuously struggled with such severe bloating and cramping that she ended up going to A&E. In addition she also struggled with excessive hair growth on her chin and weight that just wouldn’t shift no matter how many hours she spent at the gym. On top of that, she felt severely fatigued.
Ria knew something was off. She went to see her GP hoping they could help her get some clarity on the situation. ‘It’s work stress!’ was the answer she got at first. ‘Or maybe it’s something you’re eating?’. At first, she believed the GP. But later she realised that it probably wasn’t stress that was causing the symptoms. On the contrary, her symptoms were stressing her out and leaving her feeling very low and she started struggling with anxiety.
Normally a super social and outgoing young woman, she’d find herself bowing out of social commitments and left with a sense of slowly losing herself; ‘Because you can’t really see it [anxiety], and it’s hard to speak about, it can be very hard to understand it sometimes. And I didn’t feel comfortable telling people at the time, I’d just make up excuses and not go out. I really didn’t like it affecting me like that, because that’s not me! I am very much a social butterfly.’
To add insult to injury, Ria, and her then-partner had started trying for a family, without any luck. Ria felt that her body, with its irregular cycles and frequent trips to A&E was betraying her. At home, neither of them knowing what was really going on, Ria and her partner struggled to talk about their fertility struggles and started growing distant.
Getting a PCOS diagnosis
One day, Ria, then aged 26, confided in a colleague, who told her that she thought Ria’s symptoms sounded like PCOS - a condition Ria had never even heard of. Lightbulb moment. Maybe this was the answer?
Ria returned to the GP’s office for the third time in two years. ‘I think I have PCOS’ she told the GP. ‘I want you to do a scan’.
Ria’s scan confirmed her suspicion. Follicle upon follicle on her ovaries. And then came the question of what next?
Treatment focused on fertility
Ria felt that at the time when she was diagnosed, all the talk about treatment was focused on fertility. ‘You know, not all women want to have children. And I wondered: What about those women? Are you just supposed to walk around with all these symptoms, not getting any real help, just because you don’t want to be a parent? It made me feel a bit lost and confused and a bit forgotten about. I felt stuck. Wondering if this is how I am going to be feeling forever?’ Ria says, reflecting back.
Her partner at the time was just relieved that they’d be able to have children. But for Ria that wasn’t the end all be all. She wanted her old self back.
Taking back control
Nearly 5 years later and Ria is in a very different place.
‘When I was first diagnosed and started talking about this I was surprised to learn how many other women are affected by this. And how little we know about it, despite that. We still don’t even know what causes it! And even more surprising is how similar our experiences are. Honestly, if I could go back in time I would tell my younger self to not take the pill. I feel like I would have been diagnosed earlier. The pill hid my symptoms. And like so many other women with PCOS, who were put on the pill at an early age, once I came off it and was finally diagnosed, all I was told was to lose weight.’
By doing a lot of her own research, and a lot of trial and error, Ria now feels like she’s taken control back of her life - and body.
She’s discovered how changes to her diet, focusing on foods that help her control her insulin resistance and a shift to lower intensity workouts, have helped regulate her cycles and lessened her symptoms. But it didn’t happen overnight: ‘It took me a while. Losing weight only took about a year but leading up to that, being willing to face it and mentally being able to take it all in, and making a lot of mistakes along the way, it took me a long time to get there.’
And now she’s on a mission to help others get there. Through Rii-fitness she is working with women both in the UK and the US with PCOS to help them make the lifestyle changes that work for them - helping them regulate their cycles, feel less fatigued, feel more confident and gain a sense of control over their bodies. ‘One of the women I’ve worked with even told me that her breathing has gotten better.’
Ria is also seeing some positive changes outside of her client circle. ‘Society is starting to bring it to light more. There’s an awareness month and, especially, younger women are talking about it on social media.’
‘I am also lots more confident talking about this now. Having been in a relationship where we couldn’t talk about these things, now when I meet a man I educate them on this. Regardless of whether we are going to stay together, at least that man is a bit more knowledgeable about what might be going on for a future partner, or a relative.’
And Ria will keep on educating both men and women: ‘When I was first diagnosed I really wish someone would’ve told me, that; I wasn’t alone, and that I can have children. But you need to be willing to do the work. That would have helped me a lot.’
Ria’s top tips
Ria’s top tips for people suspecting they have PCOS:
Keep a symptom log
Ask (your GP) for specific tests
And ask (your GP) ALL of the questions
Share your PCOS story
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