As if being born dark and chubby, in a fair and beauty obsessed society was not enough, I was welcomed by PCOD at the age of 13. Since childhood, I was made to believe that unless I work hard to be smart, there is no chance for a dark complexioned girl like me to find happiness! And my so called beauty standards were further marred by PCOD symptoms right as I hit teenage.
PCOD comes in all shapes and sizes. They say 1 in 3 women gets it. Each woman suffers with a distinct set of symptoms. For some it causes overgrowth of facial hair while some lose a lot of scalp hair because of the hormonal imbalance. It may lead to uncontrolled weight gain, relentless acne and skin issues. More annoying and uncomfortable symptoms include irregular periods, heavy periods, no periods, prolonged periods to premature spotting.
My most agonising symptom was painful periods. They say a woman endures the most pain while delivering her baby! I couldn’t tell if my menstrual pain every month was any less than that. Moreover, in India, menstruation is still a taboo. Instead of empathising with someone in pain, we are asked to just endure. Forget about asking for a day off from your job! PCOD brought with it acne, skin blemishes and uneven skin darkening and depigmentation. Something more debilitating than painful periods was losing self-confidence and hating your own reflection because I did not make it to the societal standards of beauty. This led to a spiral of negative emotions that were to stay with me for a very long time.
After various consultations with the doctor and my own research, I figured out what worked for me. I came across a nutrition program that works by changing your psychology around nutrition and health. I learnt cow’s milk and sugar are the biggest enemies of anyone with PCOD and gave them up. I took to regular yoga and strength training because I learnt losing weight would cure my PCOD symptoms.
Fast forward today, my weight is under control and my skin has improved. I am an accomplished scientist, have a loving husband and a beautiful daughter. In my spare time, I read, enjoy classical music and run around with my little monkey. And I now know that “Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself”.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are of the writer’s. Since the symptoms of PCOD vary form one individual to other, WMHAI highly recommends that any changes in diet, medication or lifestyle be consulted with a healthcare professional first.
