Heal PCOS Helps a Doctor Manage her PCOS in COVID-19 Crisis

Living with PCOS can be challenging. The far-reaching health implications interfere with your day-to-day routine. It can be traumatic – both physically and emotionally.

So what’s the solution to this?

Education and awareness are the first healing steps towards PCOS. Although you cannot cure PCOS, you can manage it through – ‘a lifestyle change’.

While Doctors insist on the importance of adopting this, most women lack the time and motivation to follow through – as in this case below. In such a scenario, a personalised wellness program aimed towards making a healthy living can do the trick!

Patient’s Profile

A 28-year-old patient with PCOS, a Doctor by profession was struggling with infertility, difficulty in losing weight, hair fall, irregular periods and hirsutism. She was diagnosed with PCOS during her adolescence at the age of 15 years.

Currently, she was on multiple drugs to treat infertility and hormonal imbalance. She had a hectic work schedule and was posted on COVID-19 duty at the airport.

She was also diagnosed with anaemia 2 years ago. Her past blood report revealed very low blood haemoglobin levels of 7gm/dl. She had been on iron supplements since then.

The patient enrolled in HEAL PCOS, the personalised wellness program of Fitterfly, under the expert guidance of a certified Health Coach. At the time of enrollment, the patient weighed 85 kgs, and her BMI was 32.17 kg/m².

Problem areas identified and the solution:

1. Low on energy – Skipping Meals

Based on the findings from the nutritional analysis report, the patient was taking fewer calories (1240 kcal) than the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of 1530 kcal.

This low-calorie intake was because she often skipped her meals during the day. As a result, she felt tired and exhausted all the time. Her coach explained to her the importance of meals timings and not skipping meals.

Suggestions for lunch at the workplace with available options were made, which included the inclusion of more proteins and fibre in the form of egg white and salad.

2. Diet low in Fiber

Her daily fibre intake was 9gm which was very less compared to her daily RDA of 24gm. Her coach gave her tips to improve fibre intake by incorporating salads with the available fruits and vegetables and adding a variety of seeds in the diet Click here to read about the top 10 tips for a healthy PCOS diet.

3. Deficiency in blood-forming micronutrient – Iron

Her daily iron intake was 5 mg which was remarkably less than RDA of 21mg- resulting in anaemia. Even though the patient was taking iron supplements, her coach increased dietary iron intake to improve haemoglobin levels and ease symptoms of anaemia. Practical tips were given to enhance iron absorption from food. These included:

Drizzle lime juice on green leafy vegetables and non-vegetarian food.

Cook green leafy vegetables in the iron pan for more iron content.

Include at least 1 Vitamin C rich fruit [orange, sweet lime, amla, guava in fruit bowl] or as a whole fruit daily.

Include garden cress seeds.

4. Hormonal Imbalance

The patient had an irregular menstrual cycle due to hormonal imbalance with either scanty or excessive menstrual bleeding. To control her excessive menstrual bleeding, she often took medications.

Her coach handled this naturally – through diet by increasing cyclic consumption of mixed seeds like flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.

5. Physical inactivity

The patient was less inclined towards any form of physical activity as she had a busy work schedule.Since the patient’s workplace was just a 5 minutes drive, her coach advised her to walk to her workplace instead and encouraged her to do kapalbhati for proper digestion.

6. Emotional Instability

Due to poor physical appearance because of obesity, hair loss and hirsutism- the patient had low self-esteem and felt low emotionally.Her coach shared positive reaffirmations with her and advised her to practise pranayama (yoga) every morning and spend five minutes taking deep breaths before sleeping.

Outcomes

Immediate results within one month:

• Acheived weight loss of 4 kg (from 85kg to 81kg) – in a natural way without skipping meals or heavy dieting.
• For the first time since her PCOS diagnosis, excessive menstrual bleeding stopped without the use of medications.
• Increase in energy levels.
• Reduction in palpitations and lethargy.
• Clothes started fitting well, suggestive of inch loss.
• She got a lot more confident about her body image and got many compliments from her colleagues and staff.

Plan for the next two months

1. Stress management
   • Maintain a mood journal to track the patient’s mood.
   • Audio meditation guide to practice guided meditation every night for better sleep.
2. Prevent hair loss by eating zinc-rich and protein-rich food. Include garden cress seeds in the diet to prevent hair fall.
3. Sustain fat loss and track inch loss through portion control and a balanced diet.

The above case highlights that lifestyle changes can redress the hormonal imbalances and restore better health of women with PCOS. Click here to read more about the 6 key lifestyle changes in PCOS management.

Seek the care which you need and deserve! Click here to read more about HEAL PCOS Click here to watch the video – How Will Heal PCOS Help Me?

PCOS is one of the conditions that makes it difficult to lose weight and achieve your health goals. Simple strategies that work for most people are not enough when it comes to those diagnosed with PCOS.

To help women with PCOS lose weight, for the first time in India. We have the Reset23 program. A unique, safe, scientific, and sustainable program designed by doctors.

With a comprehensive approach that includes diet, fitness, sleep & stress management. We can help you achieve your health goals and learn how to maintain it. Start your journey today! By enrolling into our Reset23 program or call us on 022 4897 1077 (ext 1)