What the heck does PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome) and Feminism, or lack thereof, have in common?

More than you, and birth control companies would like you to believe. 

Let's quickly review what PCOS is...Polycystic ovary syndrome is a condition in which a woman has an imbalance of a female sex hormones. This may lead to menstrual cycle changes, cysts in the ovaries, trouble getting pregnant, and other health changes. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common disorders of the endocrine system affecting women of reproductive age. The endocrine system regulates and secretes hormones throughout the body. Thus, PCOS is often associated with hormone irregularities.

Birth control is seen as "only for women", and everyday, millions of people pump unnatural hormones and chemicals into their bodies as a way of "family planning". Now, I think birth control was one of the most important things ever invented, but we have come to an age where there needs to be more broadly accepted methods of "birth control", and more healthy and 'natural' family planning. This starts with Feminism. 

Unintended consequences of the "hormonal birth control mindset" & lack of feminism, in women, men and society:
1. Woman are scared of getting pregnant because of societies demands and unfair cultural consequences that associate itself with pregnancy and giving birth such as:
             A. a loss of career,
             B. poor body image after pregnancy
             C. an image of being a whore (outside of marriage/wedlock)
             D. objectified and viewed that their worth is only to procreate
             E. viewed as a neglectful mother if they choose not be the sole caregiver
2. Woman need to be in control of their bodies, and should not be expected to be the ONLY sex responsible for family planning, and a lot of the time, raising a family on their own, or with a distant partner. 
3. Men and Women need to be seen, viewed and understood (by themselves and society) as EQUAL in all areas, especially as it relates to family planning, birth control and raising a family. A women does get final say on things that directly affect her body, but so few cases demonstrate that. (Abortion and Birth Control choices, affordable options)
4. Woman are constantly put into a place of being the sole caretaker, and usually fill the role as single mothers. 
5. Woman get sick and develop illnesses from birth control, and appear to be lazy or irresponsible if they do not take Hormonal Birth Control
6. Woman loose connections with themselves, their natural cycles and natural family planning with birth control
7. Unexpected pregnancies that lead to abortions stem from lack of family planning, education for women, and empowerment as well as safety and respect as seen in cases where it from sexual abuse- which stem from lack of mutual respect/feminism and objectification.
8. Creates a mindset of addressing the symptom, rather than the problem
9. Women play the support role in their careers and at home - which is also why you do not see women i high powered positions who would have the opportunity to help change policies and mindsets
10. Woman are viewed to be in competition with each other in order to please the man

I know I really focused on women, but there are unintended consequences for men as well:

1. Men feel shame of choosing to be a stay at home dad and are judged negatively 
2. Held to societies standards that they must be the sole money maker
3. That they can not show a feminine or nurturing side, or be vulnerable
4. Objectify women with their male counterparts - and learn to objectify from their fellow males
5. Self worth from men is viewed in by the power positions they have and the money they bring in
6. Men feel as though they can't be sensitive without feeling emasculated
7. Men sexualize women
8. Men feel as though women are a reward to be taken
9. Men in power positions have passed laws and created social norms that women are not in charge of their bodies and feel the need to regulate women's bodies
10. Young boys are not taught and raised the same as young girls. Such as pink vs. blue, bossy vs. brave...etc but on the flip side of that there is also feminine vs. masculine, which is shown more in a boy than a girl? What do those 2 words mean? Being called overly sensitive or gay. 

....& SO much more. To make an exhaustive list would take many days, and too many pixels on this computer screen. There are social, economic, monetary, environmental consequences...Now I understand these are symptoms of the true problem and generalizations, which I am making to prove the point of a prevailing condition - lack of mutual respect and dignity for men and women, or feminism. Stop thinking of feminism is a dirty word! It has become a dirty word in a similar way as "Islam" has. Feminism simply put - means equal rights for men and women. There is nothing inherently wrong with being feminine or masculine - so stop saying there is!

Now people don't really know the exact causes of PCOS - there are MANY and I do not want to point the aggressive finger just at Birth Control, but I think this is a discussion we need to have and a thing we need to consider. Things are done and produced everyday without the thought of unintended consequences and the affect it may have on its context - whether known or unknown. 

I just find it very disheartening, ignorant, unintelligent and short sided that doctors #1, and frankly usually only recommendation for PCOS, is the thing that just may have and most likely developed their condition in the first place - the elephant in the room - Hormonal Birth Control, pills. It is really frustrating and heartbreaking for me that the only supported option with my healthcare plan is for me to go see a regular doctor who will prescribe me the only foreseeable "cure" - band aide - hormonal broth control. In order for me to see another more natural practitioner, who will look and treat the problem, not symptom, costs $100-300 a session out of pocket and is not covered by insurance. That is why I am driven to start this research on my own, and start writing about this issue to learn more.

There are many reasons why a woman should not take hormonal birth control in the first place. That is not my focus, but if you are skeptical or want to learn more, please check out this great resource:

• http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/10/27/birth-control-part-two.aspx

The idea of a more Holistic approach to family planning and really making sure that when you do so you asses possible unintended consequences and test your decision against your gut feeling, research and experiences. What I am telling you now, literally, my gut feeling is screaming NO to birth control in the common sense as it is viewed today.  My research and experiences, are also on board with my gut. So what does this mean? Stop birth control. So I did, and my hormones are swinging around and lost - which is something I am confused about but intuitively understand. They have never been allowed to natural develop - every since puberty, they have been bombarded by chemicals  and unnatural hormones. My skin has actually cleared up (one of the reasons I wanted to keep on and stay on BC) when I stopped using BC and started to change my lifestyle.

Do we want chemical companies to be the ones that are controlling women's bodies? What about the government? When men and women start and continue to have healthy, well informed conversations with each other about family planning based on mutual respect, I bet we will see a decline in the use of over the counter birth control and unintended consequences - such as abortion, disease and depression.

We need to take charge of women's health and empower women to not just mindlessly consume chemicals and hormonal birth control pills under the guise of fear and ridicule for themselves to be seen as lazy, deliberately careless or perhaps even being irresponsible or negligent. We need woman to be empowered by their bodies and start to take control back and make well informed decisions. 

If you are using birth control to "treat" a unwanted symptom, such as acne, irregular bleeding...etc. I would definitely ask you to reconsider and ask yourself if you are really treating the symptom or the problem? If one were to take BC to treat a symptom, not the problem that the symptom stemmed from, this most certainly causes many unintended consequences. Doesn't seem like such a smart decision does it? Yes, it is harder, and (sometimes more costly) but usually MUCH LESS costly to try to go to the route of the problem rather than just address the symptom - both in unintended consequences, and monetary views... Now I must say, I was able to get a non hormonal copper IUD from Obama for free with my current healthcare. I am truly thankful for that because getting an IUD with all the exams can cost $500-1,000 easy. We need to make sure that many different types of birth control and education about family planning are accessible and affordable. One of the reasons why I support planned parenthood, although it is not the end-all-be-all. Where are the birth control options for men? There are ways to do natural family planning where neither the woman or man need to be "on" birth control. 

Humans notoriously do not treat problems, we "treat" and go after symptoms. This is a CRITICAL problem in our way of thinking and a (could be fatal) flaw. People like to think of the world as a simple place, or even if they understand it as being complex, try to describe and treat the complexities with simplicity. This does not work. To tackle root causes, to some, opens up a scary pandora's box. It may mean that you discover that you are addicted to an unhealthy food, drug or substance, it may mean you have toxic relationships with yourself and those close to you, it may mean you are in a toxic environment...etc. This sort of thinking can lead you on a path of discovery that can shatter your current world view and lifestyle. But I promise, it will be better both almost immediately and in the long run. It is a brave journey. Allowing people to freely and openly be themselves, challenge the current societal view and make fully empowered and healthy decisions for themselves is what feminism encourages. 

...to be continued and edited as I am still gathering thoughts....

I am trying to figure out 1. if I was diagnosed correctly with PCOS, and 2. If there is truly a connection, that I am sensing, between PCOS + Birth Control + Candida/Yeast.

From the time I first started puberty until about 10 months ago (oct. 2013) I was on the pill. Usually the cheap generic brand that was free from my insurance, and I switched and used many brands over the span of probably 6+ years.

I'm still on the prowl for a "cure" for us. I am starting to become absolutely convinced about the Yeast/PCOS connection. Just finished a parasite/yeast cleanse from the health food store - Paragone. There is also a special cleanse just for yeast called CandidaGone. I did the Parasite cleanse because I've done a lot of travelling & just wanted to rule parasites out.

Something else I've discovered that many of you already know about - KEFIR! If you eat a big tablespoon of it every day, it keeps the yeast infections away! (at least it does for me) It has to be PLAIN yogurt though, no fruit. Most people mix dried fruit and fresh fruit - that is a no no as well. I do put nuts in it, and I probably should avoid doing that as well. I am striving to eat it more plain everyday as I am getting used to the flavor. Make sure you eat grass-fed, organic Kefir. I eat this kind:

Another one I'm trying is Chaste Tree Berry Tincture. It apparently helps to regulate female hormones. Get it at the healthfood store as well.

After being diagnosed with PCOS a few months ago, at age 23 and going back on the Birth control pill (as per the doc), I have now come off the pill (2 month ago) and have decided that I'm going to cure myself.

This may sound crazy, but I've decided to heal myself. That's my goal. 

I did the Paragone cleanse 3 months ago, felt great and made the mistake of eating more carbs than usual after finishing it, and am now back on the "carb-craving path" which is not good. There is a particular type of bread at whole foods I seriously can't say no to - and pizza...So, I'm hoping that with controlling the carbs, going to the gym, taking the Chaste tree berry tincture, and getting off the BC pills that that will allow me to make a fresh start.

Anyway, I read an article about how Hormonal Birth Control can cause yeast infections.

I think I have Candida and a yeast overgrowth from birth control! I never would have discovered this connection if it had not been for taking Paragone! Because I was passing things that concerned me and when I had a google compare (a black hole, I know) I found out it is the symptoms of Candida! I am really hoping that I can get my yeast overgrowth under control, and then go back into the doctor, and hopefully not see as many, cysts on my ovaries. Although I have not had a period in a few months, so that is concerning to me still. More to be discovered and shared sisters!

I found this great article from Weston A. Price on PCOS and diet. Although I do not think I fully agree with this diet and lifestyle - and philosophy - they have some great tools and resources.

Abbey, my work friend, is an amazing resource and inspiration for me and is teaching me so much. This post is mostly stolen from her!! 

For starters, I am going to try the coffee enema. I am going to try some longer term cleanses, but in terms of short term cleanses (for diet) the whole 30 is really great and the 21-day sugar detox--both paleo based. 

Abbey also has a awesome autoimmune paleo pinterest board, you might find some helpful recipes there! 

Here's what I hope will be a useful summary of what Abbey and I about to start - autoimmune paleo protocol to heal my gut and my thyroid. 

1. Good Books: The best book is this one: http://www.amazon.com/The-Paleo-Approach-Reverse-Autoimmune/dp/1936608391/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402674896&sr=8-1&keywords=paleo+autoimmune+protocol It is the complete textbook on autoimmunity. I use it as a reference. It's not one to read cover to cover (unless you are into that!). It is great for lists to see what foods are ok and what are not, to troubleshoot symptoms, etc. She also explains why the diet works.

This lady is amazing, she makes (what seems) super restrictive into amazing meals: http://www.amazon.com/Autoimmune-Paleo-Cookbook-Allergen-Free-Approach/dp/0578135213/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1402674948&sr=1-1&keywords=mickey+trescott+autoimmune+paleo+cookbook

2. What I don't eat: This is the list of foods I removed from my diet completely. The thing about the protocol is you can't slip up other wise it could trigger an autoimmune response. The two biggest things to remove are gluten and dairy. 
a. grains
b. dairy
c. sugar (refined, I still eat some honey and pure maple syrup and fruit)
d. alcohol
e. all processed foods
f. most plant oils (canola, soy, corn, etc.)
g. nightshades: tomatoes, peppers (and any spices with peppers in them), eggplants
h. eggs (sad but true)
i. nuts and seeds (and any spices from nuts and seeds)

3. What I do eat: (and this is listed in the book and on the websites. I've been doing this since Feb. and it is amazingly satisfying and tasty, even without foods we grew up eating)
a. meat: beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish, organ meat (very important but hard to do. I'm learning to like liver)
b. tons of veggies
c. fruit
d. healthy fats: coconut oil (very important), avocado oil, olive oil, bacon grease, tallow (when you make the bone broth, you put it in the fridge to cool. The fat will float to the top and harden. I take this off and keep it in a bag in the freezer and use for frying things. I learned that you want to cook with coconut oil or animal fats only. Plant oils--except coconut-- are denatured by heat and can actually be bad for you when fried.)
f. bone broth: I always have a crockpot going with bone broth in it. This is the recipe I use: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/3615609338/slow-cooker-beef-bone-broth
g. I sent you my pinterest board for autoimmune recipes. Those are the best I've found.
h. fermented foods: sauerkraut, kombucha ( a fermented tea, I love this stuff) and any other fermented food is supposed to be amazing for gut health 
i. the spices I use on pretty much everything: sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, garlic salt, onion salt, tumeric (I love this, but maybe that's just me!)

4. Adjusting: once you get used to planning meals, cooking at home and eating this way it isn't hard, but there is an adjustment period for sure. It will be worth it to push through the adjustment phase (your body will be going through some pretty major detoxing and coming off its addiction to gluten. Crazy that it has the same effect on your brain as a drug like cocaine, no?) Another adjustment is breakfast. We grew up eating sweets for breakfast, but with the AIP diet, breakfast is just your first meal. I make a lot of salads and skillets: meat, veggies, healthy fat and spices. Some fruit on the side sometimes. But the awesome thing is I never feel hungry or burnt out and the mental clarity is amazing. Eating out and at parties (as you saw) is really hard on AIP. Planning ahead is key. I usually pack my own food or order really simple things at a restaurant like meat and steamed veggies with olive oil or something. We plan our meals out each week. Usually one or two nights we make big meals--like a crock pot meat or something and then we have leftovers for breakfast and lunch. When we cook we usually cook for that meal plus leftovers. I get my meat from my parents, it is mainly grassfed but finished on grain. I'm sure you have access to wholesale beef up there. Grassfed is best but if you don't like the taste a little grain finished won't hurt. The cooking really isn't that hard--its not like making candy or a three-layer cake or something. It just takes planning.

Once you get your autoimmune response in remission (some people can achieve a complete remission) you can start adding foods back in and monitoring your response. This is covered in the first book. Of course, we have that gene so we can always have an autoimmune flare up again if we don't manage things properly. But it should be easy to determine what is causing the flare up after you go through this protocol.

5. Supplements: I take supplements from a company called Thorne based in Idaho. They seem up to speed on the latest research and have quality products. http://www.thorne.com/products/shop_products.jsp  I take a probiotic, a multivitamin (with natural forms of folate, not folic acid), Vit A,D,K supplement (these levels for me were low because of my thyroid), T3 (natural thyroid hormone) supplement, Cod liver oil supplement, MCT oil, glutathione, and elderberry syrup (we make it ourselves, it helps boost immunity): http://www.edibleharmony.com/homemade-elderberry-syrup/ 

I also put this in my smoothies: http://www.amazon.com/Great-Lakes-Unflavored-Gelatin-16-Ounce/dp/B0008D6WBA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1402676663&sr=8-2&keywords=great+lakes 
Like organ meat, we should be eating more of it.

I work with a naturopath to help me with blood tests (to see how my thyroid is healing) and supplements. I highly recommend working with one in your area (you should have some good ones in the area!). In Feb. I started this diet (although I had been eating paleo since 2012) and in April when I had by thyroid antibodies tested again they had gone down by half. It was the only thing that really made progress. Its tough, but it works. 

Supplements can be overwhelming though, I think the diet itself is the most important part. A good probiotic and multivitamin should be all you need. Again, I recommend Thorne.

6. Stuff you need: lots of tupperware for packing your food! :)  Glass is best but plastic is fine as long as it doesn't get heated in the microwave. A good crockpot:http://www.amazon.com/SPT-SC-5355-Zisha-Slow-Cooker/dp/B0036704M8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1402676565&sr=8-2&keywords=clay+crock+pot I use this one because it is lead free, an extra freezer for storing all your meat (if you don't have one already).

7. Great websites:
http://aiplifestyle.com/
http://autoimmune-paleo.com/
http://www.thepaleomom.com/ 
There are also a lot of amazing recipes on pinterest.


One more thing: I use this a lot: http://www.amazon.com/Coconut-Secret-Raw-Organic-Aminos/dp/B00A618AN2/ref=sr_1_8?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1402694886&sr=1-8&keywords=coconut+aminos

I know it seems crazy expensive, but it lasts a long time. I use it on salads. I also eat a lot of ginger dishes and cinnamon too--like in a smoothie. I buy canned coconut milk and make that into an ice cream with berries and honey for a dessert. http://www.amazon.com/Native-Forest-Organic-Classic-13-5-Ounce/dp/B001HTJ2BQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1402694960&sr=1-1&keywords=native+forest+coconut+milk  This is the best brand. I also drink herbal tea (red raspberry leaf) with honey or coconut milk with honey and cinnamon and tumeric, which tastes kind of like a chai. 

I just started the ebook PCOS Unlocked. It was given to me by Abbey Smith, the California Savory Hub Leader I met while at Dr. Natasha Cambell-McBride's talk in London. 

What is PCOS?

PCOS stands for Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. This means that a woman’s ovaries have multiple small cysts on them. In order for a PCOS diagnosis to be made, three things are almost always present:

• Cystic ovaries, detected via ultrasound
• Irregular or absent periods
• Elevated male sex hormone (androgen) levels, from blood tests

The first two of these indicators are almost always caused by the third. Elevated male sex hormones are significant for PCOS diagnosis because an imbalance between male and female sex hormones is almost always what causes cysts to form in the first place. The menstrual cycle is entirely dependent upon the complicated pituitary gland –reproductive organ web. When hormone levels become imbalanced, a whole cascade of negative effects can occur.



I am already so psyched and relate to this book so much. Read it and download it for free below: