110: What you can actually do to help your PCOS when your doctors tell you it’s all in your head and to ‘stress less’ (argh!)

The PCOS Nutritionist Podcast

While it doesn’t ring true for every single doctor and specialist on the planet, I know there’s a fair share who have told patients that the symptoms they’re experiencing are ‘psychosomatic’ or as it’s more commonly known — all in your head.

I’ve been there myself and so have so many of my patients — and even some of my staff! I think it’s just so damaging for so many of us to be told that. We turn to doctors for help and to be told all we can do is ‘stress less’ — which we’re doing anyway, although it’s pretty tough when we have all of these uncontrollable awful symptoms — being told this is a massive slap in the face.

That’s why I think it’s so important to discuss this topic, so you don’t feel alone in these feelings. That’s why in today’s podcast, we’re speaking to the lovely Isabel, who I worked with in The PCOS Protocol, which she found out about via my book. After coming off the Pill in September 2020, she felt like a crazy different person — and not in a good way.

On top of that, she was also really struggling with gaining weight (which didn't make sense based on her lifestyle), irregular cycles, hirsutism, crazy hangry attacks, uncontrollable insatiable hunger and really just not feeling in control of her body or what was happening to her.

Unfortunately like many of us, she was told by medical specialists that it was all in her head and it must be stress related and for a while thought that it was just the way she was, that there was nothing that could be done. If you’ve listened to my podcast for a while, you’ll know this is absolute BS!

I’ve brought her on to share her story because I know so many of you will identify with this, identify with coming off the pill and just having crazy symptoms or being dismissed by your doctor. I want you to know that you thinking “no, you know what? It's not all in my head, this is actually really happening" is completely rational and there is so much you can do about all of these symptoms you’re struggling with.

This episode is for you if:

• You’ve been dealing with irregular cycles
• It feels like you’re constantly binging and restricting and you don’t know how to stop
• You’ve been dealing with weight gain
• The hangry attacks you get are insatiable and uncontrollable when they hit
• You’ve been dealing with hair loss and/or hirsutism
• It feels like you’re always thinking about food
• You have insulin resistance (or think you might do)
• You think your hormones are out of whack
• You’ve experienced miscarriages
• Your doctor has dismissed your symptoms or told you it’s all ‘in your head’
• You’ve experienced or are experiencing gut issues

Some things we cover in this episode:

• Dealing with insulin resistance and out of control stress hormones
• Coming off the Pill / hormonal birth control
• Overexercising and undereating — why it’s not working and what it’s doing to your body
• Being dismissed by doctors
• Managing crazy hangry attacks (like 2 large dominos pizzas and a 2 boxes of cookies binges)
• Dealing with hair loss and hirsutism
• Getting back ovulating after consistently missing, irregular cycles
• Cycles, pregnancy and miscarriages
• IBS, SIBO and PCOS

Resources and References:

• My Book: Getting Pregnant with PCOS

Links to our programs:

• The PCOS Protocol
• Eggducated