PCOS and Depression

When I first learned that I had PCOS I took a look at what was going on in my life. I was depressed and had terrible mood swings. I would be happy go lucky and then ready to bite some ones head off. I could not figure out what was going on. I had never been that way before and I wasn't sure how to get it under control.


    Does depression link in with PCOS. I believe it does, and have found information from other studies that have come to the same conclusion. So the questions then becomes are they related because of the hormonal imbalance or is it just a part of having PCOS? Do I have to live with it the rest of my life? Should I get on medication? Is there another way to control it?

  To answer that first question is depression related because of the hormonal imbalance or is it just a part of having PCOS:
 
           I am going to throw out a definition of what depression is: "Depression is a chemical imbalance of neuron receptors in the brain." ( PCOS and Depression Feb 9, 2010 Melissa Hesson)
   I read this and the first thing that popped into my head was " wow not only are my female organs messed up, but now they are telling me that my mind is screwed up too. This day can't get any worse." So I did more research on it and kept asking questions. The conclusion that I finally came to, and please remember these are my thoughts and not those of a doctor, is that my hormones are way out of order with the PCOS, I have ups and downs with my emotions on a normal basis. So if my hormones and emotions are all over the place because of the PCOS who's to say that the depression I suffer from isnt happening because of the ups and downs in my hormones. Its going to affect the way my brain works and is going to cause different things to happen. So is Depression related to PCOS, in my mind and my opinions yes it is.

   The second question on the list Do I have to live with it the rest of my life?
        
          I asked myself this question many times, it was always " I dont want to live like this, I dont want to be this person, but how do I change it?
    The answer to this one is not a simple yes or no answer. There are a lot of things that are going to play into this. Do you really want to change your life? Are you ready for the commitment its going to take to travel down this road. I thought I was ready to go, I was going to fight this thing and I was going to win no matter what. It worked for about two months and then life got tough again and I was back where I started from.

    For me it wasnt about the commitment, when I commit to something I stick to it, I finish what I start. It may take me a few times to leave it and then come back to it, but I always finish what I start. I found that while I was fighting the depression and trying to figure out how to live my life around PCOS and the things I needed to do to become healthy and happy again, my family did not understand what was wrong with me. They all thought that I was over exaggerating my symptoms and that I just wanted attention. That made me even more depressed, and of course it started the thought process of "well maybe I am over exaggerating how I am feeling, if I cowgirl up like my dad always tells me too, maybe I can fight this thing once and for all." I spent years telling myself that, trying to convince my body that I didn't have it as bad as the doctors kept telling me I did. It was all in my head. During that time I was reaching out and helping everybody that I could with whatever they needed. It was my way of trying to reach out for help myself and keep my mind off of what was going on with my body. I became second on my list of who I take care of and everyone else became first. In that time frame which was about three years I gained over 150 lbs, and I finally stopped caring what I looked like, how I felt, and stopped hanging out with friends and family. I went to work came home, cleaned my house, cooked dinner and hid out in my room away from everyone. Not a good way to live your life, I lost who I was and who I wanted to be.

   So back to the question is it something that I will have to live with for the rest of my life? For me the answer now is NO, I don't have to live that way and neither do you. I have found for me the support of close friends, family who now truly understand what I am going through only because I took the time out and showed them the information about PCOS and about Depression, my Doctors and the support I have from other women out there who are also suffering through it, I can finally start living again. Its not easy but with the help of everyone, taking the PCOS system, eating right and doing a low impact work out I am feeling better and the symptoms are slowly starting to go away. Its going to take time and dedication, but I am now living for me and not anybody else.

   The questions regarding medication and are there other ways to treat it:

        This question I cant answer for you, for some women depression medication may be the only thing that truly helps, for others treating the PCOS first can and sometimes will take care of the depression issues, and then support groups and friends and family may help other women.
      The answer to this question for me was one I fought with for a while. I was on an anti depressant and hated the way it made me feel, I was tired all the time and my head felt like it was clouded and I couldn't think straight. I wanted something different, I wanted something that would help the symptoms of both the PCOS and the depression that made me feel alive and not like a walking zombie. So I did a lot of research, I tried a lot of different things, from meditation to therapy. What I found worked for me was the PCOS system that allowed all my health issues to be addressed at one time. I take the pills everyday and feel like I am living again, I feel full of life and ready to go each day. Then I started reaching out to other women who were going through the same thing and realized that helping them and them helping me was also a big part of feeling better. Being able to find my voice and tell the world about what I am going through and being able to pass that on to other people was a huge thing for me.

    So in my opinion sometimes medications from your doctor are going to help and make things better, sometimes all natural remedies are going to work for you. The only way to find out is to talk to your doctor, really sit down and look inside yourself and decide what you want and how you want to do it, then move forward with your decision and stick to it. There is help out there no matter what way you decide to go about it.

  I will be here for you through every step of it, any questions, comments or concerns about it please feel free to speak up.

Thank you
Tabitha