PCOS: What it is and what you need to know

According to the HHS Office on Women's Health, Between 1 in 10 and 1 in 20 women of childbearing age has PCOS: Polycystic ovary syndrome.

Women's Health magazine recently featured a story about a 25 year-old woman and her expierence getting misdiagnosed before learning she had PCOS. Here's an excerpt from the article on misdiagnosed patients.

So, a woman walks into a doctor's office. She's 25, and her cramps are out of control; her period is irregular at best. What's more, she's packed on 50 pounds in 18 months. Her general practitioner suspects and tests her thyroid. Normal. She's shuffled to a gynecologist, who orders a raft of blood work. Normal again. She's prescribed Advil for the pain and birth-control pills to regulate her cycle. Back home, she takes to the Web, searching for answers. And at a followup visit with her gyno, she timidly offers a diagnosis of her own: polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal disorder that plagues some 5 million young women. "Doubtful," says her doc. "You don't fit the profile." Though the classic PCOS patient is overweight, sufferers also have unnaturally high testosterone levels, something that's missing here. Besides, before her recent weight gain, she'd been slim and healthy, so she's likely just going through a normal postadolescent metabolic slowdown, says her M.D. She'll bounce back soon enough. Except that she doesn't—and two years later, after constant pain and countless more appointments, procedures, and tests, Alexa Stevenson of St. Paul, Minnesota, is finally correctly diagnosed by a reproductive endocrinologist with PCOS, the most common cause of infertility.

Crazy, right? So how do you know if you have it? Here are the symptoms for PCOS, courtesy of the Office on Women's Health:

• Infertility (not able to get pregnant) because of not ovulating. In fact, PCOS is the most common cause of female infertility.
• Infrequent, absent, and/or irregular menstrual periods
• Hirsutism (HER-suh-tiz-um) — increased hair growth on the face, chest, stomach, back, thumbs, or toes
• Cysts on the ovaries
• Acne, oily skin, or dandruff
• Weight gain or obesity, usually with extra weight around the waist
• Male-pattern baldness or thinning hair
• Patches of skin on the neck, arms, breasts, or thighs that are thick and dark brown or black
• Skin tags — excess flaps of skin in the armpits or neck area
• Pelvic pain
• Anxiety or depression
• Sleep apnea — when breathing stops for short periods of time while asleep

If you think you have a lot of the symptoms above but don't want to go thru the same expierence Alexa had to deal with, here are a few tips to help you prepare for your doctor visit:

• Do your homework. Alexa searched for informatoin on the web. This is a good idea if you search within credible health websites. Try WebMD and womenshealth.gov to get you started.
• Make a list of all the symptoms you have and the severity in which you have them.
• Look into your family history. Has anyone else in your family been diagnosed with PCOS? Any history of diabetes or infertility could also serve as a red flag.
• Find a doctor who has expierence with PCOS. Those who do, have more expierence diangosing the symptoms correctly.
• Go to your doctor visit with lots of questions. Writing them down will garuntee that you don't forget anything when you get there.
• Be prepared to take a lot of tests if your doctor thinks you could have PCOS. WebMD has a great list of tests that you  may undergo during your visit.

Bottom line: Knowledge is power. In honor of PCOS Awareness Month (September), I feel it's important that us 20something ladies are proactive about our health. PCOS isn't a condition that's discussed every day, but it's something that could impact your health and your future. Pay attention to your body and don't be hestitate to speak up if you think something is wrong.

5 HealthyFab Ways to Get Ready for Summer 2012!

Yes, I said 2012--it's time to plan for next summer! As the fall season approaches, many of us like to hide behind bulky sweaters and hibernate by staying in front of the TV and away from the gym. And then before we know it, it's swimsuit season and we are in panic mode--sometimes going to extreme and unhealthy measures to fit into that oh-so-cute bikini.

Stop the madness! When it comes to getting a healthy, fit, and sexy bod, slow and steady wins the race. Start following these 5 tips and within a year you'll be rockin' that yellow polka dot bikini.

1. Get religous about your fitness.  Become devoted and dedicated to a workout that works for you. BodyPump (had to do a shoutout, sorry!), jogging, tennis--whatever makes you move and bust a sweat. Try a few of these 20something workout moves created by Women's Health magazine if you need guidance/advice.
2. Fruit, veggies, and grains--oh my! You need to dream about fruit, veggies, and grains. You need to crave fruit, veggies, and grains. And most importantly, you need to eat your fruit, veggies, and grains. And according to ChooseMyPlate.gov, you need to make half of your plate fruit and veggies. So hit the grocery store to stock up asap! Feed your body the nutrients it needs to sustain your workouts and give you the energy you need to conquer the day.
3. Show your skin some daily TLC. Not only should you wash your face at least twice a day and wear sunscreen daily, you should also make a regular visit with your dermatologist. Be sure to visit a dermatologist at least once a year. Check out these great tips from Oprah.com for more ways to keep your skin in peak condition.
4. Don't let the bed bugs bite.  It goes without saying, sleep is fuel for our brains. With everything a 20something has going on (work, happy hours, gym, parties, shopping, etc.), you need your energy and memory to function. The less sleep you get, the more likely your going to crave sugars and carbs. And the more sugar and carbs you eat, the more likely you'll gain weight.
5. Oooommm, Namaste. Seriously, we are too young and too fabulous to be too stressed. Always make sure you take a minute to breathe, laugh with a friend or watch a funny video, and step away from the computer screen. When you start to freak out, really look at what you can eliminate in your life. The less stressed you are, the less likely you'll want to pig-out on on a whole pizza or drink 5 glasses of wine in one night. Eventually the stress will make it's permanent residence on your hips and belly, and that's never in season (fall or summer!)

Bottom line: What you do now will make a huge difference next summer and 20 years down the road. Avoid drastic measures like plastic surgery or extreme dieting to get the healthy body you want and deserve.

Eliminate the Self-absorbed Sidekicks and Emotional Vampires

A recent study found that 8 in 10 people deal with "self-absorbed sidekicks and emotional vampires" aka toxic friends. It's usually in our 20somethings when we start to reassess our friendships. We start to realize that having those toxic friends can have a huge impact on our health--the stress in itself can lead to unhealthy behaviors.

Not sure if you have a toxic friend? If you answer 'yes' to any of the questions below, it's time to consider just how much you want that friend around:

• Does your friend constantly talk about herself/himself without even taking 5 seconds to think about you or anyone else?
• Does your friend constantly complain about every single little thing?
• Does your friend criticize everything you do? Even when you're not asking for their advice?
• Does your friend throw little insults your way?
• Does your friend try to boss you around? And do they throw a 'temper tantrum' if you don't take their "advice"?
• Does it seem like your friend is never around or available to actually be a friend unless they need a favor?

If so, they gotta go! It's not easy getting rid of a toxic friend. At some point, you had a positive experience with them, so they weren't always toxic--but as many of us continue on the 20something path, we tend to change. Some because more "me, me, me" while others start to appreciate the amazing people they have in their life. If you want to have lifelong friendships, you have to keep the right ones around, starting now! Below are a few tips to do it with class:

• Put your time and energy on things that make you happy, i.e. friends, hobbies, family, etc.
• Don't feel pressured to return the phone calls and texts. By minimizing the communication, the friend should start to get the hint.
• Be blunt: Tell them in a letter how they feel, but by doing this, you should be fair and see if they are willing to stop being so toxic. If they are a real friend, they'll listen to what you say. If not, they'll be happy to move along.
• Set boundaries! Perhaps only spend time around that person in a group setting, or keep the conversation within the real of Facebook.

Bottom line:  Some of you may not agree with the advice above, so figure out what works best for you. Just remember, life is short, time is precious, and friendships should be special. No one should literally drain the energy and positivity out of you. I can tell you from personal expierence that it's not easy, but it's totally worth it in the end. When you get rid of a toxic friend, you feel a huge weight lifted off your shoulders, a weight you didn't even realize you've been carrying around. It's pretty fabulous!