PCOS Isn’t Just Hormones. It’s a Signal Your Body Is Asking You to Listen

Welcome back to Glow Social Hour. There is something about the start of a new year that invites reflection. Fresh energy, fresh intentions and often a deeper awareness of what our bodies have been trying to tell us all along.

This episode is one I have been wanting to share for a long time because it hits close to home. We are talking about PCOS, what it really is, why so many women go undiagnosed and how healing begins when we stop managing symptoms and start asking better questions.

My own experience with PCOS symptoms

Before I ever stepped into the health and wellness space, I was dealing with painful, irregular periods as a teenager. I had recurrent ovarian cysts, the kind that rupture and stop you in your tracks. I was in and out of doctors’ offices, prescribed high dose pain medication and told to manage it without ever being offered an explanation.

No one mentioned PCOS. No one asked why this was happening.

At one point, I even underwent an experimental procedure involving cortisol injections directly into my ovaries. I was awake. I was told the pain would be intense. And while it helped temporarily, it did not give me answers. The pain returned. The irregular cycles continued. I was right back where I started, except now I knew something deeper was going on.

That experience shaped how I see women’s health today. We are so often taught to tolerate discomfort instead of investigate it.

What PCOS actually is and why it is misunderstood

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome affects millions of women, yet up to 70 percent remain undiagnosed worldwide. It is one of the leading causes of fertility struggles and is associated with long term physical and emotional challenges.

Medically, PCOS is defined by things like missing menstrual cycles for three months or more, excess hair growth, ovarian enlargement, fertility challenges, and hormonal imbalances involving androgens, estrogen and luteinizing hormone.

But here is the truth I want you to hear. Hormones are not the root cause. They are the result.

When conventional medicine focuses only on birth control, metformin, or spironolactone, it is not because those fix the problem. It is because they suppress the symptoms. Suppression is not the same as healing.

The real drivers behind PCOS

There is no single cause of PCOS. It is an umbrella condition influenced by multiple factors working together. In my work, I consistently see a few core patterns.

Insulin resistance
Chronic inflammation
Excess androgens
Environmental and lifestyle stressors

Genetics can load the gun, but they do not pull the trigger. Your environment does.

What you eat, how you manage stress, the toxins you are exposed to, your sleep, your trauma history and even what your mother was exposed to during pregnancy all influence how your genes express themselves. This is epigenetics and it is why two people with similar genetics can have completely different health outcomes.

Your body is not broken. It is adapting.

Why awareness matters

PCOS is not just about periods or fertility. It impacts energy, confidence, mental clarity, emotional well being and how you show up in your life. When symptoms are ignored or minimized, women are left feeling dismissed, confused and disconnected from their bodies.

Symptoms are not random. They are signals.

When you learn how to translate those signals, everything changes. You move from surviving to leading your health with clarity and intention.

Healing starts with better questions

The most important takeaway from this conversation is this. You deserve answers. Real ones.

Healing PCOS is not about chasing trends or following one size fits all wellness advice. It is about understanding what your body is responding to and creating support that actually fits your reality.

When we stop asking how do I get rid of this symptom and start asking why is my body doing this, that is where healing begins.