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Weight Gain, Trauma, and Healing for PCOS
253 Plays1 year ago
Podcast host Regina Walker shares her personal struggle with PCOS. She’ll tell us the sometimes extreme measures she’s tried to lose weight, how the medical community has brushed her under the rug, and we’ll delve further into how trauma creates the hormonal imbalance so women with the condition can fight back when faced with shame and blame and achieve healing.
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Transcript
Understanding PCOS
00:00:05
Speaker
Polycystic ovarian syndrome is the most common hormonal disorder in women, affecting an estimated 10% of women of childbearing age. Its symptoms include infertility, facial and body hair growth from elevated testosterone, weight gain, insulin resistance that can later lead to diabetes and heart disease, and multiple ovarian cysts.
Regina's Personal Journey with PCOS
00:00:31
Speaker
Today I'm speaking with podcast host Regina Walker about her personal struggle with PCOS. She'll tell us the sometimes extreme measure she's tried to lose weight, how the medical community has brushed her under the rug, and will delve further into the science of how trauma creates the hormonal imbalance so women with the condition can fight back when faced with shame and blame and achieve healing.
00:00:58
Speaker
I'm Stephanie Greenwood and this is The Life Detox.
00:01:17
Speaker
Regina received a PCOS diagnosis very early in her life, accompanied by some troubling news. I was diagnosed super, super early because I didn't have a period until I was 17. The doctors were like, yeah, you're probably not going to be able to have kids. I was like, oh, OK, so that's that's the thing. All right. And they just they just kind of looked at me being a woman of color and being overweight. And they were just like, you're unhealthy and just kind of dismissed it.
00:01:47
Speaker
And they did say, you know, you do have PCOS. This is lifelong for you. So wrap your mind around it and call it a day. For many years, her struggle was swept under the rug and her weight blamed. Throughout my journey, because it has been like lifelong, a lot of times doctors would suggest metformin to fix it or to muffle it or mask it. But that never helped. Not a fan of metformin.
00:02:16
Speaker
at all. There was never much suggestions. Just lose weight and then it'll get better. Like it was my fault that I had PCOS. That was always the narrative. Regina had always struggled with her weight, it seemed.
00:02:31
Speaker
Me and another friend of mine, we always joke and say like we went from toddler size to literally grown woman size 16. Like we don't remember that in between size. I had my first daughter when I was 19 and I actually had all three of my kids. I didn't know I was pregnant until I was five months
00:02:54
Speaker
pregnant with each of them because I didn't know because I'd give my period once a year. When I got pregnant with her I was 213 and then when I had her I was 215 because I went so long not knowing I lost so much weight and because I just didn't know I wasn't hungry there was nothing and then once I figured it out then I started eating again right but then I got the shot
00:03:18
Speaker
because I was 19 and had no idea what was going on. And I jumped up to 240. I literally have been 240 for the last 21 years. Like I've always been heavyset and I could not break, I could not break it. I could not break that weight.
Challenges and Health Complications
00:03:37
Speaker
Regina tried all kinds of things to lose weight. I've tried to eat for your blood type. I've done Atkins. I've done the soup, the juicing, taking shots of aloe vera. I was a massage therapist for 15 years. So there was just a ton, a ton of research that I've done.
00:03:56
Speaker
Just trying to take the weight. I've worked out. I've busted my tail a couple years back I did a program this guy put together. He called it his Bible He opened up his gym and you could go in there as many times as you wanted He had like all these guidelines and he was like oh
00:04:15
Speaker
If you pay me $800, you have 12 weeks. If you lose 25 pounds, I'll give you your money back. It was a very strict diet, right? Like the only kind of seasoning you could use is salt, pepper, and hot sauce. By the end, I had only lost seven pounds. I was doing two a days, I was going in, and I had only lost seven pounds. On keto, I went eight months, didn't lose nothing.
00:04:41
Speaker
The amount of judgment she received was overwhelming at times. The judgment that was sitting on me, so many people used to tell me all the time, you're not consistent, doctors. And I'm like, you don't understand. It's your discipline that you don't have. A lot of men who used to tell me all the time that I wasn't the trophy, so I can't stay. I like you, but you're not the trophy, so I'm not gonna stay.
00:05:07
Speaker
Despite her best attempts, her weight stayed the same, and then a scary condition appeared. In 2019, I had a, well it was a stroke, so it shut down my whole right side of my body, like I couldn't talk, my eye, everything shut down. The doctors didn't know what I had for the longest time, that like I was doing test after test after test, and finally after six months they figured out what I had.
00:05:30
Speaker
I have what you call IIH and it's intercranial idiopathic hypertension. My body creates too much spinal fluid that it causes pressure in my brain and it makes my brain think that I'm having a stroke. So then I started eating carnivore. That has been helpful for me. I was able to start seeing more frequent periods, but I still didn't lose the weight. To manage her IIH, she made a difficult decision.
00:05:57
Speaker
this last new years I started getting my symptoms back again and I was like okay four years it's been 2019 I have to so I had to finally humble myself and get the weight loss procedure it but it's been a beast and it the realization though I will tell you of
00:06:18
Speaker
The PCOS was definitely that hindrance because now it's like starting to come off. Recently, just like a week ago, I was like the PCOS was definitely the hindrance. It was not
Impact of Stress and Trauma on PCOS
00:06:31
Speaker
me. They just always make you feel like it's you. I'm literally eating 900 calories. I'm still struggling, right? Like I feel like I'm shriveling.
00:06:41
Speaker
Some argue that PCOS is genetic. Some subsets of genes have been associated with the disorder, but the science is conflicting. PCOS does seem to run in families, but so does trauma, literally. Enter the field of epigenetics.
00:07:03
Speaker
Epigenetics is the study of how our DNA is expressed and read by the body. This is an excerpt from Childhood Disrupted by Donna Jackson Nakazawa, who was on last week's show. Here she was interviewing Margaret McCarthy, a PhD professor of neuroscience at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
00:07:23
Speaker
McCarthy says early stress causes changes in the brain that reset the immune system so that you either no longer respond to stress or you respond in an exacerbated way and can't shut off that stress response, she says. This change to our lifelong stress response happens through a process known as epigenetics.
00:07:45
Speaker
Epigenetic changes occur when early environmental influences, both good and bad, permanently alter which genes become active in the body. These epigenetic shifts take place due to a process called gene methylation. McCarthy explains, our DNA is not just sitting there. It's wrapped up very tightly and coated in protected proteins, which together make up the chromosome.
00:08:13
Speaker
It doesn't matter what your genome is. What matters is how your genome is expressed. And for genes to be expressed properly, the chromosome has to be unwound and opened up, like a flower, right at that particular gene. McCarthy unfurls the fingers of both hands. Imagine this, she says. You're watching a flower bloom, and as it opens up, it's covered with blemishes. She folds several of her fingers back in, as if they're suddenly unable to budge.
00:08:43
Speaker
Those blemishes keep it from flourishing as it otherwise would. If, when our DNA opens up, it's covered with these methylation marks, that gene can express itself properly in the way that it should.
00:08:59
Speaker
When such epigenetic silencing occurs, McCarthy continues, these small chemical markers, also known as methyl groups, adhere to specific genes that are supposed to govern the activity of stress hormone receptors in our brain.
00:09:15
Speaker
These chemical markers silence important genes in the segment of our genome that oversees our hippocampus's regulation of stress hormones in adulthood. When the brain can't moderate our biological stress response, it goes into a state of constant hyperarousal and reactivity.
00:09:36
Speaker
inflammatory hormones and chemicals keep coursing through the body at the slightest provocation. In other words, when a young child and his brain is still developing, if he is repeatedly thrust into a state of fight or flight, this chronic stress causes these small chemical markers to disable the genes that regulate this stress response.
00:10:00
Speaker
preventing the brain from properly regulating its response for the rest of its life. End of excerpt.
00:10:08
Speaker
Less than a year ago an article was published in the Journal of Reproductive Toxicology about PCOS and gene methylation. Changes in DNA methylation have been found in blood, ovaries, hypothalamus, muscle, and fat tissue in people with PCOS.
00:10:30
Speaker
These changes, they say, are closely related to insulin resistance, lipid metabolism, and the development of cysts on the ovaries. In 2016, a study published in the journal General and Comparative Endocrinology
00:10:46
Speaker
Found that in animal studies, early life stress change DNA methylation and gene expression in GNRH neurons in the hypothalamus. These neurons are responsible for stimulating ovulation.
00:11:03
Speaker
In women with PCOS, GNRH neurons are hyperactive. That means erratic ovulation. Once the ovaries start to develop cysts due to GNRH neurons in the brain signaling improperly to the pituitary, the ovaries start experiencing inflammation. To clean up that inflammation, they use an enzyme called 11 beta HSD1 to convert inactive cortisone into active cortisol.
00:11:33
Speaker
Cortisol is after all a steroid and anti-inflammatory, so the ovary is trying to reduce the inflammatory damage that's happening. The same process happens in the uterus, where more cortisol is converted from cortisone using 11-beta-HS-D1. When the tissue has to do this conversion a lot, it makes a shortcut, so to speak, in its DNA methylation, so it can always produce cortisol.
00:12:00
Speaker
These epigenetic changes have been found in women with PCOS. DNA methylation markers can be passed from generation to generation, although the process is complex and the science still emerging. But it explains how a condition like PCOS can run in families without any actual genes being involved.
00:12:23
Speaker
If we look at PCOS as a natural response to chronic toxic stress during critical years of development, everything about it makes sense.
00:12:34
Speaker
Our body stress response is largely controlled by a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. It sends a signal to the pituitary, which then sends a signal to the adrenal glands to make cortisol and adrenaline. Chronic activation of the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis, the HPA axis, leads to several things.
00:12:55
Speaker
Insulin resistance is one, as cortisol is constantly messaging the body's cells to release glucose to the bloodstream for short-term survival. PCOS patients have been stuck in a state of fight-or-flight for so long, many times even the adrenal glands will start making their own cortisol and adrenaline without waiting for signaling from the pituitary.
00:13:19
Speaker
A 2016 study found that out of 38 women with PCOS, 15 of them had an adrenal disorder called micronodular adrenocortical hyperplasia. Basically, their adrenal glands had formed nodules that constantly produce adrenal hormones.
00:13:38
Speaker
their actual adrenal glands shrunk because these nodules were constantly producing the hormones instead. The HPA axis has its own shutdown mechanism called a negative feedback loop. When enough cortisol reaches the hypothalamus, it tells the pituitary to stop sending signals to the adrenal glands to produce cortisol.
00:13:58
Speaker
That way, your body isn't just flooded with adrenal hormones all the time. But in micronodular adrenocortical hyperplasia, this negative feedback loop is bypassed, and the nodules in the adrenal glands continue to make cortisol and adrenaline on their own. And all of that cortisol, of course, tells your cells in the body to release glucose and ignore insulin.
00:14:21
Speaker
So again, we have increased insulin, insulin resistance, and high blood sugar that has nothing to do with what you're eating.
00:14:32
Speaker
As the liver is exposed to higher levels of insulin, it decreases the amount of sex hormone binding globulin it produces. Sex hormone binding globulin does the job of deactivating active sex hormones in the body, but it has a higher affinity for testosterone.
00:14:53
Speaker
So, effectively, sex hormone binding globulin does the job of decreasing active testosterone. So, decreased sex hormone binding globulin means, you guessed it, elevated testosterone, which then also further interferes with GnRH signaling in the hypothalamus, further preventing ovulation.
00:15:15
Speaker
Now that we see how complex the dysfunction of PCOS is, we see just how silly the advice is to just lose weight and why it's so difficult.
Healing and Self-Acceptance
00:15:28
Speaker
Regina had never heard of the link between childhood trauma and PCOS, but her podcast is actually about trauma healing. After the break, we'll hear her reaction to the concept and we'll talk about mindset shifts for healing. Stay tuned.
00:15:48
Speaker
If you're enjoying this podcast, please consider checking out bubbleandb.com. We have more than 150 different products to choose from like soaps, insect repellent, facial care, and the world's largest selection of USDA certified organic deodorants. These are all products I've formulated myself to avoid xenoestrogens and not interfere with our hormone health.
00:16:08
Speaker
and we make everything in our own facility so we know exactly what's going in our products. So if you'd like to support this podcast, visit bubbleandb.com. That's bubbleandb.com.
00:16:29
Speaker
I believe through the research that I've been doing for this project, that trauma is the underlying root cause in most cases of PCOS. And that's so interesting because I've never heard of the correlation. And so I was like, it makes so much sense though. I've had so much trauma growing up.
00:16:57
Speaker
And so the fact that it did carry over, it's very interesting. And I mean, I'm still healing from all of that. That's literally what my podcast is about. I think that when you understand that it's not you, it's the chemical makeup that's within you that's hindering you, then that's whatever your goal is, I think that that takes a lot of pressure.
00:17:19
Speaker
I think that if you are struggling with your weight, the first thing to do is fully accept it, accept your body as it is and tell yourself that you deserve to take up space. That is an issue for women with trauma.
00:17:36
Speaker
I think there's so much like self-blame and shame and thinking that you need to be more quiet, you need to be more small and hiding yourself, hiding your voice. And just accepting and loving yourself how you are and for who you are is the first step in healing this. The first step, absolutely, 175%. I agree wholeheartedly.
00:18:03
Speaker
like everything you just said, 175%, because I think that that is a huge part of the journey, is to be able to not care so much about
00:18:17
Speaker
what others have said in the past, much less what they're going to say, right? And what they're thinking and all the judgment and everything. And like in the midst of my, like right when I was working out, there's about five that were like, I really like you, but you're not the trophy, so I can't stay. That was my driving force for a long time. Like, I'm going to show you. At one point God was like, you have to remove that.
00:18:47
Speaker
You cannot use, you know, that song, let's call it Demi Lovato, sorry, not sorry. Every time that song came on, like I was going in, like I'm about to be a bad mother. Don't you even worry? You know what I mean? And he was like, you gotta stop. You gotta stop. This cannot be your motivation. You have to be your motivation. You have to appreciate who you are and celebrate who you are right now.
00:19:17
Speaker
Right in this moment, you have to, because you are phenomenal right now in this moment, and you have to learn to celebrate who you are and erase all those negative things. I know that we've all been told ugly, ugly, ugly things and hurtful things that still stick in the back of our minds and deep in our hearts.
00:19:41
Speaker
But every time that ugliness comes up, we have to shake it off and tell ourselves what's real, what's the truth with positive love and replace that lie. Because that's what is, that's how we're going to do it is when we tell ourselves. There's been a couple of things that like just loving on ourselves because PCOS in itself is traumatic.
00:20:04
Speaker
We have to look at the PCOS as the survival mechanism that it is. This was our body's response to extreme stress.
00:20:18
Speaker
And it is a wisdom that our bodies have to shut down reproduction in times of stress. Embracing every single aspect of it is a step to healing it and understanding that this is something that's actually beautiful. This was a beautiful survival mechanism and it's what our bodies are designed to do.
00:20:43
Speaker
And once we understand that and once we embrace it and accept our bodies, that's the beginning of healing. Absolutely. That's so powerful. I love that. I love that. That's so powerful. That's phenomenal. That's awesome. I love that. And I think that having that perspective, even if you have to just remind yourself daily, moment by moment, I always say day by day, moment by moment.
00:21:13
Speaker
because it is the journey. So speaking of journeys and healing, tell me about your podcast.
00:21:22
Speaker
My podcast is about women writing stories or speaking to their younger selves. If it's during a traumatic experience, if it is just before they have kids, we wear so many different hats and we've lived our lives in so many different ways and it's to empower
00:21:45
Speaker
our younger selves. So if it's younger selves being a year ago or 40 years ago, it's to just reconnect with who she is and love on her and accept her and reconnect and move forward. There's been a lot of healing in talking to, because I think sometimes we just go, go, go, go, go, and we don't stop and think about how much our younger self needed
00:22:15
Speaker
who we are now to accompany them. When I think about the healing that women are able to do, I am just so thankful that they have allowed me to be with them in the midst of it.
00:22:29
Speaker
And it is called The Purpose in Your Story. Is that correct? Yes, ma'am. Thank you very much. Yes. And I will link to it in the show notes. Thank you so much for sharing your story. You can find Regina's podcast and even listen to the episode where I talk to my younger self. Look for The Purpose in Your Story anywhere you listen to podcasts.
Natural Management of PCOS
00:22:51
Speaker
If you want to learn more and take control of your PCOS, please download my free PCOS Thrive Guide. I have over 40 pages of research-backed information for fighting all of the imbalance and inflammation and dysfunction in PCOS naturally. You can find the link in the episode notes.
00:23:13
Speaker
PCOS can be caused by developmental trauma, but exacerbated by ongoing chronic toxic stress. So if you're doing the yoga, the supplements, the diet, and not seeing improvement with your PCOS, ongoing abuse may be to blame. So have a tough conversation with yourself, because you might need a life detox.
00:23:44
Speaker
The Life Detox is produced by me, Stephanie Greenwood, and brought to you by Bubble and Be Organic. The views and opinions expressed are the speakers' own and do not necessarily represent those of myself or my company. Material and information presented here is for general information purposes only and is not medical advice. Being a guest on this show does not imply endorsement of Greenplay LLC or any of its projects. Stay well, friends.
00:24:18
Speaker
I'm going to take a couple weeks off, but when we come back, I'll be sharing my interview with Dr. Yvonne Burkhardt, who is a board certified toxicologist. You've been hearing me talk about environmental and cosmetic chemicals for years. I wanted to get a fresh perspective. We'll hear what her top chemicals to avoid are and her personal story of beating infertility. We'll be back July 6th with that episode. I hope you'll join us.
00:25:21
Speaker
Lays with acts with grits and joy every night