Becoming pregnant is not easy for everyone!

I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome last year after months of failing to become pregnant.  My Doctor advised me that I will not be able to become pregnant naturally, and would need to be placed on medical treatments to conceive. After several months of treatments on Clomid and Metformin I wasn’t not only not getting pregnant, but was also under excruciation pain in my lower back that left me immobile some days. This pain turned out to be caused by the high dosage of Metformin that the Doctor had me on. When I asked my Doctor if the Metformin could be the possible culprit of my back pain, he dismissed the idea as ridiculous. I could not stand it any longer so I decreased the dosage and found that my pain decreased, one day I stopped the Metformin and my pain disappeared. Each month my Doctor placed an unreasonable amount of pressure on me for not getting pregnant, which added to my increasing stress level. During my final visit with that Doctor he suggested that I would have begin taking shots. I had finally had enough I didn’t ask what shots, I just remember thinking. “You take those shots buddy”. That was the last time I saw that Doctor.

I remember that day very well because I remember the overwhelming feelings of despair, and depression that had already began to sink in months ago. I remember those feelings intensifying that day. I decided that day that I would find an alternative to medical treatments. So I begin an Internet search about PCOS and found several forums and websites where women with PCOS discussed the positive effects they have seen on decreasing their symptoms on a gluten-free diet. I found other information that described the symptoms of gluten intolerance; I had 7 out of the 10 symptoms. Common sense told me, ‘stop eating gluten’, so I stopped. Within 3 days I felt amazing, I felt like a human being again, no more exhaustion, no more headaches, no more acid reflux, no more pimples. I felt happy, I felt ‘normal’! I felt as though an unseen force was holding my hand as I  continued to conduct research regarding PCOS and gluten. For the first time in months I felt at peace, I felt as though everything would be ok. I found Amy Meddling at PCOS Diva, and decided to try her meal plans to help me learn how to cook gluten-free food. I decided to continue my education regarding PCOS and gluten, and began a personal coaching program with Amy in June of this year. Three months after beginning coaching with Amy and six months after I stopped eating gluten I found out that I am pregnant. I am expecting our first child in May of 2014, and could not be more excited about it. I became pregnant without any medication or medical intervention!!!!!!!

There are significant gaps in the medical community specifically those pertaining to PCOS. Many Doctors will dismiss a gluten-free diet as having anything to do with infertility and PCOS. Nevertheless, there are studies that support a gluten-free diet for PCOS. Some studies today have shown that women with PCOS tend to be gluten intolerant, yet Doctors continue to dismiss this. Studies have also shown that gluten is a hormone disruptor. Women with PCOS already have a hormonal imbalance so if gluten further disrupts hormones why would we continue to consume it? Additional studies have linked gluten to hormonal problems, yet many Doctors continue to dismiss this. Some conditions linked to gluten intolerance are:

·      Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

·      Pelvic Inflammatory Disorders (PID)

·      Hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s and Grave’s disease

·      Amenorrhea & Hypothalamic amenorrhea

·      Delayed onset of menarche

·      Female infertility

·      Male infertility including low sperm count and low motility

·      Miscarriage.

I know that there are skeptics out there who chalk this up to no more than a "fad diet". For many women with PCOS going gluten free isn't about weight management, it's a necessity. According to a study 85 % of women with PCOS were found to be gluten intolerant. Makes you think doesn't it! For women with PCOS going gluten free is not a temporary diet fix, it is a necessary life change because the symptoms of PCOS extend far beyond infertility. Trust me, going gluten free is much easier than it sounds. 

I choose to blog about this because I have seen a significant change in my life.  During the coaching with Amy from PCOS Diva I was able to find myself. I begin a personal journey that changed my life in ways I could not imagine possible. I have learned so much about myself, and PCOS. Amy helped me to see myself as a unique individual capable of reaching all of my goals. This journey was physical, psychological and spiritual, and it healed me.  I look forward to meeting the little miracle growing inside me. That same miracle that Doctors said would not be possible naturally. I want women with PCOS to know that there is hope!  I wish and pray that each and every one of you will experience the joy that I feel now. Any woman with PCOS reading this post I want you to know that you are NOT broken, you are unique! Someone helped me to realize that and I wish the same for you! God bless! 

P.S. My target audience are women with PCOS so please feel free to share. If this reaches even one woman with PCOS silently struggling with infertility this blog post will have served its purpose. I would also like to encourage people to refrain from asking couples about starting a family. First, it is inappropriate to ask someone that! Second you never know if the couple is dealing with infertility struggles. 

http://www.pcosdiva.com

http://www.pcosdietsupport.com/diet-tips/pcos-and-gluten/

http://www.natural-hormone-health.com/gluten-intolerance.html

This post is about Michael Jackson... :)

Some of you will probably laugh, disagree, or see this as a dramatized version caused by an over stimulus of Michael Jackson music. Perhaps you are right, nevertheless after many weeks of thinking about blogging I have finally been inspired to sit down and type out a few lines. I have had intentions of writing about Jamón (I promise a mouth watering blog about this food later on which will most likely occur post snack of the delicious Spanish delicacy). I have also thought about finishing my blog titled España, however it was the late Michael Jackson, the Kind of Pop who inspired me this sunny Saturday afternoon.

So, here I sit listening to Dangerous on vinyl, feeling a mixture of exhilaration and bereavement that the man whose voice is currently filling this room with up beat, catchy, and heartfelt harmonious creations is no longer amongst the living. To many he was simply "whacko Jacko", a "sick child molester", a disgrace, a deserter of his culture, and so on. I however am on the other side of that spectrum along with countless of other MJ fans. He wasn't the 'self proclaimed King of Pop', to us he was the King of Pop. Yes, I know corny, cheesy, funny, silly. After all I am a 'rock and roll' fan embarrassing myself by gushing over Michael Jackson music. Yes, indeed, I am because he is the sole artist whose music I have enjoyed for over 25 years, and I unashamedly admit to having had a Michael Jackson crush at one point.

I am not denying that he most certainly became the poster child of bad plastic surgery, and poor mental health. However, I also believe that his down hill spiral occurred as a result of mental instabilities caused by a combination of contributors you and I will most likely never have knowledge of or understand. Nevertheless, his death has cleared his name in some ways.  For example, we learned that he did in fact have vitiligo which caused his skin to turn white (google the disease for more information). Postmortem, we learned from his daughter Paris that his choice to cover their faces was solely to protect them so that they may go out in public unrecognized. Yet for many, Michael Jackson was, and will continue to be the musical genius whose star will endure the test of time. His catchy beats will continue to guide people off their tukus and onto the dance floor. I feel fortunate that he existed in my lifetime.

 As you have seen this blog is not about Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Snoop, Gangam Style, or whatever other 'cool' musician happens to be the current hit. It is an 'uncool' 'dorky' blog if you will, a sole expression of a constant fan of Mr. Jackson... so I leave you with the following...

"Consciousness expresses itself through creation. This world we live in is the dance of the creator. Dancers come and go in the twinkling of an eye but the dance lives on. On many an occasion when I am dancing, I have felt touched by something sacred. In those moments, I felt my spirit soar and become one with everything that exists.
I become the stars and the moon. I become the lover and the beloved. I become the victor and the vanquished. I become the master and the slave. I become the singer and the song. I become the knower and the known. I keep on dancing then it is the eternal dance of creation. The creator and creation merge into one wholeness of joy. I keep on dancing.. and dancing, until there is only... the dance. "
-Michael Jackson

Adulthood

I have come to discover that blogs are best written as they come to mind, planning and thinking of what to write will most likely lead to a blog post that never was. I have a couple of other drafts I have been meaning to finish for several weeks. So today, I am composing this blog on a whim, and I would like to venture into the abyss that is adulthood. You see this thought came to me at a completely random time (as these thoughts often do) shortly after basking in the stimulating performances of last night's Dancing With the Stars finals. As I watched Shawn Johnson's Cirque du Soleil type of a performance that will most likely win her the trophy I found myself shouting profanity at the television that would make a rapper blush. So I thought to myself, "seriously Silvanna, that is how you express joy by spewing profanity?" those were the actual thoughts that crossed my mind. I remember a time when I would say, "profanity dirties my mouth, and I don't want a dirty mouth", yes, these are true words. I am capable of expressing joy, and approval as an educated adult; nevertheless, I seem to be plagued with blusterous moments of sauciness. So, this led to me think about adulthood and the upheaval that occurs as we venture into the stage that will be with us for the duration of our lives. 

I thought about innocence and those small things that were much more appreciated in our childhood phase. As children, we were able to find pleasure in a ball, a lollypop, secretly wearing our mother's heels, or in my case listening to my father's vinyl. We found joy in playing hide and seek, soccer, making castles out of bed sheets, and spending late summer hours outside. As adults, we become jaded, angry, mean, ungrateful, and unappreciative of the things that really matter. In adulthood, we experience road rage, frustration at the parking space thief, the guy who attempted to cut in line at the coffee shop, or the parent who failed to 'control' their child's tantrum at the super market. I realize that not all adults fall into the 'jaded category' and perhaps I am painting a picture of my self while cleverly generalizing all adults to avoid bruising my own ego. Nevertheless, I admit to have participated in an embarrassing fit of emotions similar to those mentioned above. Even though I do love this prestigious age of 33, I do long for the innocent moments of childhood, and vow to bring back a little bit of that precious time in my life. I plan on achieving this by nixing those meaningless frustrations and taking the time to appreciate the small gestures that still find their way in to my life. Today, I am thankful that chivalry still exists because a few weeks ago a man offered to carry my groceries, another stepped out of the metro simply to wait while some of us 'jaded' ladies stepped off, and another noteworthy action I enjoy is that my husband still opens car doors for me. I am grateful that these small gestures still find their way into my life. I vow to become more aware of those little displays of kindness as they continue to bring an unconscious smile and sense of awareness in my consciousness; they are the closest I will be to my childhood innocence. This probably does not make any sense as it is a jumbled mess of thoughts spewed out in text but I am ok with that.