Edema & PCOS: What you should know

Hello Lovelies!

So let me start by saying, each year, I learn something new and intriguing about PCOS that I didn’t consider before. I always think I have the ultimate knowledge base and then I find myself experiencing a new symptom, start researching, and bam PCOS correlates with it. This time, as I laid on my stomach while the doctor drained my Baker’s Cysts that I had behind my right knee, I wondered if this was really due to me tweaking my knee last Fall/Winter (yes I know it’s June but read my previous post about my unemployment and self-care without insurance to understand the complexities of the wait). Typically, Baker’s Cysts are experienced by the elderly, those suffering from arthritis, and people with torn knee tendons.

Me, I didn’t have any of those conditions. As my doctor used her ultrasonic machine to navigate my knee, my knee cartilage was fine, no significant signs of deterioration, and no torn or strained tendons, so it struck both of us very oddly. I’m 34 years old with none of the conditions that lead to the level of swelling I experienced in my right leg. Still, I was like okay maybe it was just a random event. Until I woke up 12 lbs lighter within 48 hours, putting me back at my pre-quarantine weight. So then I decided, okay let’s look into this more.

So I looked up “Fluid Retention and PCOS” and to my surprise I read the following on PCOS.com;

Women with PCOS are notorious for suffering from mild to severe fluid retention. Some other symptoms of fluid retention are: aching in the affected areas, feeling stiff in the joints, rapid weight gain over days or weeks, unexplained weight fluctuations, when you press the skin it may hold an indent for a few seconds.

” Fluid retention, bloating, and water retention are three terms for the same condition – excess fluids accumulating in your body’s cavities. Women with PCOS often report this troubling symptom and as we age it can become more and more of a problem”

As I continued to read, the main culprits are insulin resistance (my type of PCOS), estrogen levels changing, birth control reactions (the designer drug most doctor’s love prescribing PCOS patients), hot weather, and not adequately getting rest and exercise. Women can fluctuate in weight 10 to 15 pounds at any given time due to edema/inflammation. Additionally, you can experience stiff joints that mimic the feeling of arthritis and impact your mobility. Most women with PCOS have excessive fluid retention in their legs and stomach. So as I sat in misery for 6 months and emotionally eating slightly for 4 out of the 6 months due to being unemployed….I indirectly was feeding my cyst and overall fluid retention.

Also oxidative stress can lead to inflammation in women with PCOS. So with all of the above stated, I can’t stress enough to manage your PCOS well!!! Find a nutrition regimen that works for you, that focuses on balanced protein, just enough carbs, and healthy fats. I know its hard with insulin resistance, simply because we are ADDICTED TO SUGAR and that is my biggest Achilles heal! However, the pain I’ve been in prior to getting my cyst drained, is enough to make me focus more on keeping my eating patterns consistent and healthy. I hope this helps you, and that if you are experiencing excessive fluctuations on the scale or swelling, look at what you’re consuming and what health habits you’re practicing. Lastly, call your doctor to get a full metabolic blood test (more on that topic soon) so that they can see if your C-reactive Protein (CRP) is high (key stress hormone that leads to inflammation and associated with Cushings Syndrome). I know I’ve said it in previous posts, but always be reminded that inflammation is the root of all diseases.

So make sure you take your health and fluid retention seriously. It’s not okay to gain 12 to 15lbs in the matter of a week. It’s not okay to lose that much either, so be sure you are feeding your body what she needs to function. If you have more information on fluid retention and PCOS, Drop a comment below.

With Love,

Lolo