Coping With Body Image & PCOS
- Reality star Arabella Chi, has opened up about her diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition in which she’s experienced symptoms like hair loss, painful menstrual cycles, and cystic acne. Chi hopes her story will help other women coping with similar symptoms better understand their bodies and get checked.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) stems from a hormone imbalance impacting women during their reproductive years.
- “Body image is both the mental picture that you have of your body and the way you feel about your body when you look in a mirror,” Dr. Marianna Strongin, a New York-based licensed clinical psychologist, tells SurvivorNet. “As you allow yourself to spend more time looking at all of you, you will begin having a new relationship with your body,” Strongin suggests.
- Positive psychology is a different approach to mental well-being that focuses on a person’s strengths rather than illness & standard treatment. This approach can be really helpful for people living with illnesses like cancer or even PCOS.
Chi, who also admitted to having suffered a miscarriage last year, took to social media to inform her fans about her recent health issues and spread awareness for PCOS.
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Chi continued, “I got diagnosed 2 days ago and looking also into endometriosis as one of my main side effects is extricating periods which I unfortunately have.
“I would love to hear from any of you that have it or no anyone that does and has any knowledge on it. I will do a video in due course with any advice I get so I can share with you all. Looking forward to sharing this journey with you all and trying to turn it into a positive – lots of love Arabella xx.”
In the video clip, Chi said she had a miscarriage in September 2023, just months before joining “Love Island All Stars” at the start of this year.
Chi explained in the video, “I recently got diagnosed with PCOS. Obviously I am now 33 and I have been on the pill for probably 15 years, up until August last year. I actually had an unplanned miscarriage in September time last year and after than I thought I’m going to come off the pill because at the age of 33 I thought I’ve been on the pill for so long.
“I actually started the pill at the age of 13 and I actually originally went on it for my skin and because I had very very painful periods. At the time I just thought this is an easy convenient way to regulate my periods and sort out my skin. I then went on Roaccutane. … I’ve always suffered from really bad acne on and off. I actually had child acne to the extent that you couldn’t even see my skin on my face.”
She also admitted to feeling “depressed” over her acne while growing up, saying her skin’s appearance lowered her self esteem.
Chi then explained how coming off the pill in 2023, made her symptoms show up again, including loss of hair and period pain.
She said, “When I came off the pill last year, I found that my hormones went through the roof. Even though in myself I was actually happier, my hormones were definitely not happier. I literally started having acne coming back on my face, when I get my periods I cannot move for an entire day.
“I am in absolutely agonizing pain to the extent that my last one, a month ago, was so bad I honestly thought I was going to have to call an ambulance. And that’s when my mum said to me, ‘You really need to go and see a doctor and get this sorted out.’ One of the side effects I had was that I actually started losing my hair. I started getting cystic acne and painful periods.”
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Since Chi is aware there is “no cure” for PCOS, she’s decided to use her social media page to share her condition and inspire others to get checked if something doesn’t seem right with their body.
She added, “This is real talk, because I feel like I don’t really come on here and talk about my personal side of things very much. As you can see, I actually have quite bad acne breakouts at the moment, like my skin is definitely not perfect.
“And I think with the job I’m in as well, it definitely affects my self esteem. Like I am a confident person, but especially when I’m at the gym all the time I’m not one of these people that wears a lot of makeup, so it’s definitely something I want to start looking into. My acne is so bad, the hair loss – that’s why I actually have extensions in now because the hair loss as a woman, it’s not ideal at all.”
Taking Care of Your Mental Health
Learning About PCOS
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) stems from a hormone imbalance impacting women during their reproductive years.
While health experts can’t pinpoint the exact cause of PCOS currently, the CDC says women with higher-than-normal androgen levels play a role in developing the condition. Other risk factors include being insulin resistant or overweight if you have a family history of PCOS or type 2 diabetes.
The National Institutes of Health points to the following symptoms that are associated with the condition.
- Menstrual irregularities (missed periods, no menstrual periods, very heavy periods)
- Excessive hair growth
- Severe acne
- Weight gain
- Oily skin
- Patches of thick discolored skin
While there is no cure for PCOS, leading a healthy lifestyle that includes proper diet and exercise helps. Medicines can also help with associated symptoms.
According to the National Institutes of Health, “PCOS increases the risk of some types of cancer. For instance, some research has shown that risk of cancer of the endometrium, the inside lining of the uterus, may be higher for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) than it is for women without PCOS. Irregular periods, or a lack of periods, can cause the endometrium to build up and become thick. This thickening can lead to endometrial cancer.
“Data on links between breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and PCOS are limited. While some small studies have suggested that a lack of ovulation, as occurs with PCOS, is linked with an increased risk of breast cancer, other studies have not shown an association.”
The NIH adds, “While some research has shown more than a doubling of the risk of ovarian cancer in women with PCOS, scientists have not confirmed these links in large population studies, and further studies hint that women with PCOS may have a lower risk of ovarian cancer. Therefore, any associations between breast or ovarian cancers and PCOS remain inconclusive.”
What is Endometriosis?
Confusion may exist about whether endometriosis [an often painful condition in which tissue similar to the tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus grows outside your uterus] is linked to cancer, but there’s no research that connects the two together. Although endometriosis may present symptoms similar to endometrial cancer, it is “not cancer,” OB/GYN and oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Dr. Bobbie Rimel previously told SurvivorNet.
“Endometriosis is the term for whenever those endometrial cells, those lining of the uterus cells, are outside of their normal place, which is inside the uterus,” Dr. Rimel explained, again adding that it is a benign condition, which means non-cancerous.
Dr. Bobbie Rimel explains the difference between endometrial cancer and endometriosis.
“Endometrial cancer is actually when cells of the lining of the uterus become cancerous and begin to invade the uterus wall,” Dr. Rimel continued. “[The cancer cells] may spread to the fallopian tubes, to the ovaries or the lining of the pelvis or elsewhere in the body.”
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, endometriosis usually occurs on or near reproductive organs in the pelvis or abdomen, can be found in other areas such as the fallopian tubes, ligaments around the uterus (uterosacral ligaments), lining of the pelvic cavity, ovaries, outside surface of the uterus, space between the uterus and the rectum or bladder.
In rare circumstances, it can also grow on and around the bladder, cervix, intestines, rectum, stomach (abdomen), and vagina or vulva.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Endometriosis often causes severe pain in the pelvis, especially during menstrual periods. Some people also have pain during sex or when using the bathroom. Some people have trouble getting pregnant.
“Some people with endometriosis don’t have any symptoms. For those who do, a common symptom is pain in the lower part of the belly (pelvis). Pain may be most noticeable during a period, during or after sex, when urinating or defecating.”
Some people may also experience the following symptoms:
- Chronic pelvic pain
- Heavy bleeding during periods or between periods
- Trouble getting pregnant
- Bloating or nausea
- Fatigue
- Depression or anxiety
Self-Acceptance and Body Image
Body image problems are not unusual, especially for so many people dealing with health challenges – whether that’s PCOS or cancer.
And it’s important you try to work on how you view your body because it can positively impact your emotional and physical well-being as a whole.
Learn to Accept Yourself: A Huge Part of Living With Cancer
“Every day of our lives is really filled with uncertainty,” but those facing a cancer diagnosis tend to feel that uncertainty at a more extreme level, Dr. William Breitbart, the chair of the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet.
Dr. Breitbart also said that learning to embrace that uncertainty is a part of living, and not just for those fighting cancer, but for everyone.
“What the task becomes is having the courage to live in the face of uncertainty, realizing that you cannot necessarily control the uncertainty in life, the suffering that occurs, challenges both good and bad,” Dr. Breitbart says.
“You may not be able to control those but you have control over how you choose to respond.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Marianna Strongin, a New York-based licensed clinical psychologist, also has some helpful advice. She encourages people that spending time in front of the mirror can help with body image.
Although “research has found that when looking in the mirror we are more likely to focus on the parts of our body we are dissatisfied with” which can cause “a negative self-view and lower self-esteem,” it’s important to look at the parts of your body that you love and the parts of your body that you don’t.
Eventually, Dr. Strongin says, doing so can help you create a more accepting relationship with yourself.
“Body image is both the mental picture that you have of your body and the way you feel about your body when you look in a mirror,” she said. “As you allow yourself to spend more time looking at all of you, you will begin having a new relationship with your body.”
Whether you are living with PCOS or not, it’s important to know you’re not alone if you’re having a hard time with how you view your body after receiving a diagnosis or going through treatment.
What is Positive Psychology & How Can it Help Cancer Survivors?
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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