We all love a good quiz! So, in honor of PCOS Awareness Month (September) and to bring attention and answers to the 116 million women living with distressing symptoms of irregular menstrual cycles, weight gain, infertility, acne, hair loss, increased facial hair growth--vastly because of hormone imbalances, Dr. Fiona McCulloch has created a quiz that will help pinpoint your symptoms to determine which factors are most important to treat in your presentation of PCOS.
The quiz is available online and in her book, 8 Steps to Reverse Your PCOS. Sample portions are below.
A veteran speaker and easy-to-understand academic, in an educational and eye-opening interview, a PCOS sufferer herself, Dr. McCulloch can also discuss:
- What the main signs are of PCOS and how a woman would know if she has it
- What the best diet is for a woman with PCOS
- How PCOS changes through a woman’s lifespan and it looks like in teenagers, reproductive years or after menopause
- What the different types of PCOS are and how to know which one you have
- If women with PCOS can get pregnant and what is unique about their reproductive health
- If there are any supplements or natural treatments that can work for PCOS
SAMPLE SECTIONS OF THE PCOS QUIZ:
Inflammation Quiz
Inflammation is a key factor. All women with PCOS have it. As you’ll see below, you will either have moderate or severe inflammation.
1. I have pain in my body, such as neck pain, back pain, knee pain, or headaches.
2. I have skin rashes, such as eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, or allergic dermatitis.
3. I have chronic digestive problems, such as bloating, diarrhea, ulcers, reflux, or indigestion.
4. I have asthma or allergies.
5. I’m constantly tired and lethargic.
6. I eat a diet that is not based on whole foods and contains many processed foods and sugars.
7. I have a family member with an autoimmune disease.
8. I have been formally diagnosed with PCOS.
If you have answered yes to five to eight of these, it’s likely you have severe inflammation. If you’ve answered yes to one to four of these, it’s likely you have moderate inflammation.
Hormone Balance Quiz
1. My cycles are or have been thirty-five days or longer for significant periods of time in my life.
2. I’ve had polycystic ovaries on ultrasound.
3. I ovulate late in my cycle—around day eighteen or later.
4. I’ve needed to take medications to help me ovulate.
5. The medications intended to help me ovulate didn’t work on at least one occasion.
6. I’ve had a high anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) reading on a blood test.
7. I’ve had a high luteinizing hormone (LH) to follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio on a day-three blood test.
8. I have had low progesterone readings on bloodwork.
If you have answered yes to any of these, you have the ovulation factor to a significant
degree.
Thyroid Quiz
1. I feel cold compared to others around me.
2. I feel tired a lot or exhausted without reason.
3. I do not lose weight easily, despite dieting and exercising.
4. I am constipated.
5. I have dry, flaky skin.
6. I’m losing hair: It is brittle, coarse, and dry. Or, I am losing the outer
eyebrow hair.
7. My nails are brittle.
8. I’m depressed or anxious.
9. I have chronic muscle and joint pains.
10. I feel pressure or swelling in my neck, have difficulty swallowing, and my voice has become hoarse.
11. I have a family member with thyroid disease or an autoimmune disease.
12. I have high cholesterol that does not respond to diet changes or medication.
13. I have unexplained changes in my weight, unrelated to my lifestyle.
14. I have changes in my memory and concentration.
15. I have had abnormal thyroid testing results (including autoimmune thyroid antibody testing) or am taking thyroid medication already.
If you have answered yes either to number fifteen alone, or to ten to fifteen of these, you have a significant thyroid factor. If you haven’t been tested, you should be. If you have answered yes to five to nine of these, you have signs of a moderate thyroid factor and lab testing is warranted. If you have answered yes to one to four of these, you have some signs of a thyroid factor and lab testing is warranted.
