There are so many ways to look at a problem and equally many angles to tackle it from. Some angles enable more room for healing, some are pretty much doomsday scenarios. All are interesting to consider but some will resonate more for you. Among them: the pathophysiological, the dietary, the genetic, but also the psychosomatic and metaphysical / symbolic.
Pathophysiology explanation: PCOS is in 80% of cases insulin resistance driven which stems from oxidative stress + low-grade inflammation enabled by a permeable gut lining and aggravated by environmental factors (mostly adrenal hyper stimulation, inflammatory diet and endocrine disruptors).
Dietary: PCOS is in 80% of cases insulin resistance driven which stems from a diet high in carbohydrates and lack of essential nutrients like magnesium, zinc and vitamin D.
Genetic: PCOS is a genetic disorder. If your mother had it, you will have it. Doom and gloom, right? By the way - the science of epigenetics disproves the genetic theory as a "one-stop-shop" answer to every illness. The proclivity to manifest a specific chronic illness like PCOS can be (de)activated by your environment. More on this in a future post.
Which brings us to the psychosomatic and symbolic. Let's explore two different angles.
Disclaimer: I'm not saying this is the way things are, just exploring existing theories to stimulate reflexion and debate.
PCOS as a conflict of dominance
We know the principles of women living together, whose menstrual cycles synchronize with each other, with the dominant female "regulating" the ovulation of the others. Dominance could go as far as blocking ovulation, a form of physiological castration.
PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome, speaks of a female potential that fails to manifest. Ovulation, an event characteristic of "the woman" who thus manifests her ability to reproduce, is blocked. This is the situation of a dominated female in a herd who is prevented from reproducing by a dominant female. Here the woman finds herself in a state of blocking submission in connection with a close dominant female personality, often the mother, sometimes the sister, an aunt, or a grandmother. The mechanism is multiple, psychological first through the dominance laws very well described by Henri Laborit. Pheromones, desire hormones are also involved.
Medicine perfectly describes the principle of dominance selection that occurs inside the ovary. In a woman, several eggs compete for which one will be manifested by ovulation. There is competition and the dominant egg wins. In PCOS we have to imagine that this competition is no longer done within the autonomous woman but between this woman and the other women in her environment.
In the case of PCOS, the woman has a rather strong character and tries to resist the pressures of dominance. Then there is a whole cascade of consequences. Activation of hyper androgenism, the woman tries to react by reacting with male hormones, and like a man, illusion of regaining dominance. It also enters into insulin resistance, resistance to the father and to the masculine.
In the PCOS situation, the reaction mode speaks of a conflict of dominance between two dominant personalities, one of whom is being crushed by the other with hypo-fertility or even sterility. Those with a strong character but nevertheless dominated after a fight could develop PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome).
PCOS as stifled creativity
Another symbolic angle to PCOS highlights the birthing potential associated with ovulation and lack thereof. The ovaries are the beginning of the creation of life, which enables giving birth to a baby, but also to new aspects of oneself or to projects close to our heart.
Ovarian problems indicate a deep conflict over being a woman, expressing my femininity, or being a mother. It could also mean that the creative side is stifled. Indeed, the ovaries are the seat of a woman’s creative engine. All seeds (eggs) live there. In PCOS, those eggs do not mature and are not released out into the world.
So there may be an inner conflict over creating and finding my own way. Do I prefer to play a role that protects me from dangers rather than being myself? Since I locked up my full potential, I also locked up my creativity. I may be not generating or spreading my ideas to the world. Perhaps I have not realised yet that I are the creator and director of my own life. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating my world? Perhaps I do not feel aligned with the work that I do. Is my vocation a fantastic expression of who I am or does it just pay the bills? What areas of my life do I feel unexpressed or unfulfilled? Do I follow my own dreams and desires or am I meeting the expectations of others?
Somehow one can see how the two theories run on a parallel - female potential that fails to manifest, submission to an external influence (whether it is societal construct or a specific person), lack of self-expression, relinquishing one's own identity, needs and desires.
Does this resonate with you? Send me an email contact@dynamize.co with your thoughts and comments. I'd love to chat about this with you!
Sources:
Epigenetics
PCOS conflict of dominance
PCOS stifled creativity
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