Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or simply called ‘PCOS’ is a hormonal disorder common to women. But some of those who have it, just found it out until they are having difficulty getting pregnant or irregular monthly periods. Its exact cause is unknown but it’s thought to be genetic or due to hygiene. Gladly, many are opening up about it and sharing their experiences and medical treatment.
But did you know that even in our local entertainment industry there are Filipino celebrities with PCOS?
- Moira Dela Torre
The singer-songwriter first spoke about PCOS during her guesting on Hannah Pangilinan‘s YouTube channel. Of her symptoms, she shared, “Like there’s brain fog, there’s psoriasis, there’s depression, there’s anxiety, na minsan I feel like hiding in my music videos, there’s insomnia. Like so much that polycystic ovaries affect your body to be like…It’s a hormonal thing.”
Music, exercise, and her family have helped Moira cope up and move forward.
- Inka Magnaye
Internet sensation-turned-TV host Inka Magnaye was also diagnosed with PCOS. “I had heavy and painful periods that lasted [seven to] 10 days, that would leave me bed-ridden for a week. But on the flip side, I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain a pound.” This changed when a cyst in her ovary ruptured. Now, her symptoms are different.
“My periods are now painless and last three days max, but I experience debilitating migraines. I have little to no acne, but my sensitivity to carbs makes me bloat if I don’t work out and follow a relatively low carb diet. My dips into depression and anxiety are also more frequent now. And the mood swings…”
Everything gets worse when she gains weight, which is why she puts in a lot of effort to maintain her physical and mental health by proper exercise and a healthy lifestyle.
- Pauleen Luna
Pop Culture Filipino Celebrities with PCOS: Struggles and inspiration
In March 2021, Pauleen posted a clip of her working out with a pilates machine. In the caption, she revealed that “living with PCOS is not a joke.” She tried to eat better and work out more (her go-to exercises are pilates, walking, and spinning).
A few months later, she posted, “Back to my pre-baby body (after three years?!?) I only started to take this fitness journey seriously in February 2021 but boy am I glad I did!” Lots of hard work and discipline, indeed.
- KC Concepcion
During an interview on Tim Yap‘s online show, KC said that though she’s grateful for work opportunities, she’s been dealing with her PCOS diagnosis, which is why she’s been holding back. “I always want to be at my best. I want to be physically fit. I want to look good. I want to get my body tight. When I look good, I feel good.
The actress said that she hopes to talk about it more in the future because “a lot of women have it. It’s quite common but not a lot of people talk about it. That’s something I want to talk about in-depth later.”
- Winwyn Marquez
In an interview with PEP.ph, Winwyn said that she found out she had PCOS in 2019, and that the biggest struggle was the weight gain. “I had a hard time adjusting sa pag-change ng body ko since I gained a few pounds, bloated na uncomfortable minsan, mood swings, it really depends. You just have to find the right balance…It’s hard to adjust, actress said.
Luckily, Winwyn welcomes her first baby girl named Luna Teresita Rayn, with her non-showbiz boyfriend.
- Cindy Kurleto
In an interview, the actress and host revealed that she was juggling too many projects when she was diagnosed with PCOS: “I was working for MTV, Encantadia, Eat Bulaga, Daddy Di Do Du and I had little pictorials for billboards scheduled at the same time.”
Cindy said the doctor advised her to slow down, “I was maxed out. Then, the doctor told me, ‘Your hormones are going crazy. You need to rest if you want to have a chance at family life, at motherhood. You need to give your body some relaxing energy.'” The Filipino-Austrian decided to quit showbiz and move to Peru, where she and her family stayed for 10 years.
- Nadine Samonte
Nadine was diagnosed with PCOS and Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APAS) when she got pregnant with her first child in 2015. Now pregnant with her third baby, she posted on Instagram: “Yes, I still have PCOS and mostly APAS. This journey is particularly different from my two kids. We almost lost our baby during my first trimester but with God’s grace and guidance, hindi niya kami pinabayaan.”
The expecting mom ended her post with a few encouraging words, “Ang dami kong iniyak sa journey na ‘to hehe…pero I won’t give up EVER! I’ll fight and stay strong for them!!!
For women with PCOS, instead of having 120,000 receptors, which decreases as you get older, there are only around 5,000 receptors. This means you have less landing sites for insulin, less doors to open for sugar, and less sugar metabolized by your cell.
So what happens to all the excess sugar? It goes to your liver and pancreas turns it into fat, which explains the immense weight gain that some PCOS patients experience. The pancreas secretes insulin. When the pancreas detects unburned excess sugar, its reaction is to send more insulin through your system with the hope of bringing the sugar down. Dr. Singson notes, “Hindi naman alam ng pancreas mo that there aren’t enough receptors.”
All that excess insulin will now bombard your ovaries to secrete high levels of testosterone. How do they cope? They tend to deviate to music, arts, and find time to detoxify life by simply relaxing, proper diet, healthy lifestyle and being more active. It works!
Cover photo from freepik.com
