Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) is one of the most common hormonal disorders affecting women during their reproductive years, usually between the ages of 12 and 45. According to UNICEF, nearly one in three
menstruating women worldwide lives with the condition.
Yet, for many, PCOD doesn’t announce itself clearly. The signs often arrive quietly, irregular periods, sudden weight gain, stubborn acne, easy to blame on stress or lifestyle changes.
At its core, PCOD is driven by hormonal imbalance and genetic predisposition. In a typical menstrual cycle, the ovaries take turns releasing a mature egg each month.
In women with PCOD, however, this process is disrupted. The ovaries may release immature or partially developed eggs that fail to ovulate and instead form small, fluid-filled cysts.
There is no single cure, but PCOD can be managed, sometimes significantly reversed, through sustained lifestyle changes. It is a reality Dr Geetika Tanwar came to understand not as a doctor, but as a patient, when she realised she had overlooked the very symptoms she once studied in medical school.
When Dr Tanwar, a Medical Officer based in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, was preparing for her final-year MBBS examinations, PCOD was not something she suspected would become personal.
At the time, she was healthy, active, and fit. Her weight hovered around 55 kg, and she had no history of hormonal or menstrual issues. Like most medical students in their final year, however, her routine changed drastically as exams approached.
For nearly three months, her life narrowed down to just three activities: studying, eating, and sleeping. Physical activity disappeared entirely. Long hours of sitting, irregular meals, poor sleep, and constant academic pressure became the norm.
Soon, subtle changes began to appear. “I started noticing changes. My periods became irregular. I experienced heavy bleeding, and then my next cycle got delayed by a month. Initially, I ignored it, assuming it was physiological or stress-related. But when my periods didn’t come even after one and a half months, I decided to consult a gynaecologist,” says Dr Tanwar.
She was prescribed a short course of medication and reassured that stress could temporarily delay menstruation. The cycle returned, but nothing else in her lifestyle changed.
And that’s when things escalated. Within weeks, Dr Tanwar developed severe, painful acne across her cheeks, chin, nose, and forehead, something she had never experienced in her life.
“The acne was cystic, persistent, and inflamed. I also noticed increased facial hair growth. And my periods stopped, and this time for nearly two months,” Dr Tanwar says, recalling her symptoms.
Alongside these symptoms came rapid weight gain. In a short span, her weight increased by nearly five kilograms, reaching close to 60 kg.
Ironically, these were textbook symptoms she had studied in medical school—acne flare-ups, unexplained weight gain, elevated stress hormones, and menstrual irregularities. Yet, recognising them in herself took time. When she finally stepped back and looked at the full picture, everything added up, and she underwent an ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis.
The ultrasound revealed a thickened endometrial lining and two small cysts in her right ovary. Though small in size, they were enough to trigger hormonal disruption. The investigations finally confirmed the diagnosis: Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD).
Her doctor explained that early control could prevent long-term complications, but untreated PCOD often leads to persistent symptoms: acne, mood swings, weight gain, and difficulty losing weight. Her gynaecologist was clear: weight loss had to be the first step.
“At that point, my acne was worsening daily. I consulted a dermatologist and tried topical treatments multiple times, hoping they would help. But there was no improvement because the issue was internal, purely hormonal. No topical treatment could fix that,” says Dr Tanwar. Her gynaecologist was clear: weight loss had to be the first step.
“I also started experiencing hair thinning and excessive hair fall, which further pushed me to take action. After my results, I joined a gym while simultaneously starting my medical internship,” she says.
“Maintaining a routine was difficult due to duty hours, but I tried my best because my doctor clearly told me that PCOD is a physiological condition that can be reversed to an extent. So I committed myself fully,” she added.
In the first month, she managed to work out only 15–20 days. Her acne began to reduce slightly, but the weight loss was slow, barely 1 to 1.5 kg. Doctor Tanwar explains that a high level of stress leads to increased cortisol release, a hormone known to resist weight loss.
It was clear to her that exercise alone wouldn’t be enough. Dietary changes were essential.
Dr Tanwar says that, based on medical guidelines, ideal body weight is roughly calculated as height in centimetres minus 100
“Based on my height, my ideal weight was around 55–56 kg. Since I had crossed that limit, hormonal issues had begun. I started with small but consistent dietary changes. Because of duty hours, I couldn’t follow fixed meal timings, but I ensured that: I ate by 11–12 pm if on morning duty, and I finished dinner by 9 pm if on night duty.”
Protein intake was a challenge, especially as a vegetarian. Preparing protein-rich meals during internship hours was impractical. To compensate, she added three boiled eggs daily, providing around 16 grams of protein. Dr Tanwar underlines that an adult women require 20–22 grams daily, but given her professional circumstances, it was a meaningful improvement.
“In the mornings, since breakfast was often impossible, I started having dry fruits and nuts. For lunch, I tried to eat fibre-rich meals with plenty of salad,” she adds.
Instead of following social media health trends, she opted for a scientific approach. Her first goal was stabilising blood sugar levels, for which she consulted a nutritionist. Simple additions like drinking fenugreek seed water in the morning helped regulate glucose levels throughout the day.
She also learned about seed cycling, a dietary practice aligned with the menstrual cycle. Pumpkin seeds during the follicular phase, followed by sunflower and sesame seeds in the luteal phase, were introduced cautiously under professional guidance.
At night, she began consuming ‘isabgol’ (psyllium husk) with warm water—an age-old Indian remedy and a reliable source of dietary fibre.
Her routine wasn’t perfect. Like most doctors, she couldn’t follow everything consistently. But she managed to eat on time, exercise four to five days a week, combine strength training with moderate cardio, and consciously reduce stress; the improvements were undeniable.
Dr Tanwar highlights that “PCOD works in cycles. Increased stress raises cortisol, which disrupts hormonal balance, leading to irregular periods, acne, and weight gain, again and again. If this continues unchecked, PCOD can progress to PCOS, affecting multiple organs and fertility in the long run.”
For Dr Geetika Tanwar, the lesson was both professional and deeply personal:
Sometimes, even doctors fail to recognise illness until the body forces them to listen. Speaking from personal experience, she encourages women to focus on simple lifestyle habits—eating balanced meals, staying active, and keeping stress in check.
She says consistent changes can help restore hormonal balance, sometimes even without medication, and make a real difference in managing PCOD. “PCOD is a physiological condition, not a permanent fate,” she adds.
