- What PCOS really is and how to recognize its symptoms
- Rohini Bajekal’s journey from Theology at Oxford to nutrition and lifestyle medicine
- How a plant-based diet can help manage PCOS
- Common myths and misconceptions about PCOS
- Practical steps for women who suspect they have PCOS
Full Transcript:
Dr. Aimee: Did you know that one in ten women are affected by PCOS, yet 75% remain undiagnosed? Today, we’re diving into this often misunderstood condition with nutritionist and author Rohini Bajekal, whose groundbreaking book ‘Living PCOS Free’ is literally changing the way we approach health and nutrition. Stay tuned as we explore the myths, solutions, and personal stories behind this life-changing work and the unique journey that Rohini took from studying theology at Oxford to transforming lives through plant-based nutrition. Welcome to the show, Rohini.
Rohini Bajekal: Hi, Aimee. Thank you so much for having me here. I’m really excited.
Dr. Aimee: Me too. The title of today’s show is Living PCOS Free with Rohini Bajekal. Rohini is a London-based nutritionist and coauthor of ‘Living PCOS Free.’ After earning a theology degree from Oxford University, she worked in branding and marketing for food startups in Mumbai and Singapore before pursuing her passion for nutrition. A board-certified lifestyle medicine professional with personal experience managing PCOS, she is dedicated to making plant-based, evidence-based wellness accessible to all.
From a theology degree at Oxford to a career in nutrition, your journey is fascinating. What sparked your shift in focus, and how has your diverse academic background influenced your approach to nutrition and wellness?
Rohini Bajekal: It’s definitely a more unusual path. I guess I’ve always been drawn to asking big questions, and I think that’s what led me to getting my PCOS diagnosis. When it came to going on that journey, I’ve grown up in a medical family, my parents are both surgeons. My mom is a gynecologist, and I know you had her on the show recently. Of course, she coauthored the book with me. We always grew up discussing things around women’s health. It was always fascinating to my friends at school, like, “Wow, I wish my mom was a gynecologist.”
Being South Asian, we discussed a lot of topics that were not necessarily spoken about in our community, and they were really destigmatized. I was really comfortable discussing and using certain terms for things. My dad would run out and get my pads when I was at school and things like that. We had that upbringing where we did discuss medical issues, and also our passion for healthcare, so it’s not surprising that I went down the path. Although, I’ve definitely focused on the more preventative and holistic side of that.
It was at Oxford University, actually, that I first started experiencing PCOS symptoms. We know that they start, for the majority of people, in those reproductive years. When I was living at home, I was eating mostly healthy home cooked Indian food, I was quite active, we had a dog. When I started at university, that’s when my lifestyle took a sudden turn for the worse, like many university students, late nights, binge drinking, studying late. I noticed that these symptoms started creeping up. Honestly, at the time, I had no idea that it was PCOS. I just thought something was wrong with me, I was developing severe cystic acne on my jawline, my hair was falling out, my periods started to hop and skip, and I was incredibly anxious. I often wouldn’t leave my room for days at a time. Of course, my mother being an OBGYN said it could be PCOS. But being 19, I didn’t really want to listen to what she had to say at the time, so it did take several more years before I got that official diagnosis.
It certainly started me on a path of looking at my health more deeply and trying to address things from the inside out.
Dr. Aimee: How has your experience with PCOS influenced your work?
Rohini Bajekal: My experience with PCOS has influenced my work in every single way. I think that people look at health professionals, and they think we have all of the answers. I’m sure you have this all the time. They think you’re a doctor, or you’re a nutritionist, “I bet you eat healthy every single day.” I think it just humanizes you. I think that as health professionals, sharing our vulnerabilities and our stories connects us to our clients or patients.
I still let my own clients know that I’m on my healing journey, I’m always learning things about PCOS. I certainly don’t have all of the answers for everything. I’m always looking at all of those six lifestyle pillars, finding ways to manage my stress better, get more diverse plants on my plate, and make sure that I move my body regularly. All of these things are a work in progress. I think it’s that passion for helping women and showing people that they can be in the driving seat, we all have the tools and we have the ability to help ourselves.
I think that with PCOS, there is such a spectrum in a sense. It’s not a disease; it’s a condition that’s a constellation of symptoms. No two people with PCOS are the same. In fact, while we do have the official Rotterdam criteria, there are lots of other symptoms that never really get discussed. Whether it’s aspects such as higher risk of obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, sleep apnea, and other ways in which higher androgen levels can manifest. I think that it can be confusing for people. Often, with clients, I help them join the dots to realize that binge-eating is actually connected to PCOS because those higher androgen levels are appetite-stimulating. That can be a real reason why maybe when you open that bag of crisps or tuck into the ice cream, it can be especially hard to stop. We know those cravings can be amplified in the luteal phase, just before your period begins. I think bringing that awareness and that knowledge of our bodies can really help people.
Dr. Aimee: In your book, Living PCOS Free, you talk about regaining your hormonal health. As you’ve shared, and as we all know, PCOS gets misunderstood, as it’s a complex endocrine disorder. As your mom has shared, it’s not specifically a gynecological disease. Can you explain what PCOS is, and what does it do to your body?
Rohini Bajekal: PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome, it’s a little bit of a mouthful. Often, people mistakenly believe this is to do with cysts. These are not true ovarian cysts. These are sort of multicystic follicles or follicles that don’t reach maturity. That’s just one aspect of the way that this presents.
It’s best thought of as an endocrine condition that affects how the ovaries function, and it has a variety of reproductive, psychological, metabolic effects on the body. I mentioned a few of those things, like gaining excess weight, excess facial and body hair growth, or adult acne, especially in that jawline area, often called cystic or nodular acne. These are all signs of that inflammation, of higher androgen levels.
For many women with PCOS, the driver is insulin resistance. It’s insulin resistance which is responsible for most of the common symptoms of PCOS, including things like the mood disorders that I mentioned. Treating the underlying insulin resistance is really important. For some people, it might be a combination of medications, but diet and lifestyle always need to be part of the discussion. That is actually why national and international guidelines recommend diet as first line treatment. It’s important to get that across. I think in the book, we tried to get that across to people because there is a lot of medication shaming sometimes. We don’t want that either. We wanted people to know that no matter where you’re at, there is always space to bring in tweaks. It’s those small consistent changes which can yield massive results in PCOS.
With insulin resistance, changing what’s on our plates can make a difference, but also improving insulin sensitivity. That’s how well our body is actually responding to the hormone insulin, helping us to metabolize carbohydrates and break them down into glucose for energy. A simple thing could be a short ten-minute walk after a meal. That can help to curb those insulin surges and bring down glucose levels. Other things could be getting more fiber, getting more plant protein, getting more sleep. All of these, amazingly, are fantastic for hormonal health more generally, and of course for fertility.
I have to mention this here. You can have PCOS and it can coexist with other conditions. It was only a couple of years ago that I was actually diagnosed with severe endometriosis on top of the PCOS. They can coexist. They are thought to start in utero, although we don’t know the exact cause. It’s quite complex. There are genetic factors, there are environmental factors, but you can have PCOS and have other things. If you have very painful periods or you have things like that, those are big red flags. Definitely don’t think, “I have PCOS, I can’t possibly have something else,” that might be at play there.
Dr. Aimee: First of all, I’m sorry that you have severe endometriosis. Thank you for sharing so much about your own personal journey as we’re talking, because I imagine there are people out there listening that you’re helping just by sharing your story.
There’s a chapter in your book called ‘It’s Not Fair: How PCOS Affects People of Color.’ PCOS is more common in some populations, but it seems to have been studied mostly in white women. What do Black and South Asian women need to know, and do we know why PCOS impacts different populations so differently?
Rohini Bajekal: These are such great questions. I think it’s important to say that PCOS is really under-researched, it’s under-studied, like many areas of women’s health, and it’s incredibly frustrating. I am definitely wanting to see that change. I’m sure those listening feel the same.
When it comes to certain groups, it has been under-researched in those groups. We know that PCOS is more prevalent in certain groups, such as those living with excess weight, living with subfertility, but certainly in certain ethnic groups, it can be more prevalent. We know the incidence can be as high as one in four in South Asians, like myself. We also know that symptoms appear to be more severe and can start at an earlier age in certain groups. In Hispanic and South Asian women, things like excess facial and body hair can be more pronounced. We know that in Black women there may be more metabolic disturbances, so more excess weight gain and higher risk of complications in pregnancy as well.
So, it is quite complex. Again, there is no one-size-fits-all. You shouldn’t just be put into a certain box just because you are of a certain race. You need to be treated as an individual, but it is helpful for healthcare providers and professionals to know that. If you are listening, the number one thing that I would say is, unfortunately, that is implicit and explicit bias in healthcare. It’s incredibly important for everyone to advocate for yourselves. If you’re facing that pushback from a health professional, please find someone who is empathetic, who treats you as a human being and hears what you have to say.
If you feel that you may have PCOS, then get help early. It’s so important. The earlier you get help, the more you can be on a path to addressing that insulin resistance, as well as understanding your goals. Maybe they might be fertility related, they might not be, but it’s really helpful finding that community as well. Even within the PCOS community, you might find there’s a fantastic collective here for South Asian women with PCOS in the UK, and there’s a lot of resources out there. Different things can be helpful.
There are specific things that might resonate, especially because in certain contexts and in certain communities, things like fertility issues can be especially stigmatized and it can be quite difficult. Getting that support from people who might understand and who can give you culturally relevant nutrition advice as well. Not everyone is necessarily wanting to be eating quinoa salad and porridge every day. They might be wanting to have their cultural foods in a healthy way. It’s important to get that point across as well.
Dr. Aimee: That’s a great point. One of the most common myths, sometimes perpetuated by OBGYNs to their patients when they say things like, “When it comes to PCOS, you only need to worry about it when you’re ready to get pregnant.” That’s just not true.
Rohini Bajekal: That’s frustrating when I hear that. I’m happy to say that I’m getting younger women in my clinics who are empowering themselves. I think Gen Z are talking about this much more, and that is just awesome. I think you’re so right. Firstly, not everyone wants to have a baby. Of course, many people do. But PCOS can affect every area of your life. We know that it can impact your body image, it can lead to high rates of sexual dysfunction, mood disorders, it can affect you in so many ways. It’s important not to see this as just a fertility condition. Of course, it is the leading cause of subfertility and ovulatory infertility, so I think that’s important for people to know.
I think that you deserve to live a life where you feel at home in your body. Addressing these factors early is so helpful. Also, PCOS is linked to long-term complications, so there’s a higher risk of things like dysregulated lipid profile, which essentially means you might see higher LDL cholesterol, you might see higher levels of triglycerides, you might find that you’re gaining weight more quickly. You can certainly find that menopausal symptoms can be more pronounced. It is potentially associated with a higher risk of things like stroke, cardiovascular disease, and Type II diabetes. Over half of all women with PCOS who are living with excess body weight will develop Type II diabetes by the age of 40. That’s only five years older than I am. That’s really young, 40 is young.
I think by encouraging these healthy lifestyles earlier, it just becomes like second nature. It’s not all or nothing. Trust me, I’m not someone who is up at 5:00 AM every day and in the gym. It’s being kind to ourselves and finding little ways to introduce those changes in all areas of our lives. It’s not all or nothing.
Dr. Aimee: You did such a great job with this book. When I was reading it, I was like this book probably took 10 years to write. How long did it take you and your mom to write this?
Rohini Bajekal: We wrote this in three months during the pandemic.
Dr. Aimee: Wow.
Rohini Bajekal: It was a global pandemic, and my mom was like, “Finally, I have the time. I’ve been a surgeon for 40 years, I have not stopped,” as she raised my sister and I. She was like, “I’m going to write this general book.” I was like, “Please write the book.” I am now in my thirties, but I wish I had this book so many years ago. People deserve to know that this is a condition that just gets labeled in the most horrible way. You hear things like male pattern baldness or you’re infertile, you hear this horrible language around PCOS, it is so stigmatized. I’m very happy to see that more celebrities are coming out and talking about it, because for many years, no one wants to put their hand up and say, “I have to thread my chin hair,” or, “I have to go and see a dermatologist for my acne,” or whatever it is. It’s hard to come out and say you have PCOS, it’s not an easy thing because we live in a society where women are expected to be as smooth as dolphins and only have hair on our heads and nowhere else. It’s very unrealistic.
My mom and I sat down, and we’re very different personalities. She is a powerhouse, very Type A, and I am very perfectionistic. We balance each other out. We’re both very passionate, so we would be driving the rest of the household mad because we’d be up at 11:00 at night discussing research studies. We have over 500 references in our book. We’ve always discussed everything, we’ve always been that way. We have plans to write future things as well. Whether it’s menopause or endometriosis, we’re always discussing things together.
Dr. Aimee: That’s so fun. I envy your relationship. I have little girls, so one day, I hope that they’ll write a book with me. That would be a dream come true.
Rohini Bajekal: That would be amazing. I’m sure they’re going to be passionate about women’s health as well.
Dr. Aimee: In your book, you also offer a 21-day plan and include over 30 plant-based recipes. How do these tools empower women to take control of their health, and what role does plant-based nutrition play in managing PCOS?
Rohini Bajekal: What is important to understand is that it’s not about being 100% vegan or 100% plant-based. It’s the benefits of including more diverse plants on our plate.
There are so many myths about plant-based nutrition. Firstly, the idea that plants don’t have enough protein, or that they’re lacking nutrients or lacking essential amino acids. As a nutritionist myself, I spend many hours every day busting these myths. Plant-based diets have been shown in every area of medicine, pretty much, to be beneficial, alongside all the other therapeutic lifestyle interventions.
It’s meeting the person where they’re at. Right now, fewer than one in ten Americans meets the fiber guidelines every day, and it’s the same in the UK, fewer than one in ten British adults meet the fiber recommendations . Here in the UK, it’s 30 grams per day for adults. It’s actually even less for women in the US. That is shocking. That means nine out of ten of us are fiber-deficient, chronically constipated. Of course, constipation is a problem because bloating and gut issues are common in PCOS. It’s something a lot of people find makes them very uncomfortable. Of course, our poo traps that excess estrogen and it’s really important for healthy elimination. It’s key to get that fiber in, and fiber is only found in plants. By whole food plant-based, I mean fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains like oats and quinoa, foods like that, brown rice, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices, which are the most antioxidant-rich of any food group. Of course, water or herbal teas as your beverage of choice.
How much you go toward that dietary pattern depends on your personal lifestyle. You might have that piece of chicken or that slice of chocolate cake, but most of your plate should be bursting with color. That is not only going to help you with your PCOS, it’s going to help you with your metabolic health, it’s going to help get you that clear lovely skin, it’s going to help you with your fertility goals. That way of eating is suitable for all ages with some tweaks, with some adaptations.
Simple things could be making a swap, going for soymilk in your oats in the morning rather than cow’s dairy. Adding an extra handful of greens when you make that curry or stew. Maybe snacking on berries and nuts, instead of reaching for that chocolate bar or packet of crisps. I think it’s just about making those simple swaps to start with.
There are some key supplements as well that may be important. Especially in PCOS, we know that women with PCOS tend to be more deficient in things like Vitamin D, which also play an important role for fertility. They do need to be assessed on an individual basis, but there are some things. Particularly if you live in the northern latitudes like myself here in London, Vitamin D is really essential. If you’re someone with darker skin like myself as well, then higher levels may be needed.
Dr. Aimee: Thank you for all of that information. Your recipes, I get hungry just looking at them. Banana, oat, and walnut cookies, a green smoothie, a sunshine turmeric shot, and you give instructions as to how to prepare each recipe. Baked sweet potato guacamole and black bean salad sounds delicious.
Rohini Bajekal: This is the kind of thing you can get in any supermarket, it can be batch cooked, and it’s fantastic. If you bake potatoes, whether they’re sweet potatoes or regular potatoes, and you eat them the next day, you increase the amount of resistant starch, which feeds your gut bugs and gives you more of those beneficial short chain fatty acids. There’s helpful tweaks in there. That also helps to lower the glycemic index of the meal.
You don’t have to remember all of these tweaks, but they can all play a helpful role. You don’t need to spend two hours a day in the kitchen. In fact, I’ve seen people almost follow a meal plan too rigidly. They might be spending hours a day trying to follow that perfect fertility-friendly meal plan, but they may be missing out on that time with their partner or with their friends, or cutting back on their quality sleep. It’s looking at that whole picture.
Even quick and easy things can be really helpful. I recommend a smoothie because it’s a fantastic vehicle for getting in all of that goodness. Greens, frozen berries, maybe some soymilk, some cinnamon. You can sip that on your way to work if you’re busy or if you’re rushing after kids or doing whatever it is that you’re doing. That’s a helpful hack right there.
Dr. Aimee: How did you come up with all of these recipes?
Rohini Bajekal: My mom and I are both avid foodies. In South Asian culture, we really celebrate food. I’ve lived in Singapore, which is a foodie paradise. I absolutely love food. I’m the opposite of my husband, who eats to live, so I’m always experimenting.
I wanted to let people know that if you have PCOS, it’s so important to find that food freedom. There are higher rates of disordered eating in PCOS, so finding foods that you enjoy and just making little tweaks so you can still enjoy your cookies, but maybe adding some walnuts or some flaxseed in there, which have a lot of benefits and are rich in omega-3 fats. It’s not necessarily about healthifying every recipe, but it’s that you can enjoy all of your favorite foods with PCOS. You do not need to cut carbs. That is one of the biggest myths about PCOS. It’s so restrictive and harmful, and really unfair. As I said, women with PCOS have a higher risk of disordered eating.
All foods can fit. It’s about finding a way to bring that joy back into your life. That’s what Living PCOS Free is about. It’s not about cutting things out or following this restrictive lifestyle. It’s bringing that joy back in so that you feel good in yourself and, hopefully, you can feel good for many years to come.
Dr. Aimee: I like that. You’ve given us so many great phrases. I just want to put them in a t-shirt, a hat, or a bumper sticker on my car.
For anyone who is listening who suspects they might have PCOS but haven’t received a diagnosis, what advice do you have for them?
Rohini Bajekal: As you said at the start, three in four haven’t received a diagnosis. There is a slightly different criteria for teenagers. It’s important to seek a formal diagnosis. I think it’s really important.
Go there with a list of questions. You’ve written them all down, you have it really clear in your mind, have a history of your menstrual cycle clearly available, unless you’ve been on hormonal birth control and things, and just get all those dates clear. Perhaps take a chaperone along, a friend or your partner, just someone that can be in the room with you because your mind can go blank in those situations. I’ve been there myself, broken down in tears. There’s no shame in feeling that way. Even the smartest people can find that they are lost for words and it can be incredibly overwhelming.
Empower yourself with knowledge first. There are some great resources online. Of course, you have lots of great episodes on PCOS as well. You’ve had my friend Dr. Dylan Cutler on, and lots of other wonderful people in the PCOS community. Empower yourself with that information. Maybe make a timeline of your own health journey, when you started your periods, what your average cycle length is like, any medications. The more detail, the better. Send it in advance to your healthcare provider, if you can, and be prepared to find someone who is going to listen and take it seriously. Unfortunately, there are health professionals who don’t know enough about PCOS themselves. But there are people out there who are going to help you. The earlier you can get help, the earlier that you can make those changes.
Sometimes the focus with PCOS can be on just trying to get pregnant. I know that can be such a big goal, but it’s also about trying to have a healthy pregnancy as well. We do have higher rates of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and these sorts of issues with PCOS. The earlier you can make changes, the better. The advice of trying to conceive for two years doesn’t make sense for PCOS if you’re not having regular periods in the first place. If you’re only having a cycle four times a year, you have to address that first.
Recently, my mother and I went on national TV, which was quite an overwhelming experience for me, I’m a naturally private person, and I found that going on TV, I had people contacting me who I had gone to primary school with. It was helpful, and I had some people reach out to me afterward. A lady who said she got her cycle back after eight months following my advice. She had not had a period in eight months, she wasn’t pregnant, and she was desperate to conceive.
I know that this can work. It’s not that I’m some miracle worker. It’s that so often, it’s the small sustainable changes and no one has necessarily taught you in this way before to realize that all of these dots are joined, that you do have this condition, but it’s not a life sentence. We don’t have a cure for PCOS yet, but it can actually be an opportunity to address all of these pillars of your lifestyle and to start this new healing journey. For some people, that can change their life. Most of us, in the UK and US, are facing a chronic disease epidemic. With PCOS, sometimes it gives you that chance to address those factors earlier than others get a chance to, so I see it as an opportunity sometimes, too.
Dr. Aimee: Absolutely. As an opportunity, it’s not a curse. You don’t have to feel like having the diagnosis means there is something terribly wrong with you. Using it as an opportunity to take good care of yourself, learn about your body, and balance your hormones as early as possible, I don’t see that as a negative thing at all.
Rohini Bajekal: Totally. Just to say another fun fact, this is the most common menstrual disorder among Olympic female athletes. They’re pretty incredible, and 40% of Olympic female athletes in a study had PCOS. We know that it can be a superpower in some ways. They’ve done studies showing that we’ve got greater ability to lift heavier weights. Strength training is something I recommend for everyone because it is super empowering, it can help with that insulin sensitivity, and it can be helpful for that fertility-friendly lifestyle as well where you find that more intense cardio doesn’t fit in the goals of your experience in things like IVF or fertility treatment. Although, I think that’s important for you to discuss with your doctor, I think that strength training can be an incredible and empowering thing to do.
There’s lots of interesting facts about PCOS. I find it all incredibly interesting. The history of it, we even know there are some documents in Hippocrates’s time of women with PCOS, so this is not a new condition. This is literally a tale as old as time.
Dr. Aimee: It’s so funny that you say that. I tell my PCOS patients, sometimes I’m the first one to give them the diagnosis, I literally tell them it is a superpower. I didn’t know that fun fact about Olympians, so now I’m going to add that to what I share with patients.
Rohini Bajekal: It’s super cool. Most women with PCOS, especially when help is sought early and they get the care that they need, will go on to get pregnant. It’s so important to reassure people of that, especially if they’re in that situation where they may have been told that in the doctor’s office at a very young age or may have heard that on the radio or read it that it’s going to be impossible to get pregnant. That sticks in someone’s mind and they can carry that fear, that anxiety.
Dr. Aimee: And carry it for decades, yes.
Rohini Bajekal: Totally. I’ve heard that so many times.
Dr. Aimee: They can be told by their pediatrician or their OBGYN in their early twenties that they’ll never get pregnant, it will be impossible. To carry that with you. Then that patient will come see me over 35, and then I just feel so bad that she was given such wrong information.
Rohini Bajekal: It’s heartbreaking. I do feel that we need to raise awareness of this as rapidly as possible so that we’re not having so many people that don’t know they have PCOS and are wondering why their periods are all over the place or why they’re experiencing these other symptoms. It’s really difficult when you’re left in the dark.
Dr. Aimee: Absolutely. We already talked about a couple of myths already, like you should wait two years and then if you’re not pregnant, get help. With PCOS, that doesn’t make sense. What are some of the most common or surprising myths that you’ve encountered with PCOS, and how does your book debunk them?
Rohini Bajekal: There are just so many. I mentioned the fear of carbohydrates and eating to cut carbohydrates, the myth that you’ll never get pregnant, the myth that you are full of these male hormones, that stigmatizing language. Language is important. We do have a lot of outdated language in healthcare. We need to be conscious and careful of the way we speak to people about it.
I think another one that comes up a lot is about excess body weight. We know there is a complicated relationship between body weight and PCOS, so we know that losing some body fat can help restore cycles in some women with PCOS. But there’s also 20% of those with PCOS who actually are considered lean according to the BMI scale, and they may actually not have much weight to lose. PCOS is complicated. We know that those same lean patients on an MRI scan do show that they have higher amounts of visceral fat, so that’s the fat around their organs, and they might have less subcutaneous fat. We also know that certain ethnic groups might have less subcutaneous fat, but they have more visceral fat and are still experiencing PCOS.
I think that’s why body composition is much more important than focusing on that number on the scale. Strength training and getting more plant protein and fiber is much more in your control than that body weight. Of course, getting care for that is important, seeing a health professional who can guide you, but so often the focus can just be on losing weight at any cost. It has to be a carefully balanced discussion because just losing weight, some women with PCOS will not see this kind of massive decrease in symptoms. It will for some and it won’t for others. You have to consider the way that you get there. If it’s a ketogenic diet where you cut out all of the foods that you love, maybe you’re not socializing at all, literally all you’re doing is focusing on your diet, it’s going to be really difficult to sustain that lifestyle going forward. There’s no one diet for PCOS, but we know that an anti-inflammatory diet that is rich in diverse plants is key. I think that’s kind of a common myth that comes up quite a lot of the time, and you probably hear that as well.
I’ll also just say one point about supplements. Supplements come up a lot, “If I take this supplement, it’s going to cure my PCOS.” I think social media can be a fantastic tool for education and for community, but it can also lead you down these rabbit holes. You’ll be like, I’ll just try that one more thing, or that’s going to be the one thing that sorts me out. There are some interesting supplements and some that are getting a lot of attention right now, like inositol. Some people get great results with some of these supplements.
Things like spearmint tea, which I see as doing no harm. There are studies looking at Turkish women, which found that drinking a couple cups of spearmint tea a day was shown to reduce excess androgen levels and help with facial hair growth. This is a traditional cultural practice in Turkey. Of course, if you enjoy spearmint tea, that’s great.
I think that a lot of supplements are incredibly expensive. I’ve had people say to me, “I can’t afford fruit and veg. I’m spending all this money on supplements.” Sometimes they’re on 16 to 20 different supplements. They don’t even know the names of them sometimes. Sometimes they have interactions. It’s important to say most of the nutrients you can get from your diet, and it should be a food-first approach. There are some key supplements you might want to layer on top, but there isn’t a magic bullet for PCOS. Anyone who preaches that, they’re usually trying to sell something. I’d say just think about that whole picture.
Most of the tools that are going to have the biggest impact for us are actually free of charge. They are something that we can access. It’s difficult, we do live in areas where there are social determinants of health, access to healthy foods, all of this has to be considered as well. But I do think that the supplement industry has a lot to answer for. It’s quite unregulated, so just be judicious when you’re making these kinds of purchasing decisions.
Dr. Aimee: These are all excellent points. For our listeners who want to work with you, how can they do that?
Rohini Bajekal: I do work with clients in the UK, the USA, Canada, and all over the world via telehealth. I focus on nutrition lifestyle medicine, so I look at stress management, movement, nutrition, sleep, avoidance of risky substances, and then relationships as well. All of those six pillars, which are defined by The American College of Lifestyle Medicine, I integrate that into all of the sessions I run. I do one-to-one sessions, which are particularly helpful for anyone who has fertility related goals. I also run a group program for women with PCOS, which is an incredible community. I usually take on about 10 women at a time, it’s a six-week program. We even have yoga for PCOS. We cover all these different aspects.
I think it’s incredible to see other women learning with you and being on that journey together. I absolutely love what I do, as you can see, I really enjoy it. There are other areas of hormonal health and fertility as well that I’m really passionate about. As I mentioned, I have endometriosis myself and I’ve had fertility issues and have been through fertility treatment, so I know what it’s like to walk in those steps. Just a lot of love to anyone who is going through right now. It can be a lot of pressure to optimize the perfect nutrition and lifestyle, but I often take away that pressure for my clients and let them know that it’s progress, not perfection. Just starting to treat ourselves with that kindness that we would show our best friend or anyone else, that’s what we need as women. We definitely need more of that.
Dr. Aimee: Right. Where can people find you and your book?
Rohini Bajekal: I am on Instagram @RohiniBakekal. I also have a free Substack with so many different recipes and articles, totally free of charge. Lots of blogs, lots of different things that I cover around hot topics like bloating or indigestion, or other things like that. Of course, my book, ‘Living PCOS Free.’ Lots of free resources. If you don’t want to buy the book or you don’t want to purchase a package from me, please just message me and I will send you some free resources because everyone is a different situation. I’m based in London, but I do a lot of virtual work.
Dr. Aimee: Excellent. Is there anything else that you’d like to add?
Rohini Bajekal: I just want to add that with PCOS, if you’ve found this conversation helpful, please do share it with someone. Perhaps you listened to it and you don’t have PCOS yourself, but you will have someone in your life who has PCOS. It might be your sister, your friend, your colleague, your employee, your neighbor, a friend in your running club. It’s something that impacts and touches every single one of our lives, and all of us have to play a role in empowering ourselves with that information so we can support and show up for the people in our lives who have PCOS.
I, for one, do not stop talking about it with my friends, my family, my partner. My husband gives me these head massages to help with my PCOS hair loss, so he’s fully onboard with all of my PCOS and everything. I think that’s the way it should be. You have to bring people with you and just destigmatize it. I definitely am someone who has carried a lot of shame for a lot of these things and felt very self-conscious of my skin and all of these other areas about my PCOS. I think the older I get, the more comfortable I am getting in myself and just feeling like I want to share that with everyone else around me.
Dr. Aimee: Rohini, thank you so much for such an enlightening discussion about PCOS. I hope that everyone will take your advice, share this conversation with a friend, and also get your book because there’s so much to learn from it. I think fertility doctors have a lot to learn from your book, and OBGYNs, primary care doctors, and medical endocrinologists. Thank you again for all the work you and your mom have done.
