PCOS symptoms as Pretty Little Liars’ Sasha Pieterse shares her experience battling the hit series

Actress Sasha Pieterse, best known for her role as Alison DiLaurentis on Pretty Little Liars, has shared her experience dealing with PCOS. The actress said she was confused about her health problems and also gained five stone in a year.

Appearing on the Pretty Little Liars: True Crime podcast alongside former co-stars Lindsey Shaw and Tammin Sursok, who played Paige McCullers and Jenna Marshall, respectively, the actress confessed that she visited 17 gynecologists and an endocrinologist before receiving a official diagnosis.

She said: “The hard part was not knowing what was going on. Because if I knew, “well, well, this is because PCOS, I’m gaining weight, I’m fluctuating.”

READ MORE: Dunelm shoppers ‘fall asleep’ on ‘vibrant’ £29 garden chair

READ MORE: Asda fans find George dress ‘beautiful’ and ‘perfect’ £11

“I gained 75 pounds in one year and had no idea why. And I’m on a TV show, aren’t I? And I play the “it’ girl” character.

She said if she had known what she was going through, she would have been open about it and raised awareness of other young women going through the same thing. Sasha claimed that some people thought she had gained weight due to pregnancy.

She said: “I would say that for the most part, people have been fine on set. I didn’t go crazy, no one came up to me and said “you need to lose weight”, but I felt it in other ways. I felt it in the writing.

“I could feel a transition of what they were doing in the show with my character. And of course the way I was dressed. I looked like a politician for three years.”

Sasha confessed that some of the costume department’s choices for her character made her feel like she was covered up. But he admitted the team was “respectful” of the changes he went through physically.

The actress explained that weight gain was the most “physical” indicator of PCOS, but that she also experienced irregular periods, fatigue and a “rejection” of “good things” for her body. She said: “I would physically throw up. after eating a salad, which made no sense.

“It’s been a long journey. I went to 17 gynecologists, they all thought I was crazy. For example, I’ve been asked questions like, “Well, you have to be lying because how many times do you go to a fast food restaurant? Like, tell me’.

“It was like I was making it up in my head, basically. I went to an endocrinologist and told her what I was dealing with and she said, “I think you have PCOS.”

The actress explained that she underwent several tests and tried different medications, one of which she still takes today to keep her period regular. She also claimed that her pregnancy with her three-year-old son, Hendrix, is a key factor in helping to regulate her hormones.

What is PCOS?

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common condition that affects the way a woman’s ovaries work. There are three main features of the condition, which include irregular periods, excess androgens (high levels of ‘male’ hormones in the body) and polycystic ovaries.

The latter is where your ovaries become enlarged and contain many fluid-filled sacs (follicles) that surround the eggs. According to the NHS, if you have at least two characteristics, you may be diagnosed with PCOS.

Symptoms of PCOS

In accordance with NHS, not every woman with PCOS will experience all the symptoms of the condition and its severity may differ. Some women just have menstrual problems or can’t get pregnant, or both.

Common symptoms include:

• irregular periods or none at all
• difficulty getting pregnant (due to irregular ovulation or lack of ovulation)
• excessive hair growth (hirsutism) – usually on the face, chest, back or buttocks
• weight gain
• thinning of the hair and loss of hair from the head
• oily skin or acne

Having PCOS can increase your chances of developing health problems later in life, such as type 2 diabetes, depression, high blood pressure and cholesterol, and sleep apnea. Women who have had absent or very irregular periods (fewer than three or four periods a year) for many years have a higher than average risk of developing cancer of the lining of the uterus (endometrial cancer).

Receive newsletters with the biggest and latest TV and showbiz news registration here