I saw something recently about Oprah - I think that she was having some troubling 'symptoms (maybe fatigue) and weight gain (about 20 lb I think). I think that she had difficulty getting the answer about why she was having there problems, perhaps having to see several doctor, before she she was finally diagnosed with Hypothyroidsim. (I could identify with a lot of what was said about her experience.)
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Originally Posted by savoy907  I think Oprah is staying away from PCOS because of the "weight" thing.
We all know there are women who use PCOS as an excuse for being "overweight", and I think that's why Oprah stays away from this subject. |
I have to admit that I sort of made the same assumption that you did about the "weight thing" being the reason that she and the producers of have not seemed to have taken much interest in PCOS as a show topic as of yet. I am not sure that it is so much that women use PCOS as an excuse - it very likely does happen but often that is assumption people make when there is really 'more to it'. I think the the 'more to it' might really be the awkward thing for the Oprah show (although certainly I don't know for sure why they do not seem more interesting in PCOS) But the fact that some or even many women with PCOS are predisposed to having difficulty with their weight might be awkward for the Oprah show because she has championed several authors of weight loss books that seem to me to hold the view that weight management is always completely (or almost completely) within one's control. 'Predisposed' does not mean that there is nothing that you can do about it but I think it can be the case that many women with PCOS are really at a disadvantage when it comes to weight management and it might be that it is less within our control than it is for people who do not have PCOS or other medical conditions that predispose them to weight difficulty. I think that psychologically is it beneficial to have a mindset that it is within your control - but I think that it would also be better if people who made their living providing services and information related to weight loss were more aware and understanding about the fact that for some people it really is less within their control than it is for most people.
If you have the weight problems associated with PCOS but you do not know what your condition is or why your are having so much difficult you are at an even bigger disadvantage in terms of successfully managing your weight - which is just one of the very good reasons it would be such a great thing if PCOS was featured on shows like Oprah's.
I am sorry that Oprah is having health problems (it seemed like she had finally mastered her long, painful struggle with weight several years ago) but I sort of hope that something good that might come out of it is a shift in thinking when in comes to health conditions that have an adverse effect on one's ability to manage their weight.
One thing that is sort of hopeful is that Dr Oz dose have a small section in one of his book about PCOS - I think it is 'You on a Diet'. I think it is in a chapter about hormonal imbalances that can affect weight - maybe someday that could be the topic of a show someday!