As this magazine is a personal passion, fed by the wonderful writing and perspectives of some absolutely FABULOUS contributing writers (Angela Grassi, Holly Amarandei, Suzy Reyes, Sasha Ottey, and more)…well, let me just say this, it takes a lot of work to produce. I’m not complaining one bit. That’s the thing about it being a passion.

This said, life has thrown a couple of curveballs lately and it’s made it hard to concentrate on the magazine. I’m a little late getting the latest issue out to everyone, and I want to apologize for that. The upcoming issue will be out soon, most likely before May 1, and I promise to you that it will provide a great deal of great information!

PCOS Magazine is a group effort, essentially. We are always looking for new writing talent/voices, people who have design or ad sales experience, and more. If you have a talent, the readers of PCOS Magazine will probably benefit from it. Please let us know how you would like to get involved.

will be interviewed by Sasha Ottey of PCOS Challenge.

Here’s the announcement! Please call in and ask a question!

I’ll admit this…the first issue was short. This next issue (which will be out shortly) will be longer. To keep up with this trend, here at PCOS Magazine, we need help! I don’t like short, and I know you, as readers, like more pages and more content. Who doesn’t?

Do you have a background in journalism? Do you like to write? Do you have a unique story idea that you’d like to develop into a story and then contribute? If so, then we want to hear it!

Also, more advertisers means more premium content. We need advertising sales gurus who are willing to work on commission (at least staring out) to help PCOS Magazine add more advertisers to its repertoire. You have the background? Contact the editor!

Virtual copies and subscriptions are a few days away, and we’ll make an announcement here when that option is ready.

In this issue are some great articles about the nutritional needs of teens with PCOS by Angela Grassi of PCOS Nutrition, an introduction to the inCYST Network and Monika Woolsey, and relevant diabetic information you might not have known about. Holly Amarandei talks to us about learning to love exercise, and there’s a great article about dealing with the long-term emotional effects of chronic illness.

Let us know what you think! We’d love to hear your comments on this issue, and if you have ideas for the November/December issue, contact us!

My copy of Angela Grassi’s recent book, “The Dietician’s Guide to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome,” has a glass-bottom stain on it and part of the cover is ripped. Ms. Grassi’s jam-packed tome of up-to-date information about PCOS has been used and reused by this author since its release just a few months ago.

During the past decade or two, a number of books about PCOS have been released. Some are rather general, others carry a heavy load of relevant content. The difference with Ms. Grassi’s book is that while it was originally written with practicing dieticians and nutritionists in mind, women with PCOS will find it a thorough resource. Its more than 200 pages, including appendices, cover topics including both the physical and psychological aspects of PCOS, dietary strategies, alternative and complementary treatments, PCOS in adolescence, pregnancy, eating disorders, and sample menu plans. For dieticians, Ms. Grassi provides common IDC-9 codes and case studies, as well as organizations and publications that can provide both professionals and PCOS patients with more information about the disorder.

Throughout the book, Ms. Grassi asks a number of compelling questions and makes a number of compelling statements about working with women with PCOS. Does the American diet cause PCOS? The role of the dietician in treating PCOS. Weight loss to improve PCOS: Is it necessary? Polycystic ovary syndrome and pregnancy. In full detail, Ms. Grassi covers the Glycemic Index, postpartum weight management with PCOS, antiandrogen therapy in adolescence, thorough descriptions of herbs and supplements that can be used to decrease the severity of PCOS symptoms, and questions dieticians can use to screen patients for PCOS. Especially helpful to this author, who likes to have quantifiable information to gauge her food intake by, is a table of suggested carbohydrates amounts for women with PCOS, dependent on calorie intake. As a reformed label reader, I can now decipher how each serving’s grams of carbohydrates fit into the grand scheme of my diet.

Rounding out Ms. Grassi’s book are sample menu plans and a candid discussion of quality of life issues affecting women with PCOS, and how they can lead to the development of eating disorders. Following each chapter is a complete list of references for both professionals and women with PCOS to find more information.

Designed to accompany this guide is the PCOS Nutrition Handout Series on CD. Included on the CD (sold separately) are 20 printer-ready assessment, food exchange, mindful eating exercises, resources for PCOS clients, shopping for whole grains, and nutritional supplement handouts, among many more, for use by dieticians and nutritionists working with PCOS clients.

Published by Luca Publishing of Haverford, Penn., “The Dietician’s Guide to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome” is a book that not only every practicing dietician and nutritionist should have on their shelves, but any professional who comes into clinical contact with women suffering from PCOS. But not only will professionals working with PCOS clients find this book helpful, but women with PCOS will be well-armed to work with their doctors, dieticians, reproductive endocrinologists, and gynecologists to fight the symptoms of PCOS and its related issues. “Although it’s a little technical,” Ms. Grassi said, “I think it is a great resource for all women with PCOS.”

More information about the book and CD handout series can be obtained by visiting Ms. Grassi’s site at www.PCOSnutrition.com, or by e-mailing her at agrassi@pcosnutrition.com.

In 2004, I was then diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic illness of pain that attacks joints and muscles, leaves those with it exhausted. The simple act of 30 minutes walking around a trail has been known to leave me wiped out for two days afterwards. With this diagnosis, the pain, the exhaustion came back with all the pain. I gained very ounce of weight back.

I saw my general physician this week. He asked me to start testing my blood sugars once a day. What hit me the hardest was when he said “I’d suggest diabetic education, but….you have to want to make it a part of you.” I realized that I’d given up on my health. Here I am, focused on publishing this magazine (and being successful at it) about PCOS, and yet I know for a fact that I’d previously started winning the war against it with diet and exercise. It’s like I hit my 30s and said “screw it.”

With the fibro, I have just grown tired. Not only that, I’ve grown afraid of exhausting myself any futher than I already constantly am. My wonderful fiance gives me hell on a regular basis if I try to hide behind the fibro symptoms. He’s right…I try to use it as a crutch.

All-in-all this still leaves me scratching my head. How in the world am I supposed to fight the PCOS symptoms if I sometimes feel like I can barely move? If just the act of walking down my hallway makes my knees pop, my shoulder ache, and my body screaming at me to put my feet back up and not get up.

I wonder what other women with the similar set of issues do to deal with this?