Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (aka PCOS) is a little talked about condition that affects women across the world. Its characteristic symptoms of acne, weight gain or issues managing weight, insulin resistance, hormone imbalance, male-pattern hair growth, infertility, and cystic follicles on ovaries make PCOS a condition that is complicated to manage, difficult to diagnose, and unendingly frustrating.

PCOS is a common condition and, supposedly, easily treatable. But knowing that many others are struggling with the same thing you are doesn’t make it any easier to mentally and physically deal with the implications of this condition.

While it is comforting to know that such public women as Jillian Michaels, Victoria Beckham, and Daisy Ridley have and continue to struggle with the implications of PCOS, it doesn’t make addressing your personal symptoms any easier.

College is such an amazing period of your life.

You are broadening your mind more than ever, you are making connections with people and building friendships like never before, and you have the unique opportunity to follow your passions.

Managing the symptoms of your PCOS shouldn’t detract from this amazing, whirlwind college experience.

After going to several doctors and specialists about my PCOS, I began college under the impression that yah, it sucks, but besides the birth control pill, there’s nothing that can be done.

After years of research and trial and error, I can tell you that’s 100% not true. And, the remedies I found are not only simple to implement on a daily basis, but also inexpensive.

I’m going to hit you with the most difficult one to wrap your head around first, so bear with me:

1. Apple Cider Vinegar.

Yes, I know, IT TASTES SO BAD. But jeez, the things it can do more than compensates for its, shall we say, unique flavor.

Drinking 1 tablespoon, diluted with water (this is super important because drinking vinegar straight can literally burn your esophagus), of the stuff every morning works with your body internally to address the many complications surrounding PCOS.

For one, Apple Cider Vinegar works to naturally balance the pH levels in your body. Which might not seem super connected to PCOS, but the imbalance is the root cause of virtually everything to do with PCOS. So, helping your body to instill balance on a pH level can improve its function overall and have a ripple effect.

More directly in line with addressing PCOS, apple cider vinegar has huge impacts in regulating your blood sugar levels, which is a huge factor in the weight gain and struggles with maintaining a healthy weight, as a result of the insulin resistance that goes along with PCOS.

Tips to making a daily dose of apple cider vinegar easier to stick with: Straws are your best friends. Mix the tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with a quarter cup of water in a cup. Guzzle it through a straw to avoid contact with your tongue and speed up the process. Have something to eat or drink nearby so you can get the taste out of your mouth quickly.

2. Glucocil.

Glucocil is a supplement targeted at moderating blood sugar levels. It’s completely natural and herbal, so no matter if you’re like me and struggling with gaining 5 pounds that just won’t let go or with gaining 50 pounds that presents a significant danger to your health, Glucocil and natural blood sugar stabilizers like it won’t interfere with your current prescribed medication or potentially make you hyperglycemic.

It contains important ingredients like Alpha Lipoic Acid, Chromium, Cinnamon bark, Corosolic Acid, Gymnema Sylvestre extract, and many others that help to address the insulin resistance that is so characteristic of PCOS.

My doctor was hesitant about putting me on any sort of prescribed insulin medication, as I was at a normal weight and she was concerned about the potential to make me hyperglycemic.

But, I was physically and mentally struggling with the fact that eating virtually any carbohydrate would immediately show up on my body. It was impacting every choice I made and began to make me feel like a hamster on a wheel: trying so hard but getting nowhere.

So, if you struggle with weight control and insulin resistance, Glucocil, or supplements aimed at moderating blood glucose levels, is a great alternative.

It is super easy: you take two of the pills with lunch and two with dinner. Which logically makes sense, because those are the times of day when your blood sugar levels would become an issue.

3. Respecting your dietary intolerances.

For a lot of us, if we are intolerant or sensitive to some food or class of foods, we often try to ignore that we are. For years I knew I was lactose intolerant, but insisted on still eating ice cream and dairy products.

But, ignoring your various intolerances or food sensitivities carries with it more consequences with PCOS. Ingesting foods that you are intolerant to provokes increased inflammation in your body, especially with dairy and gluten.

Since inflammation is already a significant issue with the negative symptoms associated with PCOS and the cause of PCOS, provoking your body and inflaming it further simply exasperates the issue.

Believe me, I know, all of the good tasting food, like Oreos and fried chicken and cookie dough and ice cream, have gluten or dairy in them. But, there are so many seriously great tasting alternatives that I promise, it is way easier than you think. And, you will notice a huge improvement virtually instantly.

4. Ashwagandha Extract.

High cortisol levels, infertility, anxiety, depression, insulin resistance, irregular periods, and weight gain are all factors associated with PCOS. Amazingly, Ashwagandha extract helps with ALL of that.

It’s a natural herb that is attributed to addressing all of those symptoms. Since an imbalance of hormone levels is the central trigger for many of the issues that come with PCOS, the ability for Ashwagandha to act as a balancer to hormone levels makes it super powerful in managing PCOS.

Plus, it comes in a pill form so it is easy to incorporate into your day when you have a thousand other things going on, like planning a beach trip with your friends.

5. Vitex.

Also referred to as the Chaste Tree, Vitex is an herb that has been used throughout much of the world to moderate hormone imbalances. It aids in the function of the pituitary gland, which regulates the balance between the various hormones that affect ovulation and the formation of cysts.

Plus, Vitex is commonly used for alleviating hormonal acne, which is a pretty prominent aspect of PCOS that makes it so difficult to deal with on a daily basis.

Again, tons of brands sell capsule forms of Vitex. It’s sold on Amazon, so all you Prime members can literally get it delivered to your doorstep.

6. Maca Powder.

You’ve probably heard of Maca powder as a common smoothie ingredient, often used for its energy boosting properties. But, thankfully for us, it can do a heck of a lot more.

While Maca does increase sustained energy, improve stamina, and elevate your metabolism, Maca also can uniquely balance hormone levels, in both men and women, due to its influence on the adrenal, thyroid, and pituitary glands.

Maca doesn’t contain hormones itself, so it won’t throw off your hormone levels in any way or exasperate issues already present. Instead, it promotes your body’s ability to regulate its hormones on its own, which is a significant step in addressing PCOS long-term.

Maca also helps to reduce stress throughout the body and, let’s face it, college is super stressful no matter what so that’s just another reason to consume Maca daily.

BONUS: All of these are sold online. You do not have to take the time out of your day to hunt for a store that carries these supplements. I have personally purchased all of these products online through Amazon, except apple cider vinegar, which is sold at most grocery stores.

Side Note: Everyone and their mother harps on the importance of drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated.

However, taking concentrated supplements, while can be very beneficial, can also be damaging to your liver and kidneys if you do not drink the amount of water you need. This is true for any kind of supplement, including protein powder.

An important factor with any of these remedies is consistency: if you stick to it and follow the directions provided on the product label, you are infinitely more likely to see results.

Managing PCOS is hard, if not impossible at times. You are a busy college student, doing what college students should do: learning, building relationships, and making memories.

I have spent years trying to find out how to deal with everything I was experiencing because of PCOS: countless hours of research and going to doctors only to be told that there were no other real options was disheartening.

To look around me and see my family members and friends not have to think about what they ate or what their skin care regimen was like, in the depth that I did, was an incredibly frustrating experience.

I truly want to pay it forward.

I have had unimaginable success with these alternatives. They work together to counteract a condition that affects the function of my body on so many levels.

I want you to have the empowerment that comes with taking control of your health.

I want you to have the freedom and flexibility in your life to do what you want and not have to constantly be thrown face-to-face with the side-effects of PCOS.

I want you to avoid as much as possible the struggle I have had in gaining control of my PCOS.

If anything, I hope this has brought you a new perspective in catering your approach to PCOS.