How Sasha Pieterse Learned to Manage Her PCOS and Love Her Body Again

Which is why she advocates for anyone in a similar position to ask for the blood test that uncovered the mystery of her PCOS. 

“When I got my diagnosis, my doctor was like, okay, so you need to look at this differently,” she said, explaining how she traded in cardio-heavy sessions for low-impact workouts and a restrictive, low-fat diet for the high-protein, low-carb fare that’s helped kickstart her metabolism and regulate her hormones. 

And while she stressed that the solutions for PCOS are as unique as the individuals themselves, her toolkit has included diet, exercise, a medication that helps keep her periods regular and, surprisingly, the 2020 arrival of her and husband Hudson Sheaffer‘s son Hendrix.  

“It was a shock for me,” she acknowledged, while noting that having a baby isn’t exactly a you-should-try-this-at-home cure-all. “That happens to a really small percentage of women with PCOS. But because of all the hormones that go through your body when you’re pregnant, when your body tries to get back on its normal schedule, sometimes it gets on track.”