Victoria Monet Gets Real About Her Weight Gain: “PCOS Had Me Messed Up!”

Breakout R&B pop star Victoria Monet opened up to her Instagram followers last month about how symptoms from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) had her feeling down. The three-time Grammy winner and writer/performer of the award-sweeping single “On My Mama” was candid about her struggles with sudden weight gain as a result of the reproductive hormone imbalance. Monet wrote: “I usually am so critical and frustrated by it because PCOS has me really messed up, but optimistically at least now there’s two moons on the stage.” The imbalance in question is an increase in the male androgen hormone. PCOS can develop as early as the start of puberty, but may not be detectable until age 20 or 30, and may be signaled by irregular menstrual periods. Navigating PCOS symptoms hasn’t diminished Monet’s ability to meet and exceed her professional goals, but there has always been stigma and shame surrounding the more visible symptoms, weight gain in particular. While causes of PCOS are still not completely understood, weight gain caused by PCOS is most likely a result of insulin resistance, and decreased ability to regulate blood sugar levels. The job of insulin is to place sugar into cells, and any excess energy...