It's Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (But Were Never Told)

by Karen Tang

This word, hysteria, contains all the judgments and assumptions about female bodies that have existed for thousands of years. It suggests that women’s distressing physical symptoms stem from a combination of anxiety, mental or neurologic weakness, and broken uteri, rather than from not-yet-understood medical conditions.

Inositol, a type of sugar that is found in brown rice, whole grains, almonds, walnuts, and certain fruits and beans, can also be prescribed in supplement form by endocrinologists as part of PCOS treatment. Inositol may be involved in insulin signaling, and treatment with these supplements has been shown to decrease testosterone levels and improve ovulation and pregnancy rates in some people with PCOS.