Amy Medling, founder of PCOSDiva.com and author of Healing PCOS: A 21-Day Plan for Reclaiming Your Health and Life with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, explains that the misinformation surrounding PCOS can range from doctors telling women they need to lose weight or that they’ll never be able to have children.

But what is it exactly? PCOS is essentially a condition where the ovaries become covered in cysts, affecting a woman’s hormone levels as well as ovarian functionality. Typically, those that suffer from PCOS produce higher-than-normal amounts of male hormones – the imbalance can cause them to skip menstrual periods, making it harder to get pregnant. PCOS also causes hair growth on the face and body (and sometimes even baldness). It causes insulin sensitivity and can be the stimulus for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, not to mention heart disease, anxiety and depression too. Basically, it’s a complicated and difficult disorder, which has been mysterious for so many years.

According to the National Institutes of Health, it currently affects 8-20% of adult people with ovaries, and is one of the most common causes of infertility. Sadly, there is no cure yet. Treatment is also a highly specialised process that is usually different for different women.

Now, 70% of those affected suffer from insulin resistance – where the hormone the pancreas produces to help the body use sugar from foods for energy can’t be processed, meaning that the body produces more. This extra insulin triggers the ovaries to produce more male hormones. Catch 22, right? Because PCOS is so closely linked to insulin and sugar consumption, many doctors and health professionals recommend low carb, low sugar or KETO diets to help maintain the disorder.

Nicole Galan, a registered dietitian and nutritionist who counsels women with polycystic ovary syndrome regularly, states that while it is important to monitor your type and amount of carbohydrates, there is no reason to fear them as they offer important nutrients for PCOS. The primary role of carbs is to provide energy for the body – we need that shit.

So how many carbs should I eat then? “While no specific recommendations have been set, it is estimated that for a healthy diet, 50% to 60% of calories should come from carbohydrates, specifically complex carbohydrates,” explains Galan. “And since women with PCOS tend to have higher rates of insulin resistance, some experts recommended that they eat slightly fewer carbohydrates, perhaps under 50% of total calories.” That’s only a slight difference. No reason to put down those nutritious grains and fruit just yet.

For more information, head to pcosaa.org.