Nitu Bajekal - Living PCOS Free: How to regain your hormonal health with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Praise for Living PCOS Free

This is a much-needed book that should have been written many years ago. It addresses an important and often neglected womens health problem in clear and reader-friendly language. Nitu and Rohini have a holistic approach to health which empowers women. It is excellent.

Dr Adeola Olaitan, MD FRCOG, Consultant Gynaecologist and Gynae Oncologist

Educate, energise and empower your hormonal health for Living PCOS Free with the transformative knowledge, delectable recipes and 21-day plan found in this book!

Dr Will Bulsiewicz, Gastroenterologist and New York Times Bestselling Author of Fiber Fueled

Living PCOS Free is the companion that every person with PCOS (and their providers) need in order to fill the gaps we currently have in PCOS management. The authors form a dynamic duo of multi-dimensional expertise that is matched by their inclusive, compassionate approach to making sustainable lifestyle changes.

Dr Dylan Cutler, PhD, Holistic Health Content Creator

One can only hope this book reaches as many people living with PCOS as possible. A critically important resource packed with evidence-based lifestyle advice and tools to help those suffering from this debilitating condition resume control of their health and restore their quality of life.

Simon Hill, Nutritionist, Author and Host of The Proof Podcast

A wonderfully thorough, inclusive and compassionate resource for anyone living with PCOS - Ill be recommending it to patients and colleagues alike!

Dr Hannah Short, GP Specialist in Menopause & Premenstrual Disorders

This wonderful book gives you the tools by which to live a healthier life. Although aimed at those with PCOS, it is relevant to all who want to dramatically reduce their risk of chronic illness. After all, the same healthy habits support us all to thrive. Written from decades of personal and clinical experience, Nitu and Rohini share what they know will work as it has done for their countless patients and themselves. The 21-day plan, which includes healthy and delicious plant-based recipes, is a true gift to support you to regain your health, vitality and hormonal health.

Dr Shireen Kassam, Consultant Haematologist, Lifestyle Medicine Physician, Author and Founder of Plant-Based Health Professionals UK

This book covers the complex condition of PCOS in an accessible way while also discussing the latest research and evidence-base. Nitu and Rohini are a mother-daughter duo clearly striving to write with compassion and are inclusive in their language. A rich and comprehensive must-read for those affected by PCOS, their loved ones and health professionals interested in lifestyle medicine.

Dr Linda Karlberg, NHS Junior Doctor and Host of WIDLIMS podcast

The two authors one an experienced ObGyn and the other a health professional who has confronted PCOS herself have created a masterwork on the condition. They present clear explanations and hopeful, effective strategies to optimise the bodys function on every level, despite PCOS. But, as they state in their Conclusion, ... this isnt just a book about PCOS. The nutrition and lifestyle approaches we have detailed ...are the building blocks for living a long and healthy life. Indeed, they are and in this welcoming and authoritative book, you will find guidance for healthy eating, delicious recipes galore, and guidance for lifestyle practices that will bring balance and health into anyones life. Its hard to ask more of a book on PCOS! I will recommend it to my patients.

Dr Michael Klaper, MD, Primary Care Physician and Director of the Moving Medicine Forward Initiative

An insightful, sensitive, wonderful book that deep dives into all aspects of PCOS and healing from it, giving the reader a 360 view of the problem. It will be extremely useful when put into practice.

Dr Sheela Nambiar MD, ObGyn, Lifestyle Medicine Physician & Fitness Consultant; President of the Indian Society of Lifestyle Medicine (ISLM)

When I was diagnosed with PCOS at the tender age of 11, it was life-changing. Finally, I had an answer for why I felt how I felt. That was just the start though, then it led to more questions, questions no doctor could really answer for me. This sparked a 20-year independent research crusade that has cost thousands, just to try to understand the condition that plagued me, a little better. If Living PCOS Free had been available then, it would have transformed the way I felt. It is why I am glad it has been written in such an easy and accessible way. No one should have to be diagnosed with a lifelong condition without knowledge. Knowledge is power and that is why this book is so powerful for all of us living with PCOS.

Elisha Deol, patient living with PCOS

To everyone living with PCOS

There are health issues that affect people assigned female at birth (AFAB), including some who identify as non-binary, intersex or transgender. This book is written for all people with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and is meant to include each and every one of you with this condition, however you choose to identify. We will use the terms woman/women but wish to include anyone who identifies as a woman or has female reproductive organs, irrespective of gender. This book is also for those who have loved ones with PCOS in their lives.

Advisory note:

The advice in this book is not meant to be taken as individualised medical guidance. It is a guide for you to learn more about the condition of PCOS. This book is about using plant-based nutrition and lifestyle approaches so you are better equipped to make changes to manage your PCOS, under the appropriate medical advice from your own trusted doctor.

Dr Nitu Bajekal, MD DNB FRCOG Obs Gyn, Dip IBLM
Rohini Bajekal, Nutritionist, MA Oxon, MSc, Dip IBLM

It was on a Holistic Holiday cruise that I became acquainted with the Bajekal family. I was smitten. They seemed to me what every family strives to be connected, loving and joyful. When Dr Nitu Bajekal shared her plans to write a book on PCOS, I was elated. I could not imagine a more competent person to tackle this topic. Dr Bajekal has extensive experience, both professional and personal, but beyond that, she is a gifted and compassionate communicator. To add to the integrity of the manuscript, she engaged a brilliant plant-based nutrition expert, her own dear daughter, Rohini Bajekal.

As a registered dietitian and author/coauthor of 13 books on plant-based nutrition, I understand the personal and professional commitment that is required to write a book that is evidence-based, innovative and relevant. I have been privy to many exciting book-writing dreams that failed to materialise. But I had a good feeling about this one, so when the manuscript landed on my desk, it felt like a gift to me, to my colleagues, and to all those who are touched, directly or indirectly, by PCOS.

PCOS affects about 10% of women worldwide. The worlds number one killer, heart disease, affects about 6% of women. Yet if you ask almost anyone if they know a woman with heart disease, chances are their answer will be yes. If you ask that same person if they know a woman with PCOS, chances are their answer will be no. This is not because they do not know anyone living with PCOS, but rather that those they know often suffer in silence. They may be unaware that their symptoms are linked to the condition or have been unfairly dismissed. In some cases, women go years without an accurate diagnosis, and those who have received a diagnosis are often uncomfortable about sharing that diagnosis with family and friends.