Sleep Apnea and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: An Interview with Health Psychologist Dr. Gretchen Kubacky

Sleep Apnea Pathfinders

This interview with Dr. Gretchen Kubacky, a health psychologist whose practice includes people with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. According to Womenshealth.gov, this a serious health condition that caused by a hormonal imbalance of the reproductive hormones. The imbalance creates problems in the ovaries. She shared so much beneficial information about dealing with chronic health issues and advocating as well as shifting language about failure.
Dr. Kubacky is an author of 2 books on PCOS and Mood as well as the owner of PcosWellness.com.
The wealth of information was separated into two interviews to unpack the information Dr. Kubacky shared.
We discuss the need to be you own best advocate when experiencing health challenges in order to seek care. There also is this language used by the medical community to describe an unsuccessful treatment as the patient failed treatment. This can be seen in IVF treatment and with respect to sleep apnea patients the term is that patient was noncompliant or nonadherent. Dr. Kubacky talks about reframing that terminology in a way that does not shame the patient. The treatment failed the patient and that is additional information which can be used to inform the next attempt.
Much like sleep apnea, PCOS has many different phenotypes or types of characteristics which make identification and treatment difficult. Infertility is what causes most women to see a physician or endocrinologist. The treatment for PCOS is lifestyle and self care.
Dr. Kubacky shared that poor sleep can contribute to developing health issues, as well as mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression. Getting quality sleep is the number one cure!