Arabella Chi has revealed that she's been diagnosed withpolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as she opened up on suffering a secret miscarriage, cysticacne, hair loss and debilitating period pain.
The Love Island star, 33, took to her Instagram on Friday in a candid video for her followers as she described her symptoms and admitted her self-esteem had suffered.
She explained that she had been diagnosed with the condition two days prior, after her last period left her in such severe pain she thought she needed to call an ambulance.
PCOSis a common condition that means the ovaries do not regularly release eggs, become enlarged, and can contain small follicle cysts.,
The ovaries also produces excess androgen, which can causeirregular periods, excess hair growth, acne and infertility.
Arabella Chi has revealed that she's been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as she opened up on suffering a secret miscarriage, cystic acne, hair loss and debilitating period pain
The Love Island star, 33, took to her Instagram on Friday in a candid video for her followers as she described her symptoms and admitted her self-esteem had suffered
While she added that she had suffered a miscarriage in September last year, only a few months before she entered the Love Island All Stars villa in January
Arabella began by saying she wanted to take advantage of her huge platform of 1.3 million Instagram followers to talk about things she has concerns about as she announced her diagnosis.
While she added that she had suffered a miscarriage in September last year, only a few months before she entered the Love Island All Stars villa in January.
She said: 'I recently got diagnosed with PCOS. Obviously I am now 33 and I have been on the pill for probably 15 years, up until August last year.
'I actually had an unplanned miscarriage in September time last year and after than I thought I'm going to come off the pill because at the age of 33 I thought I've been on the pill for so long.
'I actually started the pill at the age of 13 and I actually originally went on it for my skin and because I had very very painful periods. At the time I just thought this is an easy convenient way to regulate my periods and sort out my skin.I then went on Roaccutane.
Arabella went on to describe her battle against acne in her youth, recalling the pain and depression she went through.
She said: 'I've always suffered from really bad acne on and off. I actually had child acne to the extent that you couldn't even see my skin on my face.
'When I say growing up, I literally went through times in my life where I wanted to rip off my face. That was how painful my spots were and how depressed I was over my acne.
Arabella began by saying she wanted to take advantage of her huge platform of 1.3 million Instagram followers to talk about things she has concerns about as she announced her diagnosis
Arabella went on to describe her battle against acne in her youth, recalling the pain and depression she went through
'But obviously I went on Roaccutane and it did clear it up while I was on it, but then it kept reoccurring.'
She then detailed how her body reacted after coming off the pill last year, describing the 'agonising pain' from her periods.
What is PCOS? Causes, symptoms and treatment explained...
PCOS stands for polycystic ovary syndrome.
PCOS is a hormonal disorder causing enlarged ovaries with small cysts on the outer edges.
Women with PCOS may have infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods or excess male hormone (androgen) levels.
Symptoms include menstrual irregularity, excess hair growth, acne, and obesity.
Fertility may also be affected.
While the exact cause of PCOS isn't known,insulin resistance caused by a highly refined and processed diet is believed to be one of the biggest triggers.
PCOS can be managed through diet, the contraceptive pill and other oral medications.
Source: Mayo Clinic
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She recalled:'Obviously as I got older my acne did go down a lot and then when I came off the pill last year, I found that my hormones went through the roof.
'Even though in myself I was actually happier, my hormones were definitely not happier. I literally started having acne coming back on my face, when I get my periods I cannot move for an entire day.
'I am in absolutely agonising pain to the extent that my last one, a month ago, was so bad I honestly thought I was going to have to call an ambulance. And that's when my mum said to me, "You really need to go and see a doctor and get this sorted out".'
Arabella continued: 'One of the side effects I had was that I actually started losing my hair. I started getting cystic acne and painful periods.
'Getting diagnosed with PCOS, I know there is no cure.That's kind of why I jumped on here, because it's an amazing platform to speak about things personal to me and I'm sure there are also people out there also suffering with it.
'Which is why I want to open my Instagram and have you guys come on this journey with me, and give me advice, that I can then hopefully share with you guys.
'This is real talk, because I feel like I don't really come on here and talk about my personal side of things very much.'
She moved close to the camera to show her skin, saying: 'As you can see I actually have quite bad acne breakouts at the moment, like my skin is definitely not perfect.
'And I think with the job I'm in as well, it definitely affects my self esteem. Like I am a confident person, but especially when I'm at the gym all the time I'm not one of these people that wears a lot of makeup, so it's definitely something I want to start looking into.
'My acne is so bad, the hair loss - that's why I actually have extensions in now because the hair loss as a woman, it's not ideal at all.'
Arabella concluded by asking for followers for their advice and messages, saying: 'Iknow you can level out your PCOS with nutrition, so if any of you guys have any advice my DMs are open because this is a brand new thing to me.'
It comes as Arabella has been making the most out of her single life, after it was reported in April that she joined celebrity dating app Raya (pictured Sunday)
She also rubbished talk of a short-lived romance with Premier League footballer Vinícius Souza, amid claims they have split (pictured)
Captioning the honest video, the reality star wrote: 'A bit of real talk for you all. One thing I have always said is I want to be able to use my platform to help other people and after recently being diagnosed with PCOS I think it's the perfect time for this .
'It's new to me and since I have a majority of female following I am sure there are girls that follow me with PCOS that can tell me what they have found helps and I am able to spread the knowledge that I have and hopefully help other people in my position.
'I got diagnosed 2 days ago and looking also into endometriosis as one of my main side effects is extricating periods which I unfortunately have .
'I would love to hear from any of you that have it or no anyone that does and has any knowledge on it. I will do a video in due course with any advice I get so I can share with you all.
'Looking forward to sharing this journey with you all and trying to turn it into a positive ❤️ lots of love Arabella xx'.
It comes as Arabella has been making the most out of her single life, after it was reported in April that she joined celebrity dating app Raya.
A source told The Sun: 'Arabella is loving her new single status since leaving the Love Island villa and has been catching up with pals in the capital.
'She is also hoping to have a few dates while in the UK and is hoping to find someone on the app to whisk her off her feet.'
She also rubbished talk of a short-lived romance with Premier League footballer Vinícius Souza, amid claims they have split.
It was reported in March that Arabella was seeing Brazilian sportsman Vinícius, 24, just two weeks after her split from her Love Island All Stars co-star Adam Maxted.
The reality personality was spotted going for coffee with the Sheffield United midfielder at the end of March but subsequently denied any romance after The Sun reported they had already gone their separate ways.
A source confirmed the couple were never romantically involved when contacted by MailOnline.
