Sasha Pieterse shares her teenage battle with unexplained weight gain due to PCOS

Sasha Pieterse, known for her role as Alison DiLaurentis in Pretty Little Liars, has opened up about her experience with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and the significant weight gain she faced as a teenager. 

In an interview on the podcast The Squeeze, hosted by Taylor Lautner and his wife Taylor Dome, the 27-year-old actress shared how her struggle with PCOS led to a weight gain of 30 pounds over a year during her teenage years.

Pieterse revealed, "When I turned, it was probably around 15-16, I started noticing a difference in just my metabolism in general. At 17, I gained 70 pounds in the year, for no reason."

Pieterse described the perplexing situation, indicating that "there was no explanation for it."  Determined to understand her condition, she sought the advice of over 15 gynecologists. Despite her efforts, the actress had never experienced regular menstrual cycles, receiving reassurances from medical professionals that her body would eventually find its balance.

Pieterse recounted the frustration she felt when some doctors inaccurately attributed her weight gain to her actions. She mentioned, "It was very, very confusing. It was the most frustrating experience and disheartening. No matter what I did, no matter how well I behave, no matter how great I treated my body."

Finally, a breakthrough arrived with the guidance of an endocrinologist who accurately diagnosed her condition as PCOS—a term unfamiliar to her initially. Pieterse said, "I'd never heard of PCOS before. And it's a disease, it's not curable, it can be dormant."

Pieterse regretfully admitted that her situation could have been identified and addressed earlier, as PCOS is relatively straightforward to diagnose through hormone imbalances and deficiencies.

She shared "It's a hormone imbalance. It's a hormone disease, and it's so easy to see because your testosterone or your estrogen will be really high, you'll have really low vitamin D levels, you'll be deficient in a lot of things."

Now a mother to a two-year-old son, she is grateful for finally having a proper diagnosis and the opportunity to manage her condition more effectively with the right medical guidance.