Natasha van der Merwe is speaking up about something deeply personal: her long, winding journey with PCOS and how it taught her to stop fighting her body and start listening to it instead.
It started early. “I was 18 when I was diagnosed with PCOS,” Natasha recalls. “I’d only had one period at 15 and knew something wasn’t right. I made the decision to see a gynaecologist and get to the bottom of it.”
Like many young women, she was handed the standard prescription: birth control. “I was told to take the pill, regulate the cycle, and suppress the symptoms. I got the script... but I didn’t fill it. For two years, I avoided it — I just didn’t feel ready to put my body on something I did not fully understand.”
Eventually, after another doctor echoed the same advice, she relented. But even with the pill, things still did not feel right. “I was training hard, eating well — but my body wasn’t responding. My weight fluctuated in ways that made no sense. I wasn’t necessarily overweight, but I knew something deeper was going on.”
After years of quiet confusion and internal frustration, Natasha reached a tipping point. “I stopped waiting for a quick fix and decided to take my health seriously. I saw every kind of doctor you can imagine — from endocrinologists to functional medicine specialists. I did genetic testing, I scaled back medications, I tried to understand what my body was asking for, instead of trying to silence it.”
That decision changed everything but the road wasn’t easy. “PCOS is incredibly lonely. You feel dismissed, unseen, and sometimes like you’re losing your mind,” she shares. “I remember sitting in appointments trying to explain symptoms that no one could really solve. It’s exhausting — physically, emotionally, and mentally.”
Even everyday experiences became sources of anxiety. “The stress of planning for a weekend away, wearing a bikini, going to dinner — those moments would spiral in my head. I was constantly worried, constantly critical.”
Then, about four years ago, she decided that she wanted to try get her cycle to return naturally. “It felt like a breakthrough — but not a finish line. PCOS doesn’t disappear with one win. It’s a constant recalibration.”
That recalibration took a turn in 2023, when intense training combined with career pressure left her burnt out. “I was inflamed, exhausted, and emotionally drained. Then in October, an injury made even basic movement feel impossible. I’d fought so hard for balance, and suddenly, I felt like I was back at zero.”
Still, she wasn’t ready to give up. “By November, I knew I needed a full reset. I made some difficult changes in December and January. I followed a specific healing plan, focused on nourishment, and gave myself permission to rest.”
Now, she’s in a new season — one marked by intuition, self-respect, and a new rhythm. “It’s not perfect. There are still setbacks. But I am finally in tune with my body in a way I never was before. I have a regular cycle now — 28 to 35 days — and I’m proud to say I’m not on any medication. That’s a massive win.”
She smiles: “And yes, I’ll have the gluten-free cake and the glass of champagne. Because healing shouldn’t mean restriction — it should mean freedom.”
Natasha’s story is more than a personal reckoning — it’s part of a bigger conversation. On social media, she has begun sharing the real moments behind her wellness journey, choosing honesty over highlight reels. “I want women to know they’re not alone. They’re not crazy. And their bodies are not broken — they’re just asking to be heard.”
Through this process, Natasha has redefined what strength means to her. “It’s not about the number on the scale or how many workouts I can get through. It’s about how deeply I’m connected to myself. The strongest I’ve ever felt has nothing to do with aesthetics — and everything to do with understanding my body and giving it grace.”
Now, she’s using her platform to educate and empower — through hormone literacy, conversations around functional medicine, and a growing focus on self-compassion. “We’ve spent so long shrinking ourselves — physically, emotionally, even energetically. I want women to know they are allowed to expand. To take up space. In their bodies, in their healing, and in their stories.”
In Natasha’s words, healing is never linear — but it is possible.
And in showing up — in all her truth, softness, and power — she is helping others do the same. PCOS may be part of her story, but it no longer defines her. In many ways, that’s where her strength truly began.
