A lot of people live off coffee and swear how good it is and how they can’t live without it, but I’m the opposite. I love my tea, all but the fruity varieties unless I’m in the mood for that day. I only like iced coffee if I’m buying it, and hot when I’m at home, but you’ll rarely see me drinking any if there’s tea. When I’m studying I usually have a cup of steaming hot Earl Grey tea and I’ll have a big happy smile on my face (that’s a lie, studying is tough). Within the past year though, I’ve had a hard time with caffeine seeing as my body isn’t very accepting of it. A couple years back I was informed that I had PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), which is the leading cause of infertility in women. Statistics show that 1 in every 10 women are affected by PCOS, so it’s more common than a lot of people are even aware of. (I’ll explain below why this is relevant further on.)

Just within the last few years, I upped my caffeine intake and I was drinking a whole lot more caffeine than usual, which was basically every day where I’d have maybe 1 or 2 cups of tea or coffee. I loved the taste and needed the small boost of energy that the caffeine would provide me while juggling school and work. However, in the last year or so I started developing very sharp lower abdominal pains and I didn’t know what to make of them. I brushed them off for the most part until the pain started getting worse. I went to the doctor and was informed that the pains were probably just ruptured cysts (associated with my PCOS), and to return only if the pain got worse.

The pain didn’t get worse though, the stabbing/shooting pain just wouldn’t go away. Any woman who’s affected by PCOS probably also knows that not many doctors are as well-informed of PCOS as others and that’s where all the online forums come in handy. I was looking everywhere trying to figure out if anyone else with PCOS was having this kind of problem, and it turns out I wasn’t the only one. I read up and found out that several women noted that caffeine was causing them some sort of discomfort, and it all clicked for me. I had been drinking too much caffeine.

I decided to put what these women were saying to the test and decided to give up my tea and my coffee for a while, and sadly for me, the pain instantly went away. I gave up caffeine for a couple of weeks after that and then decided to try my luck again and got a small iced coffee, but the pains, although dull, came back.

I had to give up on caffeine at that point, but I told myself I’d survive. And I did, and I felt a whole lot better energy-wise after a couple of weeks. I could stay up late without the caffeine and I wasn’t jittery or feening for a cup of tea. I felt okay!

I had to start substituting my usual caffeinated drinks with water or different types of juices. At one point I was making my own juices at home with different types of fruits and vegetables which were all a whole lot better tasting than tea or coffee, not to mention a whole lot healthier. I do still try to make my own juices but sometimes it’s just easier to refill my water bottle and call it a day.

My take on this to really anyone, not just those affected by PCOS, but especially those who feel they’ve grown dependent on coffee to get through the day, is that you can make a better and healthier choice. I know the fresh juices that you get at Juice Press are very expensive, which is why you can always hit up your local farmer’s market or Trader Joes for some good deals to make your own fancy juices at home. You’ll feel better eventually once you accustom your body to a caffeine-free lifestyle.

That’s not to say that you should give it up completely because I’m guilty of still drinking some tea here and there and my love for iced coffee is endless, but you shouldn’t be dependent on it getting you through the day. You can surely pull through your next exam or day at work without it if you try to slowly wean yourself off it, so stop telling yourself you can’t.

It ain’t easy, but trust me when I say you’ll feel a whole better when you don’t feel as drowsy without the caffeine intake. Not to mention, some more money in your pocket from not blowing it off on Starbucks instead!