Sasha Pieterse says she gained 30 pounds in about a year as a teenager while battling PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome).
“When I turned around it was probably around 15-16, I just noticed a difference in my metabolism in general,” the 27-year-old star said Wednesday on The Squeeze podcast, hosted by Taylor Lautner and his wife Taylor Dome .
The actress, who was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, said that the weight gain began when she was 17.
“When I was 17, I gained 30 pounds that year for no reason,” said Pieterse, best known for his role as Alison DiLaurentis on Pretty Little Liars and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionist.
She said at the time, “There was no explanation for it.”
The Latest: Sasha Pieterse, 27, says she gained 30 pounds in about a year as a teenager while battling PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome).
The actress went into lengthy medical details and how she sought answers about her physical condition from “over 15 gynecologists.”
“I’ve never had a regular period,” she said, “and gynecologists just kept telling me I was young — don’t worry, it will settle down.”
Pieterse said on the podcast that some of her doctors had misled her into believing that the weight gain was a direct result of her actions.
“It was very, very confusing,” Pieterse said. “It was the most frustrating and disheartening experience.”
The Honor List actress said that “things got worse rather than better,” although she tried everything in her power to combat the problem.
“No matter what I did, no matter how well I behaved, no matter how well I treated my body,” she said.
Help eventually came in the form of an endocrinologist who was able to properly diagnose the cause of her illness as PCOS, a condition she was initially unaware of.
“I thought, ‘What is this?'” Pieterse said. “I had never heard of PCOS.” And it’s a disease, it can’t be cured, it can lie dormant.”
Pieterse is best known for her role as Alison DiLaurentis in Pretty Little Liars and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists
Pieterse said on the podcast that some of her doctors misled her into thinking the weight gain was a direct result of her actions, adding, “It was very, very confusing.”
Help eventually came in the form of an endocrinologist who was able to properly diagnose the cause of her illness as PCOS, a condition Pieterse was initially unaware of
The actress – who is a mother to four-year-old son Hendrix with husband Hudson Sheaffer, 33, said she had “a lot of these outward symptoms that everyone could see.”
Pieterse said that “the most frustrating thing” about her situation is that it’s “pretty easy to diagnose.”
She added, “It’s a hormonal imbalance.” “It’s a hormonal disorder and it’s so easy to spot because your testosterone or estrogen levels will be very high, your vitamin D levels will be very low and you many things are missing.”
She said symptoms can vary greatly from person to person, including weight gain, hair growth, ovarian cysts or gastrointestinal problems.
The actress – who is a mother to Hendrix, two, with husband Hudson Sheaffer, 33, said she had “a lot of these outward symptoms that everyone could see.”