Sasha Pieterse’s Symptoms Were Ignored By 17 Doctors Who Told Her She Was Just “Eating Too Much” After She Gained 70 Pounds — Then She Finally Found Someone Who Would Listen

Sasha Pieterse is opening up about battling multiple medical issues behind closed doors, and being ignored by the people meant to help her.

Sasha was just 12 years old when she was cast in Pretty Little Liars, and she went on to star in the series until her early 20s. While playing an “it girl” on the mysterious Freeform/ABC Family drama, Sasha was also battling unexplainable and painful symptoms within her body.

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During a recent interview on the SHE MD podcast, the 29-year-old actor spoke candidly with hosts Mary Alice Haney and Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi about dealing with seizures and PCOS, gaining 70 pounds rapidly, and how her voiced concerns to doctors weren’t taken seriously.

“I really started struggling with something, I didn’t know what it was,” Sasha said. “I had also just been diagnosed with epilepsy, which nobody knew until very recently. So I was dealing with seizures with no cause… No idea what the cause was, and I started gaining weight.”

Despite having irregular periods that started at the age of 10, Sasha believed they would ultimately end up regulating themselves, but eventually turned into a big health issue.

“I started Pretty Little Liars when I was 12 and by 17, I had gained 70 pounds and was silently battling seizures, irregular periods, acne, and hair loss, while playing an ‘it girl’ on TV.”

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“I went to 17 different gynecologists. They all said I was just eating too much or not exercising enough, even though I was doing everything right. If I ate more salads, I would’ve turned green.”

Although many doctors tried to blame her weight gain on poor lifestyle choices and habits, Sasha would later meet one who took her pleas into consideration. The married mother of one (Sasha shares 4-year-old Hendrix Wade with her husband Hudson Sheaffer) was later diagnosed with PCOS or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

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PCOS is described as a hormonal disorder that affects people with ovaries, usually during their reproductive years. It occurs when the body produces higher-than-normal levels of androgens (male hormones), which can interfere with ovulation and cause a range of symptoms. The cause of PCOS is still unknown.

Symptoms include irregular or absent periods, weight gain or difficulty losing weight, acne or oily skin, excess hair growth on the face or body (hirsutism), thinning hair or hair loss on the scalp, fertility challenges, and ovaries that appear enlarged or have multiple small cysts.

Believe it or not, PCOS is actually pretty common, impacting as many as 1 in 10 women. If it isn’t managed, it can raise the risk of things like infertility, type 2 diabetes, heart issues, and even some cancers. The good news? With the right treatment and lifestyle habits, most people with PCOS are still able to live healthy, full lives.

“I tried not eating,” she continued. “I would go through waves of depression. I had body dysmorphia and disordered eating, but it wasn’t changing what I looked like. If anything, it was getting worse. I got told I was crazy, or that I was doing something wrong so many times. But I kept advocating for myself, and that’s how I finally got an answer.”

“Once I got the diagnosis, not only was that so validating… I’m not crazy, there is actually something that’s going on with me, now I have a label. Now I know that there are steps I can take to try and regulate it and move forward.”

It took nearly 10 years for The Image of You star to receive a proper diagnosis, and it took quite a toll on her mental and physical health as she was living out her teenage years in the public eye.

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Sasha is now taking the steps she needs to keep her PCOS in line.

To learn more about Sasha, you can watch her full SHE MD podcast interview below:

The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.

The National Eating Disorders Association helpline is 1-800-931-2237; for 24/7 crisis support, text “NEDA” to 741741.

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