PCOS: A Personal Management Guide (Part 3)

Supplements

The world of supplements and ‘wellness’ is frankly overwhelming. When it comes to PCOS, the type of PCOS and your specific symptoms will dictate which supplements may be helpful for you. As I have insulin-resistant PCOS, I can only speak from my experience but if you have lean PCOS or pill-induced PCOS, for example, you may need to explore other or additional options.

Conventional medicine generally dictates the use of a hormonal pill to induce bleeds (which are not real periods, and effectively suppress your natural hormonal system), or the even generic advice of ‘just lose weight.’ People with PCOS will know that losing weight is definitely easier said than done, and that the pill (I was prescribed a combined pill), just didn’t fix the underlying issue - as someone who has developed an innate sense of what my body wants and needs, I stopped taking the pill and decided to tackle my PCOS my way.

Supplements should not be your first port of call. They are generally useful as an additional helping aid, but they are not there to replace the work you need to be doing with your diet and exercise. I would suggest giving yourself at least 3 months of having made diet and exercise changes, before starting supplements. It will give you a good baseline to start from, and to really understand the effects of any supplements you do take.

The supplements that I take are:

• Inositol

• Berberine

• Zinc

• Vitamin D3

• Mushroom complex

• Omega 3, 6, 7 and 9 complex

• Vitamin B complex

• DIM

• Saw palmetto

I have deliberately not included information regarding dosage or frequency beccause this is generally very personal and what works for me, may not work for you. I would encourage you to research as deeply as possible before making any decisions, and to speak with PCOS focused doctors / practitioners. In the world of social media, I have found people like Dr Jolene Brighten and Shahzeen Baig (@the.pcos.nutritionist on Instagram) to be knowledgable and helpful.

Additional lifestyle changes I have made are:

• drinking two cups of spearmint tea per day (it has to be specifically spearmint - not regular mint tea or peppermint)

• consuming one teaspoon of soaked fenugreek seeds per day (add the seeds to a glass with water for at least 5 hours or so until the seeds have plumped up. I drain the water and swallow the seeds instead of chewing).

• taking one teaspoon of black seed oil - this is an old home health hack I have been doing for years but I do notice the effect when I stop so it’s part of my daily routine to have this too)

• yoga / meditation - one chronic issue which makes PCOS symptoms exponentially worse is the effect of stress on the body. Increased stress has a physiological impact on hormones - specifically cortisol. Keeping this well-managed is key to acheiving maximum impact from all the other changes you may wish to make

• waking / sleeping cycle. To regulate cortisol levels, go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day. Aim to be up and having eaten breakfast by 9am at the latest.

• get 15-20 mins of sunlight before 9am to help regulate cortisol levels
  
  

Disclaimer: I am not a health professional of any description. The content of this article is based purely on my personal experience and research. Whilst this may be helpful as an overall guide, it is not intended to replace any medical advice. Please speak to your doctor before making any changes.

PCOS: A Personal Management Guide (Part 2)

How to start managing PCOS: Diet and Exercise

Before you start thinking about taking medications for PCOS, it’s worth noting that the greatest overall impact to your health and the greatest benefits will come from ensuring you are eating a PCOS friendly diet and exercising in the right way. Whilst this can sound overwhelming, it is actually fairly straightforward if you understand which macronutrients you are getting from your food. Depending on your current diet this may mean a significant lifestyle change, or small strategic changes. What I have found has worked for me is:

• ensuring every meal has a good source of protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fat - understanding macronutrients of food will make this so much easier in practice.

• if you are a beginner, I would suggest making a list of foods that fit these three groups with a strong focus on whole foods (i.e. unprocessed foods), as far as possible.

• eating meals at the same time every day

• eating breakfast every single day

• having my last meal of the day at least 90 mins - 2 hours before I sleep (giving my digestive system time to digest food)

• focusing on my daily protein intake - whilst 45g-65g is enough for most women, some women with PCOS can need up to 100g of protein per day. Protein will help to keep your blood sugar stable so it is absolutely key.

• aim for 25g of fibre per day

• keep it simple! Food does not have to be complicated to be PCOS friendly

• understanding which foods and drink can directly support PCOS and help to regulate hormones

• pay attention to how your body feels after eating food - see if you notice any patterns. For example, I found that whilst I am not allergic to gluten, I do have a sensitivity to it which causes serious bloating. I don’t however, have an issue with dairy, which some people with PCOS can experience.

• I do not calorie count or restrict myself from food that I want to eat - however, if your PCOS has led to weight gain (typically around the abdomen), you may wish to eat in a slight calorie deficit. Please be careful that this is only a slight deficit (no more than 200 calories reduced per day) as PCOS tends to react very strongly to extreme dieting and it never sticks.

How to think about food

Food is fuel and you need to eat properly to manage PCOS. My routine includes waking up at 8am, breakfast (around 9am), lunch (around 1 pm), one snack (around 5.30-6pm) and dinner (around 7-7.30pm). This does change on some days and I might eat an extra snack for example - or the portion of my meal might be bigger or smaller than it was the day before. Keeping it flexible and eating intuitively has helped.

A typical food day for me would be:

• Breakfast - 2 eggs, either hard boiled or fried (using a cooking spray or minimal oil); a slice of toast or half a bagel with avocado and hemp seeds; a protein shake (frozen banana, milk, chia seeds, a mix of flax, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and maca powder. Protein powder of choice - mine is usually one scoop from Form Nutrition here in the UK).

• Lunch - varies. It might be a sandwich, a stew and rice, a bowl of some sort. The focus is always on ensuring there is some sort of good protein (hummus, beans, chicken, fish or tofu are my go-to’s); complex carbs (rice, sweet potato, gluten free pasts/noodles, bread etc); and healthy fat (avocado, olive oil, nuts/seeds etc). My plate typically consists of the main meal on one half, with the other half made up of vegetables (either salad or cooked vegetables).

• Snack - varies. If I have something left over from lunch (a few bites worth), then I’ll finish this. Or have some milk and fruit, or cheese and fruit or nuts. Some days I will just eat a chocolate bar and crisps (which definitely isn’t the best option but it’s also one moment in an overall day of eating well and keeping an overall focus on health instead of nitpicking every bite, is important).

• Dinner - usually some kind of stew or curry with gluten free flatbread, rice, or pasta. Vegetables/salad in addition.

Most importantly, at NO point with PCOS, should you be extreme dieting or drastically reducing calorie intake. Experience (and the science, as far as I am aware) tells me that this will only create a stress response, and as soon as your cortisol levels are out of sync, any excess weight will only get worse.

In general, my opinion is that the focus should always be on overall health, diet and movement. I have generally tried not to focus on excess weight alone (which I definitely have some of), because exclusively looking at weight/weight loss is not going to give you the long term results you will need if you want to properly manage PCOS.

Exercise

I keep exercise simple. The one big change I made was moving from the conventional wisdom of significantly increasing cardio exercise to a gentler, steadier focus of strength training at a slower pace. Basically, I would recommend avoiding running any marathons. Exercise is very personal however, and you need to find what works for you.

My own routine tends to involve some kind of strength training 3-4 times per week because lifting weights helps with blood sugar control. It doesn’t need to be an excessively long session - 45 mins of focused work is good. Instead of running or any ‘stressful’ cardio, I just focus on walking and acheiving a general step count of 5000-7000 per day. Consistency will pay off and I enjoy walking but hate running so I avoid it.

I also have a weak core so a couple of pilates classes each week are also helpful.

In summary - focus on your macros (get enough protein, healthy fat and compex carbohydrates). Do not restrict calories - a moderate deficit will be helpful if you are also trying to lose some excess weight but do not starve yourself - you need to eat enough food. Eat strategically (meal times / snack times). Move your body - walk and lift weights. Do not try to do excessive cardio - gentle cardio and increased strength training is a better option.

Part 3 will focus on supplements and lifestyle changes

Disclaimer: I am not a health professional of any description. The content of this article is based purely on my personal experience and research. Whilst this may be helpful as an overall guide, it is not intended to replace any medical advice. Please speak to your doctor before making any changes.

PCOS: A Personal Management Guide (Part 1)

Living with PCOS

What is PCOS?

Living with PCOS can be a minefield and many people living with it can struggle to know where to start. The first thing to understand is that PCOS which stands for polycystic ovary syndrome, is a hormonal condition. It typically means your reproductive hormones specifically are out of kilter - and yes, women do have natural testosterone too. There are different types of PCOS (i.e. with different key symptoms which can range from amenorrhea (absent periods / no menstruation), hirsutism (hair growth where there shouldn’t be hair growth as well as coarse, dark hair), acne, androgenic alopecia (male pattern baldness / hair loss) - not to mention issues with fatigue, insomnia, night sweats, anxiety and a whole host of other effects from PCOS which you may not have connected the dots to.

My PCOS

I have the most common type of PCOS which is insulin resistant PCOS. What this means is that my body doesn’t regulate insulate properly (if I’m not careful), and could lead to pre-diabetes. The knock on effect is that I have higher levels of testosterone (twice as high as the ‘normal’ range for the average woman) - this in turn, means that my symptoms have generally centred around amenorrhea, hirsutism and androgenic alopecia. The good news however, is that over time, and with some trial and error, I have worked out how to manage my symptoms (for the most part), and this has helped to bring my testosterone levels into the normal range, regulated my insulin levels, and reversed the signs of hirsutism. However, if there is one piece of advice I can give you, it is that PCOS is a lifelong condition and not something that can be fixed immediately - once you have figured out how to manage your PCOS, you will need to do so for the rest of your life.

Blood tests / deficiencies

A good starting point is a full panel of blood tests. You need to know what exactly your hormones are doing - my blood tests revealed that my testosterone levels were twice as high as they should be as well as a chronic Vitamin D3 deficiency. Thankfully my thyroid tests came back normal (symptoms of thyroid dysfunction can cross over with PCOS symptoms - you may have one condition but it is mistaken for the other, or you may have both conditions). Your test results will give you a baseline to start from - some deficiencies can be helpfully supported through diet and lifestyle changes, others may require supplementation. Between this and your symptoms, you should be able to identify the type of PCOS you have.

Types of PCOS

It is possible for your PCOS type to change - don’t be surprised if it seems as though you are moving between the different types listed below - these are an approximate guide and most people with PCOS will typically recognise themselves as having different symptoms at different times. There is no hard-and-fast rule with ‘types’ of PCOS.

• Insulin-resistant PCOS: The most common type of PCOS, characterized by insulin resistance

• Inflammatory PCOS: A type of PCOS characterized by low-grade inflammation

• Hidden-cause PCOS: A type of PCOS where the underlying cause is not immediately apparent

• Pill-induced PCOS: A type of PCOS that develops after stopping birth control pills

• Non-hyperandrogenic PCOS: Also known as type D, this type of PCOS is characterized by ovulation problems and ovarian cysts, but normal androgen levels

• Ovulatory PCOS: Also known as type C, this type of PCOS is characterized by increased androgen levels and ovarian cysts

• Non-PCO PCOS: Also known as type B, this type of PCOS is characterized by high androgen levels and ovulation problems

• Full-blown PCOS: Also known as type A, this type of PCOS is characterized by high androgen levels, ovulation problems, and ovarian cysts

• Lean PCOS: A type of PCOS that primarily affects women who are underweight or of normal weight

In summary - get a full panel of blood tests with specific focus on hormones and thyroid function as well as general health. Your doctor might suggest having two or more tests a few weeks apart to aim for different points in your cycle and see how your hormones are changing throughout the month.

Part 2 will cover how to manage PCOS with diet and exercise

Part 3 will cover supplements and lifestyle changes which may be helpful

Disclaimer: I am not a health professional of any description. The content of this article is based purely on my personal experience and research. Whilst this may be helpful as an overall guide, it is not intended to replace any medical advice. Please speak to your doctor before making any changes.

Spotlight: Oliver Gal

Oliver Gal is a contemporary art and lifestyle brand that embodies haute moments, avantgarde objects and splendid living in art and lifestyle items.

I love the use of bold colours, prints, and emblazoned motifs unapologetically strewn about all over the place. In the world of haute-couture, elegance and over-the-top indulgent luxury is absolutely key. But in the world of Oliver Gal art, haute-couture is turned on its head to maximise symbols, logos and established brand identities to give an edgier look.

In the rarefied world of high-end art, it doesn’t do to have Chanel’s intertwined C’s displayed on your living room wall, or Louis Vuitton’s monogram stamped above your sofa. That’s so nouveau riche, after all.

But Oliver Gal defies established norms (as all art should), and instead happily plays up every aspect of couture brand identities in wall prints and cavases. The pop culture is real, the style is flashy and the prints are museum quality.

Some favourites below…

Gold Goddesses

Re-Imagined Duo

Dior

Natural Instinct

Balenciaga

Fahima Goddess

Chanel

Bubbles and Furs

Hermes

TV Shows I Am Loving 2021

I am so often late to join the bandwagon with TV shows, generally because I don’t experiment with my viewing choices. Having discovered a couple of new favourites, and re-discovered some long running treasures, here’s my round-up of the shows I am loving right now.

Bridgerton

The costumes, the characters, the romance...this is a beautifully shot love story based on Julia Quinn’s books by the same name, set in an idealistic history (note the black upper class members of the ton). I won’t lie, I watch this show to see Regé-Jean Page. Everyone else is a minor consideration, except perhaps Tracy Beaker’s mum…

Gangs of London

Gritty, violent, raw. A very different show set in the dark underbelly of London following various crime families and syndicates operating in the capital. Some might say there’s a grain of truth to it? I found it an enjoyable watch in any case.

NCIS: Season 18

Season 18 of the show is currently airing but honestly, if you haven’t yet discovered NCIS, you absolutely must watch it from the beginning. The characters have developed over time and many have come and gone, yet 18 years after it first aired, it is still going strong. The show has an air of nostalgia for me, as it takes me back to when I was due to start secondary school in 2003 and the trailer for the very first season started airing.

Nancy Drew

One my literary heroines and a childhood favourite come to life. I spent far too much of my time in my school library when I was younger (it was the bookworm life for me!), and believe me when I say I read every single Nancy Drew mystery on offer. Wonderful to see her story televised.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

CAOS is now on its fourth season I believe, but as so many others who loved the dark side of the new Sabrina, I loved the previous seasons and they’re only getting better. Steeped in the occult and the supernatural, this is not for the fainthearted. The creepy factor is real with this one.

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries

Cozy mysteries at their best. Hallmark has a tendency to do certain types of shows very well and wonderfully cozy murder mysteries, set in beautiful little townships in middle America is one of them. I have mentioned the show several times on this blog but you will be pleased to hear new episodes are being filmed and I for one, will certainly be watching.

Things to Think About in 2020

A new decade: if you’re looking for a fresh start, this is exactly the right time.

We all enjoy spending a few days before the new year thinking about the goals we want to achieve, the things we want to do and see. It’s a precious moment of the year and setting your resolutions clearly is going to give you the chance to look yourself in the mirror in 12 months and be proud of how far you’ve come.

But before you start setting any unrealistic lists of “working out every day” and “reading a book a week”, find the time to give yourself a little pep-talk and try to get to know yourself better, and understand what you really want to achieve, instead of what you’re supposed to. Be realistic and gentle with yourself, don’t expect to change overnight, forgive yourself for any mistakes and keep trying. A few, simple goals to focus on and to always keep in mind is the first step to walking brightly into the new decade.

2020 should be the year for every woman to finally get things straight: girls, don’t let anybody hold you down or tell you what your’re worth or what your’re capable of. Keep your head up and be fierce, you deserve it. Remember that femininity can be combined with power, strength and success, so be you, whoever you are.

Whether you are married, divorced or happily single, dedicate this year to improving your relationship with those who surround you. Know your boundaries and be clear about them, so people know how to behave with you. This will help you avoid toxic people, and those who deserve your company will automatically stay and respect you. Often, we’re uncertain of what’s okay and what is not, therefore people around us take advantage of our confusion and mistreat us.

For people to respect you, in any case, you need to respect yourself first. You know when you love someone, and your mind keeps thinking of how many nice things you could do to make that person happy? Well, do it for yourself! Take yourself on dates, plan time to do what you love. This doesn’t mean only spa days and holidays, but also not missing your doctor’s appointments and checking on your diet and lifestyle.

Explore your motivation to be better: do you want to improve yourself to look better in other people’s eyes, or your own? Changing to impress someone else can give you some motivation, initially, but since change isn’t an easy task, doing it for someone else is just going to lead to a constant, frustrating need for approval.

It’s not going to be easy, and it shouldn’t be. Challenge yourself this year, push your limits and always move forward. This is not just the start of a new year, but it’s going to be your first step towards a better you.

Let this be your year, your decade, to become your best self.

Introduction to Tai-Chi

Whilst everyone joins the “new year, new me" hype, I’m over here living my best life with my own twists to common New Year’s resolutions.

The gym is always a big one - January is a classic month for a spike in gym memberships, only for these to lay forgotten at the bottom of your priority list come February. My own desire to hit the gym doesn’t usually kick in until April each year and I like to take it nice and easy before then.

This year, I’ve decided to hit the ground running (so to speak) with a bit of an unusual development.

Welcome to the world of Tai-chi.

Tai-chi is a type of martial art, but unlike what you may be picturing in your head, it is generally considered a “soft” martial art which is focused on the internal self and well-being, as opposed to hammering Bruce Lee’s best moves and breaking as many boards as possible.

Getting started is very simple, You just need yourself, a flat space to practice in a quiet environment, and ideally, one hour of time. Wear loose, comfortable clothing that you feel relaxed in and which will move easily as you practice your movements. That’s it.

The physical side of tai-chi is deceptively simple. All you need is everything I mentioned above and you’re good to go. But to really feel the full benefit of tai-chi, you need to take some time to focus on your internal self.

Your attunement to nature, or rather, gaining a stronger attunement to not only the nature around you, but also within you, is at the heart of tai-chi. The spiritual tradition of Taoism which is where tai-chi finds its roots.

Some medical studies suggest tai chi can help to improve a host of medical conditions including, but not limited to: muscular pain, headaches, fibromyalgia, cardiovascular problems, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Diabetes and ADHD. If you’re experiencing any aches and pains, it could well be worth giving tai-chi a try.

Personally, I decided to start tai-chi as a solo practice at home, using online guides to help me along the way. You could also have a look around for classes in your local area if you would prefer someone to teach you, but if not, there’s a helpful beginner’s tutorial here.

Career Advice for the Savvy Jobseeker

Strangely enough, I realised I’ve never actually addressed the whole topic of career advice or jobseeking on this blog, which is interesting because it’s a field that I’ve worked in for a few years now, so it’s definitely something I discuss every day.

I tend to work with people who have established themselves in their careers already, and are usually looking for a promotion or a slight career change as their next step.

However, I thought I’d focus my first career post on the entry level candidates; people who have just left school and/or university, and those who aren’t quite sure what they should do next. Here are a couple of my tips for success!

1. Work out where your gaps are - this means taking stock of exactly what skills and experience you have so far, (and bear in mind that this doesn’t necessarily have to be experience in a previous job, it can be life experience), and measuring the jobs you’d like to apply for, against it. Work out where the gaps are and how you can gain experience if required.

2. Use your connections - this doesn’t mean you need to move in the highest society circles. Everyone knows someone; your parents might have friends who can offer you a starting point, you could go make an appointment with an old school teacher and speak to them, or even try your local library or community centre. A personal connection can often help to get your foot in the door, especially for entry level jobs.

3. Examine your interests - job searching is different when you know exactly what you want to do (because that typically gives you a career path to get you there), as opposed to when you’re not quite sure where you want to end up. If you fall into the latter category, I’d start with examining your interests; what is it that makes you tick, what are you passionate about, what would you like to learn more about? Start there.

4. Graduate jobs - for those of you who have left university as graduates and are now finding yourself a bit stuck, remember that your careers centre can usually still help you for at least 6 months after graduation. If you find yourself Googling ‘graduate jobs,’ it’s not the end of the world. Grad schemes don’t last forever and can equip you with interesting and varied skills. Don’t discount them.

5. Gain varied experience - if you’re not quite sure where you want to end up, I’d recommend trying to gain varied experience. Unless you’re absolutely loving a particular job, I wouldn’t re-apply constantly for the same thing. It can pigeonhole you later on. Try lots of different things and see what takes your fancy.

6. Check out where the demand is - if, for example, you left school at 18 and didn’t want to go down the university route, and you’re not sure where to start, I would honestly suggest reading up on where candidate demand is the highest. You can either read survey results about this, or just search on job board for salary levels (start from £12k-20k) and see what comes up. The vacancies will be a mix of things which might need certain qualifications (e.g. specific A-levels), and others won’t require anything of the sort. There’s nothing wrong with going for what happens to be available just because it’s not your dream job. Don’t forget that you are allowed to change jobs and careers. No-one’s going to stop you!

7. Gain qualifications - it’s true that experience counts for a lot, but it’s also true that for some jobs, you simply must have the qualifications. I think we’d all feel a bit funny if our doctors or engineers weren’t qualified for their roles, so if you see a job which requires a degree or other qualification, particularly if it’s something which will offer long term career progression, it might be worth looking into how you can achieve that qualification. For degree programmes, you will typically need certain GCSE and A-level grades to get an offer; other programmes may take you on with less.

8. Don’t stop looking - just because a suitable job isn’t available right now, don’t stop searching. Vacancies are added all the time and the internet is your best port of call. It’s worth registering with job boards as well as directly with career portals of potential employers. Sign yourself up for job alerts across as many different websites as you can and speak to recruiters in your local area.

The Crimes of Grindelwald: A Movie Review

I’m a huge movie lover but reviewing films I’ve seen hasn’t been something I’ve done here before, mainly because I couldn’t be bothered writing an actual review. I’m more of the ‘watch it and move on’ type, even about movies that I enjoyed immensely.

But the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them released this year, and as a self-confessed Potterhead, it was of course, priority number one to see the films that have expanded our view of the wizarding world of Harry Potter.

I also felt like I had things to say about the whole spin-off malarkey, and by the look of things on social media, many of you felt the same way.

So here we go.

Let’s start with me saying that I enjoyed the movie. I genuinely did.

I keep calling it a movie because I’m so used to seeing “movie” written down, although the Brit inside me is screaming “nooo, it’s a film!” Do forgive the interchangeable use of both terms in this post.

Back to the point at hand, it’s a good, enjoyable film that takes you into new, unexplored areas of the wizarding universe. But I do have a few gripes if I’m honest. Most of these are just personal gripes and I fully understand why these things were done the way they were; I just happen to think they could have been done differently, in a way that would add much more to the story.

I suppose the first issue is the lack of books. With Harry Potter we pretty much knew what was coming and how it would end; the thrill was just in seeing the Potterverse come to life. For me, the Harry Potter books provided all the backstory, the details of the thoughts and motivations behind each character and the actions they took. Clearly you can’t do that with a film unless you decide to have a narrator taking 9 hours to tell you everything.

But I think the lack of books ultimately made me feel that something was lacking with the film. As a standalone visionary piece of work, the film is great. My disappointment is that it could have been so much more, if only there had been books, particularly when it comes to developing a real relationship with the characters and rooting for them to win. As much as I love Newt, Harry will always have that #1 spot in my heart.

Secondly, Johnny Depp.

I’m wondering whether I need to explain this further so for any of you not in the know about the furore there, there is a helpful article here.

I do understand that he’s signed up to do the films, there are contracts in place and I assume financial penalties for the production company if they release him from the contract early.

Also, there’s the whole schtick about character continuity. Apart from Richard Harris dying after the second Harry Potter film, an entire generation has grown up seeing the same people play the same characters every time. It would be a bit much for the Potterverse if Depp was removed, although to my mind, he certainly should be.

Thirdly, Nagini. The Harry Potter fans are well aware that Nagini is the name of Voldemort’s pet snake but we are introduced to her backstory in The Crimes of Grindewald. Rowling tells us Nagini is a Maladictus, a person with a blood curse which ultimately renders the human an animal for the remainder of their life following an ability to shapeshift into a particular animal, earlier in life.

Nagini’s form is a snake, and the blood curse appears to affect Malaysians. The problem I have here is that whilst there may be some cultural truth to the legend/myth of the Maladictus in Asia, part of me is wondering (quite cynically) whether the casting of Nagini had anything to do with Rowling wanting to prove a point about diversity.

I am South Asian myself and I fully believe that popular culture in the West ought to reflect the diversity and plurality of Western populations. My problem is that we know Nagini is a subservient pet to Voldemort, and I feel a very uncomfortable link between old Orientalist tropes about submissive Asian women, and Nagini’s role in this film.

I’ll just leave that one there. Simply put, it gives me an icky feeling.

I have more gripes including the timeline being inaccurate where the young Professor McGonagall is concerned. She would have been a baby at the time the film is set, so how on earth she’s teaching Hogwarts students, goodness only knows. But there we go.

I have to say overall that the film in and of itself is good. It is worth watching if you can suspend your disbelief. I happen to be a total Potterhead so I picked up on things I didn’t like and things I felt didn’t fit, but I would recommend watching the film if the world of Harry Potter interested you.