If you have been following this blog for a while then you
know we had issues getting pregnant. Those issues were due to my having PCOS.
I'm going to play a little Q&A game about PCOS. The
answers are all direct quotes that come from WebMD. I will follow up with some
of my personal experience.
Q. What is PCOS?
A. "Polycystic ovary syndrome (say
"pah-lee-SIS-tik OH-vuh-ree SIN-drohm") is a problem in which a
woman’s hormones are out of balance. It can cause problems with your periods
and make it difficult to get pregnant. PCOS may also cause unwanted changes in
the way you look. If it is not treated, over time it can lead to serious health
problems, such as diabetes and heart disease."
My experience: Many years ago when I got my period my cycles
were irregular. Sometime in late high school or college I was diagnosed with
PCOS. When Craig and I decided it was time to try and expand our family we were
referred to a fertility specialist because the Ob-Gyn was not able to help us
with the standard methods used in her office.
Q. Do a lot of women have PCOS?
A. "Polycystic ovary syndrome (or PCOS) is common,
affecting as many as 1 out of 15 women. Often the symptoms begin in the teen
years. Treatment can help control the symptoms and prevent long-term
problems."
My experience: In middle school I began to experience my
first two symptoms of PCOS.
Q. What are the symptoms?
A. "Symptoms tend to be mild at first. You may have
only a few symptoms or a lot of them.
The most common symptoms are:
- Acne
- Weight gain and trouble losing weight
- Extra hair on the face and body. Often women get thicker and darker facial hair and more hair on the chest, belly, and back.
- Thinning hair on the scalp.
- Irregular periods. Often women with PCOS have fewer than nine periods a year. Some women have no periods at all. Others have very heavy bleeding.
- Fertility problems. Many women who have PCOS have trouble getting pregnant (infertility).
- Depression
Most women with PCOS grow many small cysts on their ovaries.
That is why it is called polycystic ovary syndrome. The cysts are not harmful
but lead to hormone imbalances."
My experience:
- Acne - I had the same patch of acne on my chin throughout all of high school and college. It was constantly red even though the pimples would come and go.
- Weight gain - This came much later for me. After we got married I started gaining weight in my belly. This is very common for women with PCOS.
- Extra hair - This was one of my first symptoms as it started in middle school. Mustaches might be popular now, but they sure were not at that time!
- Irregular periods - From the very beginning I had irregular periods. At the time I thought it was because I had low body fat. I later found out it was due to PCOS.
- Fertility problems - We had to see a specialist and ended up using Clomid and IUI to get pregnant.
If you are counting, that's 5 out of 7 of the most common symptoms.
So that is the beginning of my PCOS journey. I'll follow up
with a little more about what exactly is going on in the body to cause this and
why I am bothering to record my story.
All of the quoted info came from here.
