Today we’re continuing our coverage of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Awareness Month and and sharing your stories. We asked you, our community members, to share your PCOS stories and so many people generously stepped forward.
In this post, Jenny Smith shares her story.
How did you discover you have PCOS?
After about 2 years of trying to get pregnant, my OBGYN referred me to a reproductive endocrinologist for my irregular periods and difficulty getting pregnant. He discovered that I had cysts on my ovaries and insulin resistance through a ultrasound and blood tests.
Did PCOS affect your ability to conceive? How?
I do not have regular periods, and I rarely ovulate, if at all, so getting pregnant is very hard on our own.
What treatments did you try and what worked for you?
I have tried 3 rounds of Clomid 50mg, in which my body didn’t even respond to. Currently I am on 5mg of Femara for 5 days, Follistim 50iu for 3 days, then Ovidrel Trigger before our IUI. I have not succeeded in achieving pregnancy as of right now.
If you could give one piece of advice to PCOS sufferers, what would it be?
You are not alone. Reach out to the online resources, message boards, and blogs. Confide in your spouse or best friend. You never know who may be going through the same thing you are. The hardest lesson I had to learn is to not keep this struggle bottled inside.
How would you describe PCOS, and how it affects your life, to people who don’t know anything about PCOS?
PCOS runs my life. Simple as that. If affects every aspect of it from the foods I eat to what mood I’m in for the day. The one thing that I want most in my life is to be a mother, and I can’t even do that on my own. The excess weight and body hair and the acne I have is embarrassing, but no matter what I try, it seems to never go away. There is no cure, and I will battle this disease for the rest of my life. The most I can do is manage it with the help of medication, diet, and exercise.
What would you like the general public to know about PCOS?
That PCOS is a disease, and there needs to be respect for those that are battling it. Push for more research and funding. Push for our right to have infertility insurance coverage. We need help getting our voices heard.
3 Comments
i have pcos and discovered it through a vaginal ultrasound and i however did succeed in getting pregnant and dont know how but now i am going through ivf for this one because the pcos does stop you from having kids on your own. i dont not have a regular period at all it just comes when it feels like it
but theres nothing you can do for it .
Fawn – There are medications that can help with the irregularity of menstrual cycles, but it sounds like they didn’t work for you. So glad you managed to get pregnant on your own. That’s great! Good luck with your IVF!
jENNY THANKS YOU FOR SHARING YOUR STORY. I HAVE PCOS AND UNDERSTAND YOUR PAIN. i SUFFER WITH THE WEIGHT GAIN PART AND THE BREAK OUTS OF SKIN TAGS DUE TO INSULIN RESISTANCE.
I WAS TAKING METFORMIN N TOOK A BREAK FROM IT BECAUSE I am tired of popping pills
I am striving to eat better and exercise.
I desire to be a mother as well, but I dont wanna have to go through more medication
or IVF. I want the child on my own, if I can not, it hurts because I finally have
a wonderful husband i’d love to start a family with.
But life could be worse.
I take PCOS one day at a time…
I just hate how it rules my moods more than anything. being mentally
unstable due it, is the WORST PART. It causes so many ocmplications
because there’s ppl that think I am nuts sometimes.
So I am glad I am no longer alone dealing with pcos.
I feel like the only african amserican with it.
But let’s keep up this support group.
it has saved me from serious despair.