Living With PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome

I was diagnosed with PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome in December 2000, at which time I hadn't even heard of the condition let alone knew anything about it.   Like most people I managed to find most of my information through the Internet which supplied me with a wealth of knowledge ~ to the point I suffered from "information overload" on many occasions.   But once digesting what I read about this little-known condition, I was able ascertain that many of the little things from which I had been suffering could well be put down to this condition.

At the time of diagnosis, I wasn't offered any help in treatment for PCOS so therefore I just simply assumed that there wasn't any.   In 1999/2000 my husband and I began the journey of trying to conceive (TTC), and since hubby had a vasectomy when married previously he now had to have the procedure reversed.   He had his surgery in May 2000, which was 100% successful, and for the next few months we went through procedures and appointments in trying to get pregnant.   After about six months when I hadn't fallen pregnant the doctors decided to take a look at me to see if I may be the cause of the problem.   They ordered an internal ultrasound (very comfortable - NOT!), and it was then that the radiologist told me that I had PolyCystic ovaries.   When I saw the doctor at my next appointment, he confirmed it.   I had PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome.   His treatment for this was to put me on a couple of courses of Clomid and see how we go.   I was completely in the dark as to where to go from here, and what having PCOS meant.   I was on Clomid for about three months, until my next appointment mid-2001, and since I still hadn't fallen pregnant by this time his next step was to teach me to give myself fertility injections.   He also gave us a referral to the IVF clinic down the road, but it was a road we couldn't afford to take at this time.   The lack of help and understanding we had received from these doctors left me rather confused ~ where to go from here, and what do I do?   I still didn't know what having this condition meant for me.

The Internet became a great source as I surfed the information superhighway in search of an understanding of this little-known condition. Apparently I wasn't the only one who didn't know much about PCOS; the doctors who diagnosed me didn't seem to know much about it either! And this was a Reproductive/Biology Unit that specialised in helping people TTC. Understandably it left me feeling disappointed, as not only had I been trying to fall pregnant, but I was not even receiving any help to understand my condition. By the time of my next appointment in August of that year, many things had overtaken our efforts in TTC. My husband's ex-wife had died in May 2001 of a heroin overdose leaving her five children, three of which were my husband's, motherless. They had been placed into foster care two months before her demise and we decided to seek custody of his children. He had been denied access to his children's lives for the past five years and he was a stranger to them. These children had experienced a great deal in their short lives and so we decided our main focus should be them....and so conceiving was placed on the back-burner. I never went back for my appointment with the clinic, nor did I reschedule. I had been greatly disillusioned by the clinic and their treatment of me, so I was in no real hurry to return. Which, incidentally, I never did.

Over the next year our energies well focused on the children, Human Services and fighting the court and the system.   I was growing more and more tired, and soon I began losing weight dramatically.   Although one of the symptoms of PCOS is weight gain, we all just put my sudden weight loss down to the extreme stress we were enduring at the time.   But we were to find out in September 2002, that it was something much much more.   Despite not being treated for PCOS I was still seeking as much information as I could about it, and I learnt that more and more was being discovered about it all the time.   When I was diagnosed in 2000, I realise that very little was known about this condition but since then the internet, and the books I have been introduced to along the way, have helped bring a greater understanding since then.

PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a metabolic condition which can have serious repercussions on one's health.   Years ago it was seen more as a cosmetic condition, and though doctors had originally diagnosed it in France in 1844 it wasn't till 1935 when two New York gynaecologists, Irving Stein and Michael Leventhal, discovered women suffering from amenorrhea (no periods), severe hirsuitism (unwanted hair) and obesity.   Since there wasn't the technology at the time that we take for granted today, what was then known as Stein-Leventhal Syndrome, wasn't necessarily seen as a serious condition.   Today we now know that to be different.

PCOS affects one in four women (5-10%) throughout the world and many do not even know they have it.   Certainly more common that we once thought, the three original symptoms seen as the classic features of PCOS were further joined by a growing list of possible symptoms, resulting in difficulty in diagnosis.   Your doctor must suspect PCOS to diagnose it, and even then it can be difficult.

So, what are the symptoms of PCOS?   Symptoms can vary from each individual and the spectrum is very broad.   Click for the list.

PCOS Symptoms

Another common question is "Is PCOS curable?"   While there are many treatments available to help control the symptoms, PCOS in itself cannot be cured.   In conjunction with the right lifestyle changes, many have found a Low GI diet to be beneficial, and exercise, women with PCOS can lead very normal and productive lives.   I once read in one of my books on the subject "Instead of telling yourself you have in incurable condition, try to think of it as an ongoing health concern requiring long-tern treatment".

As so little is known about this condition, learning more about what exactly causes it is a complex procedure.   PCOS in itself is complex with studies indicating the condition may be caused by insulin resistance.   There is thought to be many contributing factors to women developing PCOS including a genetic link, environment (such as diet and lifestyle) and the imbalance in the production of hormones from the various glands ~ the adrenal glands, the ovaries, the pancreas, and the pituitary gland, also resulting in the high levels of testosterone in women.

When I was last at my specialists, my mum asked him is the condition genetic.   He said yes.   This is something we weren't aware of before.   But it would explain many things in previous years ~ my maternal grandmother also had many unsuccessful pregnancies, and the fact that PCOS is indeed genetic could well be a factor in my developing the condition.   But as my specialist said, there is no genetic marker for males so experts have been unable to discover whether our individual genetic links are maternal or paternal.   All they know so far is that it is genetic.

The long term health risks of PCOS are severe, though mainly related to insulin resistance, can also result in a stroke, heart disease and endrometrial cancer.   But between 25 and 35% of overweight women with PCOS have been known to show signs of Type 2 Diabetes by their early 30s, becoming more common in women in their 40s and beyond.   To help prevent these risks a healthy eating plan (like a Low GI diet) and regular exercise is found to be beneifical.

So how do we treat PCOS?   First and foremost is a lifestyle change.   Many have found a Low GI (low glycaemic index) diet to be beneficial, and there is plenty of information both on the internet as well as many books on the subject available.   The traditional treatment has been to be placed on the Pill, but for those TTC, that seems rather redundant.   Especially since it merely masks the problem, not treats it.   Clomid is one of the most common forms of treatment, aiding in women trying to conceive, though its effectiveness appears to be limited.

Recent studies have found that the hypoglycaemic drug, Metformin (typically used in the treatment of diabetes), has been helpful in controlling some symptoms of PCOS by increasing the body’s ability to absorb insulin.   Metformin has shown to help with weight loss, infertility, acne, and unwanted hair etc.   It has also been thought to be helpful in increasing the effectiveness of Clomid for women with PCOS who are trying to conceive.   Statistically the conception rates for Clomid have increased from 20% to more than 80% for women with PCOS by using Metformin.

[ Previous 5 Sites | Skip Previous | Previous | Next ] This Hope for Cysters - Living with PCOS Net Ring is owned by Christina. Want to join this Ring? [ Skip Next | Next 5 Sites | Random Site | List Sites ]

Click here to view More Webrings I am a member of

Click here to join my Webring "Hope for Cysters"