How many ladies know what PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) is? How many ladies have actually heard of it?
When my husband and I had tried for over a year to get pregnant and had no luck, my mid-wife said let’s try Clomid. Sure I say, why not? Well that time passes and leads to no results, except for a miscarriage. My mid-wife looks me straight in the eye and said Cindy, I think that you need to see an Endocrinologist. What? Me? What the heck is an Endocrinologist? I mean really and why? Then she said Cindy to be honest I believe you have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome known as PCOS. I mean really? Come on at the age of 17, I easily got pregnant with our son who is now 10. Why could I not get pregnant this go around and him on 6 at the time? Maybe, just maybe it was not in God’s plan for us to have another one. This was so hard to hear, how my heart yearned for another child. How could we afford to go to an Endocrinologist? I left that day feeling that my chances of having another child had been flushed down the toilet forever. I told her I would have to talk to my husband and let her know if I wanted her to schedule an appointment for me. As I drove back to work all I could think about was finding out more about PCOS, and what it really meant for me. If I was to go to this doctor would I just fork out this money to him and not have a child to show for it in the end. What really was PCOS? Did I really have it, like she thought?
As I read more about it these where some of the things I found out about it. Note: some symptoms of PCOS include but are not limited to:
· Obesity, weight gain, can’t lose weight
· Irregular or no menstruation
· Acne
· Depression
· Oily skin
· Infertility
· Blood pressure issues
· Excess or abnormal hair growth
· Pain in the lower abdomen/ pelvis area
· Tired
So, as I look at this list even today, I can say just out of the few symptoms I have listed I have most of those problems. As I checked off things on this list I come to find out maybe I really did have PCOS. Even if I could not get pregnant, I need to seek help for this problem. That was my main goal, my health was important and is important so we decided to take that step and go see the Endocrinologist. In late 2006 we made that hour and half journey to see the Endocrinologist several times. During those trips lots of blood work, ultra sounds, etc. where preformed and he told me yes, Cindy you do have PCOS. Then he proceeded to tell me he wanted me to try Metformin and then go from there. He said let’s start small and then work our way up. Why try to start with big meds when we might not even need them. Within two months later I was pregnant and now we have a happy soon to be 13 month old.
I have come to realize there are so many different problems for women with PCOS. Metformin might be some ladies answer to having that child they so desperately wanted, then again it might not be. Everyone is different, no one is the same, so treatments maybe different for you than it was for me. I am not a doctor by any means, but maybe you should read up more about Metfromin and PCOS and see if this is something your doctor feels that you should try.
After having our little guy, I still have to realize that even though I am not trying to get pregnant there are still issues with PCOS, it’s something that I can’t get rid of, and there is no cure. This is something I am going to have to learn to live with and take control of! As I have read books, read online, and talking with the doctor I have found out that women with PCOS have greater chances of developing several serious, life-threatening diseases which can include:
· Type 2 diabetes
· Cardiovascular Disease
· High blood pressure
· Higher risk of heart attack than most women.
· Cancer
Did you know that 50% of women with PCOS will have diabetes or pre-diabetes before age 40? This is why I am monitored and now on Metformin daily. Metfromin is an oral diabetes medicine that helps control blood sugar levels and for some reason seems to help women with PCOS. It’s not been proven, but at least my doctor tells me with the ladies that he sees and uses it with it really does seem to help. I have noticed big time a difference in my facial hair, weight loss, and just the way I feel. I had no energy before. Yea, I know having a little one at home makes you tired, but this was a different tired, the one I had felt before I had even got pregnant and one that I feel for sure was coming from my PCOS.
Weight loss is a big issue for a lot of women with PCOS, its hard work. It really is, I know I have been there. One of the biggest things that I have had to help me was the Metformin, watching my carbohydrates intake and getting some form of exercise. I am not talking about working out an hour a day either, for me taking a walk every other day has worked. I am talking about just a 20-30 min walk. Heck when I first started I could not go that long, I worked my way up to that and now actually can do easy 50 min walk if I want to. Walking is something that’s free, and most of the time easy to do. I know that I can help control my PCOS by doing just little steps.
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