At 21, I was told I had a serious condition affecting my ovaries. There was, the doctors said, a high chance I would be infertile.
Fast-forward several decades and, now 46, I have two children, both conceived naturally. At a recent scan, I was told I had the ovaries of a much younger woman.
Like an estimated one in five women, I have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). It’s caused by a hormonal imbalance that affects the way the ovaries work.
It can lead to irregular or absent periods as the ovaries become enlarged and covered in underdeveloped egg follicles.
Did you know? Polycystic ovary syndromecan lead to irregular or absent periods as the ovaries become enlarged and covered in underdeveloped egg follicles
Other symptoms include excess facial hair, acne, a propensity to put on weight and depression.
It’s not known why some women get it, though some experts believe it may be hereditary. Yet the gynaecologist who did my most recent scan found it hard to believe I’d ever had PCOS.
For years, I’ve adopted a diet and lifestyle to help alleviate my symptoms, and now I wonder: have I ‘cured’ myself?
I was diagnosed after developing painful acne at 19. I also started finding short dark hairs on my chin and chest. As I hadn’t had a period for six months, my mum suggested I visit my GP. They referred me for an ultrasound scan that revealed I had follicles, or undeveloped eggs, on my ovaries — a sign of PCOS.
The two main hormone imbalances associated with PCOS are increased testosterone and insulin resistance. Insulin is the hormone that mops up sugar from our blood. If our bodies become resistant to it, the body produces more of it to compensate. This can lead to type 2 diabetes.
This may also explain why women with PCOS have trouble losing weight, which can be something of a vicious circle — as being overweight can make insulin resistance worse. When I was given my diagnosis, back in the Nineties, the only treatments were metformin — a diabetes drug — or the contraceptive Pill.
My GP said I’d probably need fertility treatment and the likelihood of conceiving naturally was low. I was devastated. Thankfully, within a
