My Story
Many of you might
actually recognize bits and pieces of your own lives in the story I'm about to
tell. If you gain nothing else from this web site, it is my sincere hope that
you will at least realize that you are not alone in your struggle. Now, please
read on!
I have never
experienced a "normal" female cycle since menstruation began when I
was about 12. To make matters worse, I never really knew that I should concern
myself with this physical anomaly until I was in my early twenties and began to
experience strange changes in my body. Although I was always thin as a teenager,
by age 20 my weight started to increase rather rapidly. I went from 118 lb.
(I'm 5'7") to around 130 lb. in about a year. I attributed the weight gain
to my job at a candy wholesale distribution center and the fact that I had
recently moved out of my parent's home and was eating too much fast food. The
additional 12 pounds seemed to exacerbate the infrequency and irregularities of
my cycles.
By the time I
reached the age of 22, I weighed around 150 lb. Carrying so much extra weight
really depressed me, so I went on a virtually no-fat diet and lost 25 lb. in
about 6 weeks. Around this same time, I began experiencing heavy and prolonged
bleeding that would last for weeks at a time. This frightened me to the point of finally seeking medical
care. The physician I saw
performed a quick pelvic examination, asked me a few questions pertaining to my
cycle, then simply told me that "my hormones were messed up", gave me
some birth control pills, and sent me on my way.
I really had no idea what the implications were in terms of my fertility and overall health, so I thought it was no big deal and continued on with my life. Although I took the pills for about 4 months, I stopped taking them when a friend of mine told me they tend to make women fat if they stay on them for prolonged periods of time. Since I had just lost so much weight, I wasn’t about to gain it all back due to the ingestion of some little pills that made me a cranky and irritable mess!
At
23, I moved back to my home state of Michigan after a two-year absence. I began
to date my former spouse at that time as well. It wasn't long before the cravings
for chocolate and various sweets overpowered me and I crept back up to 150 lb. and
it's been a battle of the bulge ever since. I did reach 135 lb. for my wedding
in April of 1994, but it came right back on after the honeymoon.
My now ex-husband
and I decided that we wanted to have children right away since he was
approaching 30 and I was 25. Well, as you can imagine, nothing happened. I
spent literally hundreds of dollars on home pregnancy tests since I only had a
period every 3-4 months. Finally, in October 1995, I saw an Ob/Gyn to find out
what the problem was. I was stunned to find out that I had a condition called
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrom (PCOS). I didn't realize that this "hormone
imbalance" identified by my former physician would create such an obstacle
in my quest to conceive a child.
The fertility
specialist immediately started me on Clomiphene Citrate (Clomid), a commonly
prescribed fertility drug, which had absolutely no affect on my system during
the first month of treatment. At a higher dosage during the second month, my
progesterone blood test confirmed that I was successful in achieving ovulation.
We continued at this dosage level for several months, but I never became
pregnant. It wasn't until after I'd taken the drug for about 4-5 months that I
realized it has a common side-effect of creating "hostile mucous".
Put simply, this means that one’s cervical mucous will not allow sperm to
penetrate the cervix and thus greatly inhibits pregnancy. I'm convinced this
happened in my situation because I noticed a conspicuous absence of mucous discharge
during time periods when it should have been most abundant.
This was extremely discouraging for me, so I abandoned the fertility specialist and took a much-deserved break from the "baby-making treadmill" I had been on. Soon after, I discovered a wonderful new mailing list on the internet that was created for women with PCOS. I jumped at the opportunity to share my thoughts, emotions, and frustrations with women who were fighting battles with their bodies similar to my own struggles and I am so grateful for it! It was comforting to hear their stories and to come to the realization that I was not alone in my journey. ((I will always be grateful to those wonderful ladies for making me feel like a "normal" human being again. They offered so many ideas for coping with POCS, seeking various forms of treatment, and just plain reaching out to others with PCOS. I'd encourage anyone with PCOS to join this mailing list NOW! Click here for details on how to subscribe.))
To continue on with my story…I reached my heaviest point in March of 1996 when I tipped the scales at 170! I couldn't fit into any of my pants (except the nasty stretch variety) and I was becoming quite depressed. Also, my cycles completely disappeared and I would only experience a period when drug-induced via provera or similar substance. I was trying so hard to accept the fact that I would just live out rest of my life as a sterile, fat lady - not at all the life I had envisioned for myself!
After much
nagging, my mother convinced me to try a more natural approach to treating my
PCOS. At this point in the previous edition of my web site I would link you to
some pages which described the products I take. Since I am unable to do so, let
me simply urge you once again to take a look at the many natural alternatives
to drugs that are available and try to give your body a break. Let it heal
itself...it really is possible if given the chance.
If you'd like to
see how I'm doing now please visit the following link. If nothing else, I think
it might give you a glimpse of hope for your future. PCOS doesn't have to be a
life-sentence to heartache, discomfort, and obesity. Please don't give up
hope...ever!
