My experience with PCOS
JANE B, 39, admits that for a number of years she was happy to know her period came every four or sometimes six months.
Having started menstruating at age 11, she said the experience was irritating, and for the times her period was MIA, she didn’t mind.
“I thought the good Lord blessed me wonderfully. When it did come, it was very light and it wasn’t intrusive,” Jane told All Woman.
However, when she started bleeding in between her periods she became concerned and saw a gynaecologist who told her that she had polyps — growths attached to the inner wall of the uterus that extend into the uterine cavity. He didn’t explain much else to her.
Jane said she did surgery, which stopped the bleeding for a while, but by the next year she was back to square one.
“This meant I had to repeat the procedure and when I saw the surgeon he told me I would have to say whether or not I wanted children, so he would know how to proceed,” she said.
“I told him I was not thinking about it then, but if the opportunity came I would want to have a child.”
It was then that she was also told that she had polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), even though the surgeon was able to remove the polyps and some cysts.
Polycystic ovarian disease is a fairly common condition which is associated with excessive weight gain, irregular menstruation, difficulty becoming pregnant and excess production of male hormones.
“He explained that I was at risk for type two diabetes because of the insulin resistance associated with PCOS, and at risk of developing type one diabetes which is even more dangerous. He also explained that to be the reason I had been struggling with my weight,” she said.
She added that the doctor told her that her irregular menstruation was the first red flag she should have paid attention to.
It has been two years since Jane did the second surgery, and since then she has not had a recurrence of intermenstrual bleeding.
The experience, she said, has taught her to be more mindful of her health and she has been making attempts to pursue a healthy lifestyle.
“I am more aware of what I eat and I exercise regularly. I not only exercise to lose weight, but I incorporate it as part of my plan to live healthy.”
— Kimberley Hibbert