I Just Know...

[UnicornVibes]

Hi,

Its been a long time coming for me to voice my concerns and feelings to anybody, albeit if you are strangers on an online forum.

I think it helps because;

a) You don't know me

b) You are all going through something similar.

I'm twenty-three years old, I think I have had the 'I just know' feeling for about six years. So why am I struggling to get help and support for this?

Although I am not in denial, I just don't think I can deal with it and ultimately I cannot face the idea of being childless.

When I first started my period as a teenager, they were all over the place. I read this was normal although they continued to be erratic. Making an appearance twice a month sometimes, sometimes not turning up to the party at all, over staying and lasting twenty days.

As I have got older I have noticed my periods decrease. For the past couple of years I have had around four periods a year, usually around every three months. This year started to even themselves out and I was having a period almost on time, almost every month.

As I write this I haven't had a period for almost three months.

I am not overweight and in fact have a very healthy BMI. But I do struggle with excessive facial/body hair which is a constant battle for me and causes me to feel depressed.

I am also almost certain I am infertile as I have been with my partner for 8 years and for a significant amount of years we haven't been using any contraception.

I have read lots of stories about people not being taken seriously by there GP and it almost puts me off. I think because of the lack of periods I'm just so afraid of the worst outcome- not having enough eggs and my chance of becoming a mother being taken from me.

I really do apologise for the essay and whilst I am aware I haven't asked any questions, I would really appreciate any comments or advice.

Thanks,

I really am usually all sparkles and rainbows,,

UnicornVibes xx

[Hols969]

You are not infertile so you will not be childless, there is so much help out their for pcos so it is extremely rare not to conceive. Has it even crossed your mind that your partner may have issues rather than you ?? 1/3 of fertility issues are now men - my hubbie had low sperm count and lots of dead and two tailed ones which made it harder to conceive.

I would follow the low GI diet generally to get your body ready for when you are ready. You can be referred to fertility after 6 months of trying so as soon as you start trying officially I would go and see the GP. Make sure you do have the 4 periods a year to keep your uterus healthy. Also you dont need a period to get pregnant and also having a period doesnt mean you are ovulating either (which was me, regular ish periods but rarely ovulated). You will have enough eggs so that will not be an issue.

You will have a family so start believing in it, there is so much help out there so it will happen!!

[Tor666]

Hello UnicornVibes,

Please stop freaking yourself out, it's almost as if you are building a massive hill with all these thoughts and questions and now it's grown so big it's just to scary to climb. Take a step back for a second a breath................ Okay, first things first; go to the doctors and tell them you are having trouble with your periods, they are all over the place, they are really heavy, they can last for two weeks, the pain isn't normal, it's hard to control, you are worried and" it's having an impact on your life"! That last bit is really important, if you say that in that way, they have to help you.

They can give you a simple blood test to see if you have raised levels of testosterone. They can send you for a scan and this can show you if there are cysts on your ovaries. My testosterone came back elevated but my scan came back clear but because i was experiencing pain i was sent for a Laparoscopy - where they put a camera in through a cut just under your belly button to have a look at whats going on.

You don't have to wait until to are trying to get pregnant, maybe if you just get some answers now you can stop building that massive hill.

If you do have PCOS they can give you clomid which will make you ovulate or you can have what is called ovarian drilling. It sounds awful but it isn't that bad and you are asleep, they drill holes into your ovaries and the healing process kicks them into action and they function properly for about 9 months. There are always other options too, i know it is easy to only see the negative things but i promise there are a lot of things to help you if you need them.

Victoria

[tasha-jayne5]

I would definitely go to the doctors and get it confirmed. Like you, I always knew something was wrong, I just didn't know what. When they diagnosed me I was scared, felt so alone, I had no clue what they had just told me (apart from the fact I could get fat, hairy, spotty and struggle to conceive) they told me there was medication and they could refer me for fertility treatment etc.

I didn't like the sound of relying on tons of tablets so I researched pcos and came across a website - pcosdietsupport.com. It's put together by a lady called Tarryn who is amazing! She's got tons of info and you can sign up to get her starter pack and emails for free. There is also deliciouslyella.com for pcos friendly recipes (although she's vegan too so I just add meat into the meals).

I too hadn't had a period for 4 months when I got diagnosed.. Within a couple of weeks of starting the diet, I got my period (which was relatively normal) and they were pretty regular after that, my spots had gone, the hair was going and I felt amazing. I got pregnant within 3 months and now have a beautiful little boy.

Please don't beat yourself up about it, there is tons of help if you look in the right places, you just have to figure out what solutions are best for you. Try one, if you're not getting on with it try another. Try to stay positive, so many women have pcos and I don't know many that haven't been able to have kids. The only ones that I know who haven't didn't do anything about their pcos. Just try not to stress as that will make things worse.

Good luck x