PCOS
Understanding PCOS
PCOS stands for either polycystic ovary syndrome or polycystic ovarian syndrome. Both ways are correct and are used interchangeably when discussing this autoimmune disease. So what exactly is PCOS? Well according to the Mayo clinic “[it] is a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age. Women may have infrequent or prolonged periods or excess male hormone (androgen) levels. The ovaries can develop numerous small collections of fluid and fail to release eggs. The exact cause is unknown. Early diagnosis and treatment may reduce the risk of long-term complications such as diabetes and heart disease.” So all that to said to basically say that the ovaries don’t release eggs like they should and women can have more male hormones which comes with a great deal of issues on its on.
Some symptoms and signs to look for in regards to PCOS: irregular periods, excess androgen, and polycystic ovaries. Complications from PCOS are infertility, diabetes, miscarriages, liver inflammation, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea, depression, anxiety, abnormal bleeding, and cancer of the uterine lining. Now to why I am telling you all this technical information; I was diagnosed with PCOS in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. This was my first autoimmune disease that I found out I had and little did I know that this was going to lead to so much more. I had no idea what was wrong with my body; I just knew something wasn’t right. I was on birth control so my periods were fairly regular and I thought that the reason I had excess hair on my body was because I had a Mediterranean heritage. Low and behold one night I had the worst pain I had ever felt, I waited until the next morning to go to the clinic on campus. I could barely walk so a friend took me.
The doctor was wonderful, she did a full work up, took several vials of blood, and finally I had a scan of my belly and uterus to find out where the pain was coming from. She informed me that I had a cyst on my ovary that burst, and she suspected that I had PCOS but needed to wait on a few more tests. She gave me the name of a specialist back home and I called and made an appointment. I called my parents to let them know I was coming home the next week to go to this specialist. They of course worried but were thankful I was getting in to see the doctor. In the mean time I searched out everything I could find out about PCOS and the doctor I was headed to see. Come to find out he was a world-renowned doctor whose specialty was PCOS. I went to the appointment and he confirmed the diagnosis. I was put on a different birth control and some medicine that is for PCOS.
I’ll be honest with you though, I ignored the diagnosis; I took the medicine but didn’t think anything about it. As time has gone on though I have had to face this and come to terms with what it means to me. I don’t want you to feel sorry with me or have sympathy for me, this is my lot and I am handling it as best as I can, I am just trying to help you understand. I have had my fertility checked because I knew that having PCOS could affect that. Well my doctor has been great about encouraging me with the results from the tests. In some ways I was relieved that I couldn’t get pregnant the “natural” way so I didn’t have to have that worry all the time but on the other hand I was crushed because I couldn’t get pregnant without medical intervention. I have cried more times than I can count over the fact that I can’t just have a baby like other women. My husband has cried over this as well, we were just devastated at what we realized was going to be our choices for having a baby. As of this point in our lives we haven’t made any moves toward trying for a baby with the help of medical intervention.
As a young woman, the idea of not being to have babies wasn’t even a blip of a thought, I was more embarrassed about the excess hair I had on my face, my stomach, and my arms. I have used every cream, razor, and depilatory out there to rid myself of the hair. I will be honest with you I shave my face every week with a regular razor. I have not done anything about the tummy and arms for years now but the face I make sure that I have no hair, it does make my makeup go on more smoothly. As I have gotten older the idea of the hair is less in my thoughts, and the babies take the front of the thoughts. Also the older I get the more I am cognizant of the symptoms that are associated with PCOS and how they are affecting my body.
PCOS is just one of the autoimmune diseases and honestly the one of the back burner since the others have bigger symptoms. I am aware most of PCOS when I have my period. I have 2 weeks of literal hell and my body likes to fall apart when I am due for my period. I can feel the cysts on my ovaries when they grow, I have had several burst and had to go to the hospital. My periods are really heavy and my emptions are all over the place despite being on anti-anxiety and depression medication. To me that is part of PCOS that you don’t see or realize, everyone focuses on the infertility but the true hard part is the unseen; the emotions, the pain, the ovaries swelling, the hair loss but hair growth where you don’t want it, and the horrible periods.
What you might not realize is that PCOS is an autoimmune disease because it deals with antibodies that attack the normal body tissues such as the ovaries and uterus. Most of the time our bodies will protect us against germs from the outside but in autoimmune cases the body attacks itself thinking that the antibodies are from the outside. PCOS not only affects the ovaries but it also sends messages that the uterine lining is a foreign antibody so the body will shed more than necessary and this is why women have those horrific periods. As we go through this series I hope that you learn something new and I hope that you are able to see just what people with autoimmune diseases deal with each and every day.