2009-1-29 The Doctors

The Doctors

on 01-29-2009 at 06:15 PM (96 Views)

I haven't really ever watched this show, but I heard that they were taking PCOS stories, so after a few days of thought, I decided to send in my story. Fun stuff

So here is what I am giving them...

Hello, my symptoms of PCOS are that I have male pattern facial hair (sideburns a beard and mustache) that I maintain by waxing, I also have a patch of hair on my back, and I have coarse dark hair all over that is almost impossible to shave. I am thin-ish, but have what I can only describe as a the beginnings of the typical male ‘beer belly’ I have always had this pudge, regardless of any exercise I do.

I was never officially diagnosed with PCOS, but a doctor (well, a nurse practitioner), after I had been trying to get pregnant for a year already, said that I probably had it. She looked at me and some of the things I complained about, asked a few questions, and said that my symptoms plus my both my parents’ high blood pressure can all be factors and said that I most likely had PCOS... that it would be a miracle if I ever ovulated and had children.

I can look back on my life and see symptoms as far back as when I was in 7th grade (I think ... my childhood memories are so fuzzy) I finally had my first period, my mom thought it could be a little late, but she wasn't worried at the time. By the time I hit high school I was having debilitating cramps almost every month, these were cramps that would put me in the nurses office for half the day or more, or keep me home on a hot pad with Ibuprofen in me. They really knocked me out! By this time my mom was noticing the trend and chalked it up to our family history... My Great-grandma on her side had problems getting pregnant (pcos way back then?) so she went to an Indian witch doctor, and I'm not saying that whatever happened was because of that person or not, but she then went on to have three children out of 8-10 pregnancies. My grandma (one of her children) had female problems (and I don't remember right now what...) but every one of her daughters (5? of 8 children), my mom included... had endometriosis, or cancers, and all had hysterectomies before they were 40. So this is where I am coming from. Later on in High School I blacked out a few times during my period and that's when I think my symptoms started becoming more evident. That’s also when I started growing chin hair and sideburns (so embarrassing!). I never thought to be concerned though cause I had somewhat regular cycles... while in High school I lived with two other teen aged girls and their mother (their dad had died some years prior)... ha ha, even the dog and the cat were female... so I was in sync with their cycles and never noticed any problems. When I became engaged, my college roommate suggested the birth control that she was using... the Depo shot. I think it was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. I was on that for a year, when we realized that it was actually starting to drive me crazy (like, I felt like I was climbing the wall) and it was depressing me as well, so we nipped that in the bud! Then I was put on Alesse BCPs, I felt much better. But when I stopped it (so that we could start trying to have a child), my cycles just kept getting longer and longer and that's when I swore off hormonal birth control and started charting my Basal Body Temperature, and was ‘diagnosed.’ It took two plus years to conceive my first daughter. To help my self ovulate and stay regular I was taking Red Raspberry leaf capsules, Dong Quai and Soy Isoflavions (early in my cycle), under the direction of the nurse practitioner, but she never followed up. I ran out of the herbs at one point and that was the month I conceived my oldest daughter. Then I had decided that once sheturned one we would start trying for another child, in case it took another two years... well I didn’t have to wait very long, cause instead of getting my period when she turned one I got a positive pregnancy test. My second was born a short eight months later. When we decided that we wanted to try again for another child last year, I began charting my Basal Body Temperature again and realized that by taking nothing I was only ovulating once every three cycles, even though I would have a period, though those cycles tended to be a bit longer. I decided to try the Soy Isoflavions during the early part of my cycle again. This helped me to begin to ovulate every month and I conceived again. Sadly the baby died and I miscarried at 15 weeks, but I was told that her death had nothing to do with anything I had done or taken, it was her placenta and cord that had problems. We are currently trying again to conceive and have currently been at it for the last five months, and while I know that’s somewhat normal, I am not pregnant yet and I am getting older. I do not currently have any insurance, so I am relying completely on the Soy Isofalvions, and OPK’s (which actually seem to work for me).

I do not expect to be on this show, but I wanted to make sure that my story is out there... it is possible to have this and have a somewhat normal life (I still have to watch what I eat) and have children. Thank you.