Inspired, anything is possible

by Rachel
(Ashburn, VA)

My name is Rachel and I was diagnosed with PCOS several years ago.

I had never heard of it and shocking, though I had symptoms shouting out at various doctors for years, it wasn't until I switched doctors and finally on the very first visit, she said she was suspicious that I had PCOS, I thought "PCO what?".

I was a thin kid in high school, and I've always eaten healthy.

Yet suddenly at age 20 I gained nearly 80 pounds in less than 2 years! I went from a size 8 to a size 20, talk about shock!

I developed adult acne, had hair in odd places for a female, and would sometimes skip a period for up to 6 months.

I was just told I was obese, needed to exercise more, eat better, and that I was irregular, to try birth control pills.

After my diagnosis finally, I was able to do some research. What a powerful weapon that has been!

I have been able to lose some weight, not as much as I would like, but I'm back down to a size 14/16 and have lost about 35 pounds.

I was married previously for 4 years and we tried and never conceived a baby, however it wasn't until after this marriage was over that I learned about my PCOS.

Now I am in a healthy long term relationship and we are ready to start trying for a child.

I am going off of my birth control and staying on my Metformin, upping the dosage from twice a day to 3 times a day. I am hoping that I have some of the same success as those of you who have posted on this site!

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Editor's comments: Hi Rachael, I completely agree that each woman needs to do as much research as she possibly can. One source of research information is the newsletters that we publish twice a month.

When it comes to complex, chronic disorders like polycystic ovary syndrome, many physicians simply do not know what to do to get at the roots of the problem. So they do what the other doctors do: prescribe birth control pills.

PCOS is something that can break out into the open at any time, even though the foundation for it was laid while you were still in your mother's womb.

If a person has always been lean and then all of a sudden starts to gain weight, you have to ask your doctor(s) to do some serious digging as to the cause.

For example, one obvious possible cause is a hypothyroid condition called Hashimoto's thyroiditis, where the immune system attacks the thyroid gland and damages it. The damaged thyroid then cannot produce the hormones that control your metabolism. The result is that you gain weight. Women with PCOS are more likely to have Hashimoto's than other women. This is only one example of what to look for. But you get the idea.