D. Cardoza - My Life with PCOS

My Life with PCOS

D. Cardoza

Since the day I hit puberty at 14, I somehow knew I would have fertility issues, though at the time I had no idea why.  My cycles have always been very irregular and I had facial hair.  Being of German ancestry, I just assumed the facial hair was normal.

It wasn’t till years later that I came across a short article in Woman’s World, I believe, that talked about PCOS and some symptoms.  And those symptoms fit me!  I went to my internist who ran some tests.  While the tests didn’t support a PCOS diagnosis, my doctor believed I did have it due to my symptoms.  I was thin, young, and didn’t know much so the only thing I did about my symptoms was go for laser hair removal, which didn’t wind up working, so I went back to shaving my face every morning.  Boy, does that make a woman feel feminine.

I honestly didn’t give it much thought for many years.  I got married, divorced, and eventually remarried again.  I had gained weight during my first marriage that I attributed to being less active and more of a happily married homebody couple.  I lost weight afterwards as I was out dancing for hours on end three to four nights a week.  I gained weight again in my second marriage and attributed it to the same thing.

In 2001, my husband and I decided to start a family.  Knowing I would have problems, we went straight to a reproductive endocrinologist.  Pre-IVF testing this time showed I did have PCOS (along with an immune issue).  The doctor put me on Metformin to help me lose weight before any cycles to conceive.  I wasn’t on it for long when my husband and I decided to build our family another way.  My weight wasn’t a big issue at the time, and I still didn’t know all I do now about PCOS, so I stopped taking the Metformin.

To build our family, we chose surrogacy – traditional surrogacy.  That involves having someone else carry your child and having that same woman donate her egg.  When my husband and I were deciding on which option to pursue, it occurred to me one day that I might pass on PCOS and any other fertility issues to her.  I realized it was no guarantee, but if I could avoid it, I was going to do it.  I just wanted to be a mom and it truly didn’t matter how that happened.

I’m now at a point in my life where I need to do something about my weight and my health.  When I entered my second marriage, I was so incredibly embarrassed about having to shave my face every day.  I don’t think I told anyone … and I mean anyone … until about two years ago, not even my husband.  Thankfully, he’s an incredible man and it made absolutely no difference to him … neither the hair nor the weight.  But, I need to get and be healthy for my daughter.  I want to be around for the long haul, especially since I’m an older mom.  I have the self-confidence every woman should have because of who they are on the inside.  I wish I had this all along and will do all I can to instill it in my daughter.

 I’m lucky.  I don’t have debilitating symptoms that some women with PCOS do.  Right now, I’m thoroughly educating myself on PCOS so I can help others, and to get the word out and educate the public so no woman with PCOS ever feels embarrassed by what others may think.

Knowledge is power, right?