About a month ago, I confided in a friend that I wasn't feeling well (and hadn’t been feeling well for a while). I told him that I was worried that I hadn’t had my period and was experiencing lower back pain when I was tired or stressed. He told me that I was being selfish by not
taking care of myself and strongly suggested that I make an appointment with a
doctor.
When I visited my gynecologist, Dr. Nancy Jasper, she told me that I had fibroids and a possible hormonal issue. She took blood and sent me to
have an ultrasound. The next day Chloe
insisted on coming with me to midtown “to support me" even though we were both unclear about what was going on. As the ultrasound technician moved the probe
around she silently made notations on the blurry image of my uterus and ovaries. Unable to deal with her silence, I asked her if she could see any fibroids. Her response was “no, I don’t see any
fibroids. Your ovaries look fine. Your doctor will discuss the results with
you.” A week later I went back to Dr. Jasper, and based on her interpretation of the results of my
blood test and ultrasound, she told me that I had Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
What is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?
- PCOS is a very common disorder in which there is an imbalance of hormones.
- Women with PCOS have enlarged ovaries that contain small collections of fluid.
 |
| Photo:uofmchildrenshospital |
What are the symptoms of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?
- Infrequent or longer than usual periods
- Obesity/weight gain/ pot belly (due to the body's difficulty using insulin)
- Acne
- Depression or anxiety
- Loss of scalp hair
- Unwanted hair on other parts of the body
What can happen if PCOS goes untreated?
- Infertility
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Increased risk of heart attack
- Increased risk of endometrial cancer
