Storytime: I have PCOS, which stand for Polycystic ovary syndrome. Now there are many definitions to this because there are many different symptoms for different women. So this is a personal account of it and I’m not saying every woman suffers from what I do.
So to start I will go back to my first period. It was October 2015, I was round at my auntie’s as it was my cousin’s birthday soon, it was a Friday and I was going to my dad’s for the weekend. I was wearing a heavy onesie as it was world animal day at high school, so I wore an animal onesie. Anyway, before many other guests arrive I went to the loo and I had a big stain through my pants and leggings. I was also terrified that I was dying or something because they fail to tell you in primary school that it’s not just red, it can be darker and thicker especially your first one. I shouted my aunty and she had to ask my big sister and cousin round to the shops to get me pads. It was really embarrassing at the time, now I laugh, thinking of my sister and cousin speed walk to and from Tesco to help me.
So, the next month it happened again not the same week but lose, then nothing. Now early on, periods aren’t very regular that is normal but a full year passed and I still hadn’t had any more periods, so I spoke to my mum and I wanted to find out why. Mostly because all the girls in school bodies were developing and they would all talk about their issues around periods and I was silent.
After an appointment with my doctor, I got blood taken and I got referred to radiology I believe and they basically gave me an ultrasound on my ovaries. From there it was fully confirmed I had PCOS as I had cysts around my ovaries.
So from then on, I learned why I struggled to lose any sort of weight, why I didn’t get periods and why my body wasn’t developing. Now as a young Adult I am managing my body better with better eating and exercise. Since finding out about my condition I have lost weight and reduced stress in my life which helped me have a period after 3 years. Then it took a few months but I have 3 in a row.
Just before the 3 in a row, I met my boyfriend. Him being technically my first for many things I struggled as to what to do for birth control because in all honesty PCOS sometimes is easy to not have kids because you are not having regular cycles. But this was before my 3 in a row.
What scared me about my decision though was the fact that it would stop my periods and as a woman that has limited periods anyway and my body is in no way developed like anyone my age, I was scared that my period would not return after I got a certain type of contraceptive. And that my body would stay undeveloped. I was completely reassured that with a contraceptive, my periods, however sparse will return.
But the main thing that put my mind at rest was that I am comfortable with me at the moment. I don’t have a perfect relationship with my body but this is mine and it’ll change, everyone’s does. And I like it and so does my partner so, it’s not a fear of mine anymore.