First of all, What is PCOS??
How do I answer this question without this becoming some LONG Science lecture and everyone gets bored with my first ever post? Well just look below at the image for a quick review and I will move on to an explanation about my personal experience.
Now I know this says 1 in 10 women, but personally I think it must be more.I have a feeling that most of the time PCOS is not diagnosed in most women and they are left frustrated and unsure of what to do.
This almost happened to me to be honest.The only reason I was able to figure out that I might have PCOS was because I had family members who had it.
I never had any of the above symptoms except for irregular periods, which is why doctors and other healthcare professionals couldn’t or would not take the time to try and find out why I had irregular periods.
I was 20 years old when I first started getting really bad symptoms related to PCOS and I remember talking to my Mom over the phone while I was at University telling her there must be something wrong. I went to Rhodes University in South Africa, and for those who don’t know the place, it is located in Grahamstown, a small town that revolves around the university. So for me to go and get checked by a good OBGYN meant I had to travel two hours to Port Elizabeth and needed immense planning and juggling with school work. Needless to say I waited until I could get back home to see a doctor here in Nairobi.
My poor Mom, I love her to bits, was so worried because I used to go for 6 months without a period, and when it did show up it was extremely heavy, painful and would last up to 3 weeks!
This for me was normal by the way. Since I was 16 years old. All the doctors I saw told me I was still young and my hormones would level off as I got older. They did not level off. They got worse.
I will not name the doctor that I went to see way back in 2007, but all I can say is that this lady did not want to listen to me when I said I have PCOS. I had to insist on getting a scan for a proper diagnosis. On the day of the scan, which had to be scheduled for the following week, I waited two hours for her to show up because she had forgotten only to have her grumble about how the scan is a waste of time because I do not have PCOS. She had the nerve to ask me why I dragged her out of her practice to do the scan. Um, excuse me lady? I had an appointment!
Anyways, Lo and behold! The scan showed 8 cysts on each ovary! That made her swallow her words so fast! I’d like to use a few choice words to describe how angry I was with this doctor, but since you’re just getting to know me, I will leave the profanity out and save it for a later date.
However, allow me to explain what these cysts are on the ovaries. Basically, the term Polycystic means “many cysts”. This happens when your hormones are so out of whack that the egg that is supposed to be released during ovulation does not and so forms a cyst in the ovary as it has nowhere to go. So, every time I didn’t ovulate, a cyst would form on the ovary. The cysts are caused by a collection of issues within the body and so it has to be termed as a Syndrome. That’s where the name Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome comes from.
What happened next? The Doctor proceeded to prescribe an oral contraceptive pill, (Yasmin) without doing any further tests to determine why I had PCOS, stating that it will help shrink the cysts and I can take it for as long as I need to until the day came when I needed to conceive.
Let me just say though, Yasmin made me feel amazing! Everything went back to normal once I started taking the pill. I had great hair and skin, I wasn’t gaining as much weight anymore and now I knew EXACTLY when I would get a period. In hindsight this was just a band aid solution to my problem. By the time I was almost done with my degree in 2010, I went back to see the same doctor again, believe it or not. I remember saying to her that even though my periods are regular, I am sure that there is something wrong and may be experiencing side effects from the pill. She casually wrote a prescription for Metformin, told me to get blood tests done and once I get the results, to email them to her and she will give me a consult over the phone. What made me really angry with this doctor is the fast that she felt the need to tell me that the symptoms I was experiencing such as weight gain, anxiety, depression, hair loss and dark patches of skin were “all in my head”.
Her last piece of advice: Lifestyle modification and Metformin.
Needless to say I didn’t take the medication, I stopped taking the pill for a while, I didn’t do the tests and I never went back to her again.
I have to explain why: my Mom, the amazing person that she is, had to book an appointment for me TWO months in advance because of how busy this doctor was. She would make sure I got to Aga Khan University Hospital on time all the way from Karen, wait for two hours in the waiting room with me, only for the doctor to see me for five minutes and then proceed to take KShs 7,000 from my Mom. I could’ve shot the woman as I watched my Mom fork out more money in the hope that this highly recommended doctor would help her only daughter with issues she didn’t understand either.
I made a promise to myself that day to start researching on PCOS so that I was better informed whenever I would see a health professional. By then I was a Fourth Year Pharmacy Student with a lot more knowledge and access to great Professors to guide me with any queries I had. I was lucky. Not everyone has this.
It is unfortunate that our doctors in Kenya leave out a lot of information when they diagnose you with a problem. I see it time and again when clients come in with their prescriptions. The doctor NEVER explains to the patient why they have written that particular prescription. As women, we need to empower ourselves with information. We are the only ones who truly know our own bodies and should never let a doctor make us think otherwise!!
For those that are interested in knowing more about PCOS I will leave the following links:
https://www.healthline.com/
https://youngwomenshealth.org/
They touch on the various symptoms, causes and treatment options, so that you ARE better informed when you go to see your doctor.
I hope my story has struck a chord with you and please don’t hesitate to share your stories if you have any. Would love to know I’m not the only one out there.
Until next time, Stay strong and keep on fighting, my PCOS Warriors!
By: Ruveen Bharij