How it all Began.

I realized that something was wrong with me in August of 2010 when I hadn't had a menstrual cycle in 6 months. I took pregnancy test after pregnancy test and they all came out negative. I chalked the first few months up to the side effects of stopping birth control pills after 6 years, but started to worry when I hit the 6 month mark. I also had some extreme pains in my pelvic area and was worried something was wrong with me. While in Ohio visiting my parents, I doubled over in pain. I couldn't walk, talk, or breathe. I literally felt like I was dying. My mom wanted to take me to the ER. I decided to take some serious meds and sleep it off. The next day there was still some pain, but nothing like the day before. I made a promise to my mother that I would see the doctor as soon as I got back to Virginia.

I made an appointment with my OB/GYN and was told that my lack of menstruation was probably due to my losing weight and exercise regimen. The pain? ” Probably just cramping”. *sigh* I knew there was something else going on, but am not one to fight. I went home. A few weeks later I doubled over again in pain. This time I was at work. In the middle of a meeting. There was something wrong with me. It was not my diet, it was not my exercise. Something was wrong.

I went back to the doctor and wasn’t leaving without an answer. She did an internal exam, asked about my symptoms, and gave me a sad look. “It seems as though you have polycystic ovaries”. I broke down and started crying. I felt bad for the doctor. She tried her best to console me saying that there were a lot of women with PCOS that have gotten pregnant and that I’m young so I should be fine. I wasn’t really listening because when she said the words, “polycystic ovaries” all of my dreams of having children went out the window. I realize that that’s a bit dramatic, but that’s how it felt.

Ever since I was a kid I’ve wanted to be a mother. People would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up. Yes, I would say a stay at home mom or a pediatrician (so I could be around kids). People would ask me what my biggest fear was. I would tell them not being able to have my own children. I got a LOT of slack for that at times because people thought I was terrible that my biggest fear wasn’t losing my husband while overseas and whatnot. Sorry people, I want to be pregnant, feel my baby kick, go through the birthing experience. I want a child that looks like Dan and me.

The doctor sent me to the hospital to get my blood drawn and set me up with an appointment for an internal ultrasound a few days later. I called my husband and cried. I called my mom and cried. I won’t lie… I was depressed for at least a week.

My internal ultrasound showed that indeed I did have PCOS. I have/had 12 cysts around each ovary. In fact, that horrible pain from before? It was a cyst bursting. I asked the doctor what that meant for me and having a family. He said that it may or may not cause infertility. It’s different in all women. He put me back on birth control pills to manage the pain/menstrual cycles and sent me on my way. He said when I was ready for a family I was to come back to talk about Metformin and/or Clomid.

This is not my ultrasound. I borrowed this from

HerHairlossHelp.com

Great.