PCOS - the diagnosis that changed my life

In December 2016, I went to the OB/GYN because #1 I finally had decent health insurance and #2 I hadn't had a period in almost 2 years. He switched my birth control and told me to come back 6 months later to get an ultrasound to check for cysts because he suspected I had PCOS. I'd heard the term before but never really thought about me having it before that moment.

When the next appointment came up, lo and behold, I didn't just have cysts, I had A LOT of cysts. With my feet in the stirrups and the ultrasound tech sticking the wand up my lady parts I began to joke about how I was super good at making cysts. I also have one large one that fused both my ovaries behind my uterus that I've dubbed Cysty McCysterson. If you don't laugh then you'd cry right?

OB/GYN:"So your ovaries look..."

Me: "Real Cysty?"

So the OB/GYN then confirmed that I indeed have PCOS. He explained that the best thing to do at this point was to take birth control to regulate the hormones. One day I may need surgery to remove Cysty McCysterson. And finally that when me and my fiance (at the time) were ready to have kids, we may need some help.

I went home and researched as much as I could about PCOS and realized that I had experienced the symptoms my whole life and no doctor had noticed it until I was 27.

PCOS is a hormone imbalance that effects 1 in 10 women. It is a life long syndrome that affects your whole body. It has many many symptoms but for me: irregular periods, weight gain, anxiety, depression, insomnia/exhaustion, acne and hair loss.

My life all of a sudden made perfect sense, all these things I struggled with all led back to PCOS. On the other hand I needed to completely change how I looked at and treated my body which was the hard part.