PCOS Tuesday
Thank you for joining for my second PCOS Tuesday! Today I'm going to talk about the symptoms of PCOS and how they have affected me in my life. Now remember not everyone who has PCOS has the same symptoms or suffers from them to the same degree...
- Infrequent, absent, and/or irregular menstrual periods
This was the first symptom I noticed....and the lack of periods is what sent me to the doctor where I was diagnosed with PCOS at age 18.
- Hirsutism (HER-suh-tiz-um) — increased hair growth on the face, chest, stomach, back, thumbs, or toes
This is super embarrassing to admit but I have increased hair growth. I get dark hairs on my chin which I have my sister (the hair dresser) help me wax off. I also have dark hairs around my belly button and on the tops of my big toes. I once cried for an hour because I was growing a bread and how could the Man (my husband) still love me?
Not everyone who has PCOS (or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) has cysts on their ovaries. For a long time...years really I didn't have any but in the past couple of months I have started to feel a sharp pain on my left side. I believe that it is caused by a cyst...I have an appointment scheduled with my gyno for next month where I will discuss this with him.
- Acne, oily skin, or dandruff
Yep, yep and no. Yes, I have acne...more so than when I was a teenager. Yes, I have oily skin...and hair. And nope, no dandruff. I wish my skin was clearer but this symptom is minor compared to other that I suffer from.
- Weight gain or obesity, usually with extra weight around the waist
I wouldn't say I'm obese...but I am over weight and I carry it in my middle. It is very hard for me to lose weight...and keep it off. The extra weight (plus the extra hair) does not make me feel sexy. I tend to wear clothes that hide my body....baggy tees etc...
- Male-pattern baldness or thinning hair
My sister (the hair dresser) has the most beautiful, thick brown hair. Mine not so much....even when I was younger it was a little on the thin side...now with PCOS I'm going bald. I crying right now just typing this. The excess hair on my chin and body I can wax and pluck. But losing my hair....how can I hide that. The Man says that he doesn't notice it but come on! It clogs our shower daily. Its gotten to where I can't even look in the mirror. I keep asking myself...why: Why did this happen to me? Why of all the symptoms did I have to lose my hair?
- Patches of skin on the neck, arms, breasts, or thighs that are thick and dark brown or black
I have a dark ring on the back of my neck....it makes it look dirty like I haven't washed every well. I tend to keep what little hair I have left down to try and hide it.
- Skin tags — excess flaps of skin in the armpits or neck area
Skin tags...I've got 'em. I have some on my neck and I have one right under my right eye. I don't care for them but they don't affect me as emotionally as say the hair lose or the excess hair do.
I haven't really noticed any pelvic pain...so I'm going to say this is one of the symptoms I don't suffer from.
- Anxiety or depression (plus mood swings)
Oh gods yes!! There are days when I can't seem to get off the sofa. And my mood swings...I can hear myself yelling about something so trivial and dumb but I can't stop myself....I sound crazy! I don't know how my husband or the boy puts up with it.
- Sleep apnea — when breathing stops for short periods of time while asleep
I don't believe that I suffer from this symptom.
- Infertility (not able to get pregnant) because of not ovulating.
PCOS is the most common cause of infertility in women...and yes I suffer from infertility. This very emotional for me...I think I could deal with rest of the crap that comes with PCOS if only I had a baby to hold in my arms.
I will talk more about infertility next my next PCOS Tuesday blog post.
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