I have PCOS, bummer! What is it even?

It actually means polycystic ovarian syndrome, a syndrome that makes your ovaries produce multiple eggs making it harder to ovulate and other symptoms. I was diagnosed with pcos at age 15 after being wrongly diagnosed. Ive been to so many popular hospitals in kano. Medicus diagnosed me with appendicitis (we actually fixed a date for the operation only for the head dr there, Dr. Dasuqi to have a scan and tell me I didn’t have any appendicitis). Then standard said it was kidney failure (we actually got me on kidney issue medications and were hoping I didn’t need a transplant).

Everything was just all over the place and I was so depressed and suffering from severe cramps, nausea, and more crazy cramps. I started my period at 12, and at 13 it stopped coming. If my parents didn’t trust me, one would have thought I did the unthinkable. At 14, we moved to Lagos completely. I started going to faith city hospital and seeing the general physician. He said I should see a gynea and I did. That was the worst day of my life. The gynea damanded to feel my breasts because apparently they were too big for my body. I declined and called my mother to step in. He said I had hormonal issues and I won’t be able to ever have kids, it broke my heart and I just wanted to die.

Fast forward to 2012, they fired that gynea and changed a dr. I saw the dr, and he said I had what they call amenorrhea, which stops you from bleeding but its possible to have kids. I heard of a dr in kano so I told my mum and we went to kano to see him early on in 2013. This dr was Dr. Yusuf and till date I don’t see any other dr in kano apart from him. He diagnosed me with pcos and put me on some birth control pills. Boom, my period was back. He gave me hope that I would have kids someday but my dad had already planned for us to go to Egypt for a final check up.

We went to arab contractors hospital where I saw a gynea, an endocrinologist,  a dietician and a therapist. The gynea confirmed I had pcos and Acute PID and said to continue my meds while prescribing more for the PID. The endocrinologist got me on a hormonal therapy, the dietician gave me a very strict diet on food and lifestyle, lastly the therapist helped to get my mind straight and be confident in myself. After all pcos is more common than you think.

We got back after like 2months and I went back to my Dr. Yusuf of Greenfield. I was severely underweight so I was put on a chocolate diet. I had to eat two 850g bars of dairy milk chocolate daily till I reached 45kg. I weighed 39kg as at 2013. It was hard but I gained weight and weighed about 46kg in January 2014. PCOS is better managed when you’re at your healthy weight.

Fast forward to 2015, I got married and really wanted to have a baby. We started a fertility regimen and 3months into the marriage I was pregnant.. with ectopic pregnancy.. which had to be flushed out because if I kept it I would have been dead. I was so broken, I started to feel maybe I wasn’t destined to have kids. I lost all hope but my husband encouraged we keep doing the treatments. Also I never saw my period.

One time, I started a regimen and the period came. I was given some pills to stimulate ovulation, and wallahi, I still don’t know how it happened but I jokingly took a pregnancy test and it came back positive. I wasn’t even happy because I felt I was going to lose it. I went back to the dr and he did another test which also came back positive. He ran other tests and the fact that I had pcos meant that my pregnancy was at some kind of risk. I was put on more drugs and injections for roughly three months (on and off as I lived in abuja). I spoke to the dr on phone about my symptoms and problems frequently then thats when I heard of Dr. Onuh, one of the best gynaecologists in abuja.

I booked an appointment at Deda hospital and to date its the only hospital I go to and I only see dr Onuh. if I see a different gynea today, I’ll come back tomorrow to get dr Onuh’s opinion. I only trust two drs in my life, Dr Yusuf and Dr Onuh.

So, dr Onuh took care of my pregnancy, my drugs and the antenatal care. I was about 8months pregnant when I decided to go have my baby with dr Yusuf (because I trust him with my life. if he says cut off your head another will grow, I will cut off my head).

I was 37 weeks pregnant when I decided to have my baby. I was so scared of labour and vaginal birth that I booked my CS to be on 2nd July at 11am. Everyone tried to discourage me but it is what it is. I had my baby and you can read my pregnancy and birth story here.

Fast forward to 2020, I am ready to have another little munchkin if Allah wills. I still have my pcos and at some point Primolut N is my go to so that I get that red annoying visitor bi monthly. In February my PID came back and I can proudly say I am PID free today.  It is so normal for me not to see my period every month, have cramps, disappearing edges and a moustache. My hormones are still crazy and sometimes they just mimic pregnancy. I am currently on my period and 5mins ago I thought I was pregnant because I had the worst fake morning sickness.

Lastly I am a 24year old Pcos surviving mother of one, my body is magic and I love it with all its flaws. I have decided to embrace my pcos thats why I am sharing this with you. I am currently on Letrozole fertility treatment and I hope I don’t end up with twins or triplets.

If you find this post educative or at least relatable, please message me on my instagram so we talk about it. If you can’t, please talk to a loved one, talking helps.

Thank you for reading this long ass article.

xx, Ummeeta.