17, I was 17 years old when I was diagnosed with PCOS. I knew absolutely nothing about hormones, that they could be imbalanced, or that not having a regular period for 5-6 months at a time wasn’t normal.

I’d been broad shouldered my whole life, but I piled on the weight, was a combination of Jekyll, Hyde and the anti-christ, and to be honest I feel like my parents just got a bit sick of my complaining – so off we went to th GP.

“It’s Polysystic Ovarian Syndrome – unless you want to get pregnant, there’s nothing we can do. I’d recommend losing weight, sticking to low carb, low fat – oh and here’s the pill, it should regulate your periods” – My Consultant.

So, for the next decade I just got on with it. Fast forward to meeting Mr H, knowing fertility might have been an issue – through my own research, nothing to do with any medical help or support I received – we decided to officially ‘try’ before we got married – at this point we were newly engaged, with the wedding 3 years away.

Nothing. Nada. Zilch…… For 12 months.

Thankfully back in 2014 I had a semi-decent GP who was quick to refer us to the local fertility / gynaecology team. Within about 8 weeks we had our first appointment – which lasted 8 minutes – the outcome of which included;

• Reduce weight to below a BMI of 30 (at the time it was 34)
• Quit smoking (which I dutifully did)
• Semen analysis (Mr H obviously)
• Blood tests for both me and Mr H

Follow up appointment in 8 weeks – started well – semen analysis fine, blood tests not a cause for concern – weight dropping, BMI was 30.5. We discussed starting Clomiphene (or Clomid) which has been largely replaced by Letrozole since 2015.

BMI was too high to be given Clomid. Come back in another 8 weeks. **Sigh**

Side note: Like many other people in the UK, including a very large proportion of medical professionals, I do not agree in the BMI system in the UK. I know incredibly fit and healthy friends and colleagues who are considered overweight or even obese based on BMI calculations – simply because BMI does not factor in muscle.

See also my posts on how I now manage my weight, which is still higher than ideal, by calorie counting.

On our next appointment I was prescribed 6 months worth of Clomid (yay!) and told not to “get my hopes up”. Off I went with my tablets and a quick explanation of when to take them. This was March 2015.

On father’s day 2015, we were 4 weeks pregnant. I’ll do another post on the pregnancy (although very straightforward until the day he was born!).

Since having Master H, I’ve been far more aware of my symptoms, how they impact me, and how I can best manage them;

Irregular Periods

For a time pre-pregnancy I was like clockwork, every 35 days, for 5 days. Post-pregnancy, well, some years I’d have two or three, other years I’d have 15.

More recently we’re down to one every 5 weeks, and I put that down to supplementing my diet with Myo-Innositol and a good quality broad spectrum multivitamin (see below).

Myo-inositol can help improve hormone balance, regulate menstrual cycles, and boost ovulation and may also reduce hyperandrogenism (excess male hormones) and improve insulin sensitivity, which are common issues in PCOS. 

Amazon currently have the Myo Inositol I take (which likely comes with next day delivery if you’re a Prime member) – find them here. The Female Multivitamins can also be found here.

I get Myo-Inositol and Female Multivitamins made by Free Soul – you can get 15% off your first subscription through their website if you follow the link here

Hirtuism

Hirtuism is the medical term for excessive hair in places there usually isn’t and generally refers to women having hair on their faces (usually chin, sideburns and upper lip) as well as stomach, chest, and back.

Feeling like part woman, part whale and part yeti can really mess with your ability to feel feminine or beautiful, and although I need to manage my facial hair a couple of times a week, I know so may who have to shave every single day.

There are lots of ways to reduce hair growth and manage hirtuism – I tend to shave because it’s quicker. Although I have used an at home IPL machine like this one and I did see a difference at the time, remembering when to do it was just another thing to add to the ‘to-do’ list so it sits gathering dust in the cupboard.

Others use waxing, threading, laser (which is a stronger version of IPL).

Mood Swings

Weight and Insulin Resistance

I am overweight – obese in fact – and I’m not ashamed of that. I’m working on being ‘less fat’, and that takes time, commitment, consistency and the patience of a saint.

As part of this blog / site / inner ramblings platform I will talk about some of my recipes, ways that I count calories and what I have found works for me – I’ve done all manner of diets, including slimming world, paloe, keto, juices, and the special K diet – always finding I throw myself spectacularly off the wagon just a few weeks in because they’re all too restrictive.

By the way, YOU…CAN…EAT…CARBS with PCOS.

Hair Loss / Thinning

One of the really big PCOS symptoms for me more recently has been a noticeable thinning of my hair. I’ve always had ‘Hagrid-Stlye’ hair – thick, slightly curly, untameable and frizz….so much frizz.

However, in the last 18 months I’ve noticed thinning spots on the crown of my head at the back of my parting, to a point where I actually cried at the CEO of the company I work for because he happened to ask me how my day was going – cue the cast of Inside Out – and I had just got over an awful experience of noticing my scalp, shiny and white, when I put my hair in a half and half ponytail.

I’ve been using Waterman’s shampoo and conditioner, as well as switching to silk scrunchies and a micro-fibre towel, which does feel like it’s made a difference. many people swear by more medicated shampoo’s and conditioners such as Minoxodil (which until recently I thought was invented by Matt Groening for Homer!)

Waterman’s shampoo sets can be found on Amazon here. The scrunchies I get are here. And these microfibre towels are great.