"It wasn’t until my first miscarriage at age 27 that I was diagnosed with PCOS..."
I want to share my story with you and what led me to found PCOS Mom. I had always had irregular periods, but it never once crossed my mind that trying for children would be hard. Being told that there was no heartbeat when I lost my first baby at nine weeks made everything change. Following the miscarriage, I underwent an ultrasound which confirmed that my ovaries were covered in cysts; whereupon I was officially diagnosed with PCOS and started taking metformin immediately - continuing to do so for over five years before falling pregnant again. I am grateful that during this pregnancy I took intense precautionary measures to prevent another possible miscarriage and was prescribed oral progesterone for twenty weeks. I now have a healthy and beautiful son.
In 2021, I was met with yet another miscarriage when my new obstetrician refused to prescribe a proper dose of progesterone. Instead of prescribing me the dose I took during the pregnancy of my son, she focused on inaccurate information regarding how much progesterone I needed before being handed the unthinkable reality of another early pregnancy loss.
An ectopic pregnancy during the summer of 2022 led to another devastating loss. Ten weeks of excruciating pain and a natural miscarriage, I did everything right this time including weekly blood tests and progesterone supplementation. Unfortunately, that pregnancy could not be saved.
2022 came to a close with shocking news: I was expecting for the fifth time. Fear crept in, but I held onto hope. At 8 weeks, seeing the baby's heartbeat brought much-needed reassurance, yet the worry of another loss lingered. Every passing week of the pregnancy brought no complications, a perfect progression. To prevent a late gestational diabetes diagnosis like my previous pregnancy, I started insulin early. Then, in August of 2023, I welcomed a healthy baby girl into the world. However, the delivery was a harrowing c-section that resulted in a grueling five-day hospital stay, excruciating pain, and a need for a blood transfusion. Despite the challenges, I am immensely grateful to have been blessed with my second and final child.
Even though doctors told me PCOS made it difficult to carry pregnancies to term (much less successfully), they still tried prescribing me medications such as birth control, Clomid, and other medications as ways to manage symptoms instead of being open to a conversation about natural solutions that might actually make a difference. It's becoming increasingly clear this needs change, and while we won't always be able to control or manage PCOS or the psychological issues it may cause, there are actions we can take to lead healthier lives overall; ones where we don't have time for catastrophizing about every little symptom, but focus on keeping ourselves nourished from the inside out rather than relying solely on pharmaceuticals.
Throughout my journey, I have struggled through over thirty rounds of fertility treatments. Several times I had been racked with horrible side effects from Clomid - and what was worse than the suffering endured? Learning something so essential about myself only after it was too late for me to take preventative measures against it. Medical hormone therapy has been shown to lead to gallstones, joint pain, and various other side effects in some people. After a very painful gallstone attack and severe joint pain, I turned to natural alternatives.
It's now become my mission to help other women who are also suffering from PCOS. My goal is for other women not to struggle unnecessarily by having to take handfuls of pills every day just because they don't know what works or what doesn't work best while they suffer from this condition.
Through my own struggles with trying to conceive alongside coping with PCOS, I discovered what really worked for me, so hopefully other women can use this information in their lives as well.
It pains me deeply when I remember my miscarriages and how much time I wasted searching for answers - but now that I've found them - it is my goal to share them with those who need them most.
I can't wait for you to try what I’ve created and look forward to hearing about how it worked for you! #PCOSMom
Founder, PCOS Mom
