After being diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, my life has rotated 360 degrees. Not only did I suffer physically but emotionally as well. It all started when my monthly menstruation stopped for almost 5 months. I used to have irregular menstruation since puberty hit me. It would skip a month or two, but nonetheless, that only happens once in a blue moon. So, when my period got delayed for five months, my world collapsed. It feels as if there was something missing in me. I got so devastated as one of the crucial feminine features, any woman would be proud of, got stolen from me. “I am no longer a woman”, I painfully told myself.
In a span of five months, I noticed dramatic changes in my body. I gained almost 5 lbs. My lower abdomen got bloated. My pimples were starting to emerge, occupying my entire face down my neck and back. They were like volcanoes ready to erupt the moment you prick them. I also had a hairy skin, but little did I know that the hair on my arms and legs would grow even darker and thicker in my five-months-no-menstruation period. Because of that, I chose to wear longer pants over shorts, long sleeves over shirts – whether I’m out or at home. It was such a nightmare!
I was hesitant and have no guts to tell my family my condition, especially my mom for the fear she might suspect I’m pregnant, which, of course, is not true. I do not have a boyfriend nor any plan to engage in any premarital sexual intercourse. Intense fear preoccupied my mind, and so I vowed to myself I would solve on my own the mystery that lies within. Spilling the beans about my problem is the last thing I will do.
I was searching on the internet on how to cure my irregular menstruation. Lightning struck me when the article popped up on my screen. It was spelled in an acronym word, PCOS. The acronym means Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. It is a condition where testosterones, a male hormone, is dominant over estrogen, a female hormone, thereby causing hormonal imbalance in women. Simply put, a person who has this condition manifests masculine features such as deeper or masculine voice, excessive hair growth especially on face, chest, and back, and usually has smaller chest. Other symptoms include weight gain, irregular periods or no periods at all, and oily skin or acne. The worst thing I’ve read is infertility problem or difficulty in getting pregnant. Upon reading innumerable articles, I’ve come to realize that my situation is serious than I expect.
The thought of telling my family my problem suddenly popped into my head, but then at the end, fright and fear consumed me entirely. So, I decided to hold my emotions back, and find the cure. I burned the candle at both ends to find any available means. I came across articles about those who have similar condition with me and how they were able to combat their problems. I kept searching until I found a video. It was a about a group of women claiming that the Glutathione called “Snowcaps” had helped them treat their PCOS,
Upon watching it, I quickly jumped out of my cushion, and headed towards the nearby pharmacy store without a second thought. I purchased one box that contains 30 capsules. It was an over-the-counter drug, so I don’t need the doctor’s prescription. The next thing I knew, I was eager to take it, hoping it would get my period back. Plus, I got so excited about the whitening benefits it could give on my dark complexion, bombarded with acne due to my hormonal imbalance.
In the first two weeks, there was no significant change on my skin nor did my period get back. Still, I extended my patience and waited until the entire box of capsules was orally taken. My skin lightens and glows after taking them all, especially when struck by sunlight, except for the miracle I’ve been waiting for- No menstruation came. The frustrations I had felt from not having a period countered the joy I had gotten from having a porcelain-like skin. To make things worse, my weight adds up to 2 lbs. My body size was weird. It looks bloated and swollen. It was such a disaster. So, I make it a point to stay away from fattening foods, and monitored my weight from time to time.
On top of my problem is my acne which has gotten worst. The volcano I was talking earlier has now erupted on my face. I could not even look my face in the mirror. All I see is a beast. I was wondering if the Glutathione I was taking made it even worst or it was again a sudden shift of my hormones. I kept thinking until my head flooded with sullen thoughts. The inner me was bawling, “Don’t just slack off. Find a solution on your acne; otherwise you would lock up your entire life in the four corners of this room!”
My nerves went back. Out of nowhere, I instantly wore my sweater and put my facemask on, and then headed straight into the nearby pharmacy to buy an acne treatment. The pharmacist gave me this over-the-counter medicine called “Lactazen”. I purchased one bottle, then went back home as fast as a lightning. I take it once a day, and did finish the entire bottle. Surprisingly, it made my acne-like-volcanoes into mountains, and as I continued taking it, the mountains soon become small hills. However, when I stopped taking it, my acne went back larger than they were before. “I was cursed”, I reckoned to myself. I was on the verge of quitting. No progress.
Despite of this dilemma, I still continued swiping my phone screen online which was bombarded with advertisements. I seemed to lose hope. Moving my fingers back and forth seemed to devour all my energy, yet I kept reading articles and watching YouTube online. There was one video which was claiming about these medicinal plants called ”Fenugreek and Fennel seeds”. In this article, it has been said that the herbs help regulate hormones and contain phytoestrogens that mimic the female hormones in the body. And so, I switched to Ayurvedic way.
Random thoughts had piled up into my head before I finally dropped my final decision. However, I was still undecided to buy the capsules in bottle or even the powdered one for the fear that these capsules are fake. But there they were, the herbs were delivered in no time at the façade of my home. Upon inspecting them meticulously, the seeds were exactly the same with what I had seen on pictures and videos online. This was my second experiment. I was confident that this one would be a victory.
I boiled one teaspoon of fenugreek and fennel seeds in a small cooking pot for ten minutes, drank and savored it as it flows down through my esophagus. I even swallowed the seeds whole. However, not only did it have a horrible taste, but it also has a disgusting smell which made me vomit countless times. Over time, my tongue has become used to its taste. One of its side effects that mortified me most is the odor it brought to my body especially when I sweat, and even my pee has a strong odor. There was one time where my co-worker got to smell my maple-like sweat. That was the time I felt so mortified that I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. I learned to abhor myself even more. And because of that, I put it a halt by throwing the bottle into the waste bin.
After much deliberation, I finally gave up and told my mom my condition. I’m embarrassed, yet the thought of me suffering it all by myself made me even more frustrated, So, I spilled it out. I wasn’t wrong about her suspecting me of being pregnant. I exhausted all my energy to explain her my condition, the PCOS, and the hormonal imbalance thing. Fortunately, no heated exchange of arguments happened. At the end, she just advised me to have my ovary checked by a Gynecologist.
My mom kept me company as I scheduled my checkup. The day finally came. I’ve undergone lots of observations, including ultrasound. After waiting for a few minutes, the result came out. The doctor dropped the line, “You have PCOS”. The opening and closing of her mouth was a slow motion to me.
I was diagnosed with PCOS.
I wasn’t startled as I was suspecting nothing but PCOS as the main culprit of my irregular menstruation. I shifted my stare to my mom’s face. Her expression was more of calm and solemn. It seems as if she prefers me to be diagnosed with PCOS than to be tested pregnant. The doctor started explaining my condition. I pretended to know nothing, but everything she just said confirms all the readings I’d done.
She prescribed me althea pills for six months to correct my hormones as well as to cure the pimples that dwell on my face, and then five tablets of Provera, where each tablet contains 10 mg. She advised me to take the Provera first and wait until my period returns, then start taking pills on the first day of my period. The Provera has had a horrible side effect on me. I experienced mood swings so bad that I would easily get annoyed even for the smallest things. I suddenly turned into a villain whose goal is to inflict harm on the humanity. The feeling of being furious about everything made me sick. On top of that, I also experienced shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and intense bloating in my entire body.
I did finish the five tablets of Provera despite of its adverse effects on my body. After waiting for a few days, my period came, and that was the time I started taking pills. I could not contain my happiness. The joy I had felt from having a menstruation beats the frustrations I had been bearing for the past five months. The acne on my face disappeared. My hips widen. My body size got back to normal. My feminine features were gradually getting back. I felt so fresh and renewed. It was such a great feeling that there was blood flowing. I missed the smell of the blood, but did not literally smell it! It was such my way of expressing how my excitement reached its peak, or should I say, extreme ecstasy!
However, I still experienced mood swings from time to time, but I managed to control them. I got my period every month. Afraid of its long-term side effects, I shortened the prescription from 6 months to 4 months, thinking that my hormones already got back to normal. I was afraid that my body might be hormone-dependent on the pills. However, I still get monthly period even without pills for three months. In the following month, it skipped. I thought it was normal, but another month passed by, and I still haven’t t had a period. It drives me crazy, so I eventually consulted a doctor through texts. She replied that PCOS might come back, and advised me to get back to pills. So, I am now taking pills all over again and vowed to finish it for six months.
Do you have similar condition with me? I hope you find this article useful. I will post my next article about my PCOS and update you guys if my period gets back to normal without taking pills. To those who have similar condition with me, DO NOT SELF-MEDICATE! It’s best to consult your doctor before taking any medicine, even if it’s herbs.
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