A Woman's Story: My Life Journey with PCOS

A Woman's Story: My Life Journey with PCOS


Michael, what is your story and life journey with PCOS?

During high school I had irregular and "scattered" cycles and every month I wondered why my period was still "late". Later, I started using hormonal contraception (HAK), which, however, caused a lot of unwanted effects - nausea, feeling sick, anxiety, migraines, and the like. Therefore, after 2 years and trying 4 different brands of hormonal pills, I decided to stop using hormonal contraception. Even while using HAK, I learned how to prepare my body as best as possible for stopping contraception, which also gave me access to information about tracking cycles using the symptom-thermal method (STM).

STM is a scientifically based method based on monitoring the natural signs of fertility, which are cervical mucus (alternatively cervix) and basal body temperature. These signs change under the influence of hormones during the cycle, which allows us to reliably identify fertile and infertile days of the cycle. After months of education about the symptomo-thermal method, I decided to try this method and I was amazed at how it is possible to monitor the functioning of our body.

A few months after stopping hormonal contraception, I found with STM that I was ovulating later and later with each cycle, which made me realize that something was wrong. Thanks to this, I visited a gynecologist who, based on long cycles and polycystic ovaries, diagnosed me with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) on ultrasound. PCOS is a set of symptoms created mainly due to hormonal imbalance in the female body . Approximately every tenth woman suffers from this syndrome. For the diagnosis of PCOS, a woman (according to the Rotterdam criteria) must meet at least 2 of the 3 criteria – long cycles/absence of menstruation, elevated levels of androgen hormones and polycystic ovaries on ultrasound. So I met the first and third criteria.

When you were diagnosed with PCOS, what was the first thing you learned? How is it different from what you know today?

The main thing I learned about PCOS was that there are four main types of PCOS, according to their cause . These are PCOS with insulin resistance, PCOS after stopping hormonal contraception, PCOS with inflammation in the body and adrenal PCOS.

In order to cure PCOS, it is necessary to find out its cause and then start solving it. Based on various examinations, I finally found out that my type of polycystic ovary syndrome is PCOS with inflammation in the body. I was diagnosed with intolerances to various types of food that cause inflammation in the body and block ovulation. Once I cut these foods out of my diet and adjusted my lifestyle to the cause of my PCOS, my cycles went from 80 days to 30-35 days.

During my education about PCOS, I encountered many difficulties, such as the gynecologist's attempt to prescribe hormonal contraception, give me an injection to induce bleeding, or inform me that it will be difficult for me to get pregnant. Many women with PCOS or other problems with menstrual cycles encounter such an approach. However, I did not have hormonal contraception prescribed again, because I knew that it would not cure my problem, it would only cover it up. Thanks to STM, I was able to observe the changes in my cycles all the time and watch my cycles become healthier and ovulatory without the need to artificially induce bleeding.

How has the Sympto-thermal method helped you with PCOS?

I was interested in STM the moment I learned about it. As I mentioned, the symptom-thermal method can help women monitor the health of their cycles, or find out if something is wrong. Based on the monitoring of primary signs of fertility, the method can also be used as a natural contraceptive with a reliability of 99.6% when used correctly. This effectiveness is comparable to the effectiveness of hormonal pills, which is 99.7% when used correctly. Tracking the primary signs of fertility according to STM is also a great help when trying to get pregnant. By being able to determine when her fertile and infertile periods begin and end, a woman can find out when she has the best chance of getting pregnant.

Since STM has helped me a lot in my life, I would like to spread awareness about this method in Slovakia and the Czech Republic as well. I believe that STM is a method that every woman should know, and that is why I am currently in the process of training to pass the accredited STM counselor exam. I also started an Instagram profile @ownyourcycle and a page www.ownyourcycle.com where I educate women about reproductive health and cycle tracking. I will be very happy if you follow my profile, where you will definitely learn a lot of new interesting information about the functioning of the female body.

Are there any books that have helped you understand PCOS better?

I would like to recommend the book Period Repair Manual to women, which is a great help for women with problems related to the menstrual cycle. The book deals with PCOS, mentions hypothalamic amenorrhea, endometriosis, PMS and the like. It also contains information about hormonal contraception, its withdrawal and other possible methods of contraception. This book should even soon be available in the Czech language.

You can also learn about PCOS on my Instagram profile, for which I am preparing posts dedicated to polycystic ovary syndrome. You can also find a lot of information on the Internet, but be careful about the correctness of the information there and don't be discouraged by sentences about the intractability of this diagnosis. If you are thinking about stopping hormonal birth control, would like to start tracking your cycles or solve cycle problems, I look forward to hearing from you on my Instagram @ownyourcycle.

Finally, what would you like to share with women?

Finally, I would like to say that I hope that the world-famous symptom-thermal method will soon spread to our countries and that more and more women will use it when trying to get pregnant, avoid pregnancy or monitor their health. People often confuse this method with the calendar method, but it may not always work reliably. It is necessary to know that the cycle does not have to be 28 days and it is not a rule that a woman ovulates on the 14th day of the cycle . Do not rely on calculations of fertile and infertile days according to statistics in mobile applications - after all, our bodies do not work like robots according to data from previous cycles. Get to know your body better and take each cycle as it comes.

As for information about PCOS, more readily available and correct information about this diagnosis would certainly help me in my studies. It took me a really long time to understand PCOS, and I'm still learning new things. I would also like it if many doctors would inform women with this diagnosis more about the way to cure it and not send them away with the words that PCOS cannot be solved in any way and that it will be difficult for them to get pregnant. It doesn't have to be like that at all. PCOS can certainly be cured, but it is necessary to find out the true cause of the problem and focus on its solution.

Thank you to Michaela for sharing her story with us. If you are interested in sharing your story, please write to us.

Produkty v tomto článku