PCOS

Women's health or something like it. 

I have Polycystic Ovary syndrome, it plays very little role in my life except to occasionally annoy me. Essentially for me, personally, it's harder for me to lose weight and and my periods aren't regular and by that I mean anywhere between 30 days and 3 months was/is normal. It might and I stress might make having children more difficult if I should choose to do that but I haven't even tried so I don't know.

The contraceptive pill masks most of the symptoms of PCOS so lots of women don't know they have it. It affects 8-13% of women of reproductive age (jeanhailes.org.au).

I didn't find out I had it until I was in my late 20's even though I had never had regular periods. In part this was my fault, I never thought to bring up that fact with any medical practitioners I saw. It was just normal for me and I'd Googled it. The internet told me I wasn't that weird. Then I went on the pill and that made my period really 'normal'. What is normal anyway? Then I had to come off the pill because of my fun, fun migraines. In doing so my doctor who is really very, very good said to me that my period might not be really regular at first which I responded to with it wasn't before so what's new. I'm not quoting but it was like 3 years ago so I don't actually remember the conversation. Anyway a blood test and a $2000 internal ultrasound later here we are at the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome.

Recently I joined a Facebook group for people with this condition. I joined to learn more about my condition, to see if there were things I should be asking my doctor about that I'm not, that sort of thing. I have learnt new some things but one of the main things I have learnt is just how crap some doctors are still and how lucky I am to have such a good doctor, not just one either but a clinic of good doctors.
Regularly these people ask each other questions about medication, side effect or symptoms because they were dismissed by their doctors and told just do this or it's fine or a normal part of this condition, just put up with it.

The one that hurts the most though is the amount of these women who have been told either explicitly or implicitly that it means they will not have children or at least it will be very difficult for them. 

Yes it can make it more difficult but it is not a death knell for a family that you made. "(W)omen with PCOS have been shown to have a similar number of children (with or without treatment) as women without PCOS" (jeanhailes.org.au). I get that maybe these doctors want to give these women the 'truth' but scaring the shit out of them so badly that genuinely believe their dreams of a family are dead is not preparing it's hurting them. 
I have never, not from my doctor or any of the literature I have read been under the impression that I could not have children. I have let myself, perhaps, believe because weirdly Can't is still more palatable than Won't, that it's going to be harder than it might be because then I could say no, no it wasn't up to me. Babies just weren't meant to be. If I wanted babies though, I'd be doing my best to have them. The idea that you start your PCOS diagnosis with NO CHILDREN is so wrong headed to me. 
I suppose I do have to acknowledge that this may not have been what these doctors said and just what these women heard but still, if it were me, I would be doing my best to make sure that was not the message they were taking away with them.

I think the lockdown means I've run out new people to rant at so now I'm just yelling in to empty space 😁 but it's a very nice hobby to have taken up. If other people get something out of my yelling at the internet that would be nice but otherwise this is just like talking to myself in the shower, right?
Stay safe. Do Feminisms!