After trying to conceive for more than a year, I decided it was time to see my OBGYN and figure out what was going on. In the summer of 2016, I went in for an ultrasound where they quickly diagnosed me with PCOS.
PCOS is a common health problem caused by an imbalance of reproductive hormones. The hormonal imbalance creates problems in the ovaries. The ovaries make the egg that is released each month as part of a healthy menstrual cycle. With PCOS, the egg may not develop as it should or it may not be released during ovulation as it should be. Symptoms of PCOS are generally infrequent or prolonged periods, weight gain, acne, thinning hair (sometimes even developing male pattern baldness), pelvic pain, and excessive facial and body hair.
The weird thing was, I had NEVER experienced ANY of these symptoms. While my period wouldn’t always come at the exact same time every month, I did always get one and it wasn’t ever prolonged. I did not have excessive weight gain, acne, thinning hair, etc. etc. so other than the actual cysts you could see on my ovaries via an ultrasound, I showed no signs of PCOS.
My doctor quickly prescribed Femara and instructed us to TTC (try to conceive) every other day during days 10-20 after my cycle concluded. So, like any good rule-following girl, I didn’t ask a whole lot of questions and followed the doctor’s orders (and of course my husband did not mind the “homework assignment”).
As you can imagine, I was pretty disappointed when the medication did not work after the first month. While the side effects were pretty mild, I did experience fatigue, dry mouth and a small amount of weight gain. The next month came and I was prescribed another round. We tried some more and still nothing.
My doctor then recommended a hysterosalpingogram (HS), a procedure that looks at the inside of the uterus and fallopian tubes and the surrounding area to see if there are any blockages or abnormalities. You can read more about that procedure here.
Thankfully, my results came back normal and I did not have any blockages. My husband also performed the necessary sperm analysis testing to rule out any issues on his end and thankfully, his results came back normal too. Praise God for both of those results and the fact that both of those things (which could have been separate, huge hills to climb) were in our favor.
As we started to get further down this road of taking medication and “scheduling” time to try and conceive, I started to do more research of my own about PCOS. I read article after article, blog post after blog post, and I noticed most of the resources consistently noted the effects diet and lifestyle have on PCOS like this article HERE by Dr. Mark Hyman. This really got me thinking about trying an alternative route, and that I might be able to conquer PCOS naturally and without medication.
At my next doctor’s appointment, I had my notes ready and began to discuss my findings with my doctor. I asked him what he thought about making drastic changes to my diet and lifestyle and if he thought I had a shot at getting pregnant without medication. He very quickly dismissed these theories and basically told me, “that’s fine if you want to do that, but you’re going to need to take the medication.” So, I did what he said. I took the medication again, followed the TTC schedule and…. nothing. The same thing happened the next month and the next.
While I wanted to trust my doctor, I always had this conviction there could be another way. What if there is something I can change about what I am doing that might help my situation? I just wasn’t sure what that was or what that looked like so I continued on with my doctor’s treatment plan.
After several months with no results, I decided to make an appointment with a fertility specialist. FIRM (Florida Institute for Reproductive Medicine), out of Jacksonville, FL, has doctors in the Tallahassee area a few times a month. I had heard amazing things about Dr. Winslow so I scheduled an appointment to see him at the beginning of April. While I knew seeing the fertility specialist was going to entail more medications and potentially shots, procedures, etc., I was desperate and didn’t know what else to do (side note: I am not a big fan of taking medicine. I’m the type of person that pushes through a headache because I don’t want to take anything. I understand the benefits and blessings of modern medicine, but given the choice, I usually opt for the natural route).
The same day I scheduled the appointment with FIRM, I received an email from one of my spiritual mentors/Bible study teachers, Jackie, about a holistic nutritionist she was seeing. Jackie said she thought the nutritionist could help me with my infertility and suggested I go see her. Jackie’s words were exactly what I had been praying for: an alternative route — something else I could try besides what I had been doing that wasn’t working. I knew, without a doubt, that God was speaking to me through Jackie and that He was showing me a different way.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
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Photography: Red Fly Studio
Beautiful, heartwarming glimpse into your thoughts! So proud of your desire to share and help others. Love you!
Love you, Jeri!