PCOS Test: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Blood Home Kit – £60

Do you Feel Alone? A story for PCOS

Alessia’s story: the weight of other people’s judgment

Hi everyone, I’m Alessia; I’m 23 years old. I thank those who had this idea to let us vent a little about this syndrome, but for many, we fake everything without documenting it. Like in crime films, I felt I had evidence to “justify” my ups and downs.

I am a TYPE C, and here is my story:

At the age of 16, after another 6 months, I had not started my period, in technical terms, amenorrhea. My desperate mother made me take a pregnancy test despite telling her that I hadn’t had intercourse yet, and the result was negative. Meanwhile, I gained weight despite no longer eating out of anger. Only later did I discover that the problem wasn’t food but rather the swelling linked, in turn, to the lack of periods.

I told my trainer about my discomfort at the time, and he recommended I do some tests for the thyroid because I also had quite a bit of hair on my chin due to the still unknown hirsutism, and I already felt more relieved because I had a point from which I could start. After the tests, I had no hormonal disorders related to the thyroid but to the polycystic ovary, also known as PCOS.

After this discovery, we started to find a gynaecologist at the hospital

And after several calls and weeks of waiting, I found an appointment with an elderly doctor. I looked at my mother and said to him, “Please, he seems like a maniac; let’s look for another one,” and I didn’t visit that day. Shortly after, we found a gynaecologist who acted as my psychologist at the beginning because I found her to be the only one with whom I could relate and talk freely about everything that was part of that problem.

After a year, I started taking one tablet, Zuglimet Metformin 500mg, three times a day (now I take 850mg), and I already started to see physical improvements because I deflated, as you could see being already robust, the cysts decreased, and the cycle regularized. Not to mention the “beard”; I used the lightening cream to hide everything, but the Doctor advised me to try the pulsed light, and the hair has almost disappeared.

Then, to complete the package, there is also abundant hair loss and cystic acne.

In those years, being a teenager, I was already a target of bullies for my physicality; mostly, having a black coat on my face didn’t help. Not to mention the sentimental sphere, you also have to be lucky to find partners who don’t burden you by, for example, those little hairs on your chest and who know that perhaps even if it would be one of your dreams to have children, there are complications. Still, in my case, my current gynaecologist says that I am inclined to give birth and there would be improvement after the first child.

We see her once a year for a routine check-up.

Through Facebook groups, in dark moments (anxiety, depression, sociopathy, stress and low self-esteem), I signed up for support groups, which helped a lot to move forward, not get discouraged and not feel alone.

Then, the Instagram page and all the informative posts made me think of one thing: one day, I would like to have an appointment with all your experts in your centre in Padua. Today, thinking about it, I am a different person, obviously always evolving. Still, I never thought I would almost no longer think about people’s opinions and everything I went through to stay in good physical and mental health, which affects my quality of life.