AFTER years of struggling in silence, reality star Gemma Collins last week revealed she has been living with polycystic ovary syndrome.
The condition, which affects around one in five women, is a hormonal disorder causing enlarged ovaries with small cysts on the outer edges.
While some might not suffer symptoms, others experience menstrual irregularity, excess hair growth, fertility troubles and obesity.
The 39-year-old former Towie star spoke of her struggle after bullies had taunted her about her weight.
Posting a throwback holiday snap on Instagram of her slimmer figure, Gemma revealed she was diagnosed with PCOS in her twenties, which contributed to her weight gain. And Gemma is not alone when it comes to living with the side-effects of PCOS.
Here, three women tell Lauren Libbert how it has affected them, while an expert offers advice.
'I walked out of the GP’s surgery feeling shocked '
Teaching assistant Meagan Taylor, 26, from Dukinfield, Gtr Manchester, piled on 10st after being diagnosed with PCOS as a teenager.
She says: "I had a scan at 14 after experiencing pain around my middle which showed cysts inside both of my ovaries.
"This led to a diagnosis of PCOS. In my teens I struggled with issues – low self-confidence, pain, bloating and painful periods.
"At 17 I began to gain weight even though I was extremely active and my diet had barely changed. So-called friends at school would call me fat. I didn’t deal with it well. A few times I was admitted to hospital with heart palpitations as a result of stress.
"I tried so many different diets but I still continued to pile on the pounds.
At 19, a doctor finally told me about the relationship between PCOS and weight gain.
"The GP tried me on different medication – which just made me sick – then sent me for a blood test, which showed very high testosterone levels.
"He also explained the way PCOS affects weight, appearance, mental health and fertility. I remember walking out of the surgery feeling shocked and scared, desperately worried I might not have children.
"My PCOS symptoms piled on as I grew older. I had acne, insomnia, bloating, nausea, fast hair growth and facial hair. I gained a total of 10st and felt so low. Last June I began my weight loss journey, and I’ve now lost 4st. But there’s still such a stigma around PCOS.
"I’ll say to a friend, “I need to shave my face” and get laughed at – it makes me feel like a freak. If I share my worries about not being able to conceive, people say, “I know someone who had PCOS and they’ve got a child,” as if I’m worrying about nothing.
"They just don’t understand each case is individual. There needs to be better support.
' I worry my periods mean it’ll be harder to conceive '
Vanese Maddix, 25, lives in East London, with partner Daniel, 27, an engineering manager. The beauty writer discovered she had PCOS after having a three-month long period.
She says: "I was in my first year of university when I had a period that just didn’t stop. It was so painful and made me feel awful.
"As one week turned into two then three, I kept thinking, “When will it ever end?”
"Eventually the doctor put me on the Pill but it still took another three weeks to stop the period, by which time I was exhausted. I’d been diagnosed with PCOS when I was 19 after years of irregular periods. I might have one for a week, then nothing for three months.
"I always had to be prepared, keeping supplies in my bag. But this was just part of life with PCOS.
"Aside from the sporadic menstrual cycle, I had facial hair under my chin, which I had to shave every other day, and I was also in a constant battle with my weight – one I always seemed to lose.
"I’d spend months exercising and watching what I ate only to find my efforts had come to nothing on the scales. When I started university I was 20st and somehow – with extra effort – I have managed to lose 7st, but I’m still not as slim as I’d like to be.
"I’ve grown up with people teasing me constantly about my body and even now I can feel self-conscious and depressed, to the point where I’ve been diagnosed with anxiety and panic disorder.
"I have a loving, supportive partner but I do worry that it will be harder for me to conceive because my periods are so irregular.
"We met on Bumble three years ago in 2017, and it was love at first sight. We’ve been inseparable ever since. He says he is, of course, non-judgmental and appreciates the7 struggles I face.
' I always walk a fine line with my mental health '
Pregnant Vicky Veltri, 36, who lives in Putney, South West London, with her husband and three-year-old son Alex, runs a cooking class business. Vicky has struggled with mental health issues since she was diagnosed.
She says: "I discovered I had PCOS when I was 16 because I didn’t have a period for months at a time.
"The irregular periods were bearable but the depression wasn’t.
"I lived in a top-floor flat at the time and remember looking out of the window and thinking I could just jump out and end it all.
"Thankfully I didn’t follow through but I must have thought about it daily.
"When I felt this bad, I barely left my home for weeks on end and didn’t see a soul.
"At a time when a lot of my friends were working and travelling, I’d feel anxious and couldn’t even think about taking the Tube, never mind going on a flight.
"I spent years going to see psychiatrist after psychiatrist and was put on anti- depressants but they only helped slightly.
"I met my husband eight years ago and tried to hide my mental health issues from him as I felt so ashamed.
"Then a psychotherapist made the connection between my PCOS and my mental health and it was quite a revelation.
"To learn this was a known side-effect and there was a medical reason for my depression did make me feel a bit better, even if, as the doctors explained, there was no cure.
"I was worried about fertility issues and was surprised – and super-relieved – that when we tried for a baby it didn’t take long.
"After my son Alex was born, I suffered from post-natal depression.
"Then I fell pregnant again and miscarried at eight weeks. The devastation of losing my baby just two days after a perfectly normal scan sent me spiraling downwards.
"I holed up in my bedroom for a week, crying non-stop. It took a lot of therapy to put myself back together but the fragility of my mental health is constant.
"I’m eight weeks pregnant again now and trying to remain positive but I am always walking a fine line with my mental health.
"Very few people understand about this side-effect of PCOS. For years, I didn’t even know about it myself, so now I want people to be more aware and to try to open up about problems. It can only help."
Expert help on PCOS
MEG WILSON, consultant gynaecologist at London Gynaecology, explains: “The signs of PCOS are irregular periods, acne, excessive hair growth and being overweight.
“The acne and hair growth – usually on the face or chest – are signs of raised testosterone levels, which can be confirmed by a blood test.
“An ultrasound scan for someone with PCOS will reveal enlarged ovaries and multiple follicles on the ovaries.
“If you have any of these symptoms, you should first go to your GP who will refer you to a gynaecologist so you can undergo a scan.
“Where you next get help will then depend on your symptoms and nothing is a quick fix.
“Gynaecologists can try to regulate periods with hormonal treatments such as the Pill. For skin issues, you may be referred to a dermatologist, a fertility clinic may help if you have irregular periods and aren’t ovulating and would like to have a baby, and a dietician may help with issues with your weight.
“Women with PCOS are more predisposed to an increased risk of depression and that might also require help from a psychologist.
“There is also a small link between PCOS and miscarriage and there is an increased risk.
“Ultimately, it’s best to take a holistic approach to PCOS – and how it affects your life will depend on the treatment you require.”
- Find out more at london-gynaecology.com.
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