It Always Ends Well

I was sixteen when I first had the symptoms of PCOS, at that time I thought the pain I felt in my pelvic region was normal. Pain that left me on the cold tiles praying the pain away. I told myself it was normal, girls have period pain. The first symptoms I paid attention to was a strand of hair on my chin. In weeks, the strand multiplied. I had more facial hair than my older brother. My mum took me to a hospital and the doctor told me to was probably an issue with my hormones—"All will be" he said—It wasn't. My symptoms became worse. At the age of 19, I dealt with terrible acne. Acne that became worse with each treatment. I had issues with my self esteem because I believed my body was a mess. Not only was I dealing with facial hair, I was also dealing with irregular periods and acne. At the age of 23 I had enough. I went to see a gynaecologist, and requested to be checked. After series of tests and scans, a diagnosis was made—I suffer from PCOS. I'd be lying if I said I was sad, or heartbroken. The truth is, I was relieved. After being told for years I was exaggerating my symptoms, after all the painful and irregular periods, the pus filled acne and shaving my facial hair regularly. A test result showed something was wrong, to be honest it was a victory for me. I began treatment and my symptoms are being managed. My life is finally in my control. My only regret was not forcing my mum to take me to a gynaecologist to run some test. PCOS doesn't have to define you, you can still be whoever you want to be PCOS or not.