Overcoming PCOS: My Journey to Pregnancy and Hormonal Balance

PCOS – polycystic ovary syndrome. PCOS is a hormone imbalance in women that can cause things like missing or irregular periods, high levels of androgens, excess hair growth, and acne. If you google PCOS, your mind will immediately say “infertility,” but that’s not always the case. Yes, the diagnosis can make it harder to get pregnant because of the imbalance affecting ovulation. Still, it doesn’t mean pregnancy is impossible.

Continue reading to hear directly from our guest blogger and community member Brittany about her personal experience with PCOS and infertility, how she overcame it, and tips for managing the condition.

Introductions to Brittany and her story 

I’m Brittany! Wife to my high school sweetheart, mom to our daughter Zoe, and mom-to-be for our baby boy on the way.  I have a master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. I was a full-time pediatric speech-language pathologist until our daughter joined us. Then I took a little step back into supervising assistants. I’m also a certified life coach with master-level training, and I run a PCOS program called Powerful Cysterhood Overcoming Stigmas.

I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2020- yep, the year of Covid craziness.  I had a period in January, and then poof, gone! I was in the middle of planning a wedding and had recently become a vegetarian, so I blamed the missing period on eliminating red meat. But honestly, I was just glad I didn’t have a period; that meant I wouldn’t have to worry about it on my wedding day in my beautiful dress. And then Covid hit, so I could blame my missing period now on stress. Meanwhile, while playing the blame game in my head, I hoped to get pregnant to start our family shortly after our wedding.

Side note… if you stop having a period, it’s not normal. Please consult your doctor or specialist. 

Diagnosis and taking matters into her own hands

After our wedding in May, I decided I couldn't keep blaming things and actually needed some answers. So in June 2020, I had an ultrasound and lab work. But even before my official diagnosis, I knew I had PCOS based on my personal experience and lots of research. After learning about my diagnosis, I remember that a nurse just said, “take this pill and, and I’ll see you back if you are pregnant, and if not, we will try again.” That didn’t sit well with me. I wanted answers, I wanted solutions, not just a bandaid, so I decided to take matters into my own hands!

I sought out a naturopath and found someone I trusted and worked with for about 5 months. Together, we discovered I had SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). Having gut health issues is fairly common for those living with PCOS- so if you have PCOS or any other hormonal imbalance you might want to check into that. I also found out that I was low in vitamin D and b12. However, after months of working closely with the naturopath, following a strict eating plan, and taking supplements and vitamins, I was able to rid my body of SIBO and get my vitamin levels back to normal. During this time, I also started doing acupuncture weekly! Highly recommend alternative medicine avenues! My acupuncturist used needles, cupping, and infrared light. But as always, consult your provider or physician before beginning any new treatments!

Celebrating Successes and Navigating Setbacks

In October, I got my period on my own! And was sooooo proud! It was a lot of hard work and after 285 days, I celebrated (even though it showed up as my husband and I left for our delayed honeymoon)!

Several friends kept telling me to seek out a fertility specialist. And after tracking my basal body temp for 6 months, I didn’t think I was ovulating. So I scheduled an appointment with a fertility specialist and together, we created a game plan (my planning heart was so happy). We started our plan with 10 days of progesterone, and then immediately came news I was not happy to hear, “You have a cyst on your left ovary, so you can’t take the next medicine.” My heart sank! I cried- and I never cry!

Thankfully a friend reminded me that “This prognosis changed nothing about the plan other than stressing about the timing of medication.” So I kept tracking, using my calendar, timed everything out, kept on with my positive mindset, and trusted in God’s timing.

And boom, POSITIVE PREGNANCY TEST! And a lot of excitement and disbelief!

Here’s the thing with PCOS, it affects every woman differently. This is my story. While other accounts might be similar, they could also be totally different. There are different types of PCOS, and discovering your type is really important in understanding how to help your body function properly and get your hormones balanced again.

Tips for managing PCOS and finding support

I know that this diagnosis, or any news for that matter that affects you becoming a mother, can weigh heavily on you. It can bring stress, sadness, and feelings of hopelessness, but you don’t have to live in that place. Listen, I get it. Your mom or bestie means well with their kind words of “just don’t stress about it,” but if they aren’t walking your walk, they don’t know how you feel and how that sentiment is a gut punch every time they say it. Find a support system that includes other women sharing your diagnosis so that you’re surrounded by people who understand what you’re going through. 

A life coach or a therapist is something worth looking into. I can’t speak for therapists, but I know life coaches are here to help you transition a place of fear, doubt, and worry into one of hope, purpose, and potential. My mindset throughout the six months of trying to conceive made all the difference while navigating that journey.

If you have PCOS too, here are my top three things you can start today to start working towards your hormones balanced: 

• Check your products for toxins (meaning your hair care products, cleaning products, lotions, etc.). Check out the “ThinkDirty” app for help.  
• Prioritize sleep! Quality and quantity matter. 
• Have fun with movement. Move your body daily. This doesn't have to be for hours on end with the hardest, sweatiest workouts you can do... in fact, those are causing more harm by taxing the adrenals.  Choose something you actually enjoy for once.

I truly believe that changing my lifestyle and becoming very aware of what I was putting in my body, on it, and around it made it so my body and mind were primed and ready for a healthy pregnancy. 

I knew something was wrong when I went to that doctor’s appointment in 2020. No one goes in giddy to get a diagnosis, even though when you do, you’re thankful you aren’t crazy, and there’s finally an explanation for what is going on with your body.  With PCOS, it’s such an extensive and intensive diagnosis that it takes time to learn how it affects you, but it will pay off a thousand times over!

While the diagnosis of PCOS can make it harder to get pregnant, it's not impossible! Remember that every woman's experience with PCOS is unique, and there’s hope for you to overcome the challenges that come with PCOS. To join other phenomenal women like Brittany, become a part of the Juno community by joining our newsletter. And learn more about how Juno is supporting pregnancies and families through affordable and equitable access to prenatal screenings, like our Hazel™ Non-Invasive Prenatal Screening (NIPS) tests, by clicking here: Hazel™ screening tests

 

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