Below is experience shared by one of our patients:
At around 16, I started having heavy periods that would last just under 15 days. My mum took me to the GP, and I had an ultrasound (this was 29 years ago, as I'm 45 now), back when the NHS would refer you for an ultrasound more quickly. I was given iron tablets, and they said nothing was wrong.
Later, when I was 20, I didn’t have a period for 3 months. I went to the GP a couple of times, but since Googling wasn’t really a thing back then, I had limited information. Eventually, I was told my prolactin was very high and was given some hormonal tablet, I can’t recall the name, just that I had to take one tablet once a week for 4 weeks.
Things improved for about a year, but then the heavy periods returned, and I also started spotting in between. I went back to the GP and was diagnosed with ovarian cysts after another ultrasound. I was prescribed contraceptive pills and warned that if I didn’t take them on time, I might experience heavy bleeding.
Years went by with the same cycle: heavy periods, then no periods, and so on. I tried to manage things myself just to get on with life.
Strangely, I didn’t have any fertility issues. I had my son and daughter in my early 30s. As for body hair, I managed it using an IPL machine at home, which was much cheaper than professional treatments and significantly reduced the growth.
My scalp hair was shedding but not too badly, that was due to high testosterone levels. Testing testosterone can help indicate PCOS. Also, the Free Androgen Index (FAI) helps with diagnosis, especially if getting an ultrasound appointment is difficult. Sometimes, I would get ultrasounds privately, which cost around £300, just to monitor my cysts.
Over the years, I also developed polyps in my womb and had them removed via day surgery. Then came endometriosis…
By the age of 42, my ovarian cysts were gone, but the polyps came back, and something new appeared: fibroids (very small ones). I got really worried, as this didn’t seem like good news at all. My GP told me there was no operation to remove fibroids and simply advised me to eat healthy and exercise. I was in tears. I DO eat healthy, but on top of everything, I also had insulin resistance, which is somehow related to my condition and it made losing weight nearly impossible! So, I decided to go privately where operations are quite expensive. I had a dilation and curettage (D&C), which is basically scraping the womb to remove polyps and cysts. As for fibroids, it helps clear some of them, but won’t remove them completely.
I had it done, and since then, my periods have been much better. They stayed heavy for 5 months post-op but then started improving. My periods are no longer 14 days, they’re around 8 days now. It’s manageable, and I’m grateful to have a better experience before menopause!
By the way, the last ultrasound I had was 3 years ago, and I haven’t had one since, because my womb isn’t "complaining" anymore. I’ve had no spotting between periods, and everything seems to have settled. I do the female hormone profile once a year which includes important bio markers that monitor my situation.
Gemma C
