Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, wasn’t even on the radar when I was growing up. There were signs that my body and period were not the same as everyone else’s, but it wasn’t something you really talked much about growing up. I didn’t realize how different it was, and that it could have been a sign of a future diagnosis of infertility and PCOS later in life.
Because my cycle could be so wonky, I went on birth control right before I got married
I wondered if all those years of suppressing ovulation affected my body
My first child was conceived with the help of medications, but my second was natural. I have never gone back on birth control since. I no longer think that messing with my hormones and my body’s natural process is a good idea.
While I still deal with PCOS symptoms, I have no desire to throw a Band-Aid over it. Losing weight is hard, but thankfully my cycle has regulated itself now that I’m not on any medications. It’s hard trying to manage PCOS much of the time. I don’t know that the birth control years affected me, but I know for certain that I won’t go down that road ever again.
