My Journey With PCOS: The Early Years

Or, “Dad, Please Avert Your Eyes.”

Or, “More Than You Likely Wanted to Know About My Menstrual Cycle.”

I got my first period at the age of 11.  It was horrifying.  I couldn’t believe that this was happening to meeee.  Oh, the nerve of my body.  I didn’t know any other girls my age who had gotten theirs and being the first to “become a woman” (gag), was probably the worst thing to happen to me.  I remember crying and crying, begging my mom to let me stay home from school.  My mom was a school principal my whole adolescence, so she of course said I needed to suck it up (said much more lovingly, of course).

Life went on and my period came reliably every two weeks… and usually lasted for two weeks at a time.  Normal, right?  Yeah, no.  Eventually, I told my mom that I was having a period for approximately 26 weeks out of the year.  She promptly brought me into the doctor.  I was told that it may be normal, since I was still an adolescent, and was told to take Aleve twice a day at the time of my period.

This helped a little bit.  But around the time I turned 16, my period still hadn’t regulated and I was experiencing some acne, so my doctor suggested I try birth control.  I figure it couldn’t hurt and tried it.  It was nice to have a regular period for the first time in five years and it did help my acne a little bit.

Three years later, I was in college and figured surely my cycle had regulated itself by now.  Also, I was dating a man I loved very much and in our desire to save sex for our wedding night, I thought that removing the temptation of knowing I was on birth control may be helpful.

So I stopped taking the pill and waited for my period to start.  And waited… and waited… and waited.  Six months later it finally came.  I’d never been so excited for Aunt Flow to make an appearance.

After that, my period came whenever it pleased, usually at least 60 days apart.  I couldn’t have been happier.  Six weeks per year, compared to twenty-six?  Sign me up.

More to come!

K.

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