PCOS Awareness Month

It happened the moment I chunked the contraceptives in the trash can.

My body went bonkers. Irregular periods. Weight gain. Acne. Facial hair.  Lots and lots of tears.

And one negative pregnancy test after another.

I never experienced a single one of these symptoms prior to using birth control. I could tell you exactly when aunt flow would visit and she was never late.

After several rounds of blood work and a sonogram of my ovaries, my doctor confirmed that I had PCOS.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome caused me to be infertile and it’s the most common hormonal endocrine disorder in women.

The diagnoses came as a shock to the girl who had been known as Betty Spaghetti throughout high school because of her thin frame. For the first time in my life I was shopping for double digit sizes and hated my body.

Hearing the news from my doctor was heartbreaking. I wanted nothing more than to be a mom and that dream suddenly seemed unreachable.

I share these personal and difficult details with you because September is PCOS Awareness Month.

Since being diagnosed with the disease in 2010, I’ve been surprised to learn just how many women struggle with the same side effects that plagued me. I personally believe my use of birth control was partly to blame for my PCOS, although I don’t have medical research to back that up. I was on birth control a very short time, but the moment I stopped taking the pill my body went haywire. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

Living with PCOS is an emotional roller coaster ride.

Though it robbed me of much,  God used the disease for good.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

PCOS wasn’t the final chapter. It was just the beginning of the story God wrote for our family.

You can read more about PCOS, my infertility, and how God brought our family together in my book Bringing Home the Missing Linck: A Journey of Faith to Family.

** Today I’m linking up for Coffee for the Heart here, for Three Word Wednesday here, and for Tell His Story.