The Silence of PCOS

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As a first generation African American woman living in the suburbs of Vermont the last thing I needed was another reason to stand out.

But here I am. 

At 5 foot 3 inches tall, dark skin, youngest of her grade, with kinky hair that never flattens. One of the only black people in my school. I knew people were always looking at me. Constantly asking questions about my hair and always commenting on my dark skin. I became accustomed to it.

In the summer before 6th grade, I got my first period.I was ready for the inevitable. My parents prepared me, yet it didn’t stop me from feeling as if my life was ending at 12. My mother, in our “you’re now an adult and your childhood has ended” talk, said that women in our family grow a lot of hair and that some have strange periods. This was enough for a 12-year-old me to think life was over before I would even start middle school.

I now understand what my mother was explaining to me at twelve. The “weird” period she warned me about was Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Also known as PCOS is an endocrine disorder found in women.

Your endocrine system is important because it uses all of your hormones to coordinate and control your body. Our hormones are important in the functioning of our bodies. Androgens are one of our sex hormones that is disrupted by PCOS.

“Androgens are a type of hormone normally found in abundance in men, but women normally have them in smaller amounts. Women with PCOS often have high levels of androgens. Ovulation happens when a mature egg is released from an ovary. When ovulation doesn’t happen, the ovaries can develop many small fluid-filled sacs (cysts). These cysts make hormones called androgens.” (John Hopkins Medicine)

An increase in these “male hormones” leads to PCOS symptoms such as hirsutism, irregular menstrual cycle, polycystic ovaries, male-patterned hair loss, and more. Hirsutism was and still is my main enemy as well as my irregular menstrual cycle, that I sometimes saw as a benefit seeing as I didn’t always have to have them like my female peers did. They weren’t fun anyway. Hirsutism is “defined as excessive coarse hair appearing in a male-type pattern. It represents exposure of hair follicles to high levels of the male hormone androgen in the blood and/or the hair follicle itself.” (UCLA Health)

For me, it is growing hair under my chin and a mustache. While my female peers were worrying, if they had a pimple that needed to be covered up, I was worrying if I had a rogue hair that I missed when shaving. This took a drastic hit on my already low confidence feeling as if I wasn’t feminine enough. 

As puberty decided to continue to pummel me through my adolescence my symptoms only worsened as did my self-esteem and confidence. I received many questions from friends asking if I had hair on my chin which quickly caused me shame and embarrassment. I spent much of my time trying to research what was wrong with me. I’ve spoken to specialists, pediatric doctors, and naturopaths in search of answers.  I’ve been recommended dietary restrictions, hormonal birth control, and therapy to help aid my condition. Unfortunately, even with these present symptoms many women, including me, get misdiagnosed. 75% of individuals are undiagnosed with PCOS by their doctors according to a 2018 PCOS study by race and ethnicity.

I’m blessed to come from a family that understands what’s going on in my body because many of them also have symptoms. So many women don’t understand why they have these symptoms and their doctors are just turning down their condition as something not important. 

So many women are struggling with infertility because of PCOS and having to go towards IVF. More research needs to be dedicated to PCOS and its correlation to metabolic dysfunction. This is a serious topic and women deserve clarity and solutions. 

Currently, I would say that I’m indifferent to the topic of PCOS. I would like not to have any symptoms, I think the only probable possibility is suppressing the symptoms present.  I hope that every woman reading this diagnosed or not with PCOS can take from this that you are not broken, or manly, or any less of a woman. It’s taken me years of self-healing through religion and therapy to come to this state of indifference on the topic and not just sadness or feeling of lack. I’m not done with this journey and still have moments of shame. Though, at my core, I know I was made perfectly for my life journey and this is likewise for you.

Photos: Vis Freepik

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Minelle Sarfo-adu

Minelle discovered her purpose as a real estate agent in 2017 when she was evicted from her childhood home. Her parents, originally from Ghana, she was always their translator. Minelle sprung into action and researched new homes, finding Zillow was not that simple. As the main resource in their house hunt, Minelle fell in love with the process. At the age of 16, she decided more of her fellow students needed to understand why marginalized groups didn't own homes due to redlining and racial discrimination in housing. With the support of a good friend, she created a lesson plan where it was taught and used as an informational guide. Finally, at 18, Minelle became a licensed Real Estate agent in South Carolina. She values enthusiasm, authenticity, integrity, tenacity, and high energy. Minelle serves people by putting her heart in every transaction.

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