00:00Can we talk about irregular periods?
00:01Sometimes too little, sometimes too much.
00:04Or the unexplained weight gain, the cysts and the ovaries.
00:06It's just the stubborn facial hair that a lot of women face,
00:09and these symptoms can be quite difficult for a lot of them to bear.
00:14Today, we're going to look at the realities of living with PCOS
00:18through the lens of a young woman who battles this every day.
00:21It took everything from me.
00:23Finances, mental health, physical.
00:25I couldn't go into relationships.
00:27I felt like I wasn't woman enough.
00:30It took everything from me to me.
00:36Hi, Uche.
00:37Hi.
00:37Could you take us back to the beginning?
00:39I used to have, like, painful periods, and it was really, really bad.
00:43I started off with, like, painkillers, and it wasn't working for me.
00:47And then I started taking injections, and at some point, it got really bad.
00:51I figured something was wrong, and I went to the hospital,
00:55and then that was when I found out I had PCOS.
00:57Did you ever have irregular periods at any time?
01:01Yes, I did have irregular periods.
01:03There were times that my flow was heavy, and then there were times that I would see my period
01:08for just, like, two days, three days, or sometimes I wouldn't see in, like, months.
01:11Did it ever affect how you viewed yourself?
01:13Very much. Like, I'm a very outgoing person. I'm very social, but, like, I stay hiding.
01:20I stopped going out. Like, I hated myself. I never used to look at my mirrors.
01:24At what point, you know, did it occur to you that this is no longer normal period pain?
01:31Back then in school, I used to take, like, just random painkillers, yeah?
01:38It got worse, and that was when I started using EverCare Hospital.
01:42I had my laparoscopy there, but before the laparoscopy,
01:46I used to get admitted every month, like, every month, sometimes twice a month.
01:51It got so bad that I would get to the hospital and be like,
01:53oh, welcome, you're here again. Like, I became your here again, that kind of thing.
01:57Yeah, it was really bad.
01:59PCOS might not be as easy to diagnose in girls and younger men than it is in adults,
02:03because symptoms like follicles in the ovaries, acne, or even irregular menstruations
02:08are common during this age group. And the symptoms vary from women to women
02:13and fluctuate over the lifespan of those women. Over 70% of women who are affected
02:18remain undiagnosed.
02:19Did you paint a picture of what your worst day has been?
02:23Okay, I'd say my worst day was 2023, December 17th. I was at an event.
02:30I just finished dancing and, oh, like, everybody was on, like, just a happy vibe and everything.
02:35And then my family friend just said, Uche, there's blood coming down your body.
02:40And I'm like, blood from where? And instantly my mood changed,
02:43because I'm just like, God, must, he embarrass me everywhere I go.
02:47Like, I was sacked from my corporate fame, because it felt like everybody,
02:51oh, you're the only one taking excuses every month.
02:53Like, it's just period. People are seeing their period.
02:55I had to leave and I had my gilet on, like, no proper owambe.
02:59So I went back to a pharmacy and I went to buy, like, an adult diaper,
03:02because I just wanted to get the memories off my head.
03:05In, like, three days, I lost those eight units of blood.
03:08And it was so bad because it was a festive period.
03:11And at some point, there was no O-positive blood in, like,
03:15several blood banks that they could reach out to.
03:18PCOS is a serious condition, because if left unmanaged,
03:21might lead to other conditions such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension,
03:25which can seriously impact the life of the woman.
03:28Women living with PCOS can conceive with the right treatment.
03:32Are there any other things that it took from you, aside from all this?
03:36It took everything from me.
03:38Finances, mental health, physical.
03:40I couldn't go into relationships.
03:42I felt like I wasn't human enough.
03:44So one thing about PCOS is the polycystic ovaries, right?
03:48And I'm sure the doctors have told you that there is a possibility
03:51that it could impact reproduction.
03:53Were you ever worried about this?
03:55To be honest, yes.
03:56Why is that?
03:57Because I want to be a mom.
03:58I love kids so much, and I'm surrounded with so many kids.
04:02Are you making any steps towards being a mother?
04:04I'm 30 now, and I want to go through the egg extraction route,
04:10or probably an IVF route, because we all know that this condition
04:15makes it very difficult for people to take in naturally,
04:17or sometimes people don't even give birth at all.
04:21So let's jump straight into the DW Africa Facebook community.
04:24Nimo from Kenya, and she's asking, what exactly causes PCOS?
04:30A lot of us don't know what exactly causes PCOS,
04:33but there are a couple of factors that contribute to PCOS.
04:35Things like your genetics, things like your environment,
04:38things like your hormones, things like your metabolism.
04:41All of this play a factor in PCOS.
04:43What keeps you going?
04:45Instead of taking, like, hormonal pills,
04:47I was on bed controls, I had Implanor, I had the coil.
04:52I need to give credit to myself.
04:54I have to speak to myself every day.
04:56Instead of looking at the mirror, words of affirmations.
04:59My mom has dedicated years of her life.
05:02I would say my late sister, because she has kept me going.
05:06So many things that she didn't achieve, I want to achieve.
05:08I want to be there.
05:09My sister, my firstborn, and her kids.
05:12Those kids, they're like spirits to me, because sometimes I'm willing,
05:16and I don't know where they come from, and they find me somewhere,
05:18and they just hug me.
05:20Those hugs, they're so nice and very warm.
05:23A couple of my friends that have been there back to back,
05:26consistently, monthly, yearly.
05:29Kudos to you yourself.
05:30I'm a strong girl.
05:33Thank you, Uche, for sharing your story.
05:35I'm sure that your story is inspiring someone else who's watching this.
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