Are you struggling with acne, weight gain and weird periods?

DW (English)

Irregular periods, sudden weight gain, or stubborn facial hair aren’t just random symptoms. In this episode, we meet Queen Uche, who opens up about her personal journey with PCOS, from losing her job to learning how to manage the condition and reclaim her life.

Transcript

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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