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"I lost weight and was amazed with the results"

Wednesday, 4th February 2009

My name is Sylvia, I'm 24 and was diagnosed with PCOS when I was about 18  years old.

I started my period very young, when I was just nine.  To begin with it was extremely heavy and I had excruciating period pains to go with it.  I also went from being a very skinny kid and gained a fair bit of weight although I was active and eating healthily.  I would see other girls my age eating so much more than me and not putting on a single ounce of fat.  All my friends at secondary school were thinner than me and had loads of energy whereas I had mood swings, felt very low and didn’t enjoy eating much.

I then went to college and for one of the months when I started my period and it wouldn’t stop, I was on my period for months and finally collapsed, ended up in hospital where I was diagnosed with PCOS.  I was relieved to know the cause of my symptoms but disheartened when I was told by a doctor there’s no cure and I would just have to lose some weight.

I was really frustrated and upset but eventually I joined a gym and lost weight and was amazed with the results, my periods were regular now, my acne cleared up, I had a lot more energy, I felt good about myself.  However, I had to stop going to the gym as I could no longer afford it and gained the weight back and all the symptoms returned.  Period became irregular again, acne came back, energy level plummeted and I started suffering from depression.

It is very hard still and it’s a constant struggle.  Although friends are supportive, I feel no one really understands my situation and how it affects me every day.  People look at me with disbelief when I say the reason I cannot lose weight due to PCOS and that I actually don’t eat much.

I was happy to see Verity has been set up to help women like me and hope people discover you so that they can gain the support I did not when I was first diagnosed.

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