Infertility is defined as when you are actively trying to have children for a year and are unable to conceive. In the case of most college students, the goal is to not get pregnant. The issue of infertility still affects us because infertility can present itself in a number of ways that may seem especially common in college women.
Keep in mind that I am not a medical professional and this article is by no means meant to scare anyone or meant to be used to diagnose yourself. I know from personal experience that I was passing my symptoms of infertility off as stress and having oily skin. Some symptoms of infertility are irregular periods, heavy flow and extremely painful cramps. These can be accompanied by headaches, mood swings, and acne. Again, I just thought it was because I missed a month that the next month was heavy and painful. I did not know that these were symptoms of an infertility condition.
Some people may have an excess amount of hair on their body as well. I know that I do and before my diagnosis I passed it off as being a ‘hairy Italian’. I mean, my cousin is the same way and she wasn’t diagnosed with an infertility disease, how was I supposed to know that an excessive amount of hair on my legs could mean that I had a problem with my fertility?
On some occasions, when the bloodwork and symptoms are enough of indicators, there is no need for the ultrasound. In my case, I have a family history of polycystic ovarian syndrome, so there was no need to have an ultrasound. My symptoms of irregular periods, acne, painful cramps, and heavy flow, along with my bloodwork and genetics, was enough information for the practitioner to diagnose me.
When it comes to knowing if you have an infertility-related disease, the best way to find out is to talk to your doctor. Explain your symptoms and ask what they recommend. You might be referred to an OB/GYN where they will run more in-depth tests. Most of the time they perform an internal ultrasound and bloodwork.
Like I previously mentioned, I am not a medical professional and this article is by no means meant to scare anyone or meant to be used to diagnose yourself. If after reading this article you have questions, ask your doctor. Remember to be in tune with your body and tell your doctor about any changes that happen. There is nothing wrong with being aware and asking questions. Keep in mind that everyone is different, you may have these symptoms and not have an infertility disease, or you might have different symptoms of infertility. These are just some of the indicators that I was told were symptoms of my personal infertility from my OB/GYN.