Meet Paden Chatham.
For Paden, this past year has been a roller coaster of emotions and adjustments. In fall of 2017, Paden was diagnosed with something called PCOS.
PCOS stands for polycystic ovary syndrome. This means that there are tiny cysts that have formed all along the ovaries, but they aren’t harmful. Even though they aren’t a danger, they can cause most of the women that have this to be infertile or have a very low chance of getting pregnant. This a very common thing that occurs in women and ranges from ages about 13 and up. It’s so common, that 1 in 10 women have PCOS. With this health issue, there isn’t exactly a cure. However, there are many different treatments like medications that help in getting the woman’s hormones balanced again.
Paden had been dealing with various symptoms for almost a year before finding out she had PCOS.
“It made me feel like I wasn’t myself,” she said.
Even after seeing doctor after doctor, no one could figure out what was going on. When she was diagnosed, she felt happy. Happy to finally know why she was having these symptoms and what was making her body change. She was happy to be able to take medicine that made her feel like she finally had control of her body again. The only sad thing to her was to be told she may not get to have kids someday. With that, there is still a chance of fertility, so no one should ever lose hope.
Since it has now been a year since being diagnosed, she said she still struggles at times. On some days when she forgets to take the medicine, it makes her emotional which she doesn’t really like. However, you have to stay positive and look forward. After any struggle or hardship, she overcomes it and continues on her journey.
To anyone out there struggling with PCOS and doesn’t know how to handle it, talk to someone. Find women around you who are also dealing with PCOS. They’ll help you through it. It’s nice to have support in something that can seem so scary at first.