Infertility case - irregular periods, polycystic ovarian syndrome

27, Kathy, Reception

“In the past few years, my period was irregular, sometimes at the beginning of the month, but sometimes it delays for 20 days. But I never thought of the chance of infertility!” At the age of 25, Kathy loves snacking in the office, similar to her oversized family, she weighed over 130lb with the height of 5”3”. Though she was young, after 7 years of relationship, she decided to tie the knot with her first love.

Seeing married couples announced to be parents-to-be, and she was still left without babies, she was left in wonder. And lately she realized her body hair has got thicker, even on the back and the above the lips. After discussing with her husband, she sought help from a gynecologist, and she was diagnosed with a common female infertility problem – polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

Kathy said doctor had explained to her that about 20% of women with infertility were due to PCOS. PCOS was caused by imbalanced endocrine secretion. Under genetic influence, male hormone in female body increases suddenly, so ovulation becomes abnormal. Ova were seen swollen as pearls under microscope, like cysts pressing on each other, making ovulation unsuccessful and delaying menstruation. In severe cases, patients may develop cervical cancer.

“Doctor told me that being fat is a cause of PCOS, as fat has more male hormones which affect female ovulation and body hair growth. If blood glucose regulation is not under controlled, I may even have diabetes.” Kathy admitted that she had never realized that irregular period may be a sign of PCOS, as she thought it was a normal in general female and she never thought this would make pregnancy difficult.

Her infertility issue bothers her and she didn’t know how to explain to her husband. Fortunately, the doctor told her not to worry and suggested possible treatments for her reference. Despite weight loss for PCOS, she can have medications to ovulation or receive ART to increase the chance of pregnancy. Kathy said she was a lover of food since she was little; the chance to lose weight for curing PCOS was rare. So she decided to have ART. “Actually, for my health and the treatment, I listened to my doctor to control my diet and report to nurses about my condition after the injection.”

Kathy pointed out that doctor had informed PCOS patients have higher risks of Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome during ART as ova may become overactive after hormone injection, and patients may feel certain discomfort such as abdominal distention, edema, or even pulmonary edema. Therefore doctors would monitor the condition regularly. If any signs of hyperactivity were noted, doctors would reduce dosage, withhold injection or freeze the extracted ova and wait till her body was ready for the transplant.

Fortunately, Kathy succeeded after one trial. Ten months later she gave birth to a lovely daughter. The emotional disturbance was finally gone. Besides, Kathy started her weight loss plan for health and for the hope of curing PCOS, so her period may become normal again and try to have another baby.

The information on this website is for general educational purpose only.
Readers should consult their physician before considering treatment, and should not interpret their condition solely based on the information above.