Testimonial - Rebecca
Writing this personal account about suffering from PCOS was extremely difficult because my life has changed so much since I have started treatment with Professor Farid. This in itself indicates how much his help and treatment recommendation has made such a difference to my life.
For as long as I can remember, I have had irregular, very painful. I reassured myself for many years that it takes time for a girl’s period to become regular. As my Mother had never had any problems with her periods, I was oblivious to any possible medical explanations for my irregularities.
At the age of 16 that I experienced regular periods when my GP put me on the pill, Yasmin, for contraceptive purposes. This was the best pill on the market at the time particularly for women with bad skin. I had noticed that with age my skin had started to get spotty. I was on Yasmin for just over two years.
By the time I was 18, Yasmin had seemed to make my skin worse and it was getting me increasingly down to the point that I was embarrassed about going out in the daylight and found it difficult looking in the mirror. I slept more and felt disconnected to the world, often experiencing blurred vision and headaches. At first I thought these symptoms were a result of stress having just started University and looking after my Mum who was diagnosed with breast cancer.
On the advice of my mother's friend who had experienced similar problems when young, I saw a gynaecologist. I was immediately diagnosed with PCOS. At this stage, although I did not need contraception, she did not suggest non-contraceptive medication to manage my PCOS. To stop my skin getting worse, she prescribed Dianette instead of Yasmin. Dianette can have bad side-effects. However, the gynaecologist assured me I would be fine as long as I was not disposed to depression and had regular blood pressure checks. I told myself that I did not care about any other side-effects as long as my skin improved.
How wrong I was! In the first six months of taking Dianette I quickly started to put on weight in spite of my relatively balanced diet. Previously, I did not have a big appetite and did not crave food in between meals. Within the first year, I had put on nearly one and a half stone through overeating at meal times which in turn made me want to snack throughout the day. In addition I craved sugar to the point that I would go on rampages at home looking for sweet foods. I was aware of my unusual eating patterns but overeating seemed the least of my worries as I was increasingly depressed.
My self-esteem was at an all time low and I was crying all the time. Nothing made me happy. I was frequently experiencing blurred vision and headaches. Everything seemed an effort. To make matters worse, my skin did not show a noticeable improvement until after a year of taking Dianette.
My GP, along with other specialists, dismissed my symptoms saying I was going through a phase of depression which would pass over time. I also began to suffer from a bloated stomach especially from eating certain foods, spells of extreme fatigue after eating meals and overall lethargy. I know my body and I was convinced that I was not suffering from a mental problem.
About a year later, one of my friends who had suffered from the same symptoms mentioned that she had seen Professor Farid, who told her she was insulin resistant and that it is linked to PCOS. Exhausted and frustrated by people who believed I was imagining my symptoms, I went to see him immediately.
Professor Farid told me I was experiencing the typical symptoms of insulin resistance and put me on Metformin. He also advised me to stop taking Dianette. For the first time, I heard that a woman does not need periods to be healthy and that it is possible to regulate them with diet and lifestyle. Obviously if I needed contraception, there were alternatives to Dianette.
Starting to take the Metformin was easy, I was weaned on to a higher dosage gradually. However stopping from taking Dianette was much harder, since it had managed to lull me into a false sense of mental security and I had convinced myself that I could manage the side-effects that I knew. I was scared of the possible withdrawal effects. I did manage to come off it after taking the Metformin for three months. Professor Farid also listened to my concerns about my skin getting bad again and prescribed Flutamide which has been a success to date.
Even after only one month of being off the Dianette, I could notice the difference in my mood. After five months I had also started to lose weight and overall I was happy for the first time in ages. It soon became evident that I had been stuck in a vicious circle of self-destruction. For the first time I felt I was back to my old positive self. Now I am 21 and off Dianette for two years, my life has been transformed.
