Real Stories: Navigating PCOS and Infertility with Rebecca Sampson
READING TIME
5 min
What's your worst, funniest, or most awkward period story?
I got my first period when I was about 14 years old, at the time I was a sub-elite swimmer who trained 7+ times a week, so a period was quite an inconvenience. My swim coach was a very stern lady who thought that apparently even a first period wasn't an excuse to miss training, so when I told her she handed me a tampon and a panadol and told me I had 15 minutes to work it out. At the time I was mortified but now at least I can laugh about it now!
What have you demystified about your female body that you wish you knew when you were younger?
That my body is very good at telling me things, it just took me quite a while to work out how to listen to it.
Have you been diagnosed with a women's health or gut health condition? If so, how did you know something wasn't right, and what was your journey like to get answers?
I didn't get diagnosed with PCOS until I was 30 and going through investigations for infertility. I was actually really shocked by the diagnosis as I previously had thought I didn't 'present like a typical' woman with PCOS. I was so surprised to read the data that 1 in 5 women have PCOS.
In hindsight I can see my symptoms started in my teenage years, and were then masked by the pill for nearly a decade. I'm sure this is a common story, but honestly, I felt so angry and let down by the medical system that sweeps everything under the rug as 'teenage hormones'.
Our infertility diagnosis was a slower one, there was no sudden shock but just a slow grinding away as months passed. I started seeing it appear on my medical documents, but no one ever really sat me down and said 'this is what infertility means' or 'this is why we've diagnosed you with infertility'. It's been a tough journey.
What was your diagnosis experience like?
In hindsight, my PCOS and the insulin resistance that I experience as part of this, have significantly impacted me my whole adult life. What I thought was bad skin, now I know was hormonal acne, what I thought was a 'difficulty maintaining normal weight' now I know was insulin resistance. I learned that it's not normal to have cycles that fluctuate between 4 weeks and 8 weeks. I had an eating disorder for nearly 10 years and a huge part of my mentality around this was that I just 'had to work harder' than others to lose or maintain weight. I had created this narrative and this guilt around it like I was defective and only my commitment and diligence with exercise and food would fix it. It's been life changing to know that it was insulin resistance all this time and in fact not my fault at all. Not that it ever was my fault, but the ED part of my brain always told me it was.
My infertility has been a whole different rollercoaster. It's been 2 years since we've been trying, and in that time we've been through 8 rounds of medicated ovulation induction, and 2 unsuccessful rounds of IVF (egg retrievals that got us no embryos). It has changed how I look at the world, how I look at myself, my relationships, my work, all parts of my life. It permeates and seeps into every day, even when I try to block it out. Our journey is still ongoing, and I don't know how it will end, but I'm trying to choose to find the joy in life alongside the devastating grief that is infertility.
What symptoms made you think something wasn't right with your body?
Honestly, I feel like it's always been a gut instinct that we would have fertility difficulties. But the tangible symptoms were irregular periods, hormonal acne that I just couldn't get on top of, massive weight fluctuations through my adult years, and eventually I tried ovulation strips and that's when I knew for sure something wasn't right.
Have you tried anything that has helped you manage your symptoms?
Myo inositol has been a great addition to my daily routine. I also take metformin daily which has also helped massively.
In terms of the infertility we've tried basically everything suggested to us; ovulation strips, letrozole, cycle tracking, acupuncture, diet and lifestyle changes, and now IVF.
What's one thing you wish more people understood about women's health?
How incredibly hard it is to believe that if you seek help your concerns will be heard and validated.
What's the best piece of advice you've been given?
Not really related to women's health, but one of my favourites is 'Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you'll land among the stars'.
When your body feels hard to live in, how do you take care of yourself?
My main three rules are: exercise daily (I love running, swimming, or strength — even 20 mins a day works WONDERS for my brain), be intentional with my food and choose foods that nourish my body (it's ok to still eat the chocolate too), and the beach. For me, the ocean is my happy place, always.
. If you could go back and tell your younger self one thing about your body or your journey, what would it be?
Learn to listen to your body and be more grateful for it. Focus less on what it looks like. Happiness is a choice that we make every day.
. Any specialists or support networks you'd recommend?
You guys! I also love the Fried Eggs podcast.
