Mrs. Ugochukwu Uzoechi, a Nigerian, lived a normal life while growing up before she got married with no sign of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) apart from having facial hair and gaining weight, which was presumed normal.
After sealing her marriage, Mrs. Uzoechi and her partner tried conceiving after months of being married in 2023, but all efforts proved abortive. Her journey of fertility fight started as she made her way to the clinic to seek medical assistance.
During the visitation to the laboratory centre, after having some chats with the laboratory scientist, she was told to run a hormonal profile test while it was her first day of seeing her period for the month.
On the third day, when Mrs. Uzoechi returned for the test result, the test result revealed she was suffering from PCOS and ovary cysts; at that moment, she became emotional.
While speaking with The New Daily Prime reporter, she said words of encouragement were shared with her by her medical doctor.
“The lab scientist told me that the result showed that I have PCOS and ovary cysts, but 95% of women that have it is not really a big deal,” Mrs. Dickson recalled. “He also said that women with PCOS can actually conceive, but I should still keep trying with my husband, but if nothing happens, I should come back after a year for the HSG, but it’s painful.”
What is PCOS?
According to Hannah Alderson, a nutritionist and hormone specialist who was diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 21, PCOS is defined as an endocrine disorder that affects women during their reproductive years.
Explaining more, she acknowledged that no two women experience the same symptom of the health challenge. She said PCOS occurs when women often have an excess of follicles, small sacs that contain eggs within their ovaries, noting that women do not have cysts on their ovaries.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) disclosed that about 8–13% of representative-aged women suffer from PCOS globally, leaving 70% undiagnosed.
Recounting how she got to know about PCOS, Mrs. Uzoechi’s doctor advised her to focus on losing weight, avoid intake of alcohol, and maintain a healthy lifestyle as a way to overcome the infertility issue, especially in dietary.
Despite her new discovery about her infertility and quest to bear children, she attributed her husband to being the most supportive partner for easing off the stress.
“Although I was emotional at that moment, outside that, my husband didn’t make me feel that I was actually going through that health challenge,” her voice echoed. “We were not really thinking about the child bearing of a thing that we need the child.
She explained that the situation was handled between herself, the doctor, and her husband with no external member until she gave birth.
“It was only between myself, the doctor, and my husband; nobody got to know about it until after I gave birth to my son; that was when I started talking to people about it.”
Endangering My life with Supplements
According to Mrs. Uzoechi, she told The New Daily Prime that taking those supplements affected her life because she never knew it was causing her more harm than good at the initial stage of taking them, realising that health is wealth.
“I will say that in as much as those supplements and pills did not work for me, it is not that it won’t work for some people, but he does work for some people; I have to stop.”
Adding more effect of taking pills and supplements to her health, she explained, “It was really affecting me so bad to the point that when ever I take them, I won’t get myself until after some minutes. I just have to stop it because it is not compatible for me.”
Life Adjustment after PCOS
Mrs. Uzoechi’s life took a different turn as she began another life of adjusting to what she consumed, which left her to opt for natural food as she described her insulin as bad.
Following medical advice, Mrs. Uzoechi explained how she cut down on food despite craving sugary foods such as carbonated drinks and biscuits, among other food items.
“I have to base it on our organic food; that is how local food, fruit, and vegetables, including exercise,” she recalled with a soft voice. Explaining how tight her schedule was to meet up with the exercise.
Within six months of diagnosis and proper management, she conceived and gave birth to a healthy baby. This personal triumph fuels her mission to provide hope to others.
After birthing her son, she said, “I have to consider a lot of things, and so far the training has been amazing.”
PCOS in Nigeria
Research published in 2022 acknowledged that PCOS affects 1 in 6 Nigerian women, resulting in infertility, while local studies underscored that between 13.8% and 18.1% may be struck with this health.
However, some studies results are mixed with no actual causes of the infertility issues, while some studies are focused on determining its prevalence, treatment, and management techniques.
Change of perspective
Addressing this issue among women, Mrs. Uzoechi, who was once struck with PCOS, said her thought around fertility and family planning has changed, noting infertility challenges have been triggered and advising women to watch out for their causes as they seek medical assistance.
“In a situation where you are trying to conceive and it is not really working out for you, the best thing I think you should do is to go visit the hospital and do a proper medical checkup to know what the problem is and tackle it from that point.”
She believes that women are being misinformed by most medical practitioners, claiming that they do not disclose vital information to ladies suffering from PCOS.
“…especially for the health practitioner, I think that they do misinform people,” she said while speaking to this reporter. “They should inform people with treatment or people who are trying to balance their hormones because they don’t give people the vital information that they need.”
Explaining the effect of not disclosing to women deeply about the health condition tends to lead to more complications, said Mrs Uzoechi, especially for those prescribed with contraceptic pills knowing the severe effect on the patient.
Championing awareness via Tictok
For Mrs. Uzoechi, TikTok became the platform to share her journey, educate others, and inspire hope for women living with PCOS.
Through her TikTok videos, she shares a deeply personal account of living with PCOS and her survival. Her words reflect her desire to help others navigate the same challenges she faced:
“I can guide people who are actually going through the same phase that I have gone through. I inform them to research treatments and medications before taking them. I’ve seen people struggle with medications that weren’t helping but instead were causing harm.”
Her content resonates with women who find themselves confused by the array of pills and supplements they’re prescribed.
She explains how PCOS can manifest after long consumption of pills and supplements, from missed periods to excessive menstrual bleeding lasting weeks or even months.
Her videos often filled with heartfelt advice, have drawn messages of gratitude from women who feel heard and understood for the first time.
“There are a lot of people who come to me for help, including those taking pills to induce periods or ovulation. After that particular post you saw on TikTok, I’ve been receiving messages from women thanking me for guiding them. They say doctors often don’t explain these things as clearly.”
Research and Real-Life Experience
Her passion for spreading awareness comes from her lived experience and extensive research.
“There’s a difference between reading about something and living it. As someone who has been there, I want to know more about PCOS and share that knowledge. I’ve actually impacted a lot,” she told The New Daily Prime.
Despite her efforts, she proudly notes that she hasn’t faced stereotypes or judgement and instead focuses on building a supportive community.
Hope for the Future
When asked about the future of managing PCOS, Mrs. Uzoechi expresses optimism:
“I have 100% hope in managing PCOS if we maintain a healthy lifestyle, especially by watching what we eat and avoiding harmful substances. Back in the days of our mothers, we didn’t see many women struggling with fertility. I believe it’s the modern lifestyle that’s affecting us negatively.”
She advocates for natural, balanced living and warns against overindulging in processed foods, alcohol, and other harmful substances that could worsen health conditions.
“These things we call enjoyment are actually killing us slowly. By maintaining a healthy lifestyle, we can save ourselves from hospital visits and conditions that are expensive to treat.”
Advise for Women with PCOS
For women battling PCOS, her advice is simple yet profound:
“Remain calm and avoid foods that will trigger and worsen symptoms. They say PCOS has no cure, but I believe it can be managed. Before consuming any herbs, pills, or supplements, do your research. Some treatments aimed at inducing periods or ovulation can cause other complications, like ovarian cysts.”
Her journey began when she underwent a hormone profile test in 2023 after experiencing difficulty conceiving.
Building a Community of Support
Mrs. Uzoechi TikTok platform and message box have become more than just a channel, filled with several messages after sharing her experiences—it’s a lifeline for women who feel isolated in their struggles.
She concluded that a WhatsApp group was open by another champion of change to educate women who are facing infertility issues.
