Pleased to know what is wrong (From Penarth Times)

Pleased to know what is wrong

FOR seventeen long years Vale resident Suzanne Winter put up with dramatic mood swings and tiredness, having no idea why she was suffering them.

Finally, in February this year, at the age of 30, Suzanne, of Barry, was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

Before her diagnosis, Suzanne, a student teacher, was left confused, wondering why one week she would be her normal, happy self, yet the next week, she would be moody, tired and depressed.

But now, despite there being no cure in Suzanne's case, she is pleased that at least she knows what is wrong.

And for this reason she is now keen to set up a local help group, appealing to people in the area who might be in the same situation, yet do not have anyone to talk to.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disturbance affecting the whole body. It occurs when a woman's levels of oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone become unbalanced.

It was recently highlighted on Michael Parkinson's chat show Parkinson, when Victoria 'Posh Spice' Beckham put her "weight problems" down to the syndrome.

Although there are many common symptoms, such as infertility, obesity, abnormal hair growth, skin problems and period problems, cases are generally extremely individual to each person.

According to Dr Thatcher, author of PCOS - The Hidden Epidemic, the syndrome has numerous implications for a woman's long-term health and quality of life.

Dr Thatcher said: "Women with PCOS have at least seven times the risk of heart attack and heart disease than other women, are at risk from hypertension, and by the age of 40, 40 percent of PCOS patients develop Type 2 diabetes.

"Because often individual symptoms of the syndrome have been presented one at a time to a variety of professionals - gynaecologists, dermatologists, internists, hair removal specialists - PCOS has been in the closet for far too long. But now, the disease is beginning to receive the attention it deserves through interest and research."

Suzanne found herself frequently visiting her doctor about various symptoms. They started when she hit puberty, but due to the syndrome being relatively unknown, her diagnosis took 17 years.

She can help herself by taking regular exercise, following a healthy eating pattern and using alternative and complimentary medicines, but because the condition is so complex, she has not found a cure. She even tried Metformin, a popular drug prescribed to help control the condition, but it did not work for her.

Suzanne said: "I suffer mainly from chronic tiredness and depression, along with many other unpleasant symptoms. Day to day situations and pressures of work can appear insurmountable at times.

"The general view of medical practitioners, in my experience and from women I met at a conferences, is that most people just get on with it and don't really see it as a problem."

But she added: "As I told my doctor, when the condition strikes, I can't just get on with it. When it decides to strike, nothing can block it. My biggest frustration is not being able to control the condition."

And because Suzanne knows that up to ten percent of the female population could suffer from PCOS in the same frustrating way, she would now like to offer people a contact point, a discussion forum, where they can come and just chat about how they are getting on.

She said: "I am told there are thousands of local sufferers, but I personally don't know another sufferer. I would very much like to start a local self help group and am therefore searching for fellow sufferers."

Suzanne added: "I want people to know about it so they can help themselves. I know that they're screaming inside. I want to make people aware and form a group so we can help one another."

If you would like to contact Suzanne about the group, phone 07816 413188.