Wow, I certainly didn't intend to stop blogging for two months, but life caught up with me.

I had my first OB/GYN appointment at age 29 last month. I ended up making the appoitment after some strange things were happening with my cycle. In November and December my period came late and my boobs became tender, of course all ladies know what this means...I was pregnant.

Except I wasn't.

After freaking out both myself and the BF, the 15 zillion tests I bought all came up negative.

The truth, it seems, is even stranger than fiction. 

I have been diagonosed with PCOS or poly cystic ovarian syndrome. 

This is a truly nasty disease that leads to heart disease, predisposition to diabietes, infertility and a host of other problems.

People who suffer from PCOS often experience painfull/heavy periods, thinning hair, change in hair texture from fine to wiry, un-explained weight gain, lack of libido, greasy scalp/skin, hair on chin or chest and many other hormone related problems.

Doctors aren't sure how PCOS starts, but the ovaries slow ovulating or stop ovulating all together. The eggs still develop, but instead of being released, they remain as cysts inside the ovary. Gradually more and more of the ovary is taken up by these cysts. These cysts all produce male hormones. So instead of the ebb and flow of hormones that all women have seen on the "this is how your period works" chart, the levels of testosterone continue rising, thus impacting on the whole body and not just the ovary.

Thus leading to Insulin Resistance. This means that my body does not use the insulin that it produces very well, which leads to excessive weight gain, especially around the middle.

Mild depression is also often a side effect of this disease for reasons of hormone imbalance and body image issues.

Even with all of these problems, it is nice to have a diagonosis and a plan to move forward with. I explained to the OB/GYN that I wasn't planning on having children for a few more years at least, so she recommended that I use a Mirena IUD instead of the birth control pill.

I installed the Mirena yesterday. I hope that I do not have any side effects from this as it is a relief to not have to remember to take a pill every night. The Mirena is also a progesterone only device so it will control the severity of my period while hopefully not impacting my libido.

In six weeks time I go for a check up to make sure that the Mirena is in the correct position. I will be prescribed a diabeties medication at that time called Glucophage (Metformin). This will manage the high blood glucose levels. Along with diet and excercise this should allow me to lose weight.

I have also been told that I need to get down to 180lbs as a (first) goal. I am currently at 230lbs, my heaviest ever.