Homeopathy For Women Today

Today, I am taking a trip down memory lane. I am going to share with you why I got interested in natural healthcare & in women’s health. So, here we go…………….

I had very early onset of puberty – at just 10 years of age. From the beginning, I had very heavy clotted menses lasting 7-10 days each time, with cycles between 30-35 days. When it did not settle down (normally it should get regularised within a year or two), I consulted a gynaecologist who said that it would settle down when I got married. 

In my mid-20’s, I decided to have a child, but had difficulty conceiving. Tests showed that I had a hormonal imbalance and “multiple follicular cysts” in both ovaries. I was diagnosed as having Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. The condition was not explained to me; nor was I taught how to manage this condition.  

I was simply referred to a “fertility specialist”. With help from the ovulation / fertility drug Clomidiphene, I got pregnant with twins, but had trouble at 3 months with uncontrolled bleeding. I was given progesterone (a hormone) treatment to stabilize the pregnancy. I had a very difficult pregnancy – morning sickness became full-day sickness, and I had an allergic reaction to the hormone that resulted in itchy chicken-pox-like eruptions all over my back for the whole pregnancy.  By God’s grace, I delivered two healthy babies at 36 weeks. I never conceived again.

Over the years, my periods became more erratic; sometimes early sometimes late; sometimes heavy-profuse-clotted, sometimes scanty-just a few drops; sometimes no periods for 6 months or more; sometimes menses did not stop for 3 months (flow every day for 3 months). 

A multitude of other problems plagued me (my gynaecologist usually ignored or brushed these aside):  rapid weight gain (specifically around the abdomen), sugar cravings, dark patches on my skin, skin tags, excessive facial and bodily hair, hair thinning on the crown of my head, mood swings, irritability, depression, etc. Over the years, these symptoms that no one considered important robbed me of my physical health and my femininity, besides affecting my body-image and self-esteem.

At one point in time, I did not get my periods for over a year, and I was diagnosed with atypical complex endometrial hyperplasia, a pre-cancerous condition. 6 months of hormone treatment did not resolve the problem. After a lot of consideration, I had a hysterectomy (surgical removal of the womb). Finally, despite the pain of surgery, I was free of the multitude of menstrual problems that I had suffered for more than 15 years.   

The years of suffering in silence prompted me to keep looking for information. With the rise in use of the internet, more information became available. I was very pleased to find various associations around the world for women with PCOS, with forums for discussion, sharing, etc. I read as much as I could about my condition, and decided to pursue education in natural and holistic healthcare, so that I could help other women who are in the same boat.

Today, I wish that I had been given information on what was happening in my body, why I was on an emotional roller-coaster, how I could manage this condition, what lifestyle changes might have helped, what dietary and nutritional changes should have been made, etc. It would have saved me years of suffering, besides helping my family understand my emotional upheavals.  

That is my story.  What’s yours?  Do leave a comment, suggestion or question, and I will do my best to answer it.

Yours in Health!

Vimala

This entry was posted on Friday, September 14th, 2007 at 10:32 am and is filed under PCOS, Hormonal disorders, Menstrual problems. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.