After 2 months, the medical powers that be have finally been able to tell me what the cause of my miscarriages have been - I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS. Basically, this is an endocrine disorder that in my case, is presented by a string of pearl-like cysts on my left ovary. These cysts have caused my body chemistry to be completely out of whack, and therefore, not up to the task of carrying a baby. I do have weird case of PCOS, as I have none of the typical symptoms (obesity, severe acne, excess body hair), and I am able to get pregnant a little too easily (for which of course, Joel likes to take sole credit). My doctor told me that my PCOS can be controlled with medication that has very mild side effects, so that's the good news. The bad is that I now have an increased risk of certain types of cancer and other health issues down the road, although many of these risks can be minimized with a healthy diet and exercise, which are already a part of my daily life.
5-10% of women in their child-bearing years have PCOS, and it is not always easily diagnosed. My OB admitted that this was the last thing on her list when she was considering the cause of our losses. It just goes to show that things do happen for a reason, and thankfully, if I ever want another baby, we have some options.
And speaking of babies, Jack Rigsbee Barsotti was born yesterday just before noon and is the spitting image of his daddy. Welcome to parenthood, Nick and Sarah! May it be a lovely ride.
Wow, that must be great to finally have a reason. I know it doesn't wipe away the pain of losing two babies that you dearly wanted. But at least now you understand what happened. And my vague understanding of PCOS is that if/when you do find yourself pregnant again, your OB will know how to treat you so your odds of bringing the baby to term are MUCH higher.
ReplyDeleteBut gosh, I never would have pegged you for having PCOS -- you're just so atypical, like you said!
*hughughug*
I really hope this means you'll never have to go through another horrible loss.