Answered Prayers: A Journey Through PCOS
When Jamie and Nicole tied the knot, they were excited, yet apprehensive, to start a family. Since her teens, Nicole had experienced painful, irregular periods and had difficulty maintaining a healthy weight. In high school, a doctor took stock of her symptoms and diagnosed her with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is an imbalance of male and female hormones coupled with irregular periods. The doctor also informed Nicole that fertility treatments would be necessary for her to conceive one day. “I was like, ‘No! I really want to be a mom,’” recalled Nicole, 33, from Downers Grove, Ill. “It was scary.”
Searching for Healing
To reduce her symptoms, Nicole’s doctor put her on the most common treatment for PCOS — the birth control pill. Eager to find a treatment that would maximize her chances of getting pregnant someday, Nicole falsely believed the pill would teach her body how to have regular cycles. She thought that once she stopped taking birth control, her body would be healed. While her cycles did regulate, Nicole experienced mood swings and her weight increased. After a year, her doctor agreed to try something new and put her on Metformin. It is a drug that can help reduce insulin resistance in women with PCOS and encourage their bodies to ovulate. However, her cycles went right back to being irregular.
A Hidden Struggle
Nicole would take Metformin on and off over the next 12 years. She would also attempt various diets and exercise regimens. She saw the most positive results whenever her weight was healthiest. Still, her fear of not being able to conceive clouded the early months of her marriage. While Jamie and Nicole’s NFP instructor could clearly see from their chart that they were trying to conceive, Nicole couldn’t admit it. “It is interesting, just where I was mentally; I did not want to say that we were trying to conceive,” said Nicole, who was also back on Metformin. “And I wouldn’t even say that to Jamie because I had the message in my head that ‘you have PCOS, this isn’t just going to happen.’”
A Pilgrimage of Hope
Eight months into marriage and still no positive pregnancy test, the newlyweds, who were living in France, embarked on their delayed honeymoon — a Mediterranean cruise. A day before their ship departed Venice, they decided to make a daylong pilgrimage to nearby Padua to visit the Basilica of St. Anthony. As they entered the shrine, they saw pictures upon pictures of babies lining the walls, signs of answered prayers from St. Anthony, who they realized was a patron of infertility. Many people had come in prayer to find an answer to their struggle with infertility. The couple quickly knelt and touched the saint’s tomb, praying for a baby of their own. A few months later, with lifestyle changes, medical advice, and continued prayers, Jamie and Nicole found out they were expecting their firstborn.
Grace in the Journey
Overcoming the issues that kept Jamie and Nicole from conceiving early in their marriage — irregular cycles with hard-to-track biomarkers — they now have five children. Nicole, who found success eating a low-glycemic, non-processed, low-carbohydrate diet to maintain her weight and reduce her PCOS symptoms, said she’s finally gotten to a place of peace about her family. However, it’s been a frustrating road filled with times of extended abstinence and days of nervousness after intimacy.
Not knowing if she’d ever be able to have biological kids, Nicole said she is filled with gratitude for her family. “It’s just so amazing that this is my life now,” she said. “The person I was five years ago is so much different than the person I am now. And I’m really thankful that this is how God decided to challenge me and help me grow closer to Him. I had no idea that God could make something so beautiful out of this cross of PCOS that I have been carrying.”
Jamie and Nicole’s story was first seen in Family Foundations magazine.
Did you know that Couple to Couple League has a book combo for PCOS? Food for Fertility and PCOS: Empowering Women to Face Fertility Challenges – Check it out in the store here.