Couple welcome baby girl after eight years of infertility caused by polycystic ovary syndrome
A woman who lives with condition that affects the ovaries has "finally" welcomed a baby girl with her husband after eight years of infertility.
Devika Digpal, 35, was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) when she was 13 and left to deal with a range of symptoms, from weight gain to excess hair.
But it wasn't until she met her now husband Mandeep, and started to think about having a family, that she realised the condition was affecting her infertility.
Devika said: "We were back and forth with the doctors seeing what was possible. IVF, fertility treatment. There are times when I just didn't want to be here anymore. PCOS really affects your mental health too."
PCOS is a common condition that affects how ovaries work which in turn can impact periods and hormones and make it harder to get pregnant.
The condition is thought to be very common, affecting about 1 in every 10 women and birthing people and is the leading cause of infertility in the UK.
The couple, from Stockport, Cheshire, saved thousands for private ovulation treatment and welcomed their baby girl, called Harpreet, in November.
"She has changed our lives for the better", Mandeep said. "She has completed our life."
But Devika believes there is no real support out there for women living with the PCOS and more specialists should be available to help manage symptoms.
"We have specialists for so many other conditions," Devika said. "I feel like it's not fair on women because they are not getting the support they truly deserve."
Rachel Mormon, the chair of PCOS charity Verity, says one of the reason why PCOS is not widely spoken about is because there is still a taboo around women's health.
But that could all soon change as Verity are now involved in an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). The first major project of the APPG is a Parliamentary Inquiry into the diagnosis and management of PCOS in the UK.
Rachel said: "Women are not satisfied. They are often gaslit, they are ignored, they are dismissed so we're really excited for the potential for change that the APPG could bring.
What are the three main features of PCOS?
Irregular periods – which means your ovaries do not regularly release eggs (ovulation)
Excess androgen – high levels of "male" hormones in your body, which may cause physical signs such as excess facial or body hair
Polycystic ovaries – your ovaries become enlarged and contain many fluid-filled sacs (follicles) that surround the eggs (but despite the name, you do not actually have cysts if you have PCOS)
If you have at least two of these features, you may be diagnosed with PCOS.
Other symptoms include
Difficulty getting pregnant as a result of irregular ovulation or no ovulation
Weight gain
Thinning hair and hair loss from the head
Oily skin or acne
What is PCOS caused by?
The exact cause of PCOS is unknown but it is related to abnormal hormone levels in the body, including high levels of insulin, according to the NHS.
Insulin is a hormone that controls sugar levels in the body.
Many women with PCOS are resistant to the action of insulin in their body and produce higher levels of insulin to overcome this.
This contributes to the increased production and activity of hormones like testosterone.
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