Here on my site, I have shared with you many times our difficulty to conceive. It is crazy to think that for years I was on the pill to desperately try to prevent pregnancy, then when I came off the pill, nothing happened. However, back when I was on the pill, many years ago, I went ahead and booked a doctor’s appointment. I had been hearing the term PCOS hell of a lot and I felt like I fit the criteria. My periods were sporadic, thinning hair, lethargic, mood swings, hormonal imbalances, body hair, etc.
At the time, as a 19-year-old, I visited the GP for the first time and openly discussed how I was feeling. My doctor at the time was fantastic. She listened to everything that I said, really validated how I was feeling and after some testing and analysis, she sided with me that she suspected it to be PCOS. However, at the time she did clearly let me know how difficult it is to obtain a concrete diagnosis of PCOS.
We worked together for some time to work out the best plan for me and how I could maintain my PCOS symptoms and in the end, going on a hormonal contraceptive was the best thing.IT reduced my symptoms and without my crazy periods, it helped me feel much more ‘normal’, after years of vast ups and depressive lows.
Then I stayed on the pill for years. Probably too many years, but it helped me to feel like myself and I needed that. Plus, I didn’t want to get pregnant, so it really was a win win. However, then when my husband and I decided to come off the pill and take the first steps to getting pregnant, we were both aware that it wasn’t going to be easy due to those earlier conversations about PCOS.
After being off the pill for a full year and nothing happening naturally, I went to the doctors. We spoke about what had previously been discussed and they checked over my notes and instantly the GP turned to me and said that they didn’t think it was PCOS. Instead, they just thought it was because I was on the pill for a long time and my body re-adjusting.
I felt dismissed and hurt. They literally finished my appointment with no offers of help or solutions. They just said to give it more time. Case closed. And it hurt. They made me feel crazy and completely dismissed the emotional rollercoaster that I had been on over the last year since coming off the pill.
That was when I saw an ad on Instagram for Hertility. It interested me because it said that it can help back up a PCOS diagnosis and set you on the path for conception, better hormonal health and improved mental health. All things that I really needed at the time.
So, I ordered my kit. Before you ask, no this isn’t a sponsored post. I paid of the kit myself and I am under no obligation to write this post.
It set me back around £150 and I think it arrived with me a couple days later. When I first opened it up, I saw that there was a note instructing me to wait until the third day of my period to take the test, so I set a reminder and set it to one side. Only due to my irregular and sporadic periods, it ended up sat there for another 7 weeks while I waited for my next cycle.
However, on the third day of my period, I took the test. Having done home blood tests like this before, I was ready for the feeling. The worst part really is the anticipation of the needle hitting your finger, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. The next issue for me was actually getting enough blood from my finger to fill the small vial. In the end, I did have to prick all of my fingertips and that made for a fun day typing at work when each one bruised in turn.
But as instructed, I packaged everything up and sent it back to them. In just over 3 weeks, I got an email with log in details to my own private portal where my results would be shown.
This was where things seemed to get really smart and, in my opinion, where you got the greatest value for money. The portal was swish, and it felt really sophisticated to navigate. And sat there in black and white, just as I had to suspected alongside my initial GP, it flagged that the hormone relating to PCOS was vastly abnormal. As was my thyroid, which had also been a concern.
So, I printed the results off an made an appointment with the GP. I wanted to sit and go through the different levels and see what could be done to help me out.
Turns out, the next GP that I saw was even more of an arsehole than the previous one. I sat down with my list of results and to each and every different level that we got to, he had a smart clap back to dismiss what was on the paper in front of them.
In the end, he said that the Hertility was essentially to be thrown out of the window and he would send me for NHS test. Which I did and I was told that if there was anything flagged, they would get in touch with me.
In the end, I didn’t hear anything, so I rang the GP. I asked them for information on the results and the various levels. What I was then told was that the parameters for ‘normal’ at the NHS is much broader than private tests as they only treat people with the most advanced conditions. So even though my levels were ideal, they weren’t extreme enough or the NHS to further treat.
I once again felt dismissed and let down by the NHS. It was another appointment that ended with no resolution or support. Truthfully in the end, I decided to invest in myself and go private to get additional support. But I completely understand that it is a luxury that I am able to do that, and it isn’t available for everybody.
My final thoughts of Hertility are that it is a great tool to give yourself a greater understanding your body. The challenging thing is then having the right people to support you on your next steps. I certainly don’t want to turn this into a post where I am bashing the NHS, but that has been twice that I have been let down by them, when everything else points in that direction.
And for full transparency, under private healthcare, I was finally diagnosed with PCOS after a couple of weeks.
