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The best thing that happened to me in 2022 was getting diagnosed with PCOS and starting the contraceptive pill to help mask the symptoms (as there is no cure).
PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, it causes hormone imbalances of raised testosterone, lowered oestrogen and progesterone, and insulin resistance* which results in a whole host of symptoms including irregular periods, difficulties getting pregnant, excessive hair growth, weight gain, acne (and more). You don't need to exhibit every symptom to get diagnosed.
I'd suspected I had PCOS for many years but finally received an official diagnosis in the spring of 2022. I described my symptoms to a local GP, who agreed that I most likely had it, she ordered me a blood test which ended up confirming the diagnosis. There is also an internal ultrasound option to look at the ovaries to see if they fit the Polycystic criteria, but because my symptoms lined up and the blood test showed a severe enough hormone imbalance I didn't need to go through this. She prescribed me the contraceptive pill to alleviate symptoms. The only other advice doctors really give is to eat healthily and exercise regularly, which as an athlete, I already do.
I think a major reason why it took so long to get diagnosed was because I'd been told by medical professionals that having an irregular period was normal for an athlete. I think this myth really needs to be dispelled, a regular period is a sign of a healthy body that is getting enough nutrients. Menstrual irregularities, especially in athletes, can lead to health problems, more injuries and Osteoporosis. Back in 2012, aged 15 I'd asked to go on the pill to prevent my period popping up at major competitions but had been told to wait for my periods to become more regular... Of course they never did!
I was nervous about starting the pill and kept putting it off because I'd tried one a few years prior and it had resulted in a sleepless night filled with vomiting and diarrhoea - hormones are powerful! (I know we like to give testosterone all the credit, but oestrogen and progesterone are just as formidable). I was driven to take it in October because I was experiencing terrible hormonal back pain. But let's go back in time to my back pain origin story before I go into that. I started training in 2011 and by the time I was competing in the London 2012 Paralympics my back started hurting quite badly, this was chalked up to the fact I'd fairly recently started using a running blade which creates an uneven gait and sprinting puts lots of impact through your entire skeleton. You might even be able to see in the footage that my back is taped up (as is my right hip flexor). Years later I was having an MRI scan on my hip due to pain when weight bearing and it was discovered I had Pubis Symphysis Dysfunction (something that generally only comes with pregnancy), congenital abnormalities in my pelvis, AND Spina Bifida Occulta (a mild form of Spina Bifida, only a few missing vertebrae, it's very common and generally has no symptoms). This new diagnosis of SBO also added to the idea that my back pain was inevitable for the rest of my athletics career (and probably beyond) and I basically got on with it, told my coach when it was hurting (which was nearly every training session) and hoped for the best.
Fast forward to 2022 and I was experiencing a whole new era of back pain. It was not something I could just 'get on with'. It was a different type of pain entirely, it felt like a more severe version of the hormonal back pain I'd occasionally get in the build up to periods. However, PCOS means my cycle is erratic and irregular so there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the pattern. I was going through weeks of back pain so bad I couldn't stand up straight or even lie down comfortably - I had to sit hunched over instead. Any slight arching or twisting to the side was agony. There were days where just the act of breathing would hurt. Air going in and out of my lungs was hurting my back - I was at the end of my tether! My mood was very low, I knew if this kind of pain showed up during a competition I'd be screwed. It could last up to 3 weeks, go away for a few weeks and then return! Continuing with athletics felt rather untenable. So that's when I tried the pill, and within two days the severe back pain had eased. Then a few weeks later my coach and I noticed I hadn't mentioned back pain at training at all! Not only had the pill cured this weird new severe hormonal back pain, it also seems to have massively reduced my 'normal every day' back pain. Of course it's not 100% pain free all the time, in fact it hurts most mornings, but generally by the evening the pain had worn off. I'm almost angry at myself for not having gone on the pill sooner, but how was I to know my decade long back pain wasn't due to sprinting with a blade or having Spina Bifida Occulta - it was more linked to my hormones!? I'd love for more research to be done into PCOS and athletes with PCOS, unfortunately it's all very under-researched.
I'd known I've had imbalanced hormones for over 10 years and yet I was still a little surprised when my doctor confirmed PCOS, I'd pretty much gaslit myself into thinking I was over reacting to my symptoms. I'm so glad I pursued it though, I might have had to retire if that pain had continued. If you think you might have PCOS definitely talk with a doctor about it, though there is no cure there are things that can be done to help mitigate symptoms.
*There are other hormones involved too, but I didn't want to make this too much of a science blog! Here is a link to the NHS website where you can find out more about PCOS: