PCOS: LADIES GET YOURSELF TESTED (but don't panic)

Okay, so maybe this is a little too personal for my second post, but I'm gonna sally forth with it.

Picture Credit: humon.deviantart.com

PCOS is a condition found in women that is caused by hormonal imbalances. The reason why I titled this post GET YOURSELVES TESTED is because as many as 1 out of 10 women are affected by it, but most don't even know! This is something I really want to spread the word about because I have it and it is commonly inherited from female relatives (Mom's side and Dad's side!)

In PCOS, the female body makes too many male hormones, which can lead to a variety of symptoms that appear minor, but left untreated can lead to diabetes and heart problems. Symptoms include:

~cysts on your ovaries
~low insulin levels
~high insulin levels
~infrequent or irregular menstrual periods, no menstrual periods, and/or irregular bleeding
~infertility or inability to get pregnant because of not ovulating
~increased growth of hair on the face, chest, stomach, back, thumbs, or toes
~acne, oily skin, or dandruff
~pelvic pain
~weight gain or obesity, usually carrying extra weight around the waist
~type 2 diabetes
~high cholesterol
~high blood pressure
~male-pattern baldness or thinning hair
~patches of thickened and dark brown or black skin on the neck, arms, breasts, or thighs
~skin tags, or tiny excess flaps of skin in the armpits or neck area
~sleep apnea and excessive snoring as breathing stops at times while asleep
~depression
~gender confusion

You do not have to have all of the symptoms to be diagnosed! I have six of them myself.

The reason I make such a big deal is because many of the above symptoms are often attributed to "just being a woman" or "that's just how I am and everyone is different". Which is true sometimes. But it could also be your hormones! I spent a lot of my life just thinking I was weird, t hen one day I read the symptoms in an article and almost freaked out. It was one of those "I have that! I have that! I have that!" moments haha. And I was checked out by an endocrinologist, who just confirmed it.

It's important to get checked, especially if you have a few or more of the symptoms, and there is treatment available! Knowing I have PCOS gives me peace of mind, because I know it's not just me :)

Want more info about PCOS?
WebMD: Women's Health
US National Library of Medicine
 PCOSupport

A Brief Introduction

If you've followed a link here from the blog I shared with Rebecca, "What We Wish We Could Say Out Loud" thank you! I will try to be more active on this blog than I was on the last one!

The first thing most people want to know about me is where my name came from! The easy answer is it's a family name. The longer answer is an interesting story. In the Bible, one will find the names of Jedidiah, a masculine name that means Beloved of God (this was the name of king Solomon), and Jedidah, the feminine version of the same name (this was the name of the mother of king Josiah, one of the few good kings Israel had after the division of the kingdom). How did this come to be Jeddie? Five Jeddies ago (yes, I am the fifth in my family), there was a woman named Jedidah who hated her name. So she shortened it to Jeddie. Her niece was named the same, and her niece, and so on until it came to me. And my little sister has already vowed that her first daughter will be named Jeddie. So, even though the name comes from Jedidah, Jeddie is what is on my birth certificate and so technically my name is not short for anything.

The title of this blog came from lots of brainstorming with Rebecca after we decided to set up our own blogs. I liked the "Imagining" because it covers a whole host of creative activities, and I in no way limit myself! In the very same week, someone could find me singing in a band, revising a novel for publication, rehearsing a monologue, and running around dressed in period costume! "Ink" is something I love a lot - given the choice of writing utensils, I will choose a pen (preferably one of those gel-ink ones that can get super messy if you aren't careful). I have ink in my skin in the form of a tattoo, and will probably have at least one more. Ink makes up the pictures I put in my scrapbook, and the printed pages I read.

As for the rest, I'm a writer, reader, theatre person, musician, artist, and historian, all in one! This blog will probably involve something from all six. I won't tell you what to expect, because I will probably deviate from it.

Oh yeah, and I also have a horse.