A cruel syndrome

IT was during a recent appearance on the Parkinson show that Victoria Beckham revealed she suffered from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), which she linked to problems with her fluctuating weight. A few weeks later, the tabloid press began running stories that the pop star was undergoing fertility treatment in an attempt to have a second child with husband, England captain David Beckham.

Around the same time, TV chef Jamie Oliver revealed his wife Jools suffered from polycystic ovaries and had undergone fertility treatment to help them conceive their first child, due in the spring.

And just last week, Hear'Say singer and mum-of-two Kym Marsh spoke of her anguish at the prospect of not having any more children because she had been diagnosed with PCOS.

Fertility problems are one symptom of the syndrome, which is in essence a hormone imbalance thought to effect between six to ten per cent of women.

It is known as Stein-Leventhal Syndrome or Polycystic Ovary Disease (PCOD). Doctors are baffled by its causes, although successful treatments are available for the myriad side-effects, which include irregular periods, infertility, acne, hirsutism (excess hair on the body or face), alopecia, obesity, diabetes and cysts on the ovaries.

Diagnosis can be tricky because the symptoms are so varied and are not always present in each case. To further complicate matters, some symptoms can be blamed on other medical problems.

One symptom common to all sufferers is irregular or no periods - but not every women with an unpredictable cycle will be suffering from PCOS, as York GP Sarah Bottom explains.

"Irregular periods are a common factor, but this can be caused by lots of things and it's a matter of women who have irregular periods and their doctor unpicking the story," she said.

Many of the side effects, she adds, can be very distressing for women.

"Hirsutism is a very major problem for a lot of women. But this syndrome isn't consistent - not everybody has a beard and not everybody has infertility."

She says while treatments for the symptoms were improving, it was still unclear what caused the syndrome.

"It is possible that it is a variation on the 'normal'. We think 'normal' is ovulation every 28 days and having a period over a few days but if you ask around your friends, how many of them have that?

"Maybe PCOS is at the one end of the extreme and not a proper pathological process."

She said because of media articles and the spread of Internet use, more women were aware of the condition and had access to good information. Anyone who feared they may have it, she added, should visit their GP.

"Don't go expecting your problem to be cured: it won't. But the symptoms can be treated and PCOS managed."

Verity is a self-help group for women with PCOS, with a membership fee of £15 a year (£7 for students and unwaged). For more information write to Verity, The Polycystic Ovaries Self Help Group, 52-54 Featherstone Street, London, EC1 8RT or online at www.verity-pcos.org.uk

RACHEL LACY, 28, reveals what it is like living with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

I ONLY found out for certain I had PCOS a few months ago, although I'd been struggling with many of its symptoms for years. Acne, excessive hair growth, a weight problem (to put it optimistically) and trouble with my menstrual cycle - the symptoms were classic PCOS.

I had researched the disease on the Internet and knew what I was facing.

On American websites, I discovered there is a cure via an operation which involves removing a wedge-shaped piece of ovary.

Unfortunately, my doctor in York told me this isn't done in the UK because it isn't foolproof: that was the moment when I realised I was stuck with this condition.

Still, it didn't seem so bad: I had one weekend of going through a 'why me?' stage, but I reasoned there were worse things I could have.

The only other time it hit me was when I saw a newspaper story about Jools Oliver, wife of TV chef Jamie, saying she had had fertility treatment because she had an "incurable disease". I hadn't thought of it in those terms until I saw it in black and white, which brought it home to me that I would be fighting the side-effects for life.

The fertility aspect isn't such a problem for me. I was lucky enough not to develop it until after I had a child, and I have no plans for any more. I'll admit I went through a brief phase of thinking of myself as a freak for not being able to conceive naturally again, but I have come to terms with it now. I've directed my mothering instincts towards my close friends, who have become like an extended family and more than compensate for what I have lost.

The worst side affect for me is the excess facial hair; being fair skinned it's very obvious, especially to me. After years of suffering, the medical profession now recognises the profound psychological affects of hirsutism on women.

Unless you have to live with it then it is hard to understand what it feels like when you look in the mirror and feel like you are becoming a man - I've had boyfriends who don't get as much stubble as I do. A hundred years ago I'd probably be the bearded lady in a circus freak show.

I still have occasional days of feeling like that but they are few and far between. I now undergo laser treatment in Middlesbrough every six weeks, which doesn't guarantee it will go, but there are very definite improvements.

At its worst, the acne wasn't the occasional spot, it was 20 to 30 large blister-like marks, anywhere except on my hands or feet. Thankfully, it was also the easiest side affect to control; I am on medication and need six weekly checks at York District Hospital. I also require a monthly blood test as the medication affects my liver function. Re-occurrences are rare, but only time will tell how many of the scars will be permanent - some of them are still healing after a year, which is just part of the disease.

The obesity side is most noticeable, and yet celebrities who have the condition all seem to be on the skinny side (although anything smaller than a horse is on the skinny side to me).

Once I have finished my course of laser treatment, my weight will be the next side effect I have to address (my doctor recommended not tackling too many problems at once). I know there's a strict diet and exercise regime out there somewhere for me.

In the future I could be at greater risk of other, more serious, health problems such as heart disease, cancer of the womb and diabetes, but I will cross those bridges when I come to them.

So what is it like living with PCOS? It has bolstered my attitude to living for today. However, quite often I forget that I even have it and just get on with making the most of my life.