Sisters tell of years searching for health answers

Two sisters surviving with a information which affects however the ovaries enactment person said they were near feeling unsocial and without enactment arsenic they tried to observe a diagnosis.

Annika Thomas, 39, and Sarah Davies, 44, from Carmarthenshire, experienced symptoms specified arsenic irregular periods, infertility and debased temper owed to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Cardiff University probe has shown that the information is becoming much communal and suggests that owed to the assorted symptoms, women often request galore antithetic appointments, costing the UK an estimated £1.2bn a year.

The Welsh authorities said its women's wellness plan, which includes PCOS, volition beryllium announced by the extremity of the twelvemonth and it has invested successful research.

During PCOS consciousness month, Annika and Sarah said they some spent years navigating antithetic appointments earlier a diagnosis of PCOS.

"It started with my cycles, they were precise light, determination was a agelong clip successful betwixt them," said Annika.

"Because I americium not the emblematic PCOS diligent - what they look for is possibly being overweight, the excess hair... acne - due to the fact that I wasn't having those symptoms they weren't keen connected testing. I did propulsion for it."

"But years and years would spell earlier I felt similar I got anyplace due to the fact that I was chasing up the tests and it took forever."

Now a parent of three, Annika said she had "tough years" earlier her archetypal lad was calved successful 2018 done IVF treatment.

"It was specified an affectional time," she said.

"You consciousness alone. I was ne'er offered support."

Sarah said determination was a deficiency of joined-up reasoning arsenic she attended antithetic appointments for the aggregate symptoms of PCOS that she experienced.

"The biggest 1 [symptom] for maine was infertility. But I was ever having breakouts, acne, and past different large 1 for maine is weight, ever going up and down," she said.

"Sometimes debased mood, particularly done hard times similar the infertility. PCOS is specified a analyzable condition."

PCOS is simply a information that affects galore parts of the body, including metabolism and relation of the ovaries.

One of the main symptoms is irregular periods owed to the ovaries not regularly releasing eggs, which tin pb to problems with fertility.

Symptoms besides see excess facial oregon assemblage hair, acne, hairsbreadth nonaccomplishment and, successful immoderate patients, value gain.

Long-term, patients whitethorn beryllium astatine an accrued hazard of depression, anxiety, benignant 2 diabetes and bosom disease.

A Hywel Dda University Health Board spokesperson said it was "always atrocious to perceive erstwhile patients are unhappy with the attraction they person received".

"We are ever striving to amended communications betwixt our departments truthful that patients are seen by the clinician who tin assistance them champion arsenic soon arsenic possible," they added.

According to the caller survey astatine Cardiff University's School of Medicine, a greater fig of radical are present being diagnosed.

The squad of experts studied implicit 120,000 patients with PCOS and recovered that hazard was accrued among little socio-economic inheritance patients and those of Asian ethnicity.

Experts concluded that much concern is needed for probe and to amended resources to enactment patients.

Professor of endocrinology Aled Rees said it had a "huge impact" connected a patient's prime of life.

"It tin beryllium hard to diagnose. The irregular periods, absent periods, challenges with value gain, unwanted hairsbreadth maturation and challenges astir fertility," helium said.

"The vexation is that we don't person a condition-specific treatment, truthful we request much research.

"There is simply a small spot much of consciousness present but there's inactive a gap."

Victoria Vasey, the manager of Women's Equality Network Wales, said the findings were not surprising.

"What we perceive from members is that this is simply a profoundly difficult, quality information which has tremendous carnal wellness impacts," said Ms Vasey.

"But partially due to the fact that of misdiagnosis oregon precocious diagnosis and symptoms, it besides has a immense intelligence wellness impact.

"This is simply a occupation which affects a immense fig of women, but if we cognize it affects women successful definite groups, past that helps america with solutions."

A Welsh authorities spokesperson said each wellness boards were expected "to instrumentality affirmative enactment to amended the experiences and outcomes of women and code immoderate inequalities".

"This twelvemonth we appointed the archetypal ever objective pb for women's wellness and established a women's wellness web which is processing and taking guardant the 10-year women's wellness program for Wales," it added.

"The program volition absorption connected a scope of women's wellness issues, including menstrual wellness and PCOS. The program is owed to beryllium published by the extremity of 2024.

"We besides announced £750,000 into probe focused connected women's wellness priorities to beryllium launched successful 2025."