At 19 Leila Martyn was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and was told she might have difficulty conceiving. At the time she was a university student.
There was little information around at the time about PCOS. Google and smartphones weren't really a big thing yet, and it wasn't a subject openly discussed.
PCOS is a condition that affects how a woman's ovaries work. Three main symptoms of PCOS are irregular periods – which means your ovaries do not regularly release eggs (ovulation), excess androgen, high levels of "male" hormones in your body - which may cause physical signs such as excess facial or body hair and/or polycystic ovaries – ovaries become enlarged and contain many fluid-filled sacs (follicles) that surround the eggs (but despite the name, you do not actually have cysts if you have PCOS).
