PLEASE GET CHECKED

Sitting in the doctor’s office, my 15-year-old daughter Riszka looked confused.

‘Polycystic ovary syndrome?’ she said. ‘What does that mean?’

‘It’s a condition that affects how your ovaries work,’ the doctor explained. ‘It’s why you haven’t been having periods.’

‘But now you’ve diagnosed her, can you treat it?’ I asked.

‘Going onto the pill should help to regulate Riszka’s hormones,’ the doctor smiled.

I was relieved.

Along with irregular periods, Riszka had been suffering with mood swings – we’d put it down to just being a teenager.

But now she had a diagnosis, we could get it sorted.

‘You’ll need to have regular check-ups,’ the doctor said, writing a prescription for the combined contraceptive pill. ‘So we can keep an eye on your blood pressure and weight.’

As soon as she started