South Jersey woman's experience with common cause of infertility inspires her to turn anger into advocacy

NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Ashley Levinson of Mantua didn’t know she had Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) until she tried to have children.

She had irregular periods as a teenager and was on birth control until she was ready to have kids. That’s when the symptoms began.

“Within a two-month period, I had put on over 100 pounds, started getting severe acne, my hair was coming in on my face,” Levinson said.

She said it was not until she started finding these common symptoms through research and community groups that she realized she had PCOS — which causes cysts to develop on the ovaries — and spoke to a doctor about it.

“I became desperate for answers," she said. "And at that time, I was desperate to become a mother as well.”

The CDC says PCOS, which affects as many as 5 million people, is the most common cause of infertility and can also cause type 2 diabetes as well as anxiety and depression, though it’s still not fully understood why.

With September being PCOS Awareness Month , Levinson says it’s important to spread the word about the condition, because up to 70% of women who have it don’t know or think it’s something else. She says she doesn’t want others to have the same experience she did.

“I became empowered and I turned that anger and frustration into advocacy,” she said.