A woman whose health problems left her struggling to conceive revealed how she realised her dream of becoming a mother after losing 6st.
Anna Batista, 31, of , was trying to start a family with her estranged husband when she was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovary condition), which can cause irregular periods and ovulation that makes falling pregnant difficult.
The condition also contributed to significant weight gain, with Anna eventually tipping the scales at 16st 11lbs. This led to related health issues, including breathing problems and severe leg pain.
With treatment options limited, Anna was urged to lose weight.
She eventually dropped down to 11st, shrinking from a UK size 22 to a UK 12. Just months later she was given the news that she was pregnant with her son Luca, now five.
Anna now says she feels like she can actively keep up with Luca without enduring the health issues she had before her weight loss.
She said: I feel a lot more energised now, so I can run around and play with my very active five-year-old without feeling like I am about to die.
Also, I am a lot more confident in my own skin, I work in an industry where confidence plays a big part. Before I was unable to even look people properly in the eye and would hold my head down.
Anna was diagnosed with PCOS while trying to conceive with her now estranged husband in 2011.
[A family planning clinic]referred us for tests and thats when we found out that I was the problem, she said. It was, in a strange way, a relief finding out that there was a reason as to why I was gaining a large amount of weight so quickly.
There was a reason why I was experiencing excess body hair, especially on my face, why I was losing my hair and why I wasnt getting pregnant.
I was put under strict orders to lose weight, at least 3kg, said the doctor, but it was so difficult. I cut back on food, but exercising was painful, my sciatica kept flaring up and breathing was really hard for me.
The real estate worker also had an unealthy diet, eating both junk food and large meal portions. The unhappiness in her marriage also contributed to poor choices.
However on a trip to Brazil in 2013, Annas friend stepped into help, introducing her to a diet and exercise plan and mentoring her towards a healthy weight.
She also started exercising more regularly, including dancing, working out in the gym three times a week and running.
I managed to lose enough weight in order to get pregnant, she said.PCOS can be controlled by using a contraceptive pill, which of course, if you are trying to get pregnant you cant take, so my only option was losing weight.
In December of that year she discovered she was pregnant.
In 2016 Anna found love with her current partner Felipe, a childhood friend, who continued to support her.
By this point I had already lost a big chunk of weight and started feeling the confidence creeping back so when he asked me out on a lunch date I didnt hesitate and agreed, she said.
I didnt mind him seeing me how I was looking then, but since then he has been an encouragement and supported the rest of my weight loss, although sometimes he comments on missing my squishy belly.
She added: Also, many women are now approaching me, asking me for help, something I never imagined happening, I would always be the one looking at other women wishing I could be like them.
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Woman whose PCOS left her struggling to conceive reveals how she shed SIX stone - Stock Daily Dish
