Nigerian television presenter and filmmaker Stephanie Coker recently shared her emotional journey with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and its impact on her life.
In a heartfelt interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, Coker discussed the severity of her PCOS diagnosis. “I didn’t have a period for a whole year. I didn’t bleed. PCOS made me choose IVF. Mine was very severe, and my doctors told me that it was life-threatening. I even ended up in a wheelchair and was vomiting blood,” she revealed.
Coker recounted her experience conceiving her first child, Ariella, through IVF and her subsequent struggles with a second IVF attempt that ended in heartbreak. The failed attempt left her feeling deeply rejected and suicidal. “I got pregnant and had my first child on the first IVF, but the second one failed. I actually wanted to stand in front of a car and let it hit me. My daughter wants a sibling. I’m not getting back on that flight with no baby. I called my friend and told her, ‘I don’t think the child liked me. It didn’t stay,'” she shared.
An advocate for PCOS awareness, Coker also produced a film titled “Where The Heck is My Period?” This documentary explores the lives of Nigerian women living with PCOS and includes interviews with gynecologists, religious leaders, public figures, and native African doctors.
Coker’s candidness about her struggles sheds light on the challenges many women face with PCOS and underscores the importance of raising awareness and providing support for those affected by this condition.
