By Cynthia Abah
Nigerian television presenter and filmmaker Stephanie Coker has candidly shared her struggle with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and the profound impact it has had on her life.
In a heartfelt interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo, Coker detailed the severe nature 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 I was vomiting blood,” she revealed.
Coker discussed her journey to conceive her first child, Ariella, through IVF. Despite the initial success, her second attempt to conceive via IVF failed, leaving her feeling dejected and suicidal. She recounted feeling rejected and questioning her self-worth after the failed attempt. “I got pregnant and had my first child on the first IVF but the second one failed and I actually wanted to stand in front of a car and let the car 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 said.
Coker, an advocate for PCOS awareness, has been vocal about her experiences to help others understand the condition’s impact. She released a documentary titled “Where The Heck is My Period?” which chronicles the lives of Nigerian women living with PCOS and includes interviews with gynaecologists, religious leaders, public figures, and native African doctors.
