• In 2009, Wanjiku was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), one of the leading causes of infertility among women.
• She was then diagnosed with high blood pressure, this meant her doctors had to stop administering the hormonal therapy.
Image: COURTESY
Behind the brave smile that Anne Wanjiku puts, lies an untold story of her struggle to get a child.
In 2009, she was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), one of the leading causes of infertility among women.
"You have a condition. It's incurable and it causes infertility," the doctor told Wanjiku during one of her visits.
These words echoed into Wanjiku's ears making her think about her being unable to bear children.
Wanjiku told the Star that her doctor advised her to conceive immediately without wasting time for she would not bear children later.
When she told her boyfriend Gospel DJ Jackson Kamau popularly known as DJ Soxxy, he said he could not conceive out of wedlock.
"I was dating Soxxy at the time. I was 27 years and I could not imagine leaving without a child," she said.
"I told him that we needed to get a child immediately regardless of our marital status."
But Soxxy, a staunch Christian, differed with her on the sentiments.
"He had an issue with having a child out of wedlock. I felt he did not understand me so we broke up," she recounts.
After two months they got back to each other. DJ Soxxy decided to help her through her journey.
INFERTILITY JOURNEY
"In 2011 I was married to DJ Soxxy but I felt so solemn that I still couldn't bear him a child."
A baby, they say, is the crowning glory of most marriages.
Wanjiku was put on fertility therapy for two years but she still couldn't conceive.
"For close to two years, I was on the fertility pills but I still couldn't get pregnant," she narrated.
Wanjiku was then diagnosed with high blood pressure, this meant her doctors had to stop administering the hormonal therapy.
Image: COURTESY
"They advised me to do ovarian grilling or IVF which summed up to Sh400,000. It was too costly. We did not have the money. There was also no guarantee I would conceive," she said.
The doctors said there was no hope, they had tried all possible options with no luck.
"I despaired and opted for adoption of children later on."
CONCEPTION AT LAST
Wanjiku turned to supplements she had learnt about online. After 9 months, she all of a sudden felt nauseated.
“I had to stop for a while. I felt like vomiting, but nothing was coming out,” she said.
When she did a pregnancy test, it turned positive.
“I was like, this cannot be real, so I quickly took another other test and it turned out positive too,” Wanjiku said.
When Soxxy arrived home, Wanjiku displayed the pregnancy test on the table for him to see.
“As usual, Soxxy with his poker face didn’t express anything. All he asked if they were mine. I was like, seriously, would I just go and get somebody’s pregnancy tests and display them?” she asked.
Wanjiku said it was unfathomable for both of them, for she was not under any fertility therapy.
"I only did flax seed oil and evening prim rose oil. But all I can say God answered my prayers," she adds.
Her pregnancy was a delicate one because of PCOS and high blood pressure.
"I carried my baby for 38 weeks and when it came time to deliver in August 2014, I laboured for 14 hours before the doctors decided it would be safer for her to undergo a C-section," she said.
PCOS FOUNDATION
After the birth of her daughter Eliana Wairimu she formed PCOS Foundation Kenya to reach out to women who have the condition and have no information on it.
"I registered the foundation this year to help women grappling with the condition. We help them in managing the condition, we advise on diet, supplements. We are working to get statistics of women with PCOS in Africa," Wanjiku said.
PCOS Foundation of Kenya will present to the public the first-ever PCOS event to take place on October 6, 2019 at August 7th Memorial Park.
The hangout intends to create an avenue for people to learn accurate information, get support and to empower themselves as advocates for the cause.
Cysters Hangout will bring together medical professionals, hundreds of individuals with PCOS and their supporters to share insights, information and experiences about the condition
In July 2016, Wanjiku and Soxxy welcomed their second born, a baby boy - Ethan Wambage.
Image: COURTESY
PCOS is a condition that affects a women’s hormone levels, a common occurrence among women during their reproductive ages.
Women with PCOS produce higher than normal amounts of male hormones, called androgens. The exact cause of PCOS is unknown, but genetics may be a factor.
PCOS affects women’s ovaries, the reproductive organs that produce oestrogen and progesterone hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle.
As a result, there is an elevated production of androgen, says Dr Alfred Murage, an obstetrician gynaecologist and fertility specialist at Aga Khan University Hospital.
“Androgen is associated with many of the symptoms, including irregular periods, reduced fertility, acne, weight gain - that is difficult to shed off - and abnormal hair distribution. Long-term effects that may not be immediately apparent include disordered glucose control leading to diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease,” he said.