At 12, Ummeeta Rabiu began a personal health journey that would later define her voice as a women’s health advocate. What followed were years of searching for answers, navigating stigma, and finding strength in vulnerability.
Now a mother, entrepreneur, and community builder, Ummeeta speaks exclusively to Channels Television about PCOS, a condition many still struggle to understand.
Here are the excerpts:
For a lot of people, PCOS might be alien. What is PCOS and what does this mean?
PCOS generally means Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. You’re born with it. Most people try to say that you get it later on in life, but no, it’s something that you come into the world with. It’s misdiagnosed and a lot of people know nothing about it.
It’s not a death sentence. It’s something you can actually manage, and then you get to live a better life. Some side effects of PCOS could be infertility, and it’s very personal to me because I have PCOS. I had been misdiagnosed in the past and I went through a lot of issues with that. But when I got to understand what PCOS is and how to manage it, life got easier. So, why I do this is to make women understand that PCOS is actually very easy to manage—if you know what to do.
You’ve come out to speak on this—something not a lot of people want to admit, for obvious reasons. How has this battle affected you personally? How have you structured your life to handle this?
Okay, so I’ll take you back to how my journey started. When I was younger—about 11 or 12—I had constant cramps. I didn’t know what it was. My parents were confused. A lot happened. I went to so many different hospitals in Lagos, Abuja, and Kano. Most of them just gave me different diagnoses. One even said I had kidney problems and needed a transplant. We had to get a second opinion. Someone else said appendicitis. It was a lot of different things.
It was only when we went to a hospital in Lagos that an old doctor told us, “Okay, it’s PCOS,” but added that he didn’t know how to manage it. He just knew it was one of the main causes of infertility. And then he said, “I’m sorry, you’re never going to have children.”
READ ALSO: FG Debunks Viral Salt Advice, Warns Against Health Risks Of Excess Sodium
How did you feel about that?
I was depressed at that time. I was 12. Imagine being told that at 12. We went to Egypt, and Dubai, and eventually settled in Kano where a doctor told me, “It’s PCOS. It’s something we can try and manage. It’s not a death or infertility sentence. Yes, if not taken care of, it can cause infertility. And for you to have kids you have to go through a lengthy process with your diet, medications, and all that.”
Once I got to find out that I could actually have kids, we decided to try a medication routine. So, we started with contraceptives. At a young age, that was a lot for me. I didn’t understand it. I did research and found out that diet could help with PCOS– it’s an androgynous complication. Once you get to untangle it, you’re good to go. So, I think it’s very easy to understand once you keep your mind to it and you keep checking what needs to be done.
Most people just think you have to go the hospital to get medications or PCOS, need injections, or a lot of regimens—but honestly, with proper dieting, staying active, and taking care of your health, on your own without the help of medications, or doctors you can manage PCOS. I’ve been working with a fertility specialist who does everything for women in terms of fertility.
At what age should women begin to get checked for PCOS?
Honestly, as early as possible. I was diagnosed at 12, and that’s early. I have a community of over 5,000 women with PCOS. Most of them are just finding out in their 30s and 40s—almost at menopause that some of them know!
I think the minute your daughter starts seeing her period, get her checked. It’s kind of hereditary. In my family, many women have PCOS. If we hadn’t gotten checked, we wouldn’t have known, and a lot of us would have been having issues and not know where it came from. As early as 10, or 12, you should get your daughter checked.
We have to commend you—for building this community and advocating awareness. PCOS comes with mental stress and trauma, especially when linked to infertility. Some of the women go ahead to have children and it takes a lot of time, perhaps because of the lack of awareness, What role should men play in supporting women with PCOS?
PCOS is linked to trauma. Research supports that trauma can cause PCOS. So, men need to support and love the women in their lives. It’s an emotional thing. The more emotionally stable you are, the fewer your symptoms.
PCOS comes with mood swings. Men need to be understanding—it’s not a burden. Just support your wife or partner. Help them stay active. You don’t even need a gym—just take walks, eat healthy. Diet really helps with PCOS.
From your community, how many go on to have children? What’s that journey like?
Honestly, a lot. Just yesterday, someone reached out—she had IVF and gave birth to a healthy baby boy. It was amazing because I remember how devastated she was when she first contacted me. I was like, ‘I’m sorry, but it’s not a death sentence once you do the right things’. I connected her to my doctor. They went through a regimen, and IVF worked for her. Now she has a baby.
And there are a lot more women like that in our community. We share problems—excessive hair, irregular periods, infertility, and some other problems and how to go through them. We discuss solutions: supplements, diets, ovulation induction, IUI, and IVF. Everyone’s story is different.
Not ‘Rich Man’s Problem’
Based on your experience, on a scale of one to 10, how many cases of infertility are defeated through proper PCOS management?
Based on my stats and our community, I’d say seven out of 10 women come out victorious. Some cases are too far gone—because of late diagnosis, unawareness, or mismanagement. But I’d say seven out of 10.
READ ALSO: Wike Laments State Of FCT Security, Health Sector
That’s really encouraging. Let’s talk about your personal story—you have two boys, which is a win. And secondly, is PCOS expensive to manage? Some say it’s a ‘rich person’s problem’.
PCOS can be affordable and relatively expensive, depending on the severity. Infertility treatment is costly because of all the tests and procedures. I know a PCOS foundation that detects the kind of PCOS one has, in as much as it’s expensive, some foundations do it for free. For the second question —I started at 12. I had pain and tantrums, my parents were confused. Many doctors had no idea what PCOS was. Some said kidney problems or appendicitis.
How is this condition perceived in society, generally?
In the Hausa community, if you don’t have kids, they call you ‘infertile’. That stigma affects women deeply. My periods stopped coming after they started. My mom was confused but really wanted to understand because as a 12-year-old, I had just started.
Eventually, we met a doctor in Kano who identified PCOS—and my other doctor in Lagos but didn’t know how to manage it — he just said it’s an infertility problem and I would never have kids. My parents flew me abroad. I learned it’s an endocrinological disorder—you need to balance your hormones, and diet, stay active, and avoid processed food.
How did you manage it in marriage?
I got married at 19. My first pregnancy was ectopic—induced by PCOS. It was devastating. I had to go on a hunt to get a good doctor to understand what my system was going through. I met a doctor, and they told me there were so many other ways to get pregnant we did a medication routine, and he guided me through it. Another doctor in Kano guided me on a diet. I did both. Eventually, I conceived my first son—who’s almost nine now. The pregnancy went well, After that, I tried for five years without success. Two to three years ago, I did ovulation induction—just a few stomach injections. I took a trigger shot—and got pregnant with my second son.
Then I kept trying for about five years to have another baby. It didn’t work out. So fast-forward to two to three years ago, when I was trying to have my second kid. I was going through the dieting process and all that, but I had to go through an ovulation induction because my main problem was lack of ovulation. So the ovulation induction was very easy. It’s just a couple of injections that you get on your stomach, and it helps. So we did that and I had the trigger shot and then eventually I was pregnant. It’s nothing to be scared of. It’s very easy and it’s simple to go through all these things.
