When Tye Taylor was growing up in Northwest Indiana, she had an ordinary upbringing. Every annual checkup brought ordinary results. When she tried out for sports in middle school, she grew at an ordinary rate. But it wasn’t until high school that Tye took on an extraordinary growth spurt, along with a myriad of emotional and hormonal changes that ultimately changed her coming of age experience.
My OB/GYN told us that PCOS commonly comes with infertility and that it would be extremely hard to conceive a child.
“I went from 5’3” to 5’8” in one summer,” Tye said. “My bra size skyrocketed from a 34-B to 38-DDD so my mom had to take me to get all new undergarments and it happened so suddenly, I didn’t know what was going on.”
Tye had to reconsider all her sports activities while gawking eyes continued to stay on her in the school hallways throughout high school and college as she continued to grow. It was finally, in her early 20s, that she received some answers.
“The proper medical term from my OB/GYN is polycystic ovary syndrome, also known as PCOS,” Tye labeled. “Which makes sense considering when everything all started – around puberty.” This is when the drastic changes began to happen in her body. While it was relieving to understand that there was a term for her condition, and it was not uncommon – especially among African American women – it brought up another concern that would impact her further.
“My boyfriend and I were coming out of college and thinking about marriage, family, and all that,” Tye said. “My OB/GYN told us that PCOS commonly comes with infertility and that it would be extremely hard to conceive a child. I’m like ‘wait, no baby along with all these weird health conditions?’ This was devastating.”
In addition to infertility, PCOS brings additional conditions such as skin hyperpigmentation, migraines and other inconveniences. Tye is the oldest of four and she has found ways to modify her dreams to get the fullness out of life.
“My little sister has children and I am very fond of being the best aunt to them,” Tye explains. “We go on trips and I am their primary caregiver – which allows my sister to build her career. Meanwhile, that guy from college eventually moved on and I started my own online jewelry business which makes me happy,” Tye continues to say.
These slight alternatives have shifted her mind from not being able to have children of her own; however, it has allowed Tye to birth dreams of her own while being a mother-figure to those around her.