Triplet pregnancy success after Polycystic Ovary Syndrome diagnosis

Life took a whole new direction for Monique and her partner, John, when they discovered she was pregnant with triplets.

But the journey to that moment began years earlier. When Monique was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) at 28, she feared she might never become a parent.

Monique said: “I was diagnosed with PCOS at 28. I was in a lot of pain before that. I didn’t really want to find out what it was. I was too scared as I knew it must be something. But someone said to me I had to get it checked out. Tests revealed it was advanced PCOS.

“Doctors said that I probably wasn’t going to have children, they were very honest with me. I was really sad about it. Honestly, I went into a period of depression.”

Monique said her best friend was a lifeline at that time, encouraging her to return to the doctor and ask what support might be available. Monique said: “The doctor said it was going to be very difficult but I should never lose hope and that we could explore other options to help me. With the PCOS came diabetes, high blood pressure and lots of pain.”

Finding hope again

After meeting John, he and Monique began talking about the family they wanted together.

“We are both religious and we said we would pray and see how it goes. We started trying for a family, but nothing happened until 2019, when I found out I was pregnant. It was quite unexpected but then months later, I had a miscarriage. My whole world crashed. I genuinely thought that was my time to be my mother,” Monique added.

Monique suffered a subchorionic haematoma, which can cause heavy bleeding in pregnancy. She spoke with a midwife who was clear about one step that could help.

“I genuinely thought this was never going to happen to me. I spoke to a midwife and she said she wanted to be honest with me and said I needed to lose weight,” she said.

At the time, Monique was working as a Deputy Head at a south London school. During the pandemic in 2020, she decided to focus on her health and wellbeing. Over just more than a year, by the end of 2021, she had lost six stone.

Monique said: “I know the pandemic was a really hard time but for me personally, it’s the thing that changed my life. It gave me confidence and a purpose back in my life. I lost six stone and I changed my job and became Assistant Director of Education at my local authority. I was so much happier in life and we started trying again for a baby in March 2022. We decided if by the end of 2022 we weren’t pregnant, we would seriously consider fostering or adoption.”

Three heartbeats

In April 2022, the couple discovered they were pregnant.

The early weeks were tough, with a long period of sickness. In week eight, Monique woke up to bleeding and feared the worst. At the early pregnancy unit, doctors asked whether the pregnancy had been conceived through IVF. When Monique told them it was a natural conception, the scan brought a shock no one was expecting.

“They said everything was fine but they could hear three heartbeats. I was like, what?! They said I was having triplets. I started screaming and laughing. My partner couldn’t speak. His jaw dropped. It was a rollercoaster of emotions in 30 seconds,” she said.

Monique worked hard to protect her mental health. She had scans every two weeks and was offered selective reduction. This is a procedure that reduces the number of foetuses in a multiple pregnancy and may be discussed in higher-order pregnancies because of the risks of carrying three or more babies to term. Monique says it was difficult to hear.

“Multiples’ mums need to know about selective reduction, it’s a hard part of it all. I said thank you to the doctors and said I understood the reasons why it had to be said but I asked them to please not mention it again.”

The key lesson in this part of Monique’s journey is the importance of both physical and mental preparation. The challenges of a high-risk multiple pregnancy require constant monitoring and care, but also a mindset of resilience and connection.

Throughout her pregnancy, Monique was carefully monitored for complications, including high blood pressure, diabetes and Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD).

She added: “I learnt to live with it but it wasn’t easy. But all the while I started feeling the babies moving more. That moment when you can tell which child is moving is just quite a phenomenal moment for mum of multiples.”

By week 30, Monique’s blood pressure had risen and doctors were concerned about pre-eclampsia. Things moved quickly, and Monique found herself in theatre for a Caesarean section, with 35 members of staff ready to support her and her babies.

Monique said: “I laid down and looked up to the sky in the theatre and there were purple butterflies on a mural. At that point I knew everything would be ok.”

Lylah was born first, followed by Macho, and finally Trinity. “The moment I heard Trinity cry, it was everything. The staff were phenomenal, it was the best experience,” she said.