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altabes · 09-03-2007, 02:14 PM

Glassboro mother finalist for Woman of the Year
Monday, September 03, 2007
By Stephanie Brown sbrown@sjnewsco.com

Source:http://www.nj.com/news/gloucester/index.ssf?/base/news2/118879360062710.xml&coll=8

GLASSBORO After six years of marriage, Ashley and John Tabeling of Glassboro decided it was time to have a baby.

But within months Ashley, who was 30 years old at the time, knew something wasn't right.

"At that point, I had been on birth control for about 13 years so I went off it. Within a three-month period, I wasn't getting a menstrual cycle and I had literally put on 100 pounds," said Tabeling, now 36. "I started noticing acne and I started getting facial hair and all sorts of strange stuff started happening to me."

Confused about the sudden changes to her body, Tabeling sought help from her doctor, who could not provide her with any solid answers.

"I went to quite a few doctors and none of them could explain to me why this was happening beyond it being anxiety from trying to get pregnant," she said.

Finally, one doctor fresh out of medical school told her she might have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Further tests revealed it to be true.

"First I thought it was some sort of rare tropical disease, you know, what's PCOS?" Tabeling recalled.

PCOS is the most common female endocrine (hormonal) disorder and is characterized by multiple abnormal ovarian cysts.

Women with PCOS are seven times more likely to have four major health concerns affecting women in the United States today, including heart disease, diabetes, endometrial cancer and stroke.

It is also a major cause of infertility.

"Being confronted with the fact that I might not be able to have kids really did a number on me," said Tabeling.

Fortunately for Tabeling, she was able to get pregnant. Twice

"To me it was a miracle because I was pretty much told with PCOS that there was a slim to none chance of my ever being able to conceive, and now I have two," she said.

Through her experience, Tabeling has discovered that PCOS, while it is common, is pretty much unknown by not only the general public but by health care providers as well.

As a result, she has developed a passion for educating the PCOS community and beyond about the condition.

Now, her work has been recognized by Glamour magazine and just might earn her the title of Glamour's Woman of the Year.

Up to 15 percent of women and girls of reproductive age live with PCOS worldwide; however, it is estimated that fewer than half know what it is or that they have it.

PCOS can cause many physical and emotional symptoms, which makes it difficult for doctors to diagnose correctly something Tabeling knows all too well.

"I had no control over my body," she said. "There were days where I would come home and just cry. Nobody could understand what I was going through."

After her diagnosis, Tabeling began searching online to find out more about PCOS but found very little information on the condition.

Not one to give up, she decided to take the initiative and took it upon herself to raise awareness any way she could.

Tabeling founded a South Jersey chapter of the national PCOS Association, and started a PCOS Treatment and Awareness Petition online at www.petitiononline.com.

In February, she launched Project PCOS, which offers free services to women and girls with PCOS worldwide.

"If you know what you're dealing with, then you can easily manage it," said Tabeling, who is the PCOS coordinator at the Drexel Center for Women's Health in Philadelphia.

Tabeling's experience with PCOS has led her to many other women who, like her, have had to learn how to manage the disorder with limited resources.

Tammy Dolak of Glendale, Ariz., met Tabeling online when she herself was suffering from symptoms of PCOS.

"She was always happy to answer any questions that I had," said Dolak, 31, who was diagnosed with PCOS about a year ago. "I always felt like she really had more of an insight about PCOS than most doctors."

When Tabeling launched Project PCOS, Dolak was more than happy to come aboard.

"I noticed when I was looking for myself that there is really nothing out there for PCOS," said Dolak. "We've been working together now with Project PCOS and she's non-stop, always on the go, doing something for Project PCOS."

Dolak decided to nominate her friend and co-worker for Glamour magazine's Woman of the Year.

Glamour took a particular interest in what Tabeling was doing to raise PCOS Awareness and selected her as one of 10 semi-finalists. Voters can select those who advance to the winner's circle by casting ballots online.

"It's a must that we raise awareness," said Dolak. "Ashley has been doing a great thing by getting the information out there so women can get help before it gets a lot more serious."

For more information on PCOS, visit http://www.projectpcos.org To read more about Dolak's nomination of Tabeling for Glamour's Woman of the Year, visit http://www.glamour.com/news/womenoftheyear