BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Put simply, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS, is a hormonal imbalance that affects a woman’s menstrual cycle and can cause ovarian cysts. Even though about one in every 10 women have this condition globally, it can be difficult to get diagnosed or receive treatment.

For Ariana Knudsen, trips to the coffee shop weren’t always so simple. Since she was 14 years old, her menstrual cycles have been irregular. Doctors told her everything was normal.

“At 14, I’m on birth control— that’s insane to me, especially now that I’m 28, and thinking back on it, I was on birth control for almost 10 years,” Knudsen said.

She said she’s tried almost all forms of birth control. At first, the new medication would help regulate her cycle, but eventually, she’d go back to having super short cycles or double periods.

She was on birth control for six years before getting an ultrasound.

Years later, while removing Knudsen’s gallbladder, surgeons discovered a massive cyst on her right ovary.

Eventually, they recommended surgery to remove the cyst. However, during her senior year of high school, things took an even deeper nose-dive. Two hours before her scheduled operation, Knudsen went to the emergency room for severe pain.

“They were going to go in and try to just remove the cyst and save the ovary if possible, but it had started from the inside out, so it had completely killed off my right ovary. So, there was no saving it,” Knudsen said.

She was 17 years old. At 28, she still feels the impacts of her condition. She’s had over 12 iron infusions— all her irregular cycles have made her anemic. Doctors even thought she might have a brain tumor because of her elevated prolactin levels. An MRI showed that wasn’t the case. Knudsen started seeing Dr. Tara Harding at Simply You Wellness, who specializes in women’s health.

“The lack of diagnosing of it, or perhaps patients were told, ‘It looks like PCOS,’ or ‘it might be PCOS,’ and they’re getting very inconsistent information,” Knudsen said.

Knudsen said other women going through similar experiences shouldn’t be afraid to stand up for themselves and to trust their instincts.

“You’re worth more than just giving up on yourself, because I was at that point, to be honest. […] Trust your body. You know yourself better than anyone else,” Knudsen said.

She said she knew when she was 17 that it would be difficult to start a family after her surgery. After getting help for her PCOS, though, she and her husband are expecting their first bundle of joy.

Dr. Harding said that along with irregular or inconsistent periods, acne, unexplained weight changes and more can all be symptoms of PCOS.

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North Dakota voters rejected a measure to overhaul property taxes Tuesday, but property tax relief is expected to be a major focus of the upcoming legislative session.

Gov.-elect Kelly Armstrong, who was among those to oppose Measure 4, said he plans to make property tax reform a top priority. He will resign from North Dakota’s sole U.S. House seat at 11:59 p.m. Dec. 14 and take office as governor on Dec. 15, succeeding Gov. Doug Burgum.

Republican Julie Fedorchak will take Armstrong’s seat in Congress in January, creating a vacancy on the North Dakota Public Service Commission that the governor will fill. She will be the first woman to represent North Dakota in the U.S. House.

Republican Kevin Cramer was reelected to the U.S. Senate, where his party will be in the majority.

Here’s what else you need to know about North Dakota’s election results:

Measures: Voters defeated a measure to legalize recreational marijuana for the third time in six years.

Voters also rejected a measure to reform the initiated measure process. Measures to change the Legislature’s spending limit of the Legacy Fund principal and replace outdated language in the state constitution were approved.

Legislature: North Dakota Republicans will keep a supermajority in the state Legislature. Native Americans gained representation in the Legislature as a result of races that were on the ballot due to redistricting.

Transportation a barrier to voter access at Standing Rock

Statewide candidates: Republican statewide candidates easily won reelection. Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler, Public Service Commissioner Randy Christmann and State Auditor Josh Gallion all defeated challengers. State Treasurer Thomas Beadle and Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread were reelected in uncontested races.

President: North Dakota voters overwhelmingly chose Donald Trump for president.

Turnout: The state had strong early voter turnout, but overall turnout was about average for a presidential election year.

Recounts: Two legislative races might qualify for demand recounts, depending on official results. Other local races facing possible recounts can be found through the Secretary of State’s website.

Next steps: Election results will remain unofficial until county canvassing boards meet Nov. 18, and results are certified by the State Canvassing Board on Nov. 20.

Voters in two sparsely populated red states, North Dakota and South Dakota, have rejected ballot initiatives that would have legalized recreational marijuana. With nearly all ballots counted on Tuesday night, North Dakota’s Initiated Measure 5 had received support from less than 48 percent of voters. South Dakota’s Initiated Measure 29 was favored by about 42 percent of voters with three-quarters of ballots counted.

Registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats by more than 2 to 1 in South Dakota, where the GOP has controlled the governor’s office and both chambers of the state legislature since 1995.

In 2020, South Dakota voters nevertheless approved two ballot measures that would have simultaneously legalized both medical and recreational marijuana. The medical initiative was favored by nearly 70 percent of voters, while the recreational initiative got 54 percent. After Kristi Noem, South Dakota’s Republican governor, mounted a successful court challenge to the recreational initiative, reformers tried again in 2022, when 53 percent of voters said no.

South Dakota voters got another chance to change their minds this year. Measure 29 would have allowed adults 21 or older to possess two ounces or less and grow up to six plants at home. It also would have allowed sharing among adults “without consideration.” Like the 2022 initiative but unlike the 2020 version, this year’s ballot measure does not authorize commercial production and distribution.

Measure 29’s backers far outspent its opponents, but polls conducted prior to the election were not encouraging. A survey conducted last May put support for the initiative at 42 percent, with 52 percent opposed and the rest undecided. A poll conducted last month found that 45 percent of likely voters favored the initiative, with 50 percent opposed and 5 percent undecided.

The ratio of Republicans to Democrats is similarly lopsided in North Dakota, where the GOP has likewise maintained a trifecta since 1995. And as in South Dakota, voters are fine with medical marijuana, which they approved by a 28-point margin in 2016, but leery of recreational legalization, which they rejected in 2018 and 2022.

Measure 5 would have let adults 21 or older possess up to an ounce and grow up to three plants at home. It also would have authorized commercial production and distribution by state-licensed businesses.

The marijuana legalization campaign had an even bigger financial advantage in North Dakota than in South Dakota: Ballotpedia had not identified any opposition spending as of September. A survey of likely voters conducted that month found that 45 percent favored recreational legalization, 40 percent were opposed, and 15 percent were undecided. Those undecided voters evidently broke the wrong way.