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Whitney Thore is the star of TLC‘s My Big Fat Fabulous Life, and millions of people have been following her journey from the start. The reality television personality advocates for those who have struggled with their weight, similar to the struggles that she has faced herself. Her positive attitude has garnered the attention of people who have dealt with bullying, low self-confidence, and body shaming. Thore is known to encourage people to embrace who they are, no matter their size, and she has also been open about her own health struggles along the way. Even so, some fans are left wondering: What disease does Whitney Thore have, exactly?

What disease does Whitney Thore have?

Whitney Thore from 'My Big, Fat Fabulous Life' season 10
Whitney Thore from ‘My Big, Fat Fabulous Life’ | Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Discovery Communications

Never one to keep things under wraps, Thore has made it known that she has a condition known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The relatively common condition causes the ovaries to produce an excess of androgens, which are male hormones that can lead to facial hair in women, hair loss, and extreme weight gain. PCOS can also lead to ovarian cysts and can cause a woman not to ovulate.

After learning that she had the illness at age 23, Thore experienced depression. Things turned around when she decided to spread PCOS awareness and adopt a healthier lifestyle. She had suffered from body image issues in the past, and after gaining significant weight, she took the opportunity to encourage other women to talk openly about female health issues.

Thore has gotten false positive pregnancy tests because of her PCOS

Despite her infertility issues, Thore, who had always wanted to be a mother, was elated when not one, but three pregnancy tests told her that she was indeed expecting. According to People, her boyfriend at the time, Lennie, was just as happy with the news as she was. Even though the two of them were also “shocked and nervous,” Thore was thrilled that she was able to conceive, given her health condition.

Sadly, her enthusiasm didn’t last too long; her doctor revealed that all three tests had been false positives. It turned out that the false positives were caused by cysts on her uterus that can secrete pregnancy hormones. Thore explained, “Even though the doctor said that I was never pregnant, I thought that I was. So to find out that I wasn’t, after a week of thinking that I was, it felt like a loss, and I grieved it like a loss.”

Thore decided to freeze her eggs for future IVF

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Just as anyone who knows her would expect, Thore didn’t let the news keep her down for too long. She has always envisioned herself having children, and she wasn’t going to let PCOS stand in her way. Viewers watched in season 9 of My Big Fat Fabulous Life as Thore made the decision to freeze her eggs in order to hopefully have a child via IVF (and a gestational carrier) in the future.

“I got my eggs extracted and frozen, and they are on ice and ready to go,” she explained. “I’ve got to remember that life has a timeline all of its own, so I’m kind of open to anything.”

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