laurend

Many women with Cushing's are initially misdiagnosed with PCOS. This website is extremely helpful for anyone wondering if they might have Cushing's instead of PCOS: www.cushings-help.com. There is a message board on that website that is really great, also.

In my opinion, I think every woman that may possibly be diagnosed with PCOS should also be screened for Cushing's, since many of the symptoms are similar. You can also be diagnosed with both conditions. Whenever you get your initial labs done, you should ask for a cortisol test if your doctor doesn't automatically order it. Of course, you need to be aware of the time of day that the test should be performed. Cortisol tests should be performed as early in the day as possible.

Jallyson, you are like me. I was diagnosed with PCOS last year, with an LH:FSH ration of 3.85, but my cortisol was never tested and I was never informed by my doctor that there was an extremely serious condition out there that had a lot of the same symptoms as PCOS. Fast-forward a year and a half. I have been on birth control and Glucophage, but the only symptoms that improved were my periods and my acne. Everything else (fatigue, insomnia, weight-gain, odd stretch-marks, etc.) was still the same. I have tried Weight Watchers, medical weight-loss programs, low-carb diets, plain healthy food and exercise. Nothing helped.

Finally, I researched what my symptoms may have been an indicator of, and came up with Cushing's. I had my doctor do a cortisol test, which came back high, so now I am doing other tests for Cushing's. I don't deny that I have PCOS, because I do, at least according to my LH:FSH ratio. But I may also have Cushing's, and it really burns me that my previous doctors never even mentioned the possibility to me. They simply saw the LH:FSH ratio and decided that PCOS was the only thing wrong with me.