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Originally Posted by LadyDionysus  No joke. I was at Planned Parenthood getting checked out because I had all the symptoms of my period but no blood. I told the woman I had PCOS, but I don't miss periods, and she had NO idea what it was. I couldn't help but thinking, "come on! You deal with women all day, and it's estimated that 1 in 10 of us has this...this should not be news!" |
There are so many doctors that have no clue about PCOS. I'm in Medical School, and PCOS has come up in a number of classes. Usually they describe a PCOS patient as obese, with acne and excess body hair as well as infrequent or absent periods. We know that's not true for everyone! Like you lady dionysis, I had VERY regular periods for the 18 months preceding my diagnosis!
Some of the text books are VERY vague and general, and professors often are clueless. The OB-GYN Pathologist that taught female reproductive pathology was talking about wedge resections as common treatment for PCOS. Even my roommate said she made it sound like everyone with PCOS gets a wedge resection! The only other treatment she mentioned was BCPs or progesterone unless the woman is trying to get pregnant.
My Pharmacology professor was the first to mention that Metformin studies have indicated positive results for women with PCOS. When I reviewed an exam and had argued a question (it was regarding anti-androgens for a woman with alopecia and hirsutism and one answer option was Spiro and the other was Flutamide), I told him that both CAN be used to treat that. I told him I knew because I have PCOS, and here on SC, many women take Spiro, but some also take Flutamide. He was shocked that I have PCOS because he said I wasn't over weight, didn't have acne, and have no facial hair. I told him that I used to have a BMI of over 30 and since my diagnosis I've lost about 60 lbs. He said, "Well, you've lost weight, so you're cured then!"
I WISH!!!!
I am NOT "cured"! I've been dealing with random bleeds and alopecia even with Met, BCPs, and a significant weight reduction. It just goes to show you the great ignorance that exists when it comes to PCOS. . .Truthfully, SC and medical research publications are where I get most of my PCOS info.
Sorry. . .I know this post may be off topic from the original post, but just thought I'd say that I too share in the frustration of PCOS ignorance.
