Anyone else have these symptoms?

mamamaria · 04-25-2005, 06:58 PM

Hi-

To preface, I am 34 years old. I have two children 4 & 2 and I had no problems conceiving. I never had any problems with my periods - always regular and never painful. After I had my son who is two, I had severe depression, my hair started falling out like crazy and my period has never been the same. I gained 40 pounds in about 3 months and I was extremely moody which I never had before. I found myself snapping at my kids and my husband and I was always the happy one.

Does anyone know of PCOS coming on later in life when there was never any indication of it before? I was never really heavy - maybe 10 pounds overweight. I never had menstrual issues. I did have some acne, but never anything that needed to be medicated. I was also recently diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis. I have not officially been diagnosed with PCOS, but I did have an ultrasound of my pelvis a few months ago to rule out any kind of cancer that was making me spot and have funky periods.

Is there a question of some other matter bringing on PCOS? Perhaps giving birth to my son? I would really like to hear from someone who has a bit more info on this. My doctors always just tell me that since I never had trouble conceiving, that I don't really fit the profile of someone with PCOS.

Oh, and I got this really dark scaly patch on my left elbow, some kind of strange nail fungus and skin tags. I've lost 40 pounds so far - I have about 20 to go, but I wonder is this something that ever goes away, or do I have to live with this forever?

Maria

DancesWithTubas · 04-27-2005, 04:34 AM

Hi Maria! I'm glad you found us. Anyways, there's no one easy answer to your questions, but I'll share what info I know and see if that helps!

It's possible that you have had PCOS before, but the symptoms were hidden. For example, many of the symptoms of PCOS can be controlled by keeping your weight in a healthy range and living a healthy lifestyle. You said you gained some weight. It may be that the added weight has knocked your system out of whack, causing the symptoms to show. There are some theories about other things influencing the onset of PCOS...I believe I've read some things about hysterectomies and PCOS...but I don't think anything's been proven.

It's not necessarily true that since you've had kids you don't "fit the profile". Problems conceiving is often the first warning sign to many women, but it is by no means the only thing to look for (my mother was diagnosed with PCOS decades ago, before it was even called PCOS. And she went on to have three children without any fertility drugs and without any delays.) There are many other things to look for...the skin tags and dark patches are some of them. Now, this doesn't absolutely mean that you have it...it's just something to consider. Don't let a doctor brush you aside just because you don't fit some profile that may not be correct. Are you going to the right type of doctor? Some might not know enough about PCOS to know what to look for. I would just recommend educating yourself and pursuing this until you are satisfied that you are on the road to health. There's lots of good stuff on this site to help you inform yourself. Good luck, and feel free to post any questions!
-DancesWithTubas

Jashobeam · 09-22-2005, 10:25 PM

Welcome to SC!