Hi! I am 25 years old and I started noticing excessive facial hair when I was around 17 or 18 years old. I got tested for hormonal imbalance but the test was negative, I figured that the extra facial hair (which was still in the peach-fizz sort of phase) would go away if I lost weight (I have always been overweight and probably weighed around 170 lbs back then). Well I never did lose the weight, never tried hard enough. But then around the age of 21 my facial hair got a little worse, but still nothing that I couldn't manage, I could wax it off and be smooth for several weeks and it was still soft hair so even bleaching worked, also my periods were irregular at this point, I attributed that to stress since I was preparing for exams. Around 3 years back I came to the States to pursue higher studies. Obviously it was a drastic change in my life style and eating habits, also it was my first time away from home and my family. Withing these 3 years my facial hair has gotten a lot WORSE. I can grow a full-fledged beard and have also got a few stray chest hair. My acne has gotten a lot worse too. I always had pimples, my brother does too, so never really thought about it, but it has gotten out of control now. New zits every single day and ALL OVER my face (before it was just restricted to the cheek area or sometimes on the forehead). I have ugly red scars all over. Combined with the hair (which I shave,but we all know that doesn't really help with men like growth) the acne, irregular periods everything points to PCOS but I am still confused and also embarrassed to go to a doctor. I also had a ultra sound done when I was 17 for appendix, wouldn't the PCOS be discovered in that? Is it possible I am suffering from hormonal imbalance coz of my weight (205lbs, 5.5feet). Please help and sorry for such a long story!
Hi! I am 25 years old and I started noticing excessive facial hair when I was around 17 or 18 years old. I got tested for hormonal imbalance but the test was negative, I figured that the extra facial hair (which was still in the peach-fizz sort of phase) would go away if I lost weight (I have always been overweight and probably weighed around 170 lbs back then). Well I never did lose the weight, never tried hard enough. But then around the age of 21 my facial hair got a little worse, but still nothing that I couldn't manage, I could wax it off and be smooth for several weeks and it was still soft hair so even bleaching worked, also my periods were irregular at this point, I attributed that to stress since I was preparing for exams. Around 3 years back I came to the States to pursue higher studies. Obviously it was a drastic change in my life style and eating habits, also it was my first time away from home and my family. Withing these 3 years my facial hair has gotten a lot WORSE. I can grow a full-fledged beard and have also got a few stray chest hair. My acne has gotten a lot worse too. I always had pimples, my brother does too, so never really thought about it, but it has gotten out of control now. New zits every single day and ALL OVER my face (before it was just restricted to the cheek area or sometimes on the forehead). I have ugly red scars all over. Combined with the hair (which I shave,but we all know that doesn't really help with men like growth) the acne, irregular periods everything points to PCOS but I am still confused and also embarrassed to go to a doctor. I also had a ultra sound done when I was 17 for appendix, wouldn't the PCOS be discovered in that? Is it possible I am suffering from hormonal imbalance coz of my weight (205lbs, 5.5feet). Please help and sorry for such a long story!
Don't let embarrassment stop you going to the doctor. There may be another cause or causes for the symptoms you describe, but better to get a medical opinion sooner rather than later, especially if your periods are irregular. How frequently do you have to shave?
I didn't really want to go to the dr. either. I finally did go just so that I would have peace of mind. I think that knowing what is causing your symptoms would be a lot better than just trying to guess about them. I did that for long time though. Along with your dr. you can come up with a plan that is customized just for you.
Confused- do I have PCOS? 
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