Diagnosed by B/W Alone, No U/S

mla06 · 08-16-2007, 01:32 PM

(I hope this is in the right place)

I am just wondering how many other cysters were diagnosed with PCOS with just blood work & not ultrasounds. Also, after your dx through b/w did you get an u/s?

I have recently learned that our health insurance policy doesn't cover an RE, and am looking for other courses of action. I find it odd that I have never had an ultrasound of any kind to check anything. I believe my GYN was working under the same assumption that I was (that an RE would be covered).

What can I do now? My GYN has told me she doesn't know a whole lot about PCOS & wanted to be sure that I was taken care of properly. TIA for any ideas, advice or responses!

~Misty

Jashobeam · 08-16-2007, 02:33 PM

I have never had a u/s for PCOS. I see a GYN with Endo experience. He did bloodwork and took a family history. Even though at the time my blood work looked pretty good (except for mild IR), he dxed me through my symptoms. He redid the blood tests recently and my androgens were not normal. He put me on Spiro, and I was already on Met. I asked about a u/s and he said since I've had no symptoms of cyst problems (pain, etc) he sees no reason to do a u/s at this time.

navy_wife_martin · 08-16-2007, 02:45 PM

well...I answered b/w and u/s...b/c I DID have both, but I didn't have any cysts on my ovaries, so it didn't really HELP with the diagnosis? Blood work confirmed it however.

sheepiegirl · 08-16-2007, 03:16 PM

I had routine bloodwork done for my annual exam and then from that my dr. saw the elevated testosterone levels and other things. I'm thin and don't really have any symptoms (aside from no period, and apparently the b/w/ stuff), but he told me that based on bloodwork I had PCOS.

Not all people with PCOS have cysts on their ovaries, so if you had one done, it wouldn't necessarily include or exclude anything. I only had an u/s when my dr. wanted to see if I had any follicles growing (I'm TTC). (I happen to have cysts on my ovaries).

If you think you are going to need a lot of treatment for your PCOS, then I might suggest finding a different gyn who knows more, since your insurance won't cover the specialist. Right now my regular gyn is the only one I see, but if this round of clomid doesn't work he's sending me to a specialist--and he is fairly knowledgeable on the subject. But, many people don't have a lot of issues with their PCOS and find that going to their regular gyn is just fine.

Good luck!

maz2007 · 08-16-2007, 07:34 PM

Hi, I was diagnosed after U/S for heavy, irregular and continous periods! Bloodwork confirmed it - arghh! Currently tryinh to lose a bit of weight and be less stressed lol x x x

tina_d · 08-16-2007, 08:22 PM

In 2002, I went through 2 ultra sounds a month for 6 months. One would confirm cysts, a week later I would have another and the cysts would be gone even though the pain was still there. Never got a real dx from that doctor. I actually think that she wrote me off as being mental.

Finally, in October of last year, I went to a new dr, and I think she actually had me dx-ed before the bw was even ordered.

mla06 · 08-17-2007, 01:28 PM

Thanks for the responses. I am just trying to determine what else I can do that insurance does pay, as all of our money is tied up in the house we just bought. We have been trying for over a year for a baby & I am constantly worried that more is wrong than we know about.

Jashobeam · 08-17-2007, 02:14 PM

I see in your signature that you are on 100mg daily of Met. I think most ladies are on 1500 to get pregnant. Not sure. You might want to ask on the Mommy board what dose women were on when they conceived.

Just K · 08-17-2007, 09:17 PM

Hey there!
I had an ultrasound when I was younger. They found no cysts, but did state that I had larger ovaries than normal, so they didn't Dx me with PCOS. Now, I've read somewhere that this can also be a red flag. I've since had a second ultrasound - no cysts. I was Dx based on bloodwork and symptoms.
My primary care doctor sent me to an endocrinologist since he wasn't all that well versed on PCOS as well.
Best of luck!

mla06 · 08-18-2007, 02:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jashobeam

I see in your signature that you are on 100mg daily of Met. I think most ladies are on 1500 to get pregnant. Not sure. You might want to ask on the Mommy board what dose women were on when they conceived.

Oops! It should say 1,000. I missed a zero! I'll have to fix that. I am going to ask about the 1500.

VeganMom · 08-18-2007, 02:34 AM

It was just bloodwork for me. I did not see an OB/gyn or an reproductive endoc. I just saw a "regular" endoc. who specialized in diabetes/insulin resistance.

V.

knib · 08-18-2007, 04:38 PM

I was diagnosed through b/w and medical history as I thought I was going through menopause. What a shock to find out it is PCOS! I had US done later but they did not show the classic ring of cysts. They did show multiple cysts though.
I specifically asked my gyn (who has an endocryn sub specialty) about having PCOS without the ring of cysts (I didn't believe her at first) and she said that it was a poorly named disorder b/c you can have PCOS and not have a single cyst. It is more about the hormonal imbalances and how they affect all of our body systems.