Hi All,
I was referred to this board by a member of another board I'm on. I was diagnosed today with PCOS. They wanted to start me on birth control, but I'm 38 and I also smoke so they decided this wasn't the way to go. They've given me a prescription for Medroxyprogesterone that they want me to take for 1 month and then go have my blood retested. My DHEA levels were at 342 (normal 40-325) and Testosterone was 88 (normal 20-75). I have the following symptoms:
1. Elevated hormone levels
2. Unwanted hair growth
3. High blood pressure
4. Acne
5. Overweight
6. I have never had any problems with irregular menstruation
Here's my questions... hopefully someone with some experience can help!
Thanks in advance for any help at all....
1. Why take a one month dose of the depo-provera? What's that going to show the doctor when he re-takes blood at the end of one month's time? They indicated they were doing this to confirm the diagnosis. Isn't there another way besides taking a drug that causes such bad side effects?
2. Should I go to another doctor (maybe an endocrinologist?) If so, what additional tests should be run to firm this up?
3. This doctor said he doesn't use metformin unless the person is trying to get pregnant (I assume the side affects of birth control and depo-provera is the reason for not prescribing if you're trying to get pregnant). However, is this medication used to treat or just diagnose? I'm confused.
4. Is there anything that will make this go away? I had Lap-Band surgery done in January and have taken off about 40 lbs or so. I still have all of the problems listed above - none have gotten any better. Will enough weight loss make it go away? If not, what is the normal treatment? Metformin?
Did you ask him for metformin? I could be wrong but I think my doc. gives it to a lot of PCOSers even if they arent ttc. Maybe another doc. like an endo would be willing to give it to you, if thats what you want.
I really don't know what I want. I did ask about Metformin but he said he never gives that to anyone unless they're ttc. I really don't want to stuff he prescibed. Just don't like the side effects much and am not understanding why I'm taking it.
Maybe you should call them tomorrow and have them explain exactly why they are having you do this. Don't be afraid to ask them questions and have them explain it to you. If they wont explain it to you then Iwould get another doctor. The other thing you could do is ask them for different options! GL with everything!
I think you should see an Endo. Finding a PCOS friendly doctor is the most important step to treating your PCOS. You might check the "Find a Doctor" section here. If none are listed in your area, start a thread asking for recommendations.
Metformin has been shown to be very effective. Metformin itself has nothing to do with getting pregnant, though it does allow many women to ovulate normally. Many women have pretty nasty stomach related side effects when starting Met. I'm one of them. Most find the side effects go away after a week or two. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for me. Now I'm trying Actoplusmet and hoping I don't have to take such a high dose of met to get things under control. I couldn't get past the side effects at 2500mg. I could take it up to 1000mg. I'm starting all over at 500 now. This drug has 15mg of Actos and 500mg of met. I haven't worked up the nerve to start it like I'm supposed to. I have a very sensitive stomach and am prone to nausea without any drugs. Add a stomach irritant and I'm in trouble. Not every woman has side effects, though. Don't let me scare you. I stand behind the use of metformin whole heartedly.
I'm not sure about the purpose of taking the depo as far as testing goes. I do know that taking birth control often masks PCOS symptoms. Treating the source of the problem is still crucial. Many women find some improvement on BC, then later find their symptoms are worse when they get off them.
If you are having periods on your own then I don't know what the progesterone is for. It may just be something I'm not familiar with.
There is no "cure" for PCOS. Many women find that weight loss drastically improves their symptoms, but this is not true for all women. There are even thin cysters. For a lot of women, including myself, changing to a low carb diet is very effective.
There is no one size fits all treatment for PCOS. Metformin and low carbing are probably the most common, though certainly not the only options. They are certainly options I would recommend, though.
I really don't know what I want. I did ask about Metformin but he said he never gives that to anyone unless they're ttc. I really don't want to stuff he prescibed. Just don't like the side effects much and am not understanding why I'm taking it.
Thanks guys. I'll take a look at the suggested material and also will call the doc back tomorrow again. Anything that causes naseau could be a problem. I've recently had lap band surgery and throwing up is not a good option (it can mess up the band placement and cause problems leading to removal). I have taken off about 40 lbs but can't say I've noticed any difference in the symptoms. Thanks so much for your time!
hmmm well I'm 41 years old and not ttc and my doctor acted pretty quick to put me on Metformin... I would get a second opinon for sure. second opinions are a smart thing. And I didnt see where you mentioned anything about a ultra sound or trans vaginal probe to see if you had cysts on your ovaries which is a common symptom of PCOS. Blood tests and ultra sound was the first thing my doctor ordered. Good Luck to you... remember we are all here for you to lean on.
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Thanks guys. I'll take a look at the suggested material and also will call the doc back tomorrow again. Anything that causes naseau could be a problem. I've recently had lap band surgery and throwing up is not a good option (it can mess up the band placement and cause problems leading to removal). I have taken off about 40 lbs but can't say I've noticed any difference in the symptoms. Thanks so much for your time!
THe thing is to try the lowest dose (500mg) and see how that goes and work your way up. Most women are able to control the nausea even when they have it. I just have a super weak stomach.
Thanks for the help all of you! I'm going back to the obgyn tomorrow morning at 8:30am to talk to him about his proposed treatment/diagnosis confirmation plan. I have had no other tests done other than the bloodwork showing elevated hormone levels, so I'm going to see if he'll do some other tests instead of just putting me on the Provera as a test. Talked to his nurse today and she said that it would be likely that he would send me to an endocrinologist if the Provera didn't correct my hormone levels... I dunno. I'll find out more tomorrow. Thanks again for all the help and the nice welcome!
Kim
Diagnosed today and have ?'s 
