Has anyone else on here been possibly diagnosed by a dermatologist? My situation is one that is very confusing. This all started because of my acne. My GYN ran the blood work for PCOS and it came back clear (she did this because of my irregular period,acne,fatigue which comes and goes) so she just left it at that. Since then I have been to a dermatologist who said I have the PCOS "look" and I explained to her that I had the blood work and it was clear. She seemed suprised. I went for a second opinion on the acne issue yesterday and this doc stated that he thinks I have PCOS also, due to the "look" i have - I.E meaning the acne and hair growth on my face. I told him my blood work came back clear but he said the only way I can definate is to have my horomones checked by a saliva test. Anyone else told this??? I look and know I have many of the symptoms of PCOS such as overweight,acne,facial hair,skin tags (little bitty ones).
Never heard of saliva test. They could do a ultrasound of your ovaries. You can have the ovary type without symptoms. I think you can have the syndrome without it showing in your blood work.
I would look at wikipedia.org/pcos
this is what they say about definitions
two definitions are commonly used:
In 1990 a consensus workshop sponsored by the NIH/NICHD suggested that a patient has PCOS if she has (1) signs of androgen excess (clinical or biochemical), (2) oligoovulation, and (3) other entities are excluded that would cause polycystic ovaries.
In 2003 a consensus workshop sponsored by ESHRE/ASRM in Rotterdam indicated PCOS to be present if 2 out of 3 criteria are met: (1) oligoovulation and/or anovulation, (2) excess androgen activity, (3) polycystic ovaries (by gynecologic ultrasound), and other causes of PCOS are excluded.
The Rotterdam definition is wider, including many more patients, notably patients without androgen excess, whereas in the NIH/NICHD definition androgen excess is a prerequisite. Critics maintain that findings obtained from the study of patients with androgen excess cannot necessarily be extrapolated to patients without androgen excess.
__________________ Helena, 34, Sweden
Meds: Gestapuran 100 mg every 3th month,
Supplements: Multivitamins, siberian ginseng, arctic root, omega 3 and 6, evening primrose oil, flaxseed oil, spirulina, zink, ginko biloba,
Dx: PCOS, reflux, IR
Long term goal
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I was actually in the process of all my dr. appts, b/c my GP suspected PCOS, and one was the dermatologist just for a mole check but while I was there she ordered some bloodwork b/c she said I looked like I could have PCOS. The bloodwork she ordered is actually what the Endo used to determine I had it b/c I saw him after I got the bloodwork back. She said she wanted to see me a month after the GYN and Endo. to check out my acne and hair growth.
My dermatologist diagnosed me at a glance - something my family doctor failed to do, despite over 15 years of symptoms - and she is still the only doctor who has helped me at all with my treatment.
You can have normal test results and still have PCOS. But more often than not, the test results are only normal-ish and the doctors have failed to correctly understand them.
Definitely read that article Kat posted, as well the posts at the top of the page in the Newbie forum - I found that information to be really useful when I was first diagnosed.
Thank you so much for the response. I feel like I am drowning here. My blood work says no but I have so many of the symptoms and according to dr.'s "the look" of PCOS. The acne has been an increasing issue since having my son 5 years ago. It has gotten much worse in the past year. In Nov my periods starting becoming irregular. Top that off with memory issues, concentration issues, irratiblity,low sex drive...I am pretty sure my horomones are nuts.
Diagnosis By Dermatologist? 
