I'm really going crazy about this excess hair thing. Its horrible. I haven't been diagnosed as having PCOS yet. I did see my doctor about irregular period (I conveniently didnt mention the hair thing) and asked for a complete hormone check. She tested my hormones and they came back normal. This was about a year back now. So she sent me to a GYNO (I didnt mention the hair thing again) and I was given Yasmin. Somehow I conceived on Yasmin and had a M/C 3 months along. I went back to my GYNO who was horrible and refused to take the Yasmin an asked for a scan. He refused the scan and discharged me. Now I'm back where I started. My mum had/has PCOS. She's just turned 60. I feel like my bodys out of control.
My period has finally arrived this evening which is one less thing to worry about. But god the hair, I feel like having a skin transplant! I wish you could do that. Would be cool, lol. I am so hairy. I never used to be. I noticed it recently when I was in the bath, that my back is now hairy (eeww) so I shave it. My arms are hairy and instead of being light brown/blonde they've gone black. So these get the old shaver on them too. I have dark, coarse hair on my tummy, breasts and basically all over my torso. And you guessed it, I shave this off too. Daily. Sometimes I can get away with shaving every 2 days. My bum is like a monkey as well! God I hate it. I've got hair above my lip which I shave every day and now I've noticed brown (sorta light but noticeable to me) on my kneck and I think there is some going on the very edge of my jaw line. If the light hits it a certain way you can notice it. And I've put weight on. I've gained like 2 stone in the last few months. Luckily I dont look fat yet (unless you count my backside lol) and its making me very depressed. I used to lose wait so easily. I could starve myself for a 4 days and lose nearly a stone. Now I cant. Its driving me up the wall.
I'm almost 100% I have PCOS but telling my doctor that is like talking to a wall. They wont listen and if the hormones come back normal, it will be put down to "one of them things". Does this sound like PCOS? Can testosterone level be normal and still have PCOS? I'm thinking of getting another set of hormones tested. There must be some changes now since its been nearly a year or so when I last had them tested. Sorry for going on. I just feel like screaming. Oh, I'm 19 btw. PCOS seriously affects confidence!
It sounds like PCOS to me. I know what you're going through with your doctors. Both of mine said that I didn't fit the profile for someone with PCOS. I take care of my facial hair. Just because I don't let a beard grow in it doesn't mean I'm not PC. That gets on my nerves. Anyway, it does sound like PCOS. Too much testosterone is the only thing I know of that'll make excess hair grow on a female body. Brown patches of skin under your arms and breasts, on the back of your neck and between your thighs is another sign of PCOS. I have that also. Go to another doctor if you have to. Good luck getting results.
I think that's what my doctor thinks too. Because they cant see the hair it isn't there. I mean their not going to see it since I shave it off, lol. Yeah I think its PCOS too. A lot of people think PCOS is just a fancy name for irregular periods but its so much more than that. Not only do we have the risk of never having children, but we also get a lot of different health problems, weight problems, cysts, and to top it all off, hair problems. God its horrible. I wish there was a documentary on TV about this. A real invasive documentary which shows up everything that the woman suffers and has to go through. People might be more understanding then.
Luckily I haven't noticed any brown patches. My mum hasn't got these either but she has facial hair. Because she's now diabetic, she has lost a LOT of weight. She's so skinny now. I'm jealous, lol. Is skin tags the brown patches? I've always wondered what skin tags are.
Yeah I thought testosterone levels that are high will give you excessive body hair. But my problem is, I had it when I went for the hormone tests which all came back normal a year ago. I have more hair now but I still had quite a lot back then. Is there anything else to do with PCOS beside high testosterone that causes hair growth? Then again my levels may be high now since its been so long since they were last tested. I just dunno. But I'm definitely gonna badger my doctor about this. Thanks for your help hun!
It sounds like something hormonal to me. Have you gone to see an endocrinologist yet? If not, this may be a step in the right direction. It was for me. Good Luck
Yup, I think its hormonal related too but its so weird that my hormone tests a year ago came back normal. Nope I haven't been to see a Endo yet but I will as soon as I can. I'll see my doctor first, get some tests, refered to a GYNO and hopefully a ENDO too. I cant go wrong then
Yup, I think its hormonal related too but its so weird that my hormone tests a year ago came back normal. Nope I haven't been to see a Endo yet but I will as soon as I can. I'll see my doctor first, get some tests, refered to a GYNO and hopefully a ENDO too. I cant go wrong then
that happened to me too. Tests came back normal but they said I had very sensitive hair follicles. whatever. they suck sometimes. Keep looking until you find a good doctor and tell them about the hair, or get laser. Its expensive but it helps me feel like I have things under control. It takes a while, but it definately doesn't hurt as bad as a tattoo.
Yup it really sucks. I feel like a monkey. God its horrible. I'm definitely getting a appointment with my doctor and going to have the hormones all re-tested. I'll ask for a referal to a ENDO and possibly a GYNO as well.
the hair really DOES suck! if you are not trying to conceive, i would fight hard to get spironolactone.
i have been on 100mg 2x/day for about 3 years now. i had severe facial and neck hair (body hair was not as much of a problem.....) it was dark black and very heavy. i spend several hours a day plucking and shaving my face.
now, most of those hairs are now white instead of the dark black. i think there is less of it as well. i am pleased with the results.
if someone gave me a magic wish to change one thing about pcos forever, i know i should probably go for something health related, because those problems are really serious. but i KNOW i would choose to have my facial hair go away once and for all.
it's tough but keeping looking for a doctor that will work with you and not against you. have you tried the doctor lists on this site?
good luck with whatever you decide to do.... no 19 year old should have to deal with this crap....
It's the one thing about myself that I hate and just don't know how to deal with. I can deal with the weight, I can deal with the depression, I can deal with the screwy menstrual cycle, I can deal with all of it. But the hair... well it just robs me of any femininity I have and makes me feel like a freak.
Though one thing I do have is a helpful doctor. Aqua I'm in Australia and don't know where you are, but here we can just go to another doctor if we don't like the one we've been to. And basically I just kept going to doctor after doctor until one FINALLY listened to me. That's how I finally found my lovely Dr Jo. She hasn't been able to help me with the facial hair (we've tried a lot of things though) but thanks to her I've lost 17kg (37.4lbs) so far this year. There ARE good doctors out there, you just have to shop around the same as you would for any other service.
All we can do is hope that SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE finds a "cure" for this infernal hair!!
Nope I haven't tried the doctors list on this site but I'll definitely have a look. I thought only USA doctors would be on the list but I'll still check
I'm from UK hun. Yeah we can change our doctors if were not happy but some of the doctor surgerys here would like the whole family registered at their practice too. There is one doctor I can talk to. She calls my mad periods "time for a girl chat", lol. She's good in that kind of things but in other issues useless. Still I'll have a moan at her and ask her to give me the strongest hair stopped pill on the market. I cant show her any hairs because I'll probably of shaved them off by then but if I'm stubborn she should believe me.
Yup having this hiritusim (sp) is seriously pants. You do feel utterly unfenimine and choosing fashionable clothes can be a problem incase it shows off some "hairy" areas which you've missed with the razor. Not to mention jeans that show up your "flabby" bits. Argh!
I've had PCOS since I was around 13 or so....but I think I've really had it since puberty (at the tender age of EIGHT)... The hair..yeah... I specifically remember shaving 20 minutes before my prom just so the hair wouldn't be so bad that night. Wonderful, isn't it?
BEFORE I got pg, I was on Yasmin (to control my periods) and Spironolactone 100 mg bid (twice a day) to try to control the facial hair. It *did* help, although I only noticed it when I wasn't taking it. It made my hair growth less 'scruffy' (if that makes sense) and a little bit lighter.
For a long time, I couldn't get anyone to listen to me about it...I had to keep changing docs until someone would listen. Keep bouncing around until you get someone who will listen!!
From one hairy to another... many hugs.
Melissa
__________________ Melissa (24)
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DD1 - Olivia, 21 months
DD2 - Peyton, born May 25, 2007 I am a proud Navy Wife!
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I was on Yasmin too but I stopped using it because it gave me pregnancy symptoms and weight gain. Turned out I was pregnant too but I had a M/C in March. God knows how I became pregnant while on BCP. I was taking it 100% accurately so I'm guessing the dose wasn't high enough or something.
*big hugs back* Aw god I hear ya. I ALWAYS shave when I'm going out with friends incase someone puts their arm around me and feels my stubble. I would die of embarassment and probably hibernate for the next 50years if they did. Seriously I would, lol.
I've got an appointment to see the lady doctor on Wednesday. I've got no idea what to say to her though. I'm going about my migraines and the hair growth but I dunno how to say "Im hairy" to her.How do I tell the doctor? Knowing my doctor she'd probably want to see the hairs but they wont be there.
When I was your age my horomones tested normal and I went undaignosed, I DEFINALTY had PCOS then...Now I have full blown PCOS at 30 yrs old, horomones all out of whack, and i'm pre-diabetic. Your levels can be normal and still have PCOS!!
Stormy~
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Yeah I think your testosterone levels are normal sometimes even though you have the extra hair problem. And I do. Loads of it. God its horrible. I did read somewhere that if you've extra sensitive hair follicles you can have extra hair but testosterone levels can come back normal. I'm definitely having the hormones re-tested.
Going crazy 
many hugs. 
