Well, I am new here (duh). I've been lurking for a few days, but just signed up here today. This post is going to be excruciatingly long, so bear with me (or just don't read it
).
I put this post in this forum, because I am a firm believer in natural remedies, and I refuse to use BCPs or any other prescription drug. I considered posting this in the newbie forum, but didn't because A) I've been coping with PCOS for years and am not "new" to it, and B) Because I prefer alternative therapies, I don't want to get a bunch of responses saying "try spironolactone" or "try metformin" and so forth; hopefully people in this forum will have a better idea of where I'm coming from. However, if the mods feel this post belongs elsewhere, feel free to move it.
I want to put my background on here. I have had problems with acne, difficulty losing weight, irregular periods, depression, lack of energy, and excessive facial and body hair since I was 15 (I am 24 now). When I was 15, I was put on BCPs and antibiotics for my acne. I experienced no positive benefits from either; the BCPs caused me to gain excessive weight and the antibiotics messed up my GI terribly, so I stopped both the antibiotics and the BCPs after about 4 months. I have tried *everything* for my acne short of accutane (too many side effects); nothing has helped much, except topical benzoyl peroxide, which gives a slight improvement, but I still get small whiteheads frequently and big cysts from time to time. I generally shave or nair my body hair (I am going to try the "magic" stuff that I saw recommended elsewhere on here), and pluck my facial hair. I am a poor college student so I cannot afford laser hair removal (or many other things for that matter).
I think my lethargy is partially due to my low iron anemia. When I was 18 my Dr tested my blood for iron, found that it was just below the level that is considered normal (I forget the exact numbers now), so I supplemented with iron for about 8 months, returned for a second test, and my blood iron levels were exactly where they had been before. My Dr said that my levels arent "too" low, just lower than what is considered normal, and that maybe that is just my bodies natural iron level. The lethargy isn't a huge problem for me; I do wish I had a bit more energy, but it doesn't really prevent me from doing things I need to do at this point. I sleep fairly well; generally I need to get 8-9 hours to feel well rested (wish I could get away with less!), but I do sleep pretty well. I do have a problem with motivation though, which I think is related to my depression. My depression isn't severe and I am not on meds for it, but I do take fish oil (to help with acne as well), and that is supposed to help although sometimes its difficult to say how much positive effect it really has.
I am not too terribly overweight. I am 5'5" and I weigh 150lbs. I would like to lose about 15-20lbs, I think then I would be perfect.
At the age of about 19 I started taking charge of my health naturally. It has been a long process of slow incremental improvements, but I think it has been quite good overall. I have slowly cut out sodas and fast food completely. I drink plenty of water every day, and I also eat a high fiber diet (no white bread!). I avoid eggs and excess dairy, and I don't eat meat except for occasional fish; I eat a lot of soy-based meat alternatives, as well as an abundance of nuts, lentils, beans, etc. I eat plenty of fresh veggies and fruits each day, too. I have been taking a good multi-vitamin (Super Nutrition brand) daily for several years, and have also been taking Fish Oil (2,000mg/day) and Evening primrose oil (1,000mg/day) and probiotics (Jarrow brand) for about 4 years. Although I do not exercise at the gym every day, I am quite active in other ways (play b-ball, hike, bike, kayak, etc) on a regular basis.
My period history has been as follows:
From when I got my period until about age 19, my period was always very sporadic. When they came they were "normal" (I got bad cramps, but the periods only lasted about 5-6 days), but I would frequently skip months, sometimes missing several months in a row. It was about the time that I began taking my multivitamin that my period seemed to even out a bit. My cramps were still bad, and I would still occasionally miss a month here and there, but it has been much more regular over the past 5 years. That is, until about 6 days ago. My period wasn't due for another 2.5 weeks, and yet I started spotting between my periods. This has never happened to me before, so I went to my school clinic. The Dr there said PCOS or not, spotting between periods is pretty common, and to let her know if it got worse or went on for much longer. Well, today is day #6, and this SUCKS. My BF is annoyed that we can't have sex, and frankly, *I* am annoyed that we can't have sex! My last period just ended about 5 days before this started, and this is just so frustrating for me.
At the age of 20 I was diagnosed with PCOS by my (former) Doctor. She tested my blood, and told me that the symptoms I was having and the fact that my hormone levels were "off" indicated that I have PCOS. She told me that I could take metformin or spironolactone to regulate ovulation, but I do not want to become pregnant so I saw no point in that. I have since done some research myself and it seems that the potential benefits don't outweigh the potential side effects in my case. Especially because, until my spotting started 6 days ago, I seemed to be able to control my symptoms in one way or another (plucking excess hair, using topical treatment for acne, etc.).
The spotting has incited me to take a more proactive stance in treating my PCOS. I have done a bit of research, and ordered 2 60 caps bottles of 600mg D-Pinnitol yesterday. I apparently didn't do enough research before ordering, to find out that the conversion rate of D-Pinnitol to DCI is only about 33%, but I'll up my dosage a bit and then next time around order the DCI itself. It is really expensive, but it is cheaper than the Insulite, which actually brings up my first question:
How can I tell if I am insulin-resistant (I think that is the right term)? Apparently a lot of women who have PCOS have insulin-related problems, but I guess not all of us do, so how can I tell if this is a problem for me?
Also, is there an affordable way to monitor my hormone levels myself? I prefer not to have to go through a Drs office, but when I looked at saliva testing online it cost upwards of $150/test.
At this point, I plan to use the D-Pinnitol for 2 months, and if that doesn't work well I may try the DCI itself. Failing that, I think I will try vitex (possibly in combination with saw palmetto?). And if none of those work, I will likely try natural progesterone cream.
I plan to use this thread as a journal, to keep on top of my regimen, and hopefully to benefit others with my experiences using these treatments.
Thanks for looking everyone; and I hope that someone can answer my questions
Going to try D-Pinnitol, then going from there... 
