I've been long suspecting PCOS (fat around the tum, extra hair, acne, irregular periods, plus a possible ruptured cyst last year), but I wasn't all that concerned about it until I gained a bunch of weight for no apparent reason and stopped having periods at all. I went to the GYN, but she won't diagnose me for insurance reasons; she points out that insurers often look at a PCOS diagnosis and just think money, and I'm too young (25) and temporarily employed (grad school) to be saddled with that. This seems like a good point, but it also means I can't get on met, or keep track of my levels of anything.
The GYN gave me Yasmin and I only started that yesterday so I have no idea how it's going. I really can't afford to gain weight, though -- grad students CANNOT grow out of their pants, it's not financially feasible. My boyfriend's sister has PCOS and she only found it possible to lose weight after she got on BCPs -- has this been true for anyone else? The only time I've managed to lose weight I was on them, but it might have been a coincidence.
Also, I've seen some hints around here that extreme tiredness and sleeping ALL THE DANG TIME is a frequent related problem, but I haven't seen anything official. Is this something others experienced? Did anything make it better? I can't afford to lose any more time any more than I can afford to gain any more weight.
I'm not doing any particular weight loss program, just trying to be reasonable and not carb it up. Comments on that?
Do you have the option of going to another gyn?? If you have insurance can you go to an endocronologist? I've read a lot of posts where people have to go to different gyn before one will listen. What city are you in? Maybe someone on the board can suggest a doc.
I would find another doc. A doctor that won't treat your symptoms because of how it will look to insurance is NOT looking after your best interests. My doc dxed me and started me on Metformin. No mention of Birth Control Pills were brought up by him. I am on a lower carb diet and that has helped a lot.
Hi! I'm new here too, but have been reading posts here quite awhile.
Have you had your glucose levels/A1C checked? It's possible you could be insulin resistant or have abnormal levels, and the Met could be prescribled for that instead of just PCOS. I was dx'ed with Type 2 and put on Met before the PCOS was even dx'ed.
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Heather, that's a good idea. Going to an endo is probably the first step anyway, but that does get around the insurance issue.
Pamela, the problem with low-carb is that I get sick (bad nausea to debilitating cramps) if I have to digest too much unopposed protein. I'm not great at digesting and the easier stuff is usually higher-carb. Without an IR diagnosis, though, I'm not sure what if any carbs I should be avoiding, or how much I can get away with for comfort, or whether I even have to be eating low-carb at all (I mean, I don't know that I'm IR, just highly suspect it).
I think it's probably not so important what your doctor calls it (i.e. whether she actually writes "PCOS" on your chart or not) but much more important what your treatment plan is.
I don't see why she can't give you Met. Met is not actually approved for PCOS anyway -- it's prescribed "off-label", meaning for a use other than which it is normally intended.
But if you are not happy with the doctor, byt all means find another one.
__________________ Me (33) DH(48) DS(2)
Jan 2005: M/C #1 (conceived naturally)
Oct 2005: M/C #2 (conceived on Clomid)
Oct 2005: 1st cycle after M/C (on Metformin) O on CD28, BFP at 13dpo. Heatbeat detected at 6w6d 2008: TTC #2 on Metformin
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[quote=BeesQ]
Pamela, the problem with low-carb is that I get sick (bad nausea to debilitating cramps) if I have to digest too much unopposed protein.
Here's just a suggestion to help low carb...try the whole wheat stuff products. Your body is probably freaking out from the low carbing. With the whole wheat pasta for example, you still get the carbs, but it's healthier.
Hi BeesQ, welcome
Sadly I do kinda see your GYN's point. I don't necessarily agree, but I see where they are coming from. If you are diagnosed now, just before you begin your career and get health benefits, it will be considered a "pre-existing condition" and depending on the insurance it may only be partially covered, only covered after a period of time, or not covered at all. Sucks, but that's the way insurance works these days. So I suppose she is saying you should just treat it conservatively now and then persue things more vigorously once you have your ultimate career and bennies. If it is kept off of your chart until then it will be fully covered by insurance.
It is something to think about, actually. My sister is Type I Diabetic and was diagnosed at 16. She had a heck of a time getting her Diabetes care paid for by insurance once she started working. She ended up having to pay an exhorbitant amount of money for her own private health insurance just to have it covered at all. This was in the late 80's and somehow I doubt it has gotten better on this front.
About BCP... Yes, on the right formulation I can lose or at least maintain a decently normal weight without much effort (Demulen, for me). The wrong formulation can make me gain no matter what I do (Ortho-Tri-cyclin). Some I will just hold steady no matter how I watch my diet and exercise (Seasonale, Levlan). I think it depends on one's personal hormonal profile.
Diet... I don't feel well on strict low-carb diets either. I've lost a lot of weight (120 lbs+) on the Zone diet, which is basically a balanced protein, carb, and fat diet. You can read about it here: http://www.zoneperfect.com/site/cont...terTheZone.asp
This is just one of a myriad of such diets. Plus in the "Carb diet craze" many people seem to have forgotten that there are good (low glycemic index) and bad (high glycemic index) carbs. I'm not saying you, just people in general. One can certainly have carbs, as long as it's a limited amount, and they are of the "good" variety like the whole wheat pasta Jax009 just mentioned. Finding the right diet/way of eating for you can be exhausting, but worth it in the long run for both PCOS/IR/weight control and general health. You'll know when you've found the right one when you begin to feel so much better!
I'm managing my PCOS right now through BCP, diet and vitamins/supplements (and would be exercising, but there's physical issues w/that). No it's not ideal, but like you I have reasons for waiting a little while before running the gamut of finding a new doc, getting dx'ed again, and going on a crop of new medications. You may decide the insurance risk is worth it and go for it, but I'm holding steady for now and improving in many ways. The only worry with waiting is, of course, the IR or even Diabetes risks. In your case it might not be worth it, especially if you have Diabetes in your family.
Hope you can find a solution to this dilemma!
Dana
__________________ Me (33)/Michael (3o) Together for almost nine long, happy years!
First PCOS dx: 1989 Supplements: One A Day Weight Smart, B Complex, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid (B5), B12, Saw Palmetto, Vit C, Vit D3, NAC, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Chromium Piconolate, Cinnamon, Magnesium, EPO, Zinc Gluconate, Green Tea Diet: "Modified" Zone plan
"You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her" -Anon.
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Thanks, guys, especially for the diet tips. I mostly eat whole wheat bread/pasta anyway because I just like it better, and I've been slowly switching over to low-sugar versions of the things I can't do without (jelly, frozen yogurt). Zone sounds not unlike how I eat anyway, except that recently I'd gotten way too prone to eat a bowl of cheerios or leftover pasta as a snack. We do cook with a lot of whole grains, tons of veggies, and chicken and fish. I've been trying to enforce a "potatoes on Sunday only" rule.
Part of why I'd like to get the IR looked at -- and thanks for reminding me that met isn't technically for PCOS, I think I can definitely swing getting tested for IR while dodging insurance issues, which is probably what my GYN *should* have recommended -- is that I am tired ALL THE TIME. This is worse when I don't take enough Lexapro, but not significantly. I can basically fall asleep at the drop of a hat and I'm really difficult to wake up... it's kind of baby narcolepsy. This is particularly noticeable if I've eaten sugar, so I'm almost sure it's food-related... getting treated for IR might help me even out my energy levels, and I need that to get through grad school.
Thanks again for all your advice. Oh, I'm on Yasmin now and I think I'm still gaining weight, despite its supposed diuretic effect which should have kicked in by now. Not looking forward to having to switch around every couple of months until I find the right formulation, but at least i can do that at the school's health center.
Thanks again for all your advice. Oh, I'm on Yasmin now and I think I'm still gaining weight, despite its supposed diuretic effect .
I was on Yasmin 3 yrs. ago and it was wonderful, on the flip side, my boyfriend at the time could always tell when i had not taken my pill...Guess i wasn't very nice when I hadn't taken it
GYN won't diagnose 
