Hello. My name is Rachel. I am 24 years old and live in Tampa, FL. I was diagnosed with PCOS a little less than a year ago.
Since the age of fourteen I knew that something was off when it came to my cycle. In the beginning, my period would last 7-10 days and would never completely go away. I soon became anemic. Rather than exploring the reasons why this was occurring my doctor put me on the pill and brushed it off as my body just needing help regulating. I stayed on the pill for roughly seven years.
I decided to stop taking the pill two and half years ago when my husband and I decided that we wanted to begin having children. Once I stopped taking the pill my period would only come every other month and after a year of trying to get pregnant with no luck I decided that it was time to consult with a doctor. This doctor didn't seem concerned by the length of our trial and error suggesting that I was still very young (22 at the time) and that an "aggressive" approach shouldn't be taken. She didn't suggest checking my hormone levels or anything, just for me to keep trying and document my activity. At the time I wasn't wanting an aggressive approach (I didn't even really know what that meant), I was just simply looking for an answer as to why my whole life I had been so irregular and why now, after a year, was I not getting pregnant.
Ironically, I found out a week later that I was pregnant (yep my doctor failed to notice). My husband and I were overjoyed. The joy was short lived, however, as I miscarried after 9 weeks. I had never felt that kind of heartache before in my life. The words of comfort that I received from my doctor were that I shouldn't worry, that after a month or two I could start trying again, many women have miscarriages, and that I would be pregnant again in no time. I reminded her that it had taken me a year to conceive and that I highly doubted that I would be pregnant again in "no time."
After the miscarriage I wasn't sure if I ever wanted to try to get pregnant again. The whole experience was a nightmare. A week or so after the D&C I found out that my brother's wife was pregnant, as well as a friend and a co-worker. As much as I wanted to be happy for them I was so angry and filled with envy. I felt robbed and I cursed God.
It was several months later that I decided to take matters into my own hands. I bought a fertility journal, a BBT, an Ovulite, fertility books, etc...My BBT chart ended up looking more like the Rocky Mountains than a typical menstrual pattern. The Ovulite always looked different. Frustration set in when my period disappeared.
I finally said enough is enough and decided to consult with a Reproductive Endocrinologist. After a blood test and an ultrasound he determined that I had PCOS. Though the diagnosis was not good news, I couldn't help but to feel slightly relieved. I finally had an answer to all my "why" questions. This relief faded when a whole new set of questions took over. Now that I knew what was wrong with me what could I do about it? Clomid was the answer.
My first and only round of Clomid was unsuccessful (as my doctor had warned me that it probably would be). My health insurance does not cover fertility treatment. The expense of the copay to meet with the specialist, the blood tests, ultrasounds, mixed with the amount of time it took out of my already busy schedule and the emotional strain of constantly thinking about my ovaries caused my husband and I to decide to put the brakes on. It was all starting to feel like a science experiment. This wasn't how we wanted to conceive.
That was seven months ago. We still want to have children, but are unsure as to how far we are willing to go to make it come to pass. I stumbled across this website tonight and it has felt great to vent. I look forward to reading your stories and hope to get advice from you in regards to fertility and all around health. If anyone should know of a great doctor in the Tampa, FL area I would love to get their information as I have yet to find someone that makes me comfortable. Thank you for taking the time to read my story.
Hi Rachael! I'm new on the board too.
You know, the first paragraph of your story was EXACTLY mine! And probably around the same age, too. I was also told that I just needed regulating (I became anaemic too), and doc put me on the pill.
I had been having abnormal periods starting at around age 14. My mom and sister both have severe endometriosis, so the gyn just assumed that I had the same thing. He didn't run any labs, do a laparoscopy (standard proceedure to diagnose endometriosis). He failed to notice that I was a 160 lb 14-year-old with excess hair. He didn't do anything but start me on Depo-Provera ("the shot"). After 9 months of Depo, I was done. I gained 30 lbs, had morning sickness, cravings, mood swings, hot flashes - my body basically thought it was pregnant, and I got to feel the lovely effects.
After Depo I switched to Ortho-TriCyclen. It was better, and I stayed on that for a while, although because I wasn't sexually active I wasn't very faithful about taking the pill every day, so after a couple years I switched to Nuva-Ring. After a few years I forgot to get a refill one month, which turned into two, etc. So I was birth control-free for a few years until I met and married my husband.
About two months before the wedding I started on the Patch, which made me violently ill. At this point, I weighed about 190-200 lbs. I started using Nuva-Ring again, and then the day came when we decided not to get it refilled. As soon as I got off the Ring, I ballooned in weight to 240 lbs. After a few months, I stopped having regular periods all together. My cycles ranged from 21-68 days. I was convinced that something was wrong with me, but since we were moving cross-country from Phoenix to Eastern Tennessee in a few months, we decided not to get checked out until we moved. In the mean while, I started charting my cycles. By the time we were settled in TN three months later, it was painfully obvious that my charts were off, as well as the fact that I now weighed 290 lbs.
We went to the university OB/Gyn clinic (affliated with the local med school), and met a young 4th year resident who after instantly looking at me and my charts, diagnosed me with PCOS.
It's ironic that after 2 PCPs and 2 GYNs it was a lowly resident who diagnosed my PCOS. He's amazing, and I'd rather see him over a "better" doctor anyday!
Here's My Story (caution...it's long) 
. You are not alone. Alot of women have been were you are. Glad you found SC.
