Thread: Hi everyone, self diagnosed here

Hiya everyone!

I've been a lurker here for a couple months, and tonight finally decided to register and post. Some of the posts here have made me smile, laugh, cry and made me think "hey that's me!"

Let's see, I'm 23 and have had symptoms most of my life. I had no idea that other women had these horrible things happening with their otherwise just peachy body. My health insurance only covers accidents, not lab tests or regular exams After 7 years of just dealing with the outward symptoms, I have stopped ignoring the root causes and am trying to do something to improve my health.

I've decided to go the natural route with herbal and vitamin supplements, diet and exercise (still working on the exercise part lol). The supplements have been trial and error, some have made things better and some have made it worse.

My symptoms: hormonal acne, hirsutism, irregular periods, apple body shape, blood sugar out of whack, and thinning hair on head. My biggest concerns are the acne and hair on chest, neck and sideburns. As for the possibility of being infertile and ttc, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Looking forward to making some new friends and sharing!

Tricia

Hi Tricia,

Welcome!

I would highly recommend that you find a good doctor and get yourself officially diagnosed to make sure that it is, in fact, PCOS that is causing the health problems that you have. There are other conditions that can cause similar symptoms, and it is really important to make sure that you know what you're dealing with. If you do decide to go this route, don't get discouraged if you come across doctors who don't seem to have a clue - we've all been there! Just keep persisting and go in armed with information.

Again, welcome to SC!

Jen K

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome!

A few months ago I did try to get an appointment with a gynecologist for an exam and full blood panel. Since my insurance doesn't cover it, it would cost about $600 (which would take me months to pay off, let alone follow-up appointments). I looked into student health plans at the college I attend, and there aren't any. I'm contemplating applying for state health care, since I pay taxes lol.

After researching symptoms and their causes, all signs point to PCOS.

Thanks again for the welcome messages!