kt

I am in my 20s and was diagnosed with PCOS about three years ago through a LH:FSH blood test (5:1), plus the fact that I had never had a regular period. Otherwise, I am lean and athletic and have no other problems related to PCOS. They did an IR test that showed I actually had low insulin. BC pills have made me somewhat regular, although I still don't have a "real" period.

From time to time I have had some hypoglycemic episodes, mainly mild and manageable. I always eat a small snack or drink juice before exercising and eat many small meals throughout the day (although I AM addicted to carbs which is bad!). This past November I had a really bad low blood sugar attack while in the shower (of all places!), shaking so bad I couldn't walk, cold sweats, dizzy, etc. They come on so quickly it is scary.

Since then I have had a few more episodes. It is largely erratic except for that I consistently am unable to take my 30-minute walk before I eat lunch because I will be shaking and sick and in a cold sweat by the time I get back.

Does this have anything to do with my PCOS? Shouldn't my problem be blood sugar that is too HIGH if I have PCOS? Is it possible I could have been misdiagnosed with PCOS? My body seems to have "grown up" a little in these past year or so (I have hips now!) and I feel capable of having a period on my own if I go off the BC.

My husband and I are going to start trying to have a family this spring, and I am a little nervous about all of this.

*katja*

I haven't really had my blood sugar levels "investigated" except the normal fasting insulin but I am pretty thin & have hypoglycemic episodes too, and I definitely have PCOS--bloodwork & ultrasound proved it. I also have "regular" but longish cycles (around 35 days), but they're usually anovulatory. I found that moderate carbing helped a bit with the hypoglycemia--I don't get the big sugar crash or feel hungry, shaky, irritable as easily. I think there are different manifestations of PCOS & the whole insulin connection is not all that clear just yet--also there is not as much research on lean women with PCOS.

Best wishes ttc. If I can give you any advice, start trying right after going off the pill--I followed the usual advice of waiting 3 months to get the hormones out of my system & missed several natural ovulatory cycles--have since found out that this advice, depending on the pill, is outdated. Maybe I would have saved myself the fertility treatments, maybe not (we found out quickly we were also dealing with male factor).

scbegonias

kt, i've had recurrent hypoglycemic epidsodes throughout my life. a nutritionist i saw last year gave me some info that says some researchers believe that diabetes is a continuum from normal-hypog-ir-diabetes...and everything beyond normal is an abnormal ( ) response of varying degrees. i'll try to dig it up.

in the meantime, analyze your diet. a couple docs i visited insisted that i just needed to drink more gatorade during workouts, etc. what a load! i finally saw a couple nutritionists who helped me settle things...what i finally settled on was a low sugar/ moderate carb diet with regular exercise (sounds like you have that done). a few other things that helped was eating frequent meals (i don't usually go beyond the two hour mark) and making sure they all contain protein, fat, and fiber.

as for ttc, i've heard the right off the pill thing...that didn't work for me. i took the long and slow approach where i combined charting, vitex, dong quai, diet, and exercise.

good luck!