i have pcos, im 21 and bleeding for months! help!

mimipink2 · 02-23-2009, 07:56 PM

Hi Everyone, I am new to this site and am so glad I found it! I have a couple of questions for you guys....

I am 21, 5'8 around 120lbs and my doctor is guessing I do have pcos according to my lab results. My hormone saliva test said my progesterone and estrogen are low and testosterone is extremely high. I had an utlrasound but they didnt find any cysts on my ovaries. Pap tests came back normal. I am not diabetic but it does run in my family.

Have any of you experienced bleeding for over 4 months? I have been bleeding since august. My cycles have never been normal and i started my period pretty late at 15. When i was 18 is when these hectic cycles began. I would have like brown spotting throughout the month and then a very painful heavy period. My cycle kind of regulated over the summer and I had like 2 normal periods where i didnt have any spotting or bleeding between my period. but now the bleeding is like constant, like a light flow ranging from brownish spotting to light bleeding for the whole month. I noticed some hair growth too these past few months and I've never had hair in these places before!

I tried taking the pill 2 weeks ago but I couldnt handle it, it gave me really bad morning sickness, I took Ortho tricyclen lo. My doctor now gave progesterone cream but its making me bleed more.

I really dont know what to do. I dont have health insurance so I cant afford to make an appt with a gyno. When I did have insurance all the doctors I went to just told me to go on the pill , they were never really concerned that I would have periods that last 2 months. the doctor im seeing now, I pay out of pocket so im basically broke now and cant see her either. So thats why im here, trying to find a solution for this menstrual problem. If you have been through this pleeeeeease let me know what worked for you and which bc pill you took. Also, if you could offer me advice on where I can go to see a gyno that won't be so expensive I would really appreciate it. I've called around my area and the visits are wayy too expensive for me, this one place charged $250 per visit! yikes! Please help, I'll appreciate any advice!! Thanks so much!

Also, I have been reading that pcos is caused due to insulin resistance. How can I found out if I have insulin resistance? which test? I am very thin but I do eat a lot of sugary foods, is this bad? What foods should I avoid to improve pcos? my doctor said to eat ground flaxseeds because its good for pcos. I would like to know what foods worked for you. I would rather do a natural method than medication. Thanks!

keohanel · 02-25-2009, 08:10 PM

i have spotted for weeks at a time. it bites

first, since ortho gave you an upset stomach, maybe you should try another birth control if you aren't TTC. i know one (mercette, i think?) gave me an awful stomach ache but the nuvaring did not. so it depends on you.

you should try to limit your sugar intake and can be tested for IR. i was never tested but took metformin and that really helped my symptoms, but it took 6 months.

GL!

DD56 · 02-28-2009, 02:38 AM

hi mimipink2,
sorry to hear you're having a hard time with finding good healthcare. It is so ridiculously expensive these days. $250/visit sounds especially bad, they shouldn't charge that much.
bleeding irregularly, sometimes with breakthrough bleeding can happen in people with pcos. I don't personally have that issue, but know many women who do. birth control medications are usually the first choice to regulate your periods if you're not ttc currently. sometimes people tolerate the monophasic pills (ortho novum, yaz, alesse, just to name a few) better than the triphasic (like orthotricyclen) and maybe a lower dose would help with the nausea. also maybe try taking them a different time of the day.
I don't know where you live, but in USA you can often get seen and treated with BCP's by nurse practitioners in a health department for a much lower cost. I don't know if they would do a lot for the workup of pcos, but could probably at least provide the BCP's of your choice. Also, a lot of family doctors, at least where I am, can evaluate and treat pcos, especially in someone not ttc, just as well as a gyn, and won't cost nearly as much as a specialist.
the standard way (also easiest and cheapest) to test for insulin resistance is the glucose tolerance test, where you get your blood sugar checked fasting, then drink a certain amount of sugar and are retested at 2 hours. (not to be confused with the 1 and 3 hour glucose tolerance tests done during pregnancy to check for gestational diabetes)
I hope you're able to find a doc and get feeling better soon.