Recently, I was diagnosed with PCOS. I have been trying to find out as much as I can about the condition and if the diagnosis is correct. I have always had irregular periods and in the past year and a half I have had significant weight flucuations ending in an additional 12 pounds that I cant lose no matter what I do. This made me go to my OB and she determined that I had PCOS by my FSH and LH levels. I went to a fertility specialist and he confimed it with an ultrasound. The problem is that I have none of the other symptoms such as facial hair, balding, depression, etc. AND my fasting insulin levels were normal. The specialist told me that my PCOS was not linked to insulin resistance. How can that be? I thought all PCOS was a result of IR? Im on metformin b/c I asked the specialist about it and he said I could try it. I have been TTC for 3 months now. What should I do.... any more tests? Please help! Thank you soooo much.
Welcome to Soulcysters...you have come to the right place for information.....this board was an absolute life saver to me once I was Dx-ed with PCOS!!!
Okay first things first...you dont have to be IR to have PCOS and you can have PCOS and not be IR there are several ladies on the boards like this..just like you can have PCOS and still have regular monthly periods.....PCOS is very complex as Im sure you have learned....
I would refer to the stickys at the top of this forum for some clues on maybe what to ask your Dr about tests and the results...I know my Dr did alot but I couldnt tell you what they were....
We were TTC at the time we found out about my PCOS too I would also suggest that you check out the TTC forum too....theres tons of info there too about methods, meds, and tests as well...
Good Luck
__________________ Krysten
MOMMY TO ETHAN JACKSON SEPTEMBER 18, 2003
Stats 25lbs. 34 inches long
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My daughter's symptoms sound very much like yours. The fluctuating weight, and lack of periods. She also deals with acne, not horrible, but for a teenager, any acne is terrible. She was diagnosed because of the LH, FSH levels as well. Her insulin levels were normal, she has no facial hair or balding, but she does have a slightly elevated cholesterol level. We also found out that she has a "sluggish" thyroid and many thyroid symptoms mimic PCOS symptoms. I am not 100% convinced that she truly has PCOS (maybe that is just wishful thinking).
My daughter is sort of in denial right now, this is all so new. She is this beautiful 18 y.o. woman and the thought of growing facial hair and balding, and gaining more and more weight is frightening her. I hope that she never gets to that point and we can get this under control before all of that happens.
For the past 3 months she has been taking Yasmin, 25 mg. of snythroid, exercising religiously and really watching her carbs (hard to do on a college campus). We are seeing the endocrinologist tomorrow. I want to discuss natural alternatives to treating this - the Yasmin is turning her into a monster.
Thank you both for the reply. This is a truly confusing condition and thank god for sites like this that help clarify. I read a book called PCOS: a women guide to dealing with PCOS by Colette Harris. The book was helpful but discribed this as a condition with an underlying cause of insulin resistance. That was very scary to me, as I sell Avandia for Type 2 diabetes and know how terrible IR can be.
I would imagine that as I do more research, I will find out the other causes of PCOS besides family history and IR. Any one with any other ideas please let me know.
I truely appreciate your advice and support. Thank you.
Your experience is much like mine, and many PCOSers only have a few of the long list of possible symptoms. You may still be sensitive to insulin, but in a way that is not measurable on a test. Many of us without any official IR factor still respond well to reducing sugar and carbs, so it can be trial and error.
Since you are TTC, they should be monitoring you regularly with ultrasounds and blood tests to see how you respond to various meds. If a particular course of treatment doesn't work after a few months, then they may go back to square 1 and do another battery of diagnostic tests to see if they can pinpoint another contributing factor to your PCOS, or they may immediately try another combo of meds (ie met with clomid) or move onto more intense treatments (injectables, IUI, IVF). I haven't heard of many Dr's who will do every possible test upfront, as that can be wasteful, expensive and hard on the body. So it's a staged process... you'll need patience.
Make sure to chart your temps so you get a good sense of your cycles and keep reading and learning so you can be an equal participant in your medical care.
Since I am not IR and don't have a lot of the PCOS symptoms that may be tied to IR, my Dr wouldn't start me with met. I am on provera and clomid and it seems to be working on its own at the level most people get results (150mg). The tests I had were the same as yours.
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Im new... help! 
