I went to see a gyneacologist last Tuesday, and simply said that I didn't want to have a beard any more. (under my chin, on my chin, lovely sideburns that most guys are jelous of and of course on my upper lip). He said that there was absolotely nothing they could do unless I lost 220 pounds. Which left me walking away from there with tears streaming down my face. So.
I'm taking sibutramine (Reductil) to help with my weightloss (I've lost 22 pounds so far, since July). Other than that I take nothing. Here in Sweden they seem reluctant to help PCOS patients.
Now to the question: Would laser treatment help me? or would it be a total waste of money and ineffective? I would have to pay for it all by myself. Is it worth it with largely untreaded PCOS? No Spiro, no metformin no nothing.
If you have any experience like mine, or know of any quality web pages with relevant information I would love to hear from you.
Is he refusing to offer treatment for the hirsutism until you lost weight?
Or does he (mistakenly) believe that hirsutism can't be treated in women with weight issues?
Either way, he's a dork, for sure, but it would still be worth getting the clarification.
If it's #1, I'd find a new doctor.
If it's #2, and you want to try to work with him, it might be worth taking him the litererature on Spiro, Flutamide, Zocor(yes, it's a statin, but it helps lower testosterone), etc.
Laser is something you can do on your own. It's not permanent, but you'll have some fairly dramatic and VERY long lasting results (by long lasting I mean years.)
But if you don't get the underlying androgen issues resolved, new coarse hairs will grow.
Also run a few searches here on the board on:
- Vinegar (some use as an alternative to metformin)
- Cinnamon (like vinegar, can be good for blood sugar issues)
- Spearment tea (can help to lower androgens in women with pcos)
There are several VERRRRRRY long threads on all 3 alternative remedies.
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I really can't tell if it's #1 och #2, I was in there for about half a minute. But he did say something about the testosterone being stored in fat tissue.
I am trying to find a new doctor, but since this is Sweden and most of the health care here is publicly funded, it's kind of hard.
So laser would help, at least reducing it for a year or so? And if I keep losing weight it should go down by itself a little?
I really can't tell if it's #1 och #2, I was in there for about half a minute. But he did say something about the testosterone being stored in fat tissue.
I am trying to find a new doctor, but since this is Sweden and most of the health care here is publicly funded, it's kind of hard.
So laser would help, at least reducing it for a year or so? And if I keep losing weight it should go down by itself a little?
Laser will destroy the current hair follicles, so for the 'current' hairs - yes, laser will help.
But other meds like Spiro, and flutamide might help slow down everything, too.
I had 100 pounds to lose when I switched from spiro to flutamide, and it worked great. (it's not for everyone, and neither are appropriate if you are ttc, but many women have luck with them.)
Check out the links. in my above post. They'll explain a lot.
There's also a sticky at the top of this forum, that has good info.
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I went to see a gyneacologist last Tuesday, and simply said that I didn't want to have a beard any more. (under my chin, on my chin, lovely sideburns that most guys are jelous of and of course on my upper lip). He said that there was absolotely nothing they could do unless I lost 220 pounds. Which left me walking away from there with tears streaming down my face. So.
I'm taking sibutramine (Reductil) to help with my weightloss (I've lost 22 pounds so far, since July). Other than that I take nothing. Here in Sweden they seem reluctant to help PCOS patients.
Now to the question: Would laser treatment help me? or would it be a total waste of money and ineffective? I would have to pay for it all by myself. Is it worth it with largely untreaded PCOS? No Spiro, no metformin no nothing.
Let's take this slowly.
First of all the facts -- are you saying that the gynaecologist told you you needed to lose 220 pounds (50kg)?
Clearly your gynaecologist isn't the best communicator and not good at empathising with his patients, but I suspect that what he may have be en meaning is that your weight is so high in relation to your height that
(i) it's putting a strain on all your body systems and you can't expect any of them to function properly if they're under such strain
(ii) any drug treatment is at best unpredictable and very probably dangerous when your body is already working under strain
(iii) beard growth is not in itself a threat to your life in the way that the excess weight is. In fact every gynaecologist is bound to have significant numbers of patients who have beard growth of male proportions -- many of them women who to look at in the street you would never suspect had any abnormality and who suffer no physical ill effects as a result of the beard growth -- it's simply idiopathic or a familial tendency for those women to have beard growth.
None of these things, however, takes account of the distress caused to you.
What about the way forward?
First of all, congratulations on a dramatic weight loss -- 22 pounds (10kg) since July? Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic! You're getting somewhere. Now keep the good work on that front and when you get down to somewhere not more than about 115% of your target weight you should be able to ask your gynaecologist to address your concerns about beard growth.
You're getting somewhere. Now keep the good work on that front and when you get down to somewhere not more than about 115% of your target weight you should be able to ask your gynaecologist to address your concerns about beard growth.
Some cysters like Allison. found it much easier to lose weight once they started medications to control the testosterone in their bodies. While 'beard growth' is a cosmetic concern, elevated androgens are certainly a topic to be explored now. Her doctor, imo, should have at least explained what's going on, and the pros and cons of treatment - now and after weight loss.
Allison. can probably offer more insight regarding her weight in relation to her androgen levels.
I also took flutamide while I was losing 90 pounds. (However, I don't know what, if any, effect it had on my weight. It might have been a key factor...it might not have been - I honestly don't know.)
ETA
I was just off to find Allison.'s profile for you, but I see she's on the board, so hopefully she'll chime in soon. (Allison.)
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YES! Your doctor is a dork. I did lose 200lbs! Guess what? I still had elevated Testosterone. It caused facial hair growth, head hair loss, irregular periods/no periods, and unexplained rapid weight gains.
Thin women can also have elevated Testosterone.
My Endocrinologist said that in Sweden they will not treat obese women for PCOS. I didn't know that it was true.
I take Metformin to have periods and Flutamide for the hair issues. Metformin stopped the unexplained weight gains. There are different types of PCOS and levels of severity. Can you see an Endocrinologist?
I have lost 100lbs three times in my adult life. Every time the weight came back plus more. I even had a gastric bypass. I lost 145lbs in six months. (literally starving myself and exercising like a fiend) I wasn't going to fail this time. Guess what, I gained seven pounds in one week (It wasn't water weight) , I had a period that lasted three weeks.....
I finally demanded an answer from my Doctor. He referred me to GYN. She finally gave me a name for all my symptoms-PCOS. She immediately Rx'd BCP's . I immediately went online, went to the bookstore, library and learned everything I could about PCOS. I found out that BCP's may not be the best treatment for me. I had been on them for 20 years, they didn't help me.
I decided to seek treatment with an Endocrinologist. She ordered a billion tests. (12 tubes of blood!)
She prescribed Metformin-even though I am not insulin resistant. I have not had one episode of unexplained weight gain since.
Metformin stopped the unexplained weight gains and has allowed me to continue to lose weight. (with diet and consistent exercise) I started having regular cycles.
We treat the facial hair and head hair loss with Flutamide. I only remove the facial hair once a month. The head hair loss has stopped and I have a lot of regrowth.
Weight loss will help with every health issue, but your body should be ready for it. (Getting your Testosterone issues taken care of first)
Have you started an exercise program? I started in the swimming pool. Water walking...back and forth, eventually water jogging and then swimming laps. Exercise helps me in many ways. I know how frustrating it is when doctors blame everything on your weight. I remember going in one time for an upper respiratory infection, and I got a lecture about my weight.
Back in December, I was real sick with the Flu. I didn't take my meds consistently and my symptoms started coming back. My body needs Medication, diet and exercise. Good luck I hope that you can find someone to properly treat you.
__________________ Allison
I have to exercise in the morning, before my brain figures out what the hell I am actually doing To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. . Traditional PCOS - Anovulatory, increased androgens, no insulin resistance
Medications and Supps listed on my profile.
As far as I understand conversion tables and stuff, 100 kg equals 220 pounds. ( I haven't understood the quoting function yet, or a way to reply to a specific post in the thread)
I do understand that there are high risks involving medication and obese people. I do also realize that beards and stuff are cosmetic. But I feel that it impairs my quality of life by having to pluck for about an hour every day, not being able to sleep over, having to explain to people all the time, worrying that my students will think that I'm a freak and so on.
As far as I know, I'm not insulin resistant, although my bloodsugar level was elevated. So I've cut down on all the sugar I can find.
I have no idea if I can see an endocrinologist, we only have a small hospital here. But I will ask my GP on Monday.
The plan now is to lose the weight.
I hope I can continue on Reductil and Weight Watchers, and the excersise. I walk home from work 5 days a week, it takes about 40 minutes, and I try to do things the hard way (if I have 2 garbage bags that need to be taken out, I go twice )
And I'll get laser treatment paid myself, and hope for atleast some improvement.
Some cysters like Allison. found it much easier to lose weight once they started medications to control the testosterone in their bodies. While 'beard growth' is a cosmetic concern, elevated androgens are certainly a topic to be explored now. Her doctor, imo, should have at least explained what's going on, and the pros and cons of treatment - now and after weight loss.
Points all accepted.
I'm not attempting to defend the gynaecologist's position, merely to try to see it through his eyes.
The OP is in Sweden which has a very different healthcare system. The general standard of healthcare is very high indeed. However the system is different from the US and "guidelines" can be rigidly enforced. Sometimes the result is counter-productive. In other countries with similar systems, for example, there will be policies of no hip or knee joint replacements for seriously obese patients Under these medical systems even if one manages to find a new doctor, the medical notes follow the patient, so "treatment" (or non-treatment) has a strong tendency to continue as before :-(.
I accept that high testosterone can be a medical problem rather than "merely" leading to a "cosmetic" problem, but presenting with a concern about beard growth doesn't "press the right button" with most European doctors, most of whom will simply tell the patient to shave. A few may suggest electrolysis and may even make it available at the expense of the state.
The manner in which the OP was dealt with is completely unacceptable and I wouldn't excuse it at all. All I was suggesting was that in terms of his medical actions (or lack of them) the doctor was possibly performing as the local system in Sweden would expect (or require) him to perform.
All I was suggesting was that in terms of his medical actions (or lack of them) the doctor was possibly performing as the local system in Sweden would expect (or require) him to perform.
makes sense!
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So I shall take on the whole Swedish healthcare system then
After a bit of surfing the net I seem to have found a clinic (private) that seems to take a more holistic approach to the whole PCOS/obese thing. I'll give them a call on Monday and see what they say.
Is my doctor right or a dork? 
and of course on my upper lip). He said that there was absolotely nothing they could do unless I lost 220 pounds. Which left me walking away from there with tears streaming down my face. So.
I did lose 200lbs! Guess what? I still had elevated Testosterone. It caused facial hair growth, head hair loss, irregular periods/no periods, and unexplained rapid weight gains.
