 my story - be careful!
Hi All:
I think I have PCOS but I'm not sure so I'll get checked out soon.
I have had excessive body hair since puberty which made me extremely depressed. My mom took me to get electrolsis when I was 15 but it never really worked. I used to bleach my upper lip and chin until someone remarked how hairy they were (even when bleached) so I started to shave these areas daily - this was over 14 years ago.
I went to an endocrinologist who found I had excessive testosterone and DHEA-S and put me on spirnolactone and birth control pills. I took this for four years without noticing much change except frequent headaches and dizzyness (I may not have been drinking enough water) on a daily basis. When I saw a 60 minutes story on DHEA and the benefits of having an excess amount I stopped the spirinolactone (also since I did not notice results). Tests had shown my DHEA-S was down significantly as well.
I struggled for a long time with the excessive hair (and I still am). I worried no man would ever find me attractive (even though I had many people including some famous people ask me out - I always worried about them finding out about "my secret"). I have found and married a man who loves me. I can walk around naked - excess hair and all - and he does not say anything except he loves me. I sometimes wonder if he is blind.
However, my own discust with my excessive hair led to years of shaving, plucking and attempts at electrolosis and laser removal. I tried with the alexandria laser and things seemed very hopeful for a while. My bikini line took months to grow back - I felt like a new woman!!! However, it eventually did grow back and I continued treatments did not prove the same results. One time the laser tech did it for too long and my skin burned and turned black. It has been over 4 years and it has still not recovered. Plus, I still have hair down there.
I continue to pluck and have gotten many ingrown hairs! This leads me to pick them out and try to get them out, root and all, so it takes longer for them to grow back. However, now I have a severe case of tricotillamania -sp? and bdd. I have caused severe scarring on my face and eyebrows as well as my legs. SO DO NOT PLUCK!!!! I have made my skin (which was great except for the hairs) now ugly and scarred. I am missing parts of my eyebrows and sometimes I do not want to go in public. This has gotten very bad for me and I'm trying to work on it.
Please learn from my mistakes!! Even with my laser issues, I still recommend you try it. It worked the best for me (except for the burn) in reducing hair.
I have noticed my hair on my scalp thinning significantly. Also, I recently went off the pill and gained weight in my stomach -where I have NEVER gained weight before. Also, we have been trying to get pregnant with no result and I'm wondering now if I have PCOS since I have many of the symptoms. | 
