I was diagnosed with PCOS at age 18. My doctor simply showed me a diagram of what my ovaries looked like vs normal and said that BC could help with regularity. I have struggled with anxiety and being overweight and the male pattern hair growth in the abdominal area and chin. Though not quite as bad as what I had seen and read about, it still bothers me. I got married and my husbands insurance forced me to change doctors. Again he stated that I had PCOS but to continue with the BC and try and lose some weight.
I have tried to lose weight with diet and exercise with little or no results. It was just recently (the past year) with my own research that I learned that all the problems involved with PCOS and that losing weight can be an issue. Has anyone else run into the problem of the doctor that is unintrested in assisting you and informing you on the way to increase youir quality of life. I am preturbed. Especially after discovering this website. That neither of the doctors talked with me about my options of diet and assitance. That also the latter doctor after telling him my issues with BC (moodiness, no sex drive, hairloss) that he did not discuss the all popular metaformin with me or some alternative.
Have any of you run into this problem? Is it not of importance to our healthcare providers? If I bring up the issues with PCOS that I struggle with and stress that I want medical assitance is there a doctor out there willing to work with me?
If anyone has any advice on how to talk with or find the right doctor to help me choose the right "therapy" for me and PCOS....please share!
Lots of doctors are ignorant about PCOS and treat it as if it's just a common, but harmless female complaint. If you have Insulin Resistance that needs to be taken care of to help prevent diabetes. There are different types of PCOS (something else a lot of docs don't know). You need to find a doc who really knows that BCPs are the old standard treatment and NOT a long term solution. Metformin helps many women with symptoms from hairloss to ovulation to hair growth. GYNs and REs and GPs all have different treatments and tests for PCOS, so that can be confusing. Write down EVERY symptom you are having and then find a doc who knows about PCOS. Some cysters have to go through several docs before they find one who knows enough to properly treat them.
Weight gain and inability to loose weight is a symptom of PCOS as well as insulin resistance and diabetes. You should also be checked for Cushings and thyroid problems. The misscarriage rate is higher with PCOS, but progesterone cream and Metformin have helped many ladies to avoid misscarriage. Some ladies also suffer lactation problems, so it's best to have a doc now who knows about PCOS and will know what tests to run (progesterone levels) in case later you decide to get pregnant.
What Jashobeam told you is exactly right. Start out by writing down EVERY single symptom you have, even if you think it's insignificant. Hang around these boards to get ideas...for example, I didn't know that those odd little flaps of skin (called skin tags) were a symptom of the PCOS until I read about it on the boards. Do as much research as you can, since you'll be able to sniff out a better doctor if you're well informed.
My advice to you that served me well: start with the front office staff. Call them and ask the questions, does he see many PCOS patients? How long are his office visits? You want a doctor that sees a lot of PCOS patients and has pretty lengthy office visits (not five minute quickies). If they have any special training in PCOS, that's a plus. Another thing with the front office staff: do they treat you professionally? Do they listen politely to your questions and respond thoroughly? Or are they rude and act like you're wasting their time. The front office staff will give you an idea of what the doctor will be like.
Once you find a doctor that might be good, go in there armed with your list of symptoms. Tell him, here are my symptoms, I'm worried about this, i've heard that this might work, what can we do. If he's worth his salt he'll listen to your concerns. He may not agree with what you suggest to try, but he should give sound reasons for why he wants to try something else. And if you don't like this guy, try another guy. Keep on trying until you find a guy that will listen to you and will give you the care you need. It may seem impossible, but they are out there, I promise. Ask around these boards, there may be cysters who live near you who can recommend a doctor. Above all, try to stay positive. Treatments may not start to work right away, so don't give up! Just look at the light at the end of the tunnel. ONCE you find that good doctor, it gets a LOT easier.
Feel free to PM me if you have anymore questions. I've been through a lot of this shmuck. (((Hugs)))
-DancesWithTubas
__________________ Guildenstern: You can't not be on a boat. Rosencrantz: I've frequently not been on boats. Guildenstern: No, no... What you've been is not on boats.
-"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead"
"My school colors were clear. We used to say, "I'm not naked, I'm in the band.'"-Steven Wright
Well anyway, I have been facing the same types of issues as you, I’m 20 now, and I was DXd sorta when I was 19. The doctor that decided I had PCOS just told me “I think you have Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, the people at the lab or ER will talk to you about it” and she wrote me a couple of blood tests and sent me on my marry little way.
I found out what PCOS was that night on Web MD, and spent the entire night crying. Then two weeks later I go back to the doctors office and see a different doctor, that once again says something about POCS but doesn’t tell me that much about it, and ordered an Ultrasound but forgets to tell me that it will be $270 up front, so I still have yet to have an ultrasound done on my ovaries.
He offered NO options even, not even the option of birth control, didn’t tell me anymore then the other doctor told me about PCOS, I then started having sever pain in my right ovary in February, I go in to the doctor at a different hospital, and tell her that they suspect that I have PCOS, she does a full pelvic on me, and sends me home with pain pills, and no other help offered.
I have no insurance and this is how they treat me, because I can’t pay them upfront or anything, they treat me as if I’m not really there and don’t tell me about options or anything, just say you need to pay us to do this, then we’ll think about treating you. If it wasn’t for this site, I don’t know what I would do, I’ve learned a lot here about how to take care of myself, and now I know when I finally get insurance or enough money to see a doctor, what to ask about, and what I should do for myself.
So I know exactly what you mean, but doctors that don’t give a darn about what is really going on…
__________________ Sabrina
22yrs old
DXed Sept; 2005
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I know your frustruation. My gyn seemed very interested at first about me having pcos and went over all my hormone test results with me from my other doctor. He then did a a thourough checkup, checked my skin to confirm that I am hirsute, did a breast exam and found a lump that was worth getting checked again in a month. He then told me to set an additional appointment for two months to do a followup on treatment. Went back for the followup breast exam and he seemed to have forgotten that he told me to get this lump rechecked at this appointment and said it was no big deal (thankgod). He then told me I don't need to bother with self-breast exams which a month ago he said he's show me. Then the second appointment he seemed disinterested and almost in disbelief that I was having any problems on dianne. Completely backtracked on his recommedation that I should be on metformin which I had just gotten a refill for. Told me that I do not look like someone who had pcos (although nice to hear frustruating that he had nothing else to recommend for the excess hair) and the hair problem may go away with dianne. Then looked at my hairloss problem and said hey look we have the same hair loss pattern. See you have male-pattern baldness. This is a clinic that overbooks its' patients and you don't get in for your appointment until an hour-two hours after the actual booked appointment. It seems once the doctor writes the prescription you are on your own. Oh yes and when I alsked for advise on diet, and what I can do to help ease side-effects he said "I am not a dietician."
Unfortunately General Practitioners have to know a lot of information. Because of this PCOS may not be something they've done much research on. I'd suggest you shop around for a different DR. If you insurance won't allow you to do this then you'll have to be the person to educate your DR about PCOS. There is a lot of information on this site to help you do that. If your DR will refer you to an endocrinologist you may have better success finding treatment. If you have trouble conceiving you'll want to find a reproductive endocrinologist. They more specialized you get the few topics your DR will have to research and the better informed they should be. You may have to try several DRs before you find the right one. It's worth the effort. BTW and u/s isn't required for a PCOS diagnosis. Lab results and a medical history are often enough. Metformin is still not indicated for PCOS, so DR's who prescribe it are doing so "off-label". Some DRs are more comfortable with this than others. Here's a summary of your options:
1. Educate your current Dr about PCOS
2. Shop around for a different Dr
3. Ask your current Dr for a referral to a specialist (endocrinologist or reproductive endocrinologist) or find one yourself if your insurance allows this
4. Do nothing
One way to find out about Drs who treat PCOS is to ask your pharmacist. They know what Drs prescribe what drugs and can be a good source of info.
__________________ Pam (34) Rob (37) Otis the Doberman (3)
TTC #1 since 01/03 2003- Clomid - HSG - SA 2004- Lap - Gonal-f 2005- Break 2006- Saving for IVF - Metformin - BFP 10/06
Katherine Olive was born July 16, 2007!!!
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Werlcome to S/C. Most of the girls on here have been through various doctors, just to get a diagnosis, so we can realte to what you're going through.
You'd be better off getting a referral to and endocrinologist as they are the people who are supposedly better equipped to help you with this. PCOS is a hormonal syndrome at the end of the day and that's what we have to try and control as best we can.
Keep your head up, what doesn't kill us, only makes us stronger!
__________________ Danielle (28) DX: Hypothyroidism - May 05/ PCOS & IR Oct 05 Meds: 1x850mg Metformin + 1x75mg Levotiroxin + Diane 35
"If you can keep your head, when all about you are losing theirs, it's just possible you haven't grasped the situation"
newbie w/ doctor issues 
