Hello. I don't really know where to begin. For a few years now, I have been experiencing chronic pelvic (LLQ) pain. My PCP couldn't find anything wrong so she sent me out for abdominal U/S. When she received the report she called me to tell me that I had one small cyst on my left ovary and that she wanted to send me for a f/u in 8 weeks. I went to the f/u u/s and was told that the cyst on the left ovary was gone and that now there was a small one on the right. At that point, I complained to the doctor that regardless of what the u/s said I was experiencing a lot of pain, thus, further evaluation was needed.
My doctor gave me the radiology reports about the various u/s studies. Upon reading them I was outraged. First, there was not a single small cyst on my left ovary. The report clearly stated that I had numerous follicular cysts on both ovaries with a dominant cyst which seemed to have developed internal hemorrhage on my left ovary in both studies, but that the right ovary had enlarged since the initial study.
I took this to my new gynecologist who performed a transvaginal ultrasound and found a similar scenario, although the right ovary did not seem to have a high volume of cysts. The internal hemmorhage within the left ovary lead the gynecologist to suspect anything from PCOS to endometriosis, and, in fact, there was a slight concern of cancer. She sent me for a CT scan which found that I had huge masses on both ovaries which appeared to be endometriosis. I was then scheduled for bilateral LAP ovarian cystectomy. After that surgery the doctor told me that, in fact, she believes that I am suffering from PCOS due to the numerous follicular cyst on both ovaries presenting in a "string of pearls" configuration and that she would probably recommend oral contraceptives.
I will be having my first post-op appointment on Monday. I am 23 years old. I weigh 113 lbs at 5'7''. I am of Scandinavian descent so while I do have a slight increase in facial hair growth it is not too noticeable. I have hot flashes, mood swings, elevated cholesterol, mild acne, a tendency to gain weight around the middle, regular periods that have shortened in duration since onset of menses, heavy menstrual flow, serious panic attacks, depression, problems with blood sugar and varicose veins.
I would like to know examples of the therapies that other thin cysters are using as birth control really is not an option for me. All the women on my mothers side of the family have experienced panic attacks due to the use of oral contraceptives. Furthermore, because birth control causes varicose veins due to the weakening of vascular walls and valves by certain hormones, someone with varicose veins is explicitly warned not to use most types of these pharmaceuticals.
Is anyone else in a similar situation and able to dispense advice?
Please let me know anything that might ease my mind.
I am sorry for your pain. I too, was experiencing constant pelvic pain and my gyn did many sonograms and encouraged me to go on the pill to "shut down my ovaries". It has been the best decision for me truly. Also, I began taking Glucophage XR (now Metformin ER) which has been a key to regulating my hormones. I am a new person truly and thank God for feeling normal again. I am not trying to encourage you either way. I don't like taking meds everyday but I find that I am much nicer to live with. (My family thinks so too!!!) I am 5'0 and weigh 112 lbs thanks to an extreme change in diet (no sugar for one) and reducing my carb intake. Weight wasn't an issue for me until around 34 and then I began gaining weight rapidly. I think the key in this syndrome is finding meds or a combination of meds that work for each of us. My endo told me that had I not started taking Glucophage 3 1/2 years ago I would be diagnosed with diabetes by age 40. (That is now 3 years away.) I had major symptoms of insulin resistance but not until later at 34. I was diagnosed with PCOS at 19 or so when doctors did not have a connection with insulin resistance or the implications of this syndrome. Good Luck!
Blessings!
Candace
__________________ Candace
Age 38
2 children 10 and 9 with treatment
Married 18 years
Glucophage XR 2000 mgs 3 years (Switched to Generic Metformin XR on Dec. 23 rd)
Yasmin BCP 3 years
Diagnosed at age 21 rediagnosed at 34 due to all symptoms.
Normal weight, feeling great! 5'0 113 lbs
Curves for Women 3 X a week
It just goes to show how much doctors really don't know about this condition and how they simply seek to treat the symptoms and not the cause. It constantly amazes me how many women have been able to completely resolve PCOS with the help of holistic doctors and naturopaths, while others simply struggle on Metformin and birth control pills.
I wouldn't say I'm struggling on metformin at all. Natural remedies really didn't do anything for me but metformin has been a lifesaver. I have no side effects and everything is great. PCOS can never be cured, but it can be minimized to the point of not realizing it's there.
__________________
Leila (28), DH (32) Darling girl E - 4/27/05 Darling boy N - 4/1/08
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Many women have written testimonials regarding how following a perfect whole foods diet, doing several hours of aerobic exercise per week and learning a skilled relaxation technique, the efficacy of which has been proven through biofeedback has been proven, has completely eliminated all evidence of polycystic ovarian syndrome.
It is true that the lifestyle must be maintained to prevent relapse, but PCOS can be resolved. To believe otherwise is to fall into the horrid trap of the allopathic monopoly.
Furthermore, I am not suggesting that you feel that you are suffering. You may feel that your condition has been improved and it may have been. But at what cost to you? Metformin and birth control, like every pharmaceutical produced, are toxic to your body and in the long run will harm it and there is no way around that. And most importantly, metformin and birth control will never resolve the condition while the correct natural remedies if followed properly and religiously always will.
I have posted many times about the proven protocol of Dr. Paavo Airola for resolving PCOS and that of Dr. Stoll for resolving PCOS by treating the Leaky Gut Syndrome and Candida Related Syndrome which has yet to not be seen present in cases of polycystic ovarian syndrome. Unfortunately, allopathic doctors are not very good at detecting these other conditions. Furthermore, allopathic doctors would prefer to treat the symptoms of PCOS and not the underlying causes which are the intense effects of stored stress response in the hypothalmus. The allopathic/conventional doctors do not teach you how to reset your hypothalmus and thus resolve your endocrine dysfunction. They simply seek to try to regulate hormones via toxic pharmaceuticals which deplete your body of much needed vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Obviously, via the standards of conventional medicine which seeks to throw a blanket (metformin and birth control) over the tip of the iceberg known as PCOS, the disorder can never be resolved.
Doctors do not tell you about all the vitamins that are proven to be more effective than any known pharmaceutical at sensitizing your system to insulin. They do not teach you Jacobsonian relaxation, transcendental meditation, self-hypnosis, or other forms of skilled relaxation to reset the hypothalmus. They do not tell you that the only diet that can be followed is a perfect whole foods diet that excludes dairy and meat that isn't organic, additives, preservatives, pesticides, refined sugar, etc. And in the defense of allopathic medicine, if it deserves any, it should be noted that this is not the standard by which medicine is taught in America. Only medically emergent situations, terminal disease and end-stage illness are effectively dealt with by these standards. A condition like PCOS which is a result of unresolved stress on the endocrine controlling portion of our brains (the hypothalmus) exacerbated by lack of aerobic exercise and the trashing of once wholesome sources of food for Americans is beyond the scope of understanding of the typical American medical doctor. Or has the fact that this condition is found mostly in Western industrialized countries and, among those countries, in greatest proportion in America been lost on PCOS patients? When that is taken into consideration it becomes clear that beyond the clinical diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome, the causes and treatment of PCOS as espoused by allopathic doctors is completely nonsensical.
There are tons of great resources that explain this more in depth and have aided women in actually resolving all evidence of PCOS.
Overwhelmed 
