I have been looking around this site for some time, and I finally decided to post. I have been trying to determine whether or not I have PCOS ... I have disagreeing doctors, which leads to so much confusion. I was wondering if maybe someone could shed some light on my situation. Here's my story:
I am 26 yrs old, and had regular periods all my life until this year. I had blood tests and my gyno said they were normal, and to take progestoerone to get my period. Did this twice over 4 month period. Had hormones checked, but doc said everything "normal." My total testosterone was 36. Had sonogram, found multiple small cysts, but "not too many to cause much concern," said the sonographer. My doc said I couldn't have PCOS because I'm 5'2 and 110 lbs.
I still couldn't get my period on my own (husband and I have been TTC since March of '06), so I saw a new gyno, who said I had PCOS as soon as I mentioned that I stopped getting my period. Sent me for another sonogram -- same results. He wanted to try me on metformin, but I still wasn't sure if I had PCOS, so I went to my GP to get more blood work done and his opinion.
Blood work came back this time (5 months after previous blood work): total testosterone = 54; free testosterone = .5; and glucose tests showed my blood sugar was always within normal until the 3rd hour after drinking the sugary drink, and it dipped to 61. He said that was reactive hypoglycemia. I asked if I had PCOS, and he said he didn't know.
ARRGGH! I just want to know because, I figure, if I can catch it early if it's develpoing, I can treat it better than if I did later. Or, does it not sounds like PCOS is my problem? Somebody please help me ... I hate worrying over nothing.
Thank you all so much! It's so good that there are boards like this for people to turn to when they can't turn to anyone else in the world.
Ok here I got his is gonna be long! I have had normal periods (except starting at 9 y.o) up until I was 22. Same time every month. Got pg at 16 had my dd at 17 and had an induced abortion at 21 weeks due to problems with the baby. Met DH at 22 and married. We decided immediately decided we wanted a family. So we try. Well all of a sudden no af, AT ALL. So we assume I am pg. Boy was I wrong! Months and months of ttc and no periods or having them so bad I thought I was miscarrying and crying b/c we "thought" I was pg and turn out not to be. Finally at 24 in 2005 I decide to got to my OBGYN (take in mind would've gone sooner but no insurance) and we tell her the deal. She starts me out with lots of tests to check my progesterone, testosterone and everything else. She finds me a couple of days later at the hospital (we work together) and tells me my tests show I don't ovulate and my testosterone in higher than it should be. And also my ultrasound looked ok to her. She wants to try me on Clomid and see if I ovulate or get pg. We did that for 6 months(the longest time to be on it before you move on) and I o'd 3 out of 6 times but did not become pg. She says since she is only ob/gyn she is going to refer me to a RE. I make an appt. get in that week (amazing!) and see him. He does the same thing my ob does and while doing a pelvic exam I begin bawling! He had hands of the devil! He thinks I have a dermoid (cyst with teeth, hair, pus, anything gross!) He does an ultrasound and doesn't see a cyst but my ovaries are really plump. He plans a hysterosalpigogram, hysteroscopy with d&c and diagnostic laparoscopy and a semen analysis for dh(hubby has low morph and are all lethargic looking). I had horrible adhesions(from my c-section and other abdominal surgeries) and endometriosis but nothing else. Tubes are clear an no abnormalities of pelvic organs. He asks how "serious" am I about becoming pg and of course I so want a baby so he tells me the only way is IUI or IFV. Well I can't afford that so he pretty much told me to hit the road. Whenever I asked if I ad PCOS he always said your ovaries are plump. And that's all. My pcp say I don't fit the characteristics oh but I do! The hair in wrong places, no periods or at least scanty ones, head in the clouds thing. But because I am not overweight I don't fit it. Fst forward to Aug 2007 I wanna try again. I go back to my original ob and told her I didn't like the RE and I needed something b/c I didn't feel like myself and she goes over my history, I answer the same as always and she asks well did Dr. so and so finally dx you with PCOS? And I tell her no he would never tell me I have it and primary dr tells me I don't fit the symptoms. She was so angry! She then tells me I have PCOS and she knew it in 2005 she just knew it was going to take a while to get pg so she refered me. She then prescibes me Met and I am to go back after my 3 month trial to see how things have gone. Well met is regulating me so heres to the future. Sorry for the long rant, my point is there are different symptoms of PCOS and not every woman fits every single one of them. I would find a new drand get another opinion. Good luck to you!
__________________ Me(Bekki)~27 PCOS and Endo & DH(Shannon)~28 MF and vericocele DD(Kendall)~10 DS(Gage)~ Brand new!
BFP 12/17/08!!!!!
Beta#1-480, P4-22.4,Beta#2-1521,Beta#3-8606,
01/09/09 hb141!
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I have had bouts of irregular periods since I was 17. Sometimes I'm clockwork, sometimes I'm not.
On the sugar thing... When you get tested for IR they need to check your insulin levels. My sugars always look fine, but my insulin gets high which happens because what I have doesn't work well so my body over produces to get it to work right which is why the sugars are in line. until they drop... hypoglycemia canbe real fun!
As for not being able to have pcos because of your size, i've never heard of that. There are plenty of "thin cysters" as they're known here.
The biggest thing I've learned about pcos is that everyone's symptoms vary... sometimes widely. The list of possible symptoms is really long. Some cysters have one or all of them. And even better, for most of us symptoms will come and go depending on our hormones and what they are doing... So it's something that not only varies widely from person to person, but can vary from month to month for each of us.
I think if my obgyn told me it wasn't possible to have pcos because I was small, I'd get a new obgyn... but that may be just me.
My dr did a transvaginal u/s and saw some small cysts on one of my ovaries, then ordered bloodwork. I don't know what the bloodwork results were, other than he said it confirmed pcos. Mild pcos, but pcos nonetheless. So it doesn't seem like it should be so hard to get a diagnosis. I think I'd try another obgyn if it were me... i've met GPs who didn't even know what pcos is, so who knows if they know how to properly diagnose it.
Good luck!!
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Thanks, guys! I REALLY appreciate all of your help. All of this is so new to me, and very confusing. I think that my 2nd gyno's suspicions are correct, and that I do have PCOS. It would've just begun this year with the missed periods, so I don't know if I should expect symptoms to get worse or not. I have gained a couple of pounds in the last year, and am ALWAYS hungry because of the hypoglycemia. Also, a tiny bit more hair growth. My fasting insulin is less than 2 when my fasting glucose was 70. After the 3 hour test, they only tested the glucose (which went from 70 to 103 after 1 hr, to 79 after 2 hours, to 61 after 3 hours). Is it possible to tell if insulin resistance is at play, from these tests? And if not, is the BC pill my only option if I don't want symptoms to get worse? WILL symptoms get worse if left untreated? Thank you guys so much, once again!!!
Symptoms are usually a result of your hormones. Some say bcps will make it better because it can reduce the size of cysts which grow and emit hormones which throw EVERYTHING off. I found the greatest relief from my symptoms when I loose a little weight and follow an IR diet. There's several books out there about it. It's crazy how big a difference I see though.
My understanding is this... pcos is technically something you're born with or not. But you can just go a long time without symptoms. It's possible the small weight gain triggered them or something else. Who knows... each year stranger things happen to our bodies!
so that's really a non-answer I know. For me, bcps make me NUTSO. They throw everything out of wack. The last one I was on wasn't really bad, but it still made my moods not what they should be. So my dr said as long as I do well with following the IR (after the baby) he won't recommend bcps for me since we've seen it helps.
For some women who have pcos even if they don't have IR, metformin makes a HUGE difference too. He's willing to try it if I have trouble even with the IR diet...
Good luck!
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Thank You everyone for your detailed descriptions as I am also getting so frustrated with PCOS.
I've been learning alot about it this year as I finally went to the Gyno. in March 2007 after having less than 10 periods and gaining 100 pounds since I went off of birth control in July of 2002.
I've done all the same hormone tests, a coloscopy & biopsy, vaginal ultrasound, Provera & Clomid for 3 months with no hormone changes and no ovulation.
Also, since November 2006 until now I have lost 1/2 of my hair I have not noticed anyone else on this thread mentioning that. Has anyone else had any treatments for hair loss??
Today I was finally referred to another Gyno. specializing in infertility and is more knowledgeable with PCOS so we'll see how that goes.
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Lena36 Believe me I have the hairloss...
unfortunately - the main thing is getting the levels of Free testosteorne down as its the EXACTLY the same process that men go through is the reason why we lose hair.
Our scalp follices are more sensitive to testosterone since our F T has gone up.
Just like men - some go thin and bald and others do not....
I guess there is always things like Rogaine but any hair you grow will fall out if you stop it.
I use Nizoral to stop the inflammation which is one of the main causes of hairloss. It also reduces DHT/Testosterone which is in the surface of follicles... dilutes it a bit - slows the process down. Lena, you might find the men in your family or some of them have thinning hair. Look at dad, uncle, brother grandfather etc... unfortunately this sensitivity to free testosterone is genetic and passed down in families.
Please help me -- I just want answers! 
Thanks 
