schmoops

Hey everyone!
I've been browsing this site for a while, about a year actually. I found out a year ago that I LIKELY have PCOS (no doctor seems to want to agree though... ) but I have always knows something was up. I didn't get my period until 15 and it was never regular, going for a few months between periods. I expressed concerns to my GP but she always waved me off, saying nothing was wrong and that was "just me". I am 5'2" and weigh about 115, so she said there was no way I could have PCOS! I ended up on BCPs so I didn't have to deal with the inconvenience of getting my period unexpectedly when it did come. I stopped a couple of time to see if things had magically worked themselves out.. haha! never got my period... I took provera to bring one on a couple of time and I had light periods from that. Then in '07 I got married and decided to stop the pills as we wanted to have a family eventually and I knew it might be difficult. I didn't get a period for 6 months, finally got one (yay!) and then nothing for a few months. I finally went to see a gyno who did some blood work. I ended up having hypothyroidism (TSH about 8.4 I think??) and my LH:FSH ratio was 13:4!!! I also have some extra hair on my abdomen and inner thigh. My GP always brushed those off, too! So I felt good knowing I had a found a doctor who believed I could still have PCOS even though I am thin. I ended up moving and am on a waiting list to get in with another gyno. I went on BCPs again in the meantime, since we weren't trying for a baby right away and hated waiting months for a period that almost never came. So last November I decided to stop the pill once and for all. I ended up getting a normal period 6 weeks after.. I was super excited and thought maybe the thyroid pills were helping. Well it has been 3 months and I've had nothing. 3 weeks ago I had pain in my right side and my GP thinks it may have been a cyst, and I had sore nipples, which made me think maybe I was going to get my period, but nothing. I am super upset as my husband and I want to start a family soon, and all of my friends are getting pregnant with no problems... I am not sure what to do!

I needed to find some support and thought this may be the place. My husband thinks we will be able to have babies eventually and I need to stop being so negative, but my fears are just so huge... I don't know what I would do if nothing ever works. I have read so many stories online about thin women with PCOS and how it is so hard for them to get pregnant/stay pregnant and I can't stop worrying. I worry some days that i will end up depressed. I also just feel so...unnormal, if that's a word. My friends are always talking about their periods and complaining, and I just want to yell at them to shut up sometimes! They know about my issues and no one gets it. I feel pretty alone!

Does anyone have words of encouragment who has a story similar to mine? I need some hope right now that I will be able to have a family and that i am not as abnormal as I think I am.

Really glad to be getting to know some of you soon!

Schmoops.

P.S.s If you're wondering why i use the name Schmoops.. long story involving my husband and pet names. haha!

freckles2

Hi there. My experience is very similar to yours. My periods were always irregular, I was on the pill for several years, and then when I stopped taking it, my periods also stopped -- for nearly a year. I had periods, albeit irregular ones, for a few years, and then my periods stopped, again for about a year.

Since then, I've been at my most regular, but my cycles are still very long (35-40 days), and I often miss a period. My body weight also delayed a diagnosis (I'm a bit underweight). This has been a frustrating process, as it's taken three years to get an explanation.

I know exactly how you feel -- it seems silly, as friends say they'd love not to have their period very often, but it makes me feel abnormal and less feminine somehow. I actually am excited when I get my period. Like you, I also worry about having children (and like your husband, mine tells me to stop being so negative!).

The good news is that I recently saw a fertility specialist, and he was very encouraging. There is so much that can be done today. Those of us who have ovulation problems just have to be more patient. I'm just starting the process of tests, so I can't offer any reassurance (yet, I hope) on the fertility front, but I just wanted you to know that you're not alone! And did you see the news report on this site -- about the study that found that during their lifetime women with PCOS are just as likely to get pregnant as women without? We just hit our fertility peak a bit later! The study made me feel much better!

schmoops

Thank you so much for your response
It really does help to know there are other people out there hearing good, reassuring things from doctors. After my struggle with doctors not believing I had a problem, I am kind of paranoid that I'll never find one who can really help me. And that is really good to hear about PCOS women being just as likely to have babies... where did you find that I'd love to read more! It's just so tough because it seems of all of my girlfriends, not a single one of them has issues with her period! Every time I hear one of them say, "ughh got my period" or something I just feel soooo jealous. Fortunately I can talk to my mom about it as she also sturggled with irregular cycles... eventually she got pregnant but not without a lot of work. And actually, by her mid 30's and after having babies, her cycles did regulate... so I just hope I have that experience, too! She was never diagnosed with PCOS but that was many years ago and I don't think they knew much about thin women and PCOS.
Thanks again for the reassurance, it's so nice to know I'm not alone. Please let me know how the fertility stuff works out... we're probably going to start TTC #1 in the fall or winter, so I'll be interested to hear what your doctor suggests for you. Good luck!!

ssssyd4

I know how that feels all too well. People don't seem to understand what it's like to not know what's really going on with your body. I love it when I get my period because I makes me feel like a woman.

I also when threw the same thing with the BCP. When I was younger doctors kept telling me my weight fluckuation and irregular periods were because I was still young and I needed to eat healthier. I took BCP off and on from the time I was 13yo.

Finally, after years of the same old crap I went back to a reliable doctor. I stopped seeing her because she was out of my way. The first thing she said was "Wow! You look a lot different" I told her the last time she saw me I was 104lb and I've put on 35lb since then. She ran some test and confirmed I had PCOS with IR.

I am scared all the time because I want a baby so bad one day. My doctor always reasures me that everything should be fine when the time comes. She says some people have trouble but it most cases everthing works out just fine. I hope this gives you some comfort as it did for me.