Calling all thin cysters!!!!

[katkay]

Personal

Current age:
40
Age of diagnosis:
38
Cause of diagnosis (eg. infertility, ammenorhoea etc):
secondary infertility
Current Height/Weight:
BMI 24
Has your weight fluctuated much in the past (if so please confirm previous weights):
a lot, used to be BMI 35 and 38
Please describe your PCOS symptoms (if any):
unwanted hair, ovaries full of cycts, acne,no energy, previous miscarriages
Do any family members of your also suffer from PCOS:
Not that I know of

Medial History

What age did you start the pill:
20

Reason for starting the pill (eg. painful periods, birth control etc):
Birth Control
Which pill did you take:
Yasmin
When and why did you stop taking the pill:
lots of times in order to get pg
Do you ovulate? If so is it regular and approximately what cycle day:
Yes, CD14-CD16
Do you have regular or irregular periods? If irregular how often:
used to be irregular when I was younger but the last years am regular 28-31 days
Have you been pregnant? If so how many times and how ie IV, naturally etc:
5 times naturally 2 of them by accident
Have you suffered any miscarriages? If so how many, and cause if known:
2 miscarriages (they said because of thyroid but they didnt know about pcos)
Have you tried any fertility treatments (if so which ones and success of these treatments):
Not yet
Has your doctor advised you of any abnormal blood test results associated with the condition (ie. abnormal FSH/LH ratio, high AMH, elevated androgens etc):
testosterone was too high
Have your thyroid levels been checked? If so do you recall whether levels were high low or normal, and if normal do you recall whether your TSH was above 2:
dont remember
Do you suffer any additional fertility complications (ie. endometriosis, fibroids etc):
No. everything checked
Do you take or have you in the past taken any prescription drugs? If so which ones and duration of treatment:
Levothyroxine and metformin (still on both)
Have y0u taken Metformin? If so did it make you sick, did it make you ovulate, did it work?
I take 2000mg for the last 2 months (the month before I took 1000mg). As I was always ovulating I dont know if it works. No Bfp though/

Diet

Do you consider yourself to have a healthy, average or unhealthy diet:
healthy I would say
Has your diet always been the same, or have you recently changed it (ie. health kick):
I eat healthy since I lost all the extra weight but that was 15 years ago
Is your diet high in anything in particular (ie: fats, salts, sugar):
protein
Do you have a diet higher in sugar? Including sugars found in fruit, yoghurts, cereals, breads etc. not just sweets:
No
Do you suffer any intolerances in your diet (eg. wheat, dairy):
No

Lifestyle

Do you exercise (include frequency and intensity):
Yes 2-4 times a week for 1 hour
Do you or have you ever done any sport:
Yes tennis
Do you have a high stress life or job:
No
Are you living a very ‘busy’ life:
No
Do you employ any relaxation techniques (eg. yoga, meditation, hypnosis etc):
No
Do you or have you ever smoked cigarettes? If so how many and age:
20-30 a day but gave up 2 years ago
Have you ever used recreational drugs? If so how often and which type (to remain entirely confidential):
No
Do you drink alcohol? If yes how much on an average week (including binge drinking):
2-3 glasses white wine per week
Has your alcohol intake changed (eg. used to party a lot but no longer do)? If so please confirm previous alcohol intake and over how many years:
Well used to be a party animal but that is ages ago, I dont even remember..

[LotsofHope82]

Lean PCOS Questionnaire

Personal

Current age: 30

Age of diagnosis: 29

Cause of diagnosis (eg. infertility, ammenorhoea etc): infertility

Current Height/Weight: 5'6, 120 lbs

Has your weight fluctuated much in the past (if so please confirm previous weights):

Please describe your PCOS symptoms (if any): high testosterone, low estrogen, hirituism (sp?) irregular menstral cycles, oily and thinning hair, oily face

Do any family members of your also suffer from PCOS: first cousin has it, and my mom may have had it (she has passed away, so not totally sure)

Medial History

What age did you start the pill: never been on the pill

Reason for starting the pill (eg. painful periods, birth control etc): N/A

Which pill did you take: N/A

When and why did you stop taking the pill: N/A

Do you ovulate? If so is it regular and approximately what cycle day: never been tested to find out.

Do you have regular or irregular periods? If irregular how often: Irregular, sometimes every month (different days) sometimes every other month, sometimes twice in a month

Have you been pregnant? If so how many times and how ie IV, naturally etc: Never (been having unprotected sex for 2 years)

Have you suffered any miscarriages? If so how many, and cause if known: N/A

Have you tried any fertility treatments (if so which ones and success of these treatments): Clomid, Metformin, Estridol, Progesterone for 4 cycles, all unsuccessful.

Has your doctor advised you of any abnormal blood test results associated with the condition (ie. abnormal FSH/LH ratio, high AMH, elevated androgens etc): All hormones abonormal.

Have your thyroid levels been checked? If so do you recall whether levels were high low or normal, and if normal do you recall whether your TSH was above 2: Thyroid normal

Do you suffer any additional fertility complications (ie. endometriosis, fibroids etc): None

Do you take or have you in the past taken any prescription drugs? If so which ones and duration of treatment: Seraquel (4 years) Paxil (3 years) Wellbutrin (3 months)

Have y0u taken Metformin? If so did it make you sick, did it make you ovulate, did it work? Yes, had trouble eating at first (no appetite) but then loved it, no side effects and gave me energy.

Diet

Do you consider yourself to have a healthy, average or unhealthy diet: Very healthy now (paleo/organic, no dairy or wheat)

Has your diet always been the same, or have you recently changed it (ie. health kick): Recently changed (4 months ago, TTC naturally now)

Is your diet high in anything in particular (ie: fats, salts, sugar): high in grass fed butter and a decent amount of pink himilyan sea salt

Do you have a diet higher in sugar? Including sugars found in fruit, yoghurts, cereals, breads etc. not just sweets: Very little fruit, no other sugar except Xyloitol (natural) which I use in my smoothies.

Do you suffer any intolerances in your diet (eg. wheat, dairy): Dairy- eliminating this cleared up my acne

Lifestyle

Do you exercise (include frequency and intensity): No, but I need to

Do you or have you ever done any sport: Used to be in synchronized swimming and dance in H.S., nothing now.

Do you have a high stress life or job: High stress job

Are you living a very ‘busy’ life: Yes

Do you employ any relaxation techniques (eg. yoga, meditation, hypnosis etc): No, but would like to try Yoga soon to decrease stress

Do you or have you ever smoked cigarettes? If so how many and age: Never

Have you ever used recreational drugs? If so how often and which type (to remain entirely confidential): None

Do you drink alcohol? If yes how much on an average week (including binge drinking): Yes, 4-5 drinks/week

Has your alcohol intake changed (eg. used to party a lot but no longer do)? If so please confirm previous alcohol intake and over how many years: Used to drink a lot more, not near as much in recent years. Used to drink 10-12 drinks/week mostly on weekends.


Please also include any additional information you may feel is relevant, or if you wish to describe your particular situation or journey please do so here:
My answers above are relevant to before my dieting. SInce I have been dieting (low carb/paleo/organic) I have more regular periods, my skin is not as oily, and I just had another blood test done so I am awaiting the results to find out if my hormones are more normal. I have been on this diet for 4 months now.

[Falana]

Lean PCOS Questionnaire

Personal

Current age: 30

Age of diagnosis: not definitely diagnosed, it was suggested, based on an old test of 2006 and some of the symptoms I have

Cause of diagnosis (eg. infertility, ammenorhoea etc): long and sometimes anovulatory cycles, low sex drive, hirsutism, digestive problems, overall meh-feeling

Current Height/Weight: 134 lbs

Has your weight fluctuated much in the past (if so please confirm previous weights): not really, but apparently I have lost weight over the past three years, I used to be around 140/142 lbs. I haven't been exercising though.

Please describe your PCOS symptoms (if any): hirsutism, long cycles, anovulatory cycles

Do any family members of your also suffer from PCOS: not that I know of. If they do they were never diagnosed or never experienced symptoms strong enough to seek treatment.

Medial History

What age did you start the pill: only took BCP for two years, from age 23 to 25

Reason for starting the pill (eg. painful periods, birth control etc): irregular cycles

Which pill did you take: valette, diane 35, NuvaRing

When and why did you stop taking the pill: 2008. I felt very crapy, depressed and even more tired than before. Also, it did nothing for me except for delivering AF on a regular basis. Since BCP means your body won't produce hormones on its own I ditched it finally and began practicing FAM instead.

Do you ovulate? If so is it regular and approximately what cycle day: I do ovulate. Out of 41 complete cycles 13 were anovulatory according to FAM, 7 according to another sympto-thermal method. If I ovulate it happens around day 25.

Do you have regular or irregular periods? If irregular how often: about every 40 days, but irregular because it can happen anywhere between 32 and 45 days.

Have you been pregnant? If so how many times and how ie IV, naturally etc: never been pregnant

Have you suffered any miscarriages? If so how many, and cause if known: -

Have you tried any fertility treatments (if so which ones and success of these treatments): -

Has your doctor advised you of any abnormal blood test results associated with the condition (ie. abnormal FSH/LH ratio, high AMH, elevated androgens etc): low estrogen, slightly elevated testosterone

Have your thyroid levels been checked? If so do you recall whether levels were high low or normal, and if normal do you recall whether your TSH was above 2: had left side of my thyroid removed in 2003 dues to cold lumps. I have been on the same dosage of medication since, checkups are every two years and so far everything looks fine.

Do you suffer any additional fertility complications (ie. endometriosis, fibroids etc): I don't know

Do you take or have you in the past taken any prescription drugs? If so which ones and duration of treatment: just regular stuff, like antibiotics, and of course levothyroxine for my thyroid

Have y0u taken Metformin? If so did it make you sick, did it make you ovulate, did it work? -

Diet

Do you consider yourself to have a healthy, average or unhealthy diet: between healthy and average

Has your diet always been the same, or have you recently changed it (ie. health kick): usually always the same, just like right now I added more probiotics to my diet because the antibiotics wrecked my digestive track

Is your diet high in anything in particular (ie: fats, salts, sugar): neither

Do you have a diet higher in sugar? Including sugars found in fruit, yoghurts, cereals, breads etc. not just sweets: haven't had refined sugar in over a decade and I never buy stuff that has extra sugar added. I eat lots of fruit and I make my own bread. If I eat cereal I mix my own (oatmeal, raisins, almonds)

Do you suffer any intolerances in your diet (eg. wheat, dairy): not that I know of

Lifestyle

Do you exercise (include frequency and intensity): just have been doing some stretching and strengthening exercises for my back and shoulders for the past 12 years, but no excessive exercise.

Do you or have you ever done any sport: in school of course, other than that inline skating, riding my bike etc.

Do you have a high stress life or job: pretty much

Are you living a very ‘busy’ life: yes

Do you employ any relaxation techniques (eg. yoga, meditation, hypnosis etc): I try to, but I'm not doing it on a regular basis

Do you or have you ever smoked cigarettes? If so how many and age: never smoked

Have you ever used recreational drugs? If so how often and which type (to remain entirely confidential): nope

Do you drink alcohol? If yes how much on an average week (including binge drinking): I don't drink, only sipped on a glass of sparkling wine for new years maybe, but all the alcohol I drank throughout my life so far would probably fit into one wine glass
Has your alcohol intake changed (eg. used to party a lot but no longer do)? If so please confirm previous alcohol intake and over how many years: I haven't had any alcohol for the last 8 years or so


Please also include any additional information you may feel is relevant, or if you wish to describe your particular situation or journey please do so here:

[Dodgy82]

Hi ladies!!! Wow so firstly thank you all for your responses they've een fabulous and so informative! The biggest thing that really stands out is the determination you all have to make yourselves as healthy as possible and it just makes ne so proud of us all. Almost every response I've gotten has a diet change in it and some quite serious, well done girls you should be proud of yourselves!
Secondly, I thought I'd let you know after reading everyone's responses and also having had another failed iui and failed IVF and cancelled cycledue to over stimulated ovaries I challenged y doctor on my diagnosis as I just don't 'fit' the pcos guidelines and she has actualy agreed with me!?!? She feels that I actually have a hypothalamic dysfunction causing pcos like symptoms (ring if pearls) wow!! So this whole time ive been doubting my dish soaks I've been right, and perhaps it's something to look into a fee of you as there are some here and through the qre that sound like me.
I thought alcohol, cigarettes of drug use may show up as a common thread, not so. I thought over exercise may show ip as a common thread, not so. I thought definitely long term use on the pill would show up, and it has a little but not as much as expected. The most incredible thing is the differences we all have, there is almost no two responses the same it's amazing!! Which is actually leading me down the path of investigating perhaps we have a genetic predisposition to this condition, and modern lifestyle such as processed foods and sugars in EVERYTHING we eat have lead us to developing the condition (or others like hypothalamic ammenorhoea) think of our body like the gun, and the environment we live in like the trigger. We would probably have been harmless without the modern day environment.
Anyway research still continues and I thank you allllllll for your contributions and good luck in ur journeys!!!!

[rainfortheend]

Lean PCOS Questionnaire

Hi, I'm totally new and was just diagnosed with PCOS three days ago... and super confused :/

Personal
Current age:
21

Age of diagnosis:
21

Cause of diagnosis (eg. infertility, ammenorhoea etc):
I had hair loss after taking Accutane... I still have it even a year and a half after stopping the drug. Blood tests revealed high DHEA levels, so then I got an ultrasound, and yup.... here I am! So I think Accutane may have set it off.

Current Height/Weight:
5'3'', 110 lbs

Has your weight fluctuated much in the past (if so please confirm previous weights):
Not really. In my teens I hovered around 100, but now I'm on a higher protein diet and have bulked up.

Please describe your PCOS symptoms (if any):
Hair loss, excess facial and body hair, super painful cramps, heavy periods, hormonal acne, mood swings

Do any family members of your also suffer from PCOS:
Not that I know of

Medial History
What age did you start the pill:
Never been on the pill

Reason for starting the pill (eg. painful periods, birth control etc):

Which pill did you take:

When and why did you stop taking the pill:

Do you ovulate? If so is it regular and approximately what cycle day:
Regular enough, I guess... right around day 14

Do you have regular or irregular periods? If irregular how often:
My periods are sort of regular. They used to happen on the same day every month, but recently they've been gradually spacing themselves out more... now I get periods every 35 or so days instead of 30.

Have you been pregnant? If so how many times and how ie IV, naturally etc:
No

Have you suffered any miscarriages? If so how many, and cause if known:
No

Have you tried any fertility treatments (if so which ones and success of these treatments):
No

Has your doctor advised you of any abnormal blood test results associated with the condition (ie. abnormal FSH/LH ratio, high AMH, elevated androgens etc):
I have a high DHEA level (442!) I'm surprised my testosterone came back normal because of all my hairy issues.

Have your thyroid levels been checked? If so do you recall whether levels were high low or normal, and if normal do you recall whether your TSH was above 2:
They've been checked. They're normal.

Do you suffer any additional fertility complications (ie. endometriosis, fibroids etc):
Not that I know of.

Do you take or have you in the past taken any prescription drugs? If so which ones and duration of treatment:
Accutane. Three months. Worst decision I ever made. A year and a half later I'm still having side effects.

Have y0u taken Metformin? If so did it make you sick, did it make you ovulate, did it work?
No

Diet
Do you consider yourself to have a healthy, average or unhealthy diet:
I try my best to be healthy, but as for conventionally "healthy," it's not the same as what I really think is healthy. Everyone scolds me for avoiding carbs and certain veggies.

Has your diet always been the same, or have you recently changed it (ie. health kick):
I started a low oxalate diet almost two months ago to help lower my DHEA levels. My hair loss has slowed down a bit, but is still happening.

Is your diet high in anything in particular (ie: fats, salts, sugar):
I eat mostly meats and veggies.

Do you have a diet higher in sugar? Including sugars found in fruit, yoghurts, cereals, breads etc. not just sweets:
I used to. Not anymore!

Do you suffer any intolerances in your diet (eg. wheat, dairy):
Oxalates. Getting rid of them has made me feel a lot better.

Lifestyle
Do you exercise (include frequency and intensity):
Not really. I do a lot of walking.

Do you or have you ever done any sport:
No

Do you have a high stress life or job:
Life, yes.

Are you living a very ‘busy’ life:
Not really.

Do you employ any relaxation techniques (eg. yoga, meditation, hypnosis etc):
No

Do you or have you ever smoked cigarettes? If so how many and age:
No

Have you ever used recreational drugs? If so how often and which type (to remain entirely confidential):
No

Do you drink alcohol? If yes how much on an average week (including binge drinking):
Very rarely. I'll have a glass of wine every now and then-- on average, about one every 2 or so weeks?

Has your alcohol intake changed (eg. used to party a lot but no longer do)? If so please confirm previous alcohol intake and over how many years:
No

Please also include any additional information you may feel is relevant, or if you wish to describe your particular situation or journey please do so here:
I think I've gone into everything I've needed to. I really think Accutane set this off. I mean, I had the body hair and hormonal acne before Accutane, but the hair loss and increased DHEA really pushed me over the edge.

[bloomingcactus657]

Personal
Current age:
21

Age of diagnosis:
Well that's debatable. I had cysts at 13 but wasn't "officially" diagnosed until 18.

Cause of diagnosis (eg. infertility, ammenorhoea etc):
Cysts were found due to irregular periods. My OBGYN put me on birth control. We found that I was always having issues on them--either bleeding through the cycle or not at all or whatever. So finally she just up and decided to do the bloodwork since I had been having issues anyway. I have the LH:FSH imbalance. Slightly elevated insulin and free testosterone (just enough to count I guess?)

Current Height/Weight:
I am about 5'7" and 150 lbs

Has your weight fluctuated much in the past (if so please confirm previous weights):
Yes! Around my freshman year I suddenly gained a little over 30 pounds... and now I'm down to what I was around the time of my diagnosis.

Please describe your PCOS symptoms (if any):
Extremely irregular periods, some mood swings, some excess hair (I consider myself lucky that a lot of it is just peach fuzz [although some isn't] but I've heard that that can change over time).

Do any family members of your also suffer from PCOS:
My mom has hormone issues of her own re the reproductive system but she's never been diagnosed with anything,

Medial History
What age did you start the pill:
12-13

Reason for starting the pill (eg. painful periods, birth control etc):
irregular periods (didn't have one for over ten months when I started!)

Which pill did you take: I started on orthotricyclen lo, tried regular orthotricyclen, yaz (I loved yaz while it worked),loestrin 24, currently on the generic for desogen. I've tried others I believe but those are the ones that stand out.

When and why did you stop taking the pill: I haven't yet, mostly bc now I use it for birth control. (I'm actually really curious as to what my cycles would look like without it)

Do you ovulate? If so is it regular and approximately what cycle day:
I appear not to, or if I do it is very irregularly. I haven't honestly been off the pill long enough to tell.

Do you have regular or irregular periods? If irregular how often:
Irregular. Like I said, haven't been off the pill long enough recently enough to know

Have you been pregnant? If so how many times and how ie IV, naturally etc:
No

Have you suffered any miscarriages? If so how many, and cause if known:
No

Have you tried any fertility treatments (if so which ones and success of these treatments):
No

Has your doctor advised you of any abnormal blood test results associated with the condition (ie. abnormal FSH/LH ratio, high AMH, elevated androgens etc):
3:1 FSH LH

Have your thyroid levels been checked? If so do you recall whether levels were high low or normal, and if normal do you recall whether your TSH was above 2:
i THINK that they've been checked and are normal.

Do you suffer any additional fertility complications (ie. endometriosis, fibroids etc):
Not that I know of.

Do you take or have you in the past taken any prescription drugs? If so which ones and duration of treatment:
I take drugs for other things, such as overactive bladder, severe allergies, asthma. I was on a slew of prescriptions for depression for awhile.

Have y0u taken Metformin? If so did it make you sick, did it make you ovulate, did it work?
No

Diet
Do you consider yourself to have a healthy, average or unhealthy diet:
I think I am pretty average but now that I'm getting closer to a time where I might be ready to start talking about having kids in the next five years or so I've begun investigating the whole paleo/low-GI thing a lot of women seem to say works for PCOS bc I am interested in being healthier than I am at this second.

Has your diet always been the same, or have you recently changed it (ie. health kick):
I kind of tend to make slower more gradual changes. I did just give up my diet Coke addiction though!

Is your diet high in anything in particular (ie: fats, salts, sugar):
I don't think so....

Do you have a diet higher in sugar? Including sugars found in fruit, yoghurts, cereals, breads etc. not just sweets:
Yeah, probably, honestly. If you include sugar in oatmeals and cereals and such, yeah.

Do you suffer any intolerances in your diet (eg. wheat, dairy):
Not known.

Lifestyle
Do you exercise (include frequency and intensity):
Not really. I like to walk. And Zumba. But I don't do either enough to count lol

Do you or have you ever done any sport:
No

Do you have a high stress life or job:
I am in college. Art school, at that.
Yes.

Are you living a very ‘busy’ life:
Not really.

Do you employ any relaxation techniques (eg. yoga, meditation, hypnosis etc):
Not those, no

Do you or have you ever smoked cigarettes? If so how many and age:
No

Have you ever used recreational drugs? If so how often and which type (to remain entirely confidential):
No

Do you drink alcohol? If yes how much on an average week (including binge drinking):
Rarely. Maybe it averages out to once a month?

Has your alcohol intake changed (eg. used to party a lot but no longer do)? If so please confirm previous alcohol intake and over how many years:
No

Please also include any additional information you may feel is relevant, or if you wish to describe your particular situation or journey please do so here: