Which tests and symptoms....?

[TammyTay]

I'm just wondering how everyone was officially diagnosed?

Which tests or symptoms made your diagnosis solid?

[Cynlu]

Oddly enough, it was an MRI for back problems that first caused me to start the round of Dr's visits and tests -- the MRI showed small cysts (string of pearls) on my ovaries.

Since then, gyno and endo had FSH/LH, testosterone (and free testosterone), insulin-resistance and a few other tests done -- gyno did most save the IR test and sent me to the endo based on that, endo agreed with diagnosis after a couple more tests, specifically the IR and making sure it was not Type II diabetes, and there you have it.

[chantelley]

Mine mainly was the absent periods, i went 6 years before having one ( and that was with tablets) Iv also suffered terrible acne and slow and steady weight gain since about 12/13 which seems to have stopped now.

but it only came to be tested when after visiting one gp and being told to go away and lose weight, the guy made me feel like an idiot.

but i finally managed to see my gp and he actually listened, referred me for tests, and even got me in a trial for a new drug for pcos, it didnt work but was worth the try lol.

Then an external ultra sound, which was just a formality really.

[Eva37]

mine was from my hair, period pains, cysts on a scan
eva

[Tummy]

Mine was from lack of periods after going off the pill, LH:FSH ratio, and lots of cysts in ovaries.

[calmwaters]

Elevated free and total testosterone, mild insulin resistance, disproportionate HDL/LDL ratio, and symptoms (weight gain, acne, hair, irregular periods, loss of libido.... on and on).

[Navi]

My issue was just skipped AF (about 6 to be exact, accompanied by wild pain and PMS symptoms every month), and I was dx'ed extremely quickly after just an ultrasound. Wasn't exactly perfect, but I guess the dx itself was a good thing.

[Kalyn]

I started having problems back in Dec. '05. I was on BCP and I was having horrible pain to the point it was almost hard to walk. I went to my GYN in Jan. '06, he did an ultra sound told me I had cysts and that I also had HBP and to stop the pills, I was on my period at the time and just stopped and went almost a month without one. He put me on Provera and I went like a river. I found a new GYN who just did surgery to "just look". A year later he wanted to do that again....I found yet ANOTHER GYN and she is actually helping me. She did some blood work, confirmed PCOS along with a ultra sound and also Dx me w/endometreosis. I am currently being treated for that...and then we will go from there. Its been a long and bumpy road....*sigh*

[amandah]

I had most of the symptoms, funky periods,hair,acne,dark patches, etc.. I was officially diagnosed by an endo after having my hormones tested.

[februarystar]

My doctor at the time diagnosed me after the obvious things such as the hair, the belly weight and the absent periods. It was confirmed by a blood test - FSH/LH and testosterone.

[stellarchik]

Chantelley and I had a smiliar experience without dx's!

I went about 4 years with no period at all. Was told by my family doctor that it was because I had begun gaining steady weight over those years and I needed to lose weight in order to get my menstral cycle back on. Needless to say after much persistence from me and my parents we finally got a referral to a specialist.

My hormone levels didn't show anything significant and it really stumped all of us. I had the excessive hair growth and no periods. So after an internal ultra sound they saw my ovaries which looked like honeycombs from all the cysts all over them.

I was Dx'd with PCOS after the ultra sound.

[Mommy_at_Heart]

Well, I must have had crappy docs because I had symptoms since I was 13. I had thinning hair, extra weight gain, acne, irregular periods...etc. And it wasn't until I was 24 and suffering from my third miscarriage that my ob/gyn ordered blood work and a trans-vaginal u/s to check for cysts. Bingo.

[ZphibLady]

I had missed periods and the big belly thing...I went on webmd.com and looked up PCOS and Ovarian Cancer/Cancer of the Cervix (my mom died from the latter). I said I have either one of those...I went to the doctor and told him I either have PCOS or the cancer. He laughed and said no...why would you think that? Then i explained about my mom and he got really serious and gave me the ultra sound and said you were right you do have PCOS, they look like a string of pearls...so i diagnosed myself.

[Jashobeam]

Symptoms:
Easy weight gain, especially around the middle
Hairloss
Male pattern hair growth
Fatigue
Food cravings
Red face

My doctor did all kinds of blood tests. Here are a few:
Fasting insulin
Cushings
Thyroid
Cholesterol
Estrogen, progesterone, testosterone


He said most of my results were normal, but I was slightly IR. With that and my symptoms he dxed me.

[BelindaV]

I had missed AF's and weight gain after coming off the pill (before that i was a healthy weight and had never missed an AF- i could usually even predict what day it would come). My DH actually found a book on PCOS and read the back which had listed all my symptoms, so he brought it and we read it together and then went to the doctor who did blood tests and then sent me for an ultrasound, no cysts were present. Have been wondering if the doctor should have done more than that....