I am 34 yrs old, I was first diagnosed with PCOS at 24 yrs old by awonderful doc, when there was even less known about this then I think I even realized. I have skin tags, discoloration in all the lovely, typical places, hair loss and growthin,all the wrong places, I go up to 12 months with no period, then when I get one it may be "normal or last up to 65 days ( that was my worst one).
My dh is military so we have moved a lot and I have found very few military docs until now that know much about PCOS. I am on my first period in 9 months..which figures because I had my full realm of blood tests then 2 days later this period started. How badly will this affect my test results?? Will it? Complacency is the key word at times to military doctors...."wait and see".....I dont want to wait anymore, I am at 224 pounds, I feel horrible and I am finding out that I have totally missed the information highway, so to speak the last several years. I am just learning about glucophage and other treatments, any advice is very very welcome
I have been able to have 3 children. The first two with no help at age 19 and 21....the third took a lot of help and a lot of clomid and after a fairly normal pregnancy ( with the exception of preclampsia) my third child was born...they are 15, 12 and 3.
When I was 26, I was told the blood tests to check my luetenizing and follicullar hormones to determine if I had PCOS had to be done at a very specific point in my menstrual cycle,yet this current doc did a full spectrum of tests with no period in 9 months and was not clear what all the tests were she was having run....she is also having me get an internal/external ultrasound of my ovaries, I assume to see if I have the classic "string of pearls" cysts.....please, if anyone is out there that can offer some advice what I should know, what I should ask....I am overwhelmed with where to start and how to keep the doctors working with me....
Tammy, welcome to SoulCysters! I had the same problems w/ military doctors - they are the worst. Not knowledgeable and not willing to learn - or even listen. What empowered me to demand - and get! - treatment was to learn as much as I could about PCOS myself. Read all the articles in the Newbies Start Here section, there is a wealth of information there.
Usually most of the bloodwork is supposed to be done on cycle day 3. Mine was random too, not having had a period in nine months, but the results still pointed to PCOS (the LH:FSH ratio for example). You can ask to have your period induced with provera, then go in for bloodwork on CD 3.
Don't give up. But do learn more so you can educate your doctors. Know what treatment you think will help your body and then insist on it. Good luck!!!
__________________ Met rules! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. It cleared my brain fog, brought back af, helped me lose weight, made me o' again, and helped me get pregnant. My first Metformin miracle is now 3 years old, my second (surprise one) arrived December11! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
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I am trying to educate myself as quickly as possible. The amount of information that is available now, compared to 8 yrs ago when I was initially diagnosed and basically told to "live with it" , well, it's overwhelming to say the least!
My Primary care doc knows Iwould be more comfortable working with an endocrinologist familiar with PCOS, but feels she is more than capable of treating me, so she wontgive me the refferal, so mybattle may begin there. However, she is being very very thorough, not onlychecking the hormone levels, but also the triglycerides, cholesterol, and doing a thyroid panel, as well as the 3 month sugar level and glucose tolerance...so now I am in wait and see mode for my ultrasound and test results.....since I started my period two days after they did myblood draw I am wondering if I should request a redraw for more accurate levels. Especially since I wouldlike the CD3 results to see the most accurate results.
My PCP wouldn't even give me a referral over to OB/GYN. I was so mad. He ran all kinds of tests too, just like yours, but I think it was more b/c he didn't really know what to do. So make sure you get the right kind of tests (check section 2.10 in the article link in my signature line), and since she feels she is capable of handling this, make sure you stand up for what you think is the right treatment for you.
I finally got past my PCP and saw a gyno who'd at least heard of PCOS, and even though she didn't know much about it she was willing to let me go on Metformin. Best thing that ever happened to me (though it doesn't work for everybody). Stand up for yourself, that is the only way you will get past their military attitude.
Totally Confused!!!! 
