The more I read the more confused I am. My Gyn told me I have PCO because I'm obese, have irregular periods, hirsutism and hair loss. I've had that for years but now he says I have PCO (not PCOS for some reason). It also took five years to get pregnant both times.
He said he could put me on Metformin which would help with these sypmtoms and make it easier to lose weight. He started me on Provera to start my period then ran bloodwork to see if I'm insulin resitant. The results came back negative, I'm not IR. I'm waiting on his call to discuss what to do next.
Now I'm completely confused. Am I fat because I have PCOS or do I have PCOS because I'm fat? And if I'm not IR then would he still put me on Metformin?
I've been on a million diets and can't seem to stick with them. I don't get much of a weight loss so I end up quitting. I always thought that was just me not a disease or syndrome. Is that PCOS too?
It also seems to me that many of the symptoms could also just be due to obesity like Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. Can anyone explain this?
It is kind of like a cycle/circle. Pcos is made worse by weight and weight is harder to lose because of pcos. I am sure someone else can explain that much better than I can but that is the best I can do.
I am not IR but my doctor still put me on Metformin so he may still decide to do that. So far it has helped me (combined with diet) to lose weight. I had been dieting since the beginning of the year and could barely seem to lose any weight. The met has made a difference.
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Starting weight: 182 Current weight: 166 Goal weight: 140
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hi gorillawoman. It IS a confusing thing. lol. My gyno told me that for the longest time, they weren't sure if obesity caused PCOS, or if PCOS caused obesity. Well, she said studies found that PCOS causes obesity. However, if I was able to lose a good amount of weight, my symptoms would calm down and not be as bad. however, having PCOS makes it hard to lose weight and yes, it makes it hard to keep it off. And Metformin is not a weight loss drug. Yes, it can and usually does help. However, you have to do your part too of watching what and how much you eat, and keeping active. Most people notice that their sugar cravings calm down quite a bit when taking Met and their period starts to become more normal. Yes, and PCOS does have nasty other side affects like Type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. It's an unfortunate thing, but we have each other for support. Which makes it more bearable. I hope this helps somewhat
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All I can tell you is that for me the weight came first. I had always been a downright skinny child, but when puberty and PCOS hit I balloned in one summer. I had to have gained at least 30 lbs!
I always had a horrible time losing weight, too. I ended up anorexic at 12 thanks to this crap, in fact. I still struggle to control my eating disordered behavior, despite being nowhere near thin enough to be "normal", let alone "underweight"!
I wish you luck GorillaWoman! I do know that my mom, who is type II diabetic, takes metformin and has gone down from 167 to 126. She's not too strict with her diet and is 71 with bad arthritis, so she can only be "so" active. For some met really must help shed the weight.
__________________ Me (33)/Michael (3o) Together for almost nine long, happy years!
First PCOS dx: 1989 Supplements: One A Day Weight Smart, B Complex, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid (B5), B12, Saw Palmetto, Vit C, Vit D3, NAC, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Chromium Piconolate, Cinnamon, Magnesium, EPO, Zinc Gluconate, Green Tea Diet: "Modified" Zone plan
"You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her" -Anon.
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I myself can't take Met, well i can, lol, but I dont' have health insurance. i would hate to see how much that would cost. So, I'm giving Chromium Picolinate a go. It's like the alternative version of Met.
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As the others have said, it's a vicious cycle. But it is possible to be skinny and still have PCOS. In fact, my PCOS symptoms were raging when I was a tiny UK size 8 (US 4?)
Don't despair as it's perfectly possible to lose weight if you have PCOS, although it may just be slower. I had to content myself with a half or 1lb weight loss some weeks - it's easier to cope wityh if you accept that it may be 3 or 4 times harder for you to lose weight. But it's not impossible. I've used chromium and you can see from my sig the other stuff I use to help me with weight loss - all natural.
For many people, once the weight is off, the symptoms lessen and many women become symptom free at, or close to, a normal BMI.
After losing just 10lbs, my periods normalised again (well, *normal* for me), going from one or two a year to one every 6 weeks. Most of my other symptoms have lessened. But when I was very skinny (my teenage years and right through to age 30), I had the worst PCOS symptoms going - so you can't generalise.
It's perfectly possible to lose weight with or without Met - it's just possible it may be slower, and not easy. But nothing worth doing is easy! The important thing is to go easy on yourself and just try!
I don't know whether becoming overweight makes some women have PCOS or not... but I think that's probably a simplistic view your doctor has - as there are many skinny PCOS-ers out there, too! It took me 8 years to conceive my eldest but all my weight gain has been due to having babies and breastfeeding them - as I had PCOS for many years without gaining weight at all. It's a way of guilt tripping women to imply that it's their own fault they have PCOS because they are *fat*. That's nonsense. I had PCOS for many years with a 22" waist and the symptoms at that point were far worse than what I have now.
Met seems to help some women, not others but you can lose weight without it - you just need to arm yourself with lots of info from sites like this one, have a lot of will power and also be kind to yourself. It's not your fault you have PCOS!
Polly x
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Thanks everyone. I did get a call from my doctor this afternoon. Basically he said the same thing the lab said, no IR. He said with that info he decided not to put me on metformin. He told me to continue taking the Provera each month to regulate my cycle and to call him if I have any complications from the medicine. He never mentioned losing weight or doing anything else. I guess my hairy chest doesn't bother him as much as it does me. lol
I've joined weight watchers again and have decided not to allow myself to be disappointed with the small losses each week. Knowing that the PCOS is what makes it so hard to lose makes me feel less like a failure. I don't think that having PCOS is my fault but have beat myself up for being obese for many years. I still believe that my behavior is more of the problem but I can be easier on myself knowing it is made worse by this condition.
I'm glad I found this site. Having information about this and someone to talk to about it makes things much better.
Thanks everyone. I did get a call from my doctor this afternoon. Basically he said the same thing the lab said, no IR. He said with that info he decided not to put me on metformin.
I've joined weight watchers again and have decided not to allow myself to be disappointed with the small losses each week. Knowing that the PCOS is what makes it so hard to lose makes me feel less like a failure. I don't think that having PCOS is my fault but have beat myself up for being obese for many years. I still believe that my behavior is more of the problem but I can be easier on myself knowing it is made worse by this condition.
Good going for taking the initiative and joining Weight Watchers! That first step can be the hardest ((hugs))
I'm glad that knowing more about PCOS and its relationship to weight has helped bring you some peace. I understand all too well about beating yourself up and it simply is not your fault! As PollySis said, it is most definitely possible to lose weight with PCOS. Without supplements it is slow for me, and I plateau a lot, but supplements have helped me tons in the weightloss department. The Chromium especially. Check out the "Alternative Remedies" board here for info on all that stuff.
And I agree, isn't this board just the best? Thanks for being here ladies!
__________________ Me (33)/Michael (3o) Together for almost nine long, happy years!
First PCOS dx: 1989 Supplements: One A Day Weight Smart, B Complex, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid (B5), B12, Saw Palmetto, Vit C, Vit D3, NAC, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Chromium Piconolate, Cinnamon, Magnesium, EPO, Zinc Gluconate, Green Tea Diet: "Modified" Zone plan
"You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her" -Anon.
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I have PCOS, and so far, haven't been above a size 14. I'm about half that now and my PCOS is wilder than ever--hair shedding like a dawg, cysts everywhere, and AF every frickin 2 weeks going on over a year now of that. So weight alone does not cause or cure PCOS.
__________________ Whoa! bfp 11/22/08. A YAZ "reset" baby!
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Why am I fat? 
That first step can be the hardest ((hugs))
