Finding out if I have PCOS-- what type of doctor do I need?

breefoshee

I've scheduled an appointment with my regular doctor... will he know what to look for with this?
I don't have all the symptoms... so this is kinda new for me....

Dragonwolf

Your regular doctor might be able to, but an ob/gyn or endocrinologist is usually better equipped.

You can, however, get some of the necessarily preliminary tests from your doctor. He'll probably run a metabolic panel by default, make sure to ask specifically for the estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, and insulin tests (these aren't included in the metabolic panel). You might also want to ask about getting your thyroid tested -- TSH, free T3, and free T4 at the lest (make sure to specifically ask, or only TSH will be run) -- and adrenal fatigue, depending on your symptoms (particularly if you have hair loss, fatigue/lethargy, body temperature, and/or anxiety issues).

From there, he'll probably be open to referring you to an endo for confirmation, or have you go to your ob/gyn for an ultrasound (cysts on the ovaries aren't actually required for PCOS, but it's generally used as a confirmation).

KnitOrMiss

@breefoshee‌ Most of us don't have all the symptoms. In fact, I've never known anyone who has... But if you have one symptom, or more than one, it is worth getting checked out, because it mimics so many other conditions (may even trigger some), and early treatment helps so much! I'd second the endocrinologist. My gynecologist didn't even suggest this topic - my regular doctor did...so for me, the gyno would (likely, assumed) not have been able to help any.

breefoshee

Thanks! I had them run tests on my thyroid last year because I was having a lot of difficulty losing weight but everything came back normal for thyroid. I never thought I had PCOS because I've always had regular periods... but lately they have been weird and I didn't have one at all this month. Do the symptoms just come on sometimes?

Last year, I started having some hair loss, but I thought it was because I was using a harsh shampoo. But I looked in the bathtub after showering the other day, there was tons of hair. At the end of the year, I also gained 40lbs in 4 months and I'm pretty sure I'm hypoglycemic because I feel my sugar drop really low if I don't eat within a certain amount of time. I just figured that I was getting older (28) and that I would just need be more strict with eating. 5 years ago, I lost 50lbs easy peasy and kept it off til last year... The past 4 months I've lost 10lbs doing twice the work I did to lose the 50lbs I did when I was 23. Wouldn't I have had the symptoms when I was younger if I had it? Or does it just flare up like that?

KnitOrMiss

Your body spends a lot of time compensating, so you may have always had symptoms and just not recognized them. Also, if one symptom ramps up badly, all the others that might have been in balance with each other (out of balance with where they should have been, but in balance with each other) might fall out of sync, making it seem like an explosion of symptoms.

Also, just because the thyroid shows up in acceptable ranges, that does not is means it is acceptable/normal for YOU! I was having thyroid problems for a decade before it showed up on a test. www.stopthethyroidmadness.com This can explain why it might not show up on standard testing. One of the big things I know now to look for is your triglyceride level - do you happen to know yours? If it's high at all, you likely have a thyroid issue...

And yes, as your body goes through all kinds of changes as we age. So many thing affect it - the type of food we eat, how often we eat, how active we are, and so many things! I had some experience with hypoglycemia as a side effect to a medication I took years back. it was hell. I haven't had any blood sugar issues since moving to a low carb high fat moderate protein food plan. This was suggested by my endocrinologist to combat the effects of PCOS, and though I waited forever to get on board, I'm so glad now that I did.

It seems like you need a boatload of testing to confirm all this! I would definitely recommend an endocrinologist due to the variety of your symptoms! There are many supplements you can take to manage all this, but I'd recommend baseline bloodwork first of all!!

breefoshee

Wow! Thanks for the info. I think that getting testing will help me to find weight loss answers-- even if its just hypoglycemia or type 2 diabetes... it makes a difference in how I eat.

breefoshee

@KnitOrMiss‌ So I went to the doctor on Friday, and he had me do bloodwork on Monday. While I was there, I signed up for this website where I could see my Thyroid blood tests for last year.... How do I know what the numbers should look like for me? I went to the website, but I didn't see where it told you what your number should be.

KnitOrMiss

My experience is that if I'm not at the upper edges of the acceptable ranges (which should be shown on your test results, if not you can google it), I don't feel healthy. My levels dropped at more than half over a 6 month period or something (after dropping slowly over years), which is when it finally registered on tests.

Test Source Date Result Interp. Ref. Range Comments
Free Thyroxine 10/27/14 1.48 ng/dl 0.76 - 1.46 High
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)
10/27/14 1.640 uIU/ML 0.358 - 3.740

These were the two results I could find easily for me...let me know if this makes sense at all.

KnitOrMiss

Here were the results in April (above was October same year)

Date of Last Result Test Result Reference Range Flag
5/16/14 Total Thyroxine 16.8 UG/ML 4.8-13.9 H
4/21/14 Triiodothyronine (T3) Uptake 30 % 30-39
4/21/14 Free Thyroxine Index 5.2 1.5-4.4 H

breefoshee

Hmm. I'm thinking that the last doctor didn't really test me that much. I remember him being apprehensive about testing me at all--he was filling in for my regular doctor. My regular doctor sent off for all kinds of tests...so hopefully I'll have a better idea of whats going on.
The only thing I see from my last test is my TSH and T4.

TSH: .97
T4: .93

KnitOrMiss

I honestly have worked so much in the sun this weekend, I've lost context a little on our overall conversation, but if I didn't suggest it yet, please check out:

www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

It will help explain so much. TSH is the stimulating hormone. If you have too little of this, your thyroid might be failing in some form or fashion. if you have too much of it, your body may not be converting, using, or seeing the hormones there. If your T3 is high, or the "free" number is high, it means that it's not being converted efficiently. There are so many factors that it is hard to explain.

And you have to have a look at ALL of the numbers to really see the whole story. That would be like doing stitches or bandaids because your leg is bleeding. Even though you can't stand on it or put any weight on it, they don't do any x-rays because they stopped the bleeding, and you actually have a broken leg. Which requires a different treatment and could actually cause more problems due to incorrect treatment, etc. I hope that comparison makes sense.

Check out that website and hit up @Dragonwolf or me for more questions/answers. LOL (She's the one who sent me there in the first place!)

kendalslimmer

You really should see an Endocrinologist - you can ask your GP to refer you to one. Only someone who specialises in hormone-related problems can offer you a proper diagnosis. They'll spot things on blood tests etc that other doctors miss.

KnitOrMiss

kendalslimmer wrote: »

You really should see an Endocrinologist - you can ask your GP to refer you to one. Only someone who specialises in hormone-related problems can offer you a proper diagnosis. They'll spot things on blood tests etc that other doctors miss.

Agreed wholeheartedly with this ^^ !