Diagnosis??

Lwohitz

Hey everyone, I really feel that I have pcos . My periods are at least 40 days apart, sometimes they are super heavy with major clots and other times it is light. I have gained a massive amount if weight .. About fifty pounds in less then a year. I noticed some black hairs on my chin which I have never had a problem with before. I get tired after eating and if I don't eat regularly I turn into a major moody you know what lol.

I have a follow up appt with my gp who just did some lab work. My labs were normal though. Do all people with pcos have high testosterone ? My is normal but yet I have the hair growth that they say can be caused by high testosterone .

Also , for those with weight gain do you think your weight is all in the belly like they say happens with those with pcos or do you have weight gain everywhere?
Just wondering along with the above questions how your dr diagnosed you.?

Also for those on metformin did you get tested for insulin resistance and that's why you are on metformin or dies it work for pcos ers even if you don't have I Aylin resistance ? Thanks

Pinksarah82

Hi. Ok i'll start by answering your questions and hopefully it can help you a bit.

I have high testosterone but only just over the regular line i was told by my endo. My estrogen level is very high though.

My weight is mostly in my belly but some elsewhere as well, however for me i've always struggled with my weight and for a time i pretty much gave up and was adding weight so quickly it built everywhere. Now i've lost a lot of weight i'm noticing that my belly weight is proving very hard to lose. My 2 aunts have PCOS as well- for one it's mostly belly but for the other it's all over. I do know my Great Aunt (who has passed) had pcos but was as skinny as a bean pole.

I was diagnosed at the age of 11 when i first got my period and it was so heavy and bad it lasted a week at a time and i couldn't even go to school cause i was scared i'd bleed through everything before break time. The doc did the blood test and ultrasound and due to my family history as well the diagnosis was pretty quick. I didn't get much information from the doc, i had to rely on my Aunt to ask questions. I was never given meds or anything either. It was until almost 2 years ago now that i approached my GP and asked for a refarral to a endo that things moved. The endo i went to was so great, he explained things in a new light to me and put me on Metformin explaining it would take several months for it to take affect. I was told i had insulin resistance which is why i was put on Metformin. Not sure if it works without but for me it has worked wonders!

Oh and one more thing is you do not have to have the cysts to be diagnosed. I do not have any visable on ultrasound. And you can have cysts but not actually have PCOS so my endo explained.

You're not eating could be a sign of diabetes or insulin resistance. I get really moody when i don't eat or have low sugars, as soon as i eat i'm fine. So you may want to get tested just in case.

Hope that helps.

boxem180

Definitely get your sugars tested. Before I was put on Metformin, my sugars were pre-diabetic. After almost a year on the Met, my sugars are down in the normal range. I used to be hungry even right after eating and I would have the biggest carb cravings ever. Those are gone too.
I was diagnosed after I saw my new gyno. She saw the dark patches of skin and that I carry a lot of weight in my stomach. We did tests that just confirmed everything. This was after several doctors told me that it was my Italian heritage and that I was fat because I was lazy (despite eating 1200 calories a day and working out 5 days a week). Make sure to stick up for yourself

shamilton1984

Not all people with PCOS have high testosterone. In fact, there are no hard and fast rules for the syndrome which can be difficult when trying to diagnose and treat it. I don't have high testosterone, but over the past few years it has increased. I do however have black chin hair (started as one and now it's so many :sad: ) as well as darkening and thickening facial hair. It's not a full on beard yet lol but it's not cute. Anywho, weight gain can be another symptom. I have been fat all my life so I don't know if the two are related BUT with PCOS usually comes insulin resistance which does cause weight gain/difficulty losing weight. I've heard it can be centralized in the belly area because of the hormones. Metformin is typically the first course of action for PCOS people (not always, because again, everyone with it is different) because it helps your body regulate your insulin. Insulin resistance means your body produces enough insulin but it doesn't use it properly. That's why you'll usually see high sugar as well as high insulin levels. Met helps that. Also, the cysts aren't actually cysts I recently found out. They are actually just underdeveloped follicles in the ovaries, thus stopping or hindering ovulation. Just an interesting little factoid lol but not everyone has those either. I didn't have any of those until the past couple of visits. I was diagnosed based on: high sugar and insulin, family history of PCOS, abnormal uterine bleeding (bled 6 years straight, every day, blah...), facial hair and dark patches (looks like a sun tan) on my elbows and neck. Also, I have a "hump" on the back of my neck which is a sign of insulin resistance. Another factoid lol. Before you go in for your results, I would write a list of questions to ask them so you don't forget any questions you may have. I would also request a glucose meter if you don't already have one so you can keep an eye on your sugars at home. If you have any more questions, feel free to message me