Any other PCOSers?!

finding_jes_1lb_at_a_time

I was diagnosed with PCOS 2 years ago & have embarked on a journey to not be a victim to my PCOS & be the happiest, healthiest person possible in hopes that my husband and I can have a baby one day! I started getting serious about health Feb. 6, 2016 & am down 31.9lbs so far! IG name is the same as my username here also. I would love friends to help motivate me & that I can help motivate as well!

myheartsabattleground

I lost both my ovaries to PCOS.

finding_jes_1lb_at_a_time

I am so sorry to hear that! That is really what scared me in to getting serious. I had a checkup with my doctor after he started me on a new high dose BC & my pain was still really bad so he started talking about considering a hysterectomy(sp?) and i just thought man i am only 26 & just got married, i am not ready to rule out the chances of ever having a baby!

celtzcastle

I have PCOS. Metformin seems to be working for me, finally. I was diagnosed at the age of 19 with both prediabetes and PCOS. I was put on Metformin, Yasmin (birth control), and spironolactone (100 mg). Also I went through two courses of Accutane for my severe acne.

Over the past ten years I've tried going off Yasmin to see if I would have periods, but they never started. Finally this last October I started weaning off spironolactone. I finished in February, and then took my last birth control pill at the beginning of March. Of course I had the expected withdrawal bleed (i.e. fake period) right after, but then at the beginning of April I had a real period!

During my current cycle I used those LH urine tests (in normal cycles LH is low most of the month, but spikes 24-48 hours prior to ovulation). I passed day 14 of my cycle without a positive test and was beginning to feel sad, but then it happened on day 19! I'm expecting a period this Friday. It's very surreal. When I was diagnosed I had gone a year without a period. Now it appears I'm having normal cycles and might even be ovulating, though it's a bit early to say. It'll be easier to tell once my fiance and I get married and start trying.

I would suggest seeing a fertility specialist if your doctor isn't prescribing Metformin. My cousin went a year without conceiving and her endocrinologist just told her to diet and exercise. Finally she saw a fertility specialist and was put on Metformin. She got pregnant within two months. The odd thing is that I was seeing the exact same endocrinologist. I think he discriminated against her because she's overweight. I was underweight when diagnosed, so he made the assumption that I needed medicine and my cousin just needed to lose weight.

finding_jes_1lb_at_a_time

Good to know! I have ALWAYS been overweight and being on depo from age 16-21 definately did not help my weight problem! I then spent ages 21-24 off BC and that is when i finally started having random periods and TERRIBLE pain every month. My doctor said my pain was more like endo pain but i tested with no signs of endo thankfully. He currently has me on Ortho-tricyclen and it is finally helping me be mostly pain free but that is the only med i am on. My bloodwork in jan. came back prediabetic as well and at 21 i was diagnosed with arthiritis in my knees. My doctor recommended losing weight and getting healthy to increase our chances of concieving naturally but did say we could explore using Clomid if we had trouble so we shall see what happens but i will definately look into Metformin. Thanks!

celtzcastle

Given that you have prediabetes, I'm surprised you're not on Metformin already. It treats both problems (PCOS and prediabetes) because insulin resistance is involved in both. As my doctor explained, treating PCOS with Metformin is like treating the cause, while birth control just shuts down the ovaries and spironolactone (an androgen blocker) just covers up the symptoms caused by too much androgen (such as acne and hirsutism). Metformin helps normalize blood sugar, insulin, androgen, estrogen, and LH/FSH levels.

Regarding weight and birth control, I appear to be reacting opposite how you reacted. My weight has been fairly stable on Yasmin. I quit it 2 months ago, and in the past week I've gained 4 lbs. Before that, I gained 5 lbs while weaning off spironolactone, which wasn't surprising given that spironolactone also acts as a diuretic. I'm thinking I'm suffering from PMS, and that I've forgotten what that's like due to not having a natural period in 10 years, but I'm using MyFitnessPal to figure out what my metabolism is doing. Of course, if my weight is constantly fluctuating due to water weight, that's going to be impossible to do, unless I just weigh myself once a month during a specified day of my cycle. Maybe day 5 of my period or something