Diagnosed today after ultrasound, feeling a bit lost

animatorswearbras

Hi, so I didn't actually expect to be diagnosed with PCOS I was expecting this to be eliminated in the search for my acne root cause even though I have some symptoms but now I've been told I have PCOS (or at least according to ultrasound waiting on my blood test) I'm kind of lost and trying to find some info or if anyone has experienced my symptoms. (I've read the sticky)

The thing is I have fairly light regular periods, but I have moderate acne, gain weight around my stomach and have a hard time losing (although I am only just in the "healthy" weight range now my waist measurement still classes me overweight), have thin damaged hair, I've also found the odd boob hair.

Before this I was on the combined pill for over a decade after battling acne in my late teens early 20s and no medication worked (even roaccutane) I guess the pill might have masked the PCOS up until this point (I'm now 34) I still had a little mild acne but it was a 90% improvement, now I'm back to square one after 14 months from the last time I took the pill. Maybe I'm jumping the gun looking for advice or comparing symptoms as my blood test was only on Monday and I haven't had those results yet. I don't know is this familiar to have regular periods with PCOS?

KnitOrMiss

I didn't start having irregular periods until I was in my 30's, and it's because my weight gain escalated and some underlying issues did too...

Hormones do different things to different people PCOS is a syndrome, which is a collection of symptoms. You can have 1 symptoms, 10, or all of them! Read back on some recent threads... @stacicali probably has more information on this side of things - I was more on the chaotic side...

(hugs) and remember, all a diagnosis does is give you a new path to knowledge. It didn't change a single thing about you!!!

animatorswearbras

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

I didn't start having irregular periods until I was in my 30's, and it's because my weight gain escalated and some underlying issues did too...

Hormones do different things to different people PCOS is a syndrome, which is a collection of symptoms. You can have 1 symptoms, 10, or all of them! Read back on some recent threads... @stacicali probably has more information on this side of things - I was more on the chaotic side...

(hugs) and remember, all a diagnosis does is give you a new path to knowledge. It didn't change a single thing about you!!!

Aw thankyou for your reply that's very reassuring, reading through the threads I guess I'll have to wait and see what the deal is with my hormones (and insulin?) before I can start researching how to medicate (or at least change my diet as the doctor will hopefully be able to go through medication options) as there seems to be different types? (although I hate the idea of keto as I love my carbs but maybe small changes like reducing sugar and refined carbs) I've already been taking vitamin d3 for a couple of weeks and it has slightly lessened the oiliness of my skin but not much else, I'm starting to look into taking a zinc supplement also but I guess getting my hormones to behave will be key.

I guess I'm kind of gutted since although not quite ready to start a family yet, in a couple of years we were going to start planning and I guess this might be a barrier that I never considered before (apart from me being in my mid/late 30s which I didn't think was that big a deal until now) although hearing the success stories is also reassuring, it just feels like a can of worms that I wasn't quite prepared for has been opened in trying to find a cause for my acne.

I'm really glad that there are groups like this though and I know PCOS isnt the end of the world but its hard to process a newly diagnosed condition and I feel like I left the ultrasound with a bunch of unanswered questions that I didn't think of until I started googling what PCOS was and checking the MFP forums.

Thankyou so much again. x

KnitOrMiss

With the D3, it is absolutely critical to pair it with K2, the M7 form. Otherwise, the D3 will go around soaking up the calcium from your foods, but then it won't know where to take them. It will generally sit around cluttering up your arteries, which is dangerous. Life Extension (Super K Plus) and Jarrow (K2-M7) are great versions of this. I don't have the exact link, but www.chrismasterjohnphd.com has a FABULOUS Vitamin K2 primer that explains this more fully.

And honestly, I've gotten to the point in my life where, while it is a PITA, getting things uncovered when looking for something else is a blessing. It gives you the opportunity to absorb and process the data, and perhaps mitigate and treat the condition BEFORE it's a crucial timing issue!

There are a lot of great folks in this group, so please, as you run across things, ask. Someone will likely have an answer, a link, or a group they can point you toward.

My biggest comorbid issue (cause?) with the PCOS is insulin resistance. It is so aggravating. And I guess the hypothyroidism. Getting all of these things unveiled and addressed now should stack the deck in your favor as far as conception and delivery as it can do... Looking back now, I can see various signs and symptoms that link up to this... It's so hard to get to the root causes.

PCOS is overwhelming, heartwrenching, hard, and frustrating, among more ... colorful adjectives. Take your time.

My most basic understanding is that getting your hormones leveled out will likely be the first/maybe most important step... To do this, I'd personally avoid any BCP or hormonal birth control methods. They as you said, camouflage bigger symptoms/issues and wreak havoc on the body.

And keto is not the only answer to help with this. Just lowering your carbs to avoid refined foods, sugars, and grains where possible - usually ballparking 150 grams a day -- and focusing on whole foods over processed foods -- those changes can literally change your entire life. There are a lot of paleo/primal resources out there that seem more geared towards the hormonal aspects. A temporary elimination of gluten/soy/dairy/sugar allow you to isolate which are your biggest triggers... It seems and feels impossible, but it gets easier as you go... I promise.

None of us have all the answers, and I don't think we have many, if any, medical specialist/professionals in the group, but as long as we all share the info we have, I think we'll all be better off in the end. (HUGS)

animatorswearbras

Oh crikey I had no idea about the d3 pairing thing, I'll read up! Thankyou so much I'll look into what I can get hold of in the UK regarding K2(M7). I literally just saw it in an acne forum and people having some success, with the rubbish weather here and my susceptibility to SAD thought I'd give it a shot.