New & Question

Michelle_MyBelle

Hi guys! I just joined MPF yesterday and I was happy to find some PCOS groups! I am a 31yo female, 5'5" and weight 307 lbs. Hubby and I have been TTC for about 5 years or so now, with no luck. I was just diagnosed a year ago with PCOS. Hoping to lose at least 100 lbs.

My question is: Most PCOS resources state that women with PCOS rarely have a period, sometimes not at all... Well, I started getting symptoms since I was a teenager. I would skip my period a few months. Once I skipped it for 9 whole months! It was off and on for years. Doc just gave me birth control to regulate. In my twenties (and even now), it started changing. I started getting extremely heavy periods. My periods sometimes last 2 weeks. Sometimes I spot all month. Occasionally I still skip a month or two. Are these also symptoms of PCOS?

ajacot924

Hey,
I was lucky to be diagnosed as a teen instead of when I began TTC (which will be in January).
The way I was diagnosed was because I had such weird periods.
What you are describing is definitely a symptom of PCOS.
What is hard about PCOS is that no two cases are the same, but many women with PCOS experience irregular periods or no period at all.
I have no period at all for 9 months when I was 17 and was diagnosed with PCOS and put on birth control and had very regular periods.
I have been on it for 10 years. My OB has instructed me to stop the BC now and refrain from getting pregnant for 3 months to see what my period will do. Once I do that, in January my husband and I will begin TTC.
I hope to lose 50 lbs. Every doctor I have spoken to has said that losing even 10% of your body weight is often enough for women to begin ovulating again.
Good luck!

miranda_mom

^^^ Just FYI, both times I went of BC, I had two normal cycles. Then all heck broke loose. I am currently pregnant with my second but I needed metformin to do that. Otherwise I was getting no cycle at all. (I'm also 35 so I think age might have something to do with that).

Alliwan

Ive been dx with pcos since i was a teenager also, but ive always had regular periods. I can only think of 3 or so times where i skipped a month due to stress, except for the months i was pregnant with my daughter.

no two women are alike, just like no two pcos is alike. My cycles were normally 36-38 days long off BC but then i started walking every night and they went to 28-29 days naturally. Now that i have health issues that are making it hard for me to walk much, im going to guess they'll go back up, but we quit TTC because im old and the stress level was too much on me.

if you have questions, its best to ask your doctor/obgyn as they'll be knowledgeable about you and your situation.

Edit: WELCOME to mfp and this great group of PCOSers

L2HS

Hi! When I was a teenager, I had short periods. 3-5 days every 3 weeks or so. By my mid 20s (about 5 years ago) I began having very heavy periods. I didn't really think anything of it until I thought back and realized that I had been having periods for 3 of 4 weeks for many consecutive months. I did some research and felt like I probably had PCOS or endometriosis. I went to see a gynocologist and of course the first thing they tried to do was fix the symptom of "irregular periods" with birth control. I demanded that they take a closer look. An ultrasound confirmed that I had PCOS. So yes, heavy periods can also be a sign of PCOS. From what I understand, you have menstruate without ovulating. Hope this helps some.

Alliwan

Hi! When I was a teenager, I had short periods. 3-5 days every 3 weeks or so. By my mid 20s (about 5 years ago) I began having very heavy periods. I didn't really think anything of it until I thought back and realized that I had been having periods for 3 of 4 weeks for many consecutive months. I did some research and felt like I probably had PCOS or endometriosis. I went to see a gynocologist and of course the first thing they tried to do was fix the symptom of "irregular periods" with birth control. I demanded that they take a closer look. An ultrasound confirmed that I had PCOS. So yes, heavy periods can also be a sign of PCOS. From what I understand, you have menstruate without ovulating. Hope this helps some.

Yes forgot to add mine are very heavy, always have been. Im heavy enough i can overflow 2 overnight pads in a 12 hour period. and they are often fairly clotty and painful, and over a week long. some months tho, as few as they are, are only abour 4 days and i dont overflow once.

Michelle_MyBelle

Thanks guys! Yes, I get the clots too. Very painful! Sometimes my period comes all of a sudden, with no warning, so usually I have to wear a pad everyday - just to be safe. Very annoying! Previous doc would tell me my periods were irregular because of my weight. New doc diagnosed me with pcos. Wish I would have known sooner. Hubby and I hope to be able to have a baby someday, even if its just one. Very depressing. But we've discussed our options if we are never blessed with a baby.

miranda_mom

^^^ I got the "periods are irregular because of weight" line too. Please read the posts on the TTC board (in response to your original post) from fairie_marie and myself. I'm hoping maybe Metformin might be an option for you.