Anyone Have PCOS?

thelowcarblady

Hello there, I hope I am posting on the right board, sorry if not...

Anyways, i was just curious who here has been diagnosed with PCOS? I have not yet been to the doctor, but after researching the symtoms and whatnot I have a feeling that I might have it.

I was just curious what your symptoms were and how you found out you had it.

Here's the symptoms I have that make me skeptical: (sorry if TMI)

*Rapid Weight Gain/Loss, like I can fluctuate either higher or lower almost up to 10lb's in a couple of days, to me that seems excessive
*Most weight carried around waist and uterus area i guess you'd say lol -- above my lady parts, below the belly button. Some call it FUPA (ugh lol i hate it)
*Cloudy Headed, which can be related to hormonal imbalance
*Infertility, have been trying about 1 year now with no luck
*Adult Acne, had it BAD when i was younger (i think it was mainly genetic though) and still have it but moreso when my period is close
*Irregular cycles, I have been having cycles anywhere from 28 days to sometimes 38 days
*slight hair growth on chin - like maybe 3 or 4 single strands, but like whisker's just mainly blonde. And thin hair above lip is mostly blonde but some darker
*skin tag under right arm
*oily skin and dandruff on scalp

--However, I feel like i have heard people with PCOS have painful and heavy periods and I do not at all. I also typically have a period but it's just irregular...it used to be very heavy for the first few days back with I was about 18 but as I've gotten older it is sometimes heavy and sometimes light.

Anyways, Just wanted to hear some info about it from people who know what it is and who might could give me some insight.

Thanks!!!

kjoy_

i would see your doctor for thyroid and hormonal testing. they're the only ones who can disgnose you surely with PCOS. theyll be able to get you on a plan to help the symptoms. in the meantime, lower carb and low sugar diets can alleviate some of those symptoms.

Cocotrendy

Sounds exactly like my symptoms. I was diagnosed 10 years ago. There is a PCOS group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3070-p-c-o-sis, that can share lots of insight.

thelowcarblady

i would see your doctor for thyroid and hormonal testing. they're the only ones who can disgnose you surely with PCOS. theyll be able to get you on a plan to help the symptoms. in the meantime, lower carb and low sugar diets can alleviate some of those symptoms.

a few years ago they did test my thyroid and it was fine then at least, but I do need to probably have them test again? and also for the hormonal thing...

But I did read in many places that a lot of times people with PCOS have it because they are overweight and it's throwing their body functions out of whack & many times just eating better and losing the excess weight fixes the problem on it's own. I need to be better about all that to see if that does help me...

thelowcarblady

Sounds exactly like my symptoms. I was diagnosed 10 years ago. There is a PCOS group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3070-p-c-o-sis, that can share lots of insight.

thank you!!!!

kjoy_

mine were fine also. i am on spironolactone for about the past year because once i got off HBC my body was going crazy, same symptoms you have and classic PCOS symptoms. low dose spiro and low carb are the only thing that's helped me thus far.

whatascene

I have been diagnosed with PCOS. You should get checked. Typically the doctor will do a blood test to check the hormones (your testosterone levels included, that's usually the acne and facial hair) and I had an internal ultrasound done my Dr. showed me the screen- it almost looks like your ovaries are swiss cheese lol, it's all the cysts.

I had a huge problem with weight initially, once I was put on metformin I was able to lose 50 lbs. Now, that medicine is not the magic fix though, I still work really hard, and I lose slower than my friends. But it allowed me to lose which is all I needed to motivate me.

I have not really heard the painful periods being a symptom, quite honestly. But this is a symptom of endometriosis (I also have). The symptoms I have is insulin resistance and I have folliculitus.

In my undergraduate degree I wrote a research paper in my senior capstone course on PCOS. Many times women who are have troubles conceiving are able to conceive after being on Metformin which I found pretty neat. Also as weight decreases. That's one of the most common treatments for trouble conceiving, though sometimes women do undergo fertility treatments and hormones to conceive. Fun tid bit too- scientists are finding that PCOS has a link to all the hormones in our foods and chemicals in plastics. They think this is why young girls are having periods younger and why the number in women with PCOS and Endometriosis are going up.

kateangel2312

I was diagnosed at 14 due to loss of periods and acne, also my mum had it so it was picked up

thelowcarblady

Fun tid bit too- scientists are finding that PCOS has a link to all the hormones in our foods and chemicals in plastics. They think this is why young girls are having periods younger and why the number in women with PCOS and Endometriosis are going up.

You know....I just thought about something now that you mentioned starting early periods.

When I was in 2nd grade, I had to start wearing a training bra and also I was in 6th grade when my period started. It was a lot earlier than most of my friends....

I wonder if that is related

HerbertNenenger

I didn't know I had it until I starting having crippling pelvic pains that sent me to the doctor. This, I found, was caused by the cysts bursting. how lovely.
I find that eating lower carb and limiting sugar has been VERY helpful in reducing symptoms. I don't have pain that often anymore. Since PCOS is aligned with insulin resistance and pre-diabetes, going lower carb/sugar might help, too, if it's not a terribly severe case requiring meds (which I have never taken).

artelyn

I was diagnosed about 12 years ago. My symptoms were a lot like yours...however I had no clue about PCOS until I started trying to conceive. I didn't think I had anything wrong other than irregular periods. I got them, I just never knew how many days apart they would be. And from what I was told, yes, weight can have a big impact on PCOS. Kind of a weight comes first the weight or the PCOS. Does one cause the other type thing. Good luck!

momofhandn

Hi! I was diagnosed with PCOS in late 2006. My husband and I wanted to start a family and I just always since the very first, have had irregular periods. Most of the time it was once a YEAR. I started noticing around 2004 that I was effected by simple carbs in a really bad way. Dizziness to name one of the many symptoms. My doctor mentioned PCOS and I had just got through researching it. They did an ultrasound and I had the classic "strawberry ovaries." It was very scary for me because of the infertility thing. Luckily we only had to use Clomid to spur on my ovulation (since "cysters" either don't ovulate or have very few)....and I was able to have two beautiful girls. I struggle with the water weight gain and a little bit of weird hair growth. I've tried metformin in the past to help my insulin levels but I couldn't be on it long enough to get through the side effects. I've also tried birth control pills, but dang...they make me a crazy person. Hormones are a dirty business and can make you feel horrible. For me, the best way to get through PCOS and reduce the symptoms is by following a low glycemic diet/very low processed sugar along with gluten free (I call it Paleo-esque ha!--by the way I am not Celiac, but I am definitely intolerant) Combining that diet with workouts helps me for sure.
You really need to see your gyno about your symptoms and be diagnosed so that you can work with your nutrition and figure out what helps you get through the symptoms the best. There are so many fantastic helpful sites out there now. Recipes, workouts, etc...especially for us cysters! Check out pinterest for those!
Good luck to you and if you ever have questions about PCOS or need to talk you can always message me.
Take care!

cakeribs

I have it and hate it. I have all the symptoms except, like you, my periods were never particularly heavier/more painful than other folks... until I hit my 30s.

BUT--keeping my weight in check helps A LOT. My periods are more regular when I eat what I'm supposed to, exercise and keep my weight down. Whenever I let things go, everything goes haywire.

Got to be 50 pounds overweight and I had been having a very hard time getting rid of it until I started going really low carb. IMO, low carb *is a necessity*. I'm only losing water weight now, but the cloudy-head feeling is gone, and science-wise it makes sense that lowering your sugar/carb intake would be beneficial if you have PCOS.

Hopefully you have better doctors than mine, who said "oh yeah, you have PCOS, just take some birth control and you'll be fine". They did not educate me about this condition at all.

thelowcarblady

thank you so much everyone! I am glad to hear I might be on the right track with this....

I'm not due to see my gyno until October, but maybe I can see her a bit early to ask her about this

momofhandn

I also started wearing a bra when I was 9...and got all the other lovelies, but didn't get my period till i was 16 and it was AWFUL. I really thought I was dying....I think my mom should've been more proactive about taking me to the doctor!!!! I have intolerance to some foods, and I think that PCOS is linked to so much of what's going on in my body. Hormones out of whack=a body out of whack!

jstout365

Take all these concerns to your doctor. PCOS presents differently in everyone and an actual diagnosis will help you get things figured out and able to move forward in a way that will help with whatever ends up being the problem.

I've been diagnosed for about 10 years, but never attributed any increases in weight to PCOS. I don't have too difficult of a time losing weight when I focus on it and I am not as sensitive to carbs as many women with PCOS are. What I do have is increased androgen levels, acne, hirsutism, and infertility (had to take meds to ovulate to get pregnant). I did present with the "string of perls" on my ovaries so that just solidified my diagnosis.

Chances are the doctor will want to do a hormone screening with blood work, possibly a testing to see if you are insulin resistant, and then they will most likely do an ultrasound to see if your ovaries are actually polycystic (Most PCOS women are, but not all). PCOS is in no way means a lifetime of being overweight or obese. It just means that you have to be more aware of how your diet effects your body and you need to be diligent in working towards and maintaining a healthy weight.

allykir

I have PCOS.

Here's how my story went.

9 years old, went to the doctor, she called me fat and told me to go to a nutritionist. Yes, she used the word fat. Mind you, at 9 years old, I went up a quick 60 to 100 pounds almost instantly. This is where I would have started my periods, had I *ever* got them. I didn't.

Went to a nutritionist, no matter what I did, I couldn't get the weight off, even with following their plan exactly. PCOS has to follow a slightly different diet to actually lose weight.

12 years old, go to a different doctor because periods haven't started yet. Accepted the fact I was just fat. I was probably 150 now. For a kid, this is a lot. They found cysts on my ovaries. Lots of testing to see if I had ovarian cancer. Conclusion, just cysts.

15 years old. 180 Go to a different doctor because still *NO* periods. This doctor had a daughter who was PCOS, so right away she cringed at all the lack of diagnosing from other doctors. Found I was on PCOS, put me on Metformin right away Also put me on birth control and hormones for periods. At this point, I have incredibly bad acne, a very cloudy head (it was extremely hard to concentrate), and hair that I had to shave off on my upper lip constantly (probably around 20-30 hairs) and a few strands (5-6) on my chin. Skin tags: I had one on my left knee removed when I was in elementary school, I have two under my arm, one on my shoulder, several on my back. HORRIBLY oily skin and dandruff scalp. I'd been approached by school officials before to make sure I was showering. I showered daily. My hair and skin got oily THAT fast. It was a horrible time while my hormones were way out of wack.

Now: 27 years old.

Medication: Metformin (No BC or hormones)

Problems that still exist: Hard time losing weight without correct diet, easy time gaining weight. A yo yo isn't really necessarily anything I ever had. I could gain it by just looking at cake, I swear... but losing it, I had to almost be anorexic and work out for hours for the scale to budge at times.

Periods: Absolutely never. I have my period maybe once or twice a year, if I'm lucky. IF I'm lucky. I'm not fertile at all. I'd have to get doctor help to have kids either through an IVU or invitro.

Hair: Still oily on the scalp with dandruff (Dry shampoo is my friend now and a daily thing. Keeps my hair looking as clean as it is supposed to be all day instead of getting oily within a few hours). I still have a few hairs on my upper lip and on my chin, but only 5-10 total at any given point. My hormones are more in balance (I don't have the free roaming Testosterone anymore like I did as a teenager. I do still have elevated T.)

Skin: Still oily. I only get zits every once in a while. I wash my skin and have a huge regime to keep them away


I've been told my case of PCOS is more extreme than others. I had 27 cysts between my ovaries total at one point (most of them were extremely small, some were up to dime and even nickle sizes). Doctors have asked me before if I was ready to have the ovaries removed, but had not told me I had to yet, so I haven't. They also do cancer screenings every few years because cancer does run in my family, and they want to make sure that the cysts don't turn cancerous.

Cysts hurt like hell when they burst though, just fyi. Even the small ones. The big ones if they burst can do some real damage in your body if you don't go to the hospital.

Also: Boobsize: Small. Very small for my size body. Like half of what average should be.

thelowcarblady

wow, keeping reading ya'lls responses and keep getting new things I have that i did not read about like the oily skin and dandruff...

I had such bad oily skin when i was in middle school I had to use "TGEL" which is a tar shampoo that helps with greasyness, but if i didn't use it I would shower and a few hours later my hair would be crazy oily already

and early develpement -- like getting breasts early and early period at least compared to my friends at the time

I just sent an appt request with my OBGYN so I guess we'll see what happens.

Thanks for the help everyone! I still would like to hear personal stories if anyone else wants to share their experience

Mrs_K_

I have PCOS as well and was diagnosed when I was 17,I am now 28. I had so many off the wall symptoms that I honestly thought were "normal" because I didn't know any better. I started going to my local health dept to get birth control and 90% of the problems went away but I gained almost 100 pounds in less than a year. I tried every bc possible and they all said the weight gain was from pills. I finally went to a doctor for blood work and things were off but not so bad he didn't think they needed corrected. I finally stopped having a period at 17 and went to an ob thinking I was pregnant, my test was negative but he investigated the reason for my missed periods. I had an intrauterine ultrasound and my right ovary was the size of a softball. He said he didn't know how I wasn't in extreme pain because of the cyst. He repeated my blood work and I was diagnosed with pcos. I was told I would never have children so I buried that inside and lived life without any regard as to what I was doing to my body. Later down the road at age 21 I was up to 270 pounds and miserable, I went to the doctor and wanted him to set me in the right direction, keep in mind I was not on bc being I couldn't have kids, right? Well he put me on progesterone for 14 day cycles, when I would stop the meds I would have a period. The weight started melting off and I went down to 180 pounds in 8 months. I stopped the progesterone to see if I would have natural periods again and I did for three months and then stopped. Back to the doctor I went but this time I was pregnant, that's why they stopped fast forward 6 years and I now have 3 biological boys and my two girls I had the easy way lol, my step daughters. I have children and a lot of them, but I still have problems. My weight is back to 260( I have lost 19 pounds recently) I have to wax my face every two weeks(my face not my chin or lip) I have HORRIBLE periods, not to mention facial and back acne and to top it off skin tags and discoloration. It has been a roller coaster ride and I am hoping to take control of it now. I hope and pray by losing the excess weight everything will level out and I can lead a normal life. My obgyn suggested I get the mirena IUD to control my symptoms in a more steady and long term fashion. I have had the IUD for a few months now and I love it! There is help out there it's just a matter of finding the right doctor. Good luck!

thelowcarblady

wow, I am so sorry you've had such a hard time with it -- if it is what I have, I would love to get a handle on it before it becomes a problem.

I am really getting anxious to go see my doctor now lol, I am and information junkie so if this is what is going on with me I would like to know everything I can do to reduce my risks for cancer and other long term symptoms of being hormonally imbalanced.

It sounds like no matter what I need to get a grip on eating the right kinds of foods and exercising better because that can do nothing but help my situation

homegirl614

Hi, I am so glad you posted this. I was recently diagnosed with PCOS. Before last month, I don't think I've ever heard of it. I've been doing a little research and noticed that I have majority of the symptoms that comes with it. And I've had these symptoms for a long time but my doctor never thought to test for it. I go to my OBGYN next month so I guess I will know more. And I worry about everything so of course I have been freaked out ever since I found out I had it.

thelowcarblady

Hi, I am so glad you posted this. I was recently diagnosed with PCOS. Before last month, I don't think I've ever heard of it. I've been doing a little research and noticed that I have majority of the symptoms that comes with it. And I've had these symptoms for a long time but my doctor never thought to test for it. I go to my OBGYN next month so I guess I will know more. And I worry about everything so of course I have been freaked out ever since I found out I had it.

I'm just going straight to my OBGYN since I read that they can diagnose as well as look into it further whereas a primary physician might be able to diagnose but then refer anyways...so I am just going straight to the lady doctor! lol.

I don't know if I have it exactly, I now have a strong feeling I do -- esp considering we haven't been using any protection for like a year or more and nothing...then I remember my periods changing more when I gained all this weight and so on so I can totally understand why I might have it. It actually makes a lot of sense now.

I'll add you as a friend and maybe we can get through all this together! lol. Hoping for the best!

heidianne92907

I was tested for PCOS when I was 17 years old because I had not started my period. Sure enough I was diagnosed with it and they said some of the signs were the hair growth on my stomach, my pear body shape, acne and chin hair. The reasoning for the painful periods were because the ovaries have cysts on them and when the menstruation starts the cysts can break causing severe pain. It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does it is very painful.

thelowcarblady

I was tested for PCOS when I was 17 years old because I had not started my period. Sure enough I was diagnosed with it and they said some of the signs were the hair growth on my stomach, my pear body shape, acne and chin hair. The reasoning for the painful periods were because the ovaries have cysts on them and when the menstruation starts the cysts can break causing severe pain. It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does it is very painful.

I am so glad I don't have painful periods, I'm sorry that you have had to deal with that!! If I do end up having PCOS I guess I am lucky for not having some of the crappier symptoms. I heard that some can have the pain without the cyst bursting, just pain from them being swollen or enlarged.

I have an appt with my OBGYN on Thursday, though, so hopefully I can figure out wth is going on! lol

115s

I have most of the symptoms of PCOS, however have not been diagnosed yet and don't want to be until I'm done with my current struggle of weight loss. Once I'm at my goal weight or within 10 lbs of it, I will find out, even though I am pretty sure I already know what the doctor will say.

PhysicalGraffiti

I was also in the 6th grade when I started my period. I don't recall many other girls my age having periods, think there was 3 of us. I always had very LONG HEAVY Irregular periods in my early teens and into my twenties. When I say long I mean 10-14 days of heavy bleeding. I was anemic. I would be in bed for the first couple days of my period each month just because I was in so much pain. I had cysts that bursts and would put pressure on my ovaries. Out of all the Dr's I saw no one ever said PCOS to me. It was always just "take these birth control and you'll be fine." I was never overweight then, but I was always active so it must have balanced out.

I had three very rough pregnancies. One ended at 12 weeks due to a partial molar pregnancy, one was premature by 6 weeks, one was just hell on my body. When I hit 25 my periods just all of a sudden changed. I went from long heavy periods to short periods. From 10-14 days to 4 days. Then out of nowhere I started having No Periods. I would go 5-6 months without a period then have one period then not start gain for 3 months. I went to the Dr when I was I think 26 and she tested my hormones, which were within normal limits, my thyroid was low at 0.08, and she sent me for an internal ultrasound. I had the classic "String of Pearls" in both ovaries. After that she didn't give me any advice. I was basically sent home with no more knowledge than when I went to her office other than now knowing that my thyroid is low and I have PCOS.

I went to my family Dr who gave me metformin, but after 3 weeks I couldn't handle the side effects and she took me off of it. I felt like I had the worst stomach bug ever when I was taking it. I couldn't leave the bathroom. It was awful! So here I am almost 33 now, 6 years after my "diagnosis", I still don't have a Dr who takes the time to help. I'm also not on anything for my thyroid. So weight loss for me is extremely slow. I get frustrated A LOT! It takes me so long to lose weight, but I gain it so easily. I have other symptoms as well like many of you... Oily skin, tags, weight, hairs, acne, depression.