Help with PCOS? Please read.

Beleren

I'm 20, just got the call that I was diagnosed with PCOS. So, now what? I'd really like some advice. I'm going back to the doctor next week to talk to her about it.

Is losing weight different with PCOS? What about anything else? How has it effected you?

I'm kind of freaking out a little. Ugh.

PatasDeGallina

Did you get my response? I posted it on the other thread.

lmbw126

Losing weight will help your PCOS symptoms. Your MD will probably prescribe Metformin and OCP ( birth conrtol pills) to help manage the symptoms as well. Metformin has aided in weight loss for some people and it is also used with Type II DM patients. The main worry with PCOS is fertility due to anovulation (irregular or missed periods) and unwanted hair growth. There is a newer medication Vaniqa that helps reduce the amount and rate fo hair growth. Your MD probably checked your thyriod and blood sugar to confrim your diagnosis. Again losing weight will help with th management for PCOS. Good luck and don't worry.

azwildcatfan94

One thing that I wish I knew when I was diagnosed with PCOS is that it can be a pre-cursor to type II diabetes. Maybe I wouldn't have done anything different, but maybe I would have gotten on top of my exercise and diet back then and not developed diabetes. I definitely have to say that if I could go back and tell my younger self something, it would be to do the diet and exercise thing early.

I've heard that losing weight is harder with PCOS, but I don't know that for sure. I've never really tried to lose weight in a non-PCOS state, so I have nothing to compare to. But, I do follow the calorie recommendations on this site and eat my exercise calories. So, you can lose weight with PCOS.

I had a lot of trouble with birth control pills. Increased blood pressure, moodiness, lowered libido, etc. So, in whatever your doctor recommends, just remember that ultimately, you know your body the best and the doctor is a "consultant" and not the decision-maker.

netchik

Hey don't freak out about it, it's all about education so get learning about your body and what PCOS means to you :happy:

at 20 its a great age to make positive changes and fix things before you start worrying about a family. There's a great support network of us here on MFP too.

Welcome, and don't let it become your focus.

starzluv94

I have PCOS, and losing weight with it isnt any different I dont think. With the metformin I hated taking it because it is a blood sugar pill used on diabetics to decrease their sugars. So when I would take my pills in the morning I would get soooooo sick from my sugars dropping so low I had to be hospitalized. With PCOS if you lose weight most of the symptoms will go away and you wont get as many cysts on the ovaries. Good luck.

natesangel

ditto above, i haven't had the hair growth issue, my testosterone is fine (one thing affected that causes this) instead i have thyroid issues along with the insulin retention (what the metformin is primarily for) over the years undiagnosed the weight loss was almost impossible but with the meds now and knowing that i need to work a little harder to get the normal results it's coming off. sweat is your friend, tons of cardio (jillian is currently kicking my butt!) as for fertility, a specialist may be needed to assess the specific problem but my 2 yr old is proof that it is not out of reach (ps the preg was perfect, it only took one round of clomid, 5 days, to boost the ovulation, cysts make it hard for the egg to get out). nothing to fret over this is becoming more and more commonly diagnosed and easier to deal with all the time!

oh ps
i found that with the met, high sugar intake = bad runs, i still get it with normal sugar, so watch that, blueberries and higher protein than what mfp suggests is helping BIG TIME!

Beleren

thanks for the responses. after reading up a little, it doesn't seem as bad.

Beleren

Have any of you lost weight without being super low carb? I'm usually between 100-170 carbs daily. I'm not sure if I will have to adjust.

ReneeJ814

PCOS is becoming more and more common, and the good news is that it's easy to manage. I have PCOS and I don't take metformin and I don't have any blood sugar issues. Mine is controlled with birth control pills. I have had a weight problem all of my life, and yes it has been hard for me to lose weight. But through joining MFP I learned that diet and exercise really does work if you put your mind to it. Let's face it: losing weight is hard for everybody whether or not they have PCOS. Just eat right and exercise and the weight will come off. It may take awhile, but you will get there.

nas24

Posting on here so that i can come back to it later. Years ago the doc thought i had PCOS and BC seemed to help keep things at bay for a while. Well since my husband is on deployment, im not on BC and i feel like its coming back. Hope not. It can be very painful.

natesangel

i'm a carb fan as much as it's not recommended for me! but i think the main issue with PCOS and carbs is that the body metabolizes carbs into sugar if you aren't using it all right away (as in immediately!) and well sugar is bad with metformin, it causes the body to reduce the amount of insulin created by the system so that the body stops storing the excess insulin as fat around the mid section (easiest area to pull from when it's needed)
but seriously i think with that it's something that you need to trial and error a little for yourself like anyone else on here does, what works for some won't work for others and of course that's true of the treatment your specialist will set out for you, PCOS has many faces and effects everyone a little different.

geminitwin1979

I have PCOS and have managed to loose weight easily and once the weight was lowered most symptons have faded ! A majority of my weight was lost through just watching calories and its only since last stone i am watching my carbs more. Don't worry too much especially if you keep your weight down ...as for fertility it differs i have managed to have 3 children without any need for fertility treatment. There are some good books on the market too which help with foods and symptons ..have a nosey at amazon x

Beleren

i'm a carb fan as much as it's not recommended for me! but i think the main issue with PCOS and carbs is that the body metabolizes carbs into sugar if you aren't using it all right away (as in immediately!) and well sugar is bad with metformin, it causes the body to reduce the amount of insulin created by the system so that the body stops storing the excess insulin as fat around the mid section (easiest area to pull from when it's needed)
but seriously i think with that it's something that you need to trial and error a little for yourself like anyone else on here does, what works for some won't work for others and of course that's true of the treatment your specialist will set out for you, PCOS has many faces and effects everyone a little different.

thank you I will have to ask about it

Beleren

I have PCOS and have managed to loose weight easily and once the weight was lowered most symptons have faded ! A majority of my weight was lost through just watching calories and its only since last stone i am watching my carbs more. Don't worry too much especially if you keep your weight down ...as for fertility it differs i have managed to have 3 children without any need for fertility treatment. There are some good books on the market too which help with foods and symptons ..have a nosey at amazon x

thanks!

willot0722

I'm 24 and have had PCOS for 5 years. My testosterone and insulin levels used to be really high. Through diet and exercise (and Yasmin) all of my blood levels continue to come back normal. I go to my endocrinologist every 6 months to do lab work. She prescribed me Metformin to begin with, but I am AWFUL with swallowing pills and I was supposed to take 4 per day, so I never took it. Still, my insulin levels are perfect. I do still take my Yasmin (birth control) to slow the hair growth on my chin and chest (TMI? lol) and to regulate my period. Before taking birth control, I could go a year without having one! Anyway, eating right, exercising, and taking a multivitamin has put everything in the normal range for me. I have lost almost 70 lbs now, so it is possible to lose weight with PCOS.

Dayna154

I have PCOS as well, I wasn’t diagnosed til later in life 45 yr old. I had gained weight and just kept gaining no matter what I did. Not huge amounts just a little here and there til I got to my top weight.
I take Metformin 1000mg once daily and other meds, I had most every symptom there is to have. I had it for so long I had been pushed into insulin resistance a precursor to diabetes. I do see a few women here who are taking 1500 to 2000mg of metformin daily. Not sure what the determining factor is in the amount tho.
I do low carb, take my meds and do cardio along with just recently adding strength training.
I lost 35 pounds the first 5 months and just the last few over the last 3 months.. I am due to go back to the doc and plan to talk to her about what else I can do. I want to beat this and take my life back.
I had some other issues that weren’t PCOS related but all together I had no life. Within days I had my old energy back.

There are several support PCOS groups here on MFP, join one or multiple ones. They are full of information.

quill16

I was diagnosed with PCOS 25 years ago, plus endometriosis, and super irregular. I was on BC pills for 30 years except for the time I was trying to get pregnant. It took 5 years of fertility treatments , clomid, HCG shots, and hormone suppositories, BUT I have my 21 year old healthy son as proof to the naesayers. I was morbidly obese, had high BP, and prediabetic. Losing the weight had a huge impact. after I dropped the first 40 lbs I was no longer prediabetic and no longer take meds for high BP. Last year I went off of the BC pills and now I am fairly regular and hoping for menopause ASAP.I do eat high protein, mainly because I run 5-7 miles a day and it keeps the sugars down and I have a gluten allergy.

Beleren

thanks for the support everyone

azwildcatfan94

Oh, and as for the metformin side effects, I take the ER version... Big difference! However, I'm hoping my next A1c (blood sugar test) is low enough to get off it. Then, we'll have to figure out if I'll need anything to regulate my periods or not... Personally, I wouldn't mind going to something where I only had them once every 3 months.

And, having children was never a desire for me, so I'm clueless as to the fertility issues, other than knowing that I probably would have had them if I would have wanted to get pregnant.

Beleren

The doctor pretty much called me up, told me, and set an appointment for next week. All I had done was a blood test.

Do you guys think I should ask for an ultrasound to check for cysts? Is a blood test alone accurate enough to say I have it?

HerBravado

Yes, definitely have an ultrasound for cysts if you can! I've got PCOS, & have lost the weight without being on a super low-carb diet--I just balanced everything like I would normally dieting. I definitely stayed away from sugar as much as I can, limiting my intake to about 20g per day--a little more on cheat days.

I actually got off of Metformin because my sugar was getting so low due to my new lifestyle...but my weight loss slowed up, too! Not sure if it's a direct correlation to getting off the Met or just me hitting a plateau.

Uhm...what else...fertility...my periods are normal, though they weren't in the beginning--since I lost some of the weight, they sorta started fixing their own. I haven't tried having any babies yet...so I can't answer fully on that note, I suppose!

Good luck with your journey.

Dauntlessness

I have PCOS. I have read a ton of stuff on MFP and this is what has helped me the most

*Birth control helps with regulating your period and your weight

*Metformin is a key medication that will help your hormones level out. I guess its common for people with pcos to have hormone issues that can screw your your metabolism and ability to process sugar and carbs.

* Cut down on the carbs and sugar. We crave it like crazy from our hormones but you can do it!

* Exercise likes there is no tomorrow. Its going to be harder to lose weight then other people so working your butt off is essential.

enyo123

Don't freak out. It's quite common (estimated to be 10% of all women), and can be quite manageable.

Treatment: there are pretty much two drug treatment options for PCOS (afaik, anyway... others may have used other medications)
* Metformin to treat insulin resistance (and often is enough to generate a regular monthly cycle)
* Birth control to regulate menstrual cycle.

Weight loss is a bit harder for a woman with PCOS, but it's not impossible. I'm getting results with working out and avoiding pure crappy carbs (white breads, candies, etc.) and trying to keep my carbs low. But not Atkins low.

IIRC (it's been a few years since I was diagnosed), a transvaginal ultrasound to look for the "string of pearls" cysts around the ovaries is a standard part of the diagnostic process.

Fertility issues can be overcome. For example, I was not always overweight (and am now officially no longer overweight). I had no problems getting pregnant when my BMI was underweight or at the very low end of normal. After I was overweight (slightly, but never more than 10-15 pounds), I was able to have two beautiful children. My second child was conceived with the help of Metformin, and my third was conceived with the help of Metformin and Clomid.

And avoid Depo Provera like the plague. I never had weight or fertility issues until I took that stuff. The OB/Gyn who confirmed the PCOS diagnosis suspected by my GP said that it's not uncommon in women to develop PCOS issues after taking it.

Oh, and I work out. I started working out again seven weeks after my daughter was born via c-section. At first, I went like mad because I knew that I'd eventually slow down. So by working out like crazy, my slowing down has slowed me down to more of a reasonable level of activity.

Hope this helps! Feel free to friend.

Dauntlessness

The doctor pretty much called me up, told me, and set an appointment for next week. All I had done was a blood test.

Do you guys think I should ask for an ultrasound to check for cysts? Is a blood test alone accurate enough to say I have it?

Yes. It is going to be a "woman" type of ultrasound though. It is very important to make sure none of them are cancerous. Dont worry though, most times they arnt.

Beleren

thanks guys!

Beleren

The doctor pretty much called me up, told me, and set an appointment for next week. All I had done was a blood test.

Do you guys think I should ask for an ultrasound to check for cysts? Is a blood test alone accurate enough to say I have it?

Yes. It is going to be a "woman" type of ultrasound though. It is very important to make sure none of them are cancerous. Dont worry though, most times they arnt.

What exactly do you mean? If you mean transvaginal or whatever it is, I've never had one. Do they hurt?

Dauntlessness

Ill PM you haha

Beleren

Ill PM you haha

Thanks :X

jenscott1977

I was diagnosed at age 19. As a teenager I did every kind of diet including starvation. I exercised like crazy an nothing happened. I was hairy and embarrassed I was always getting prodded and poked at the Dr to find out what was wrong. 5 yrs later I went to a new Dr. In town and she diagnosed me with PCOS. I started bcps and lost 50 lbs fast. I gained some back over the years (now I am 34) but I just lost control of my eating habits. It isn't easy losing weight and you have to work harder but it can be done. I have been on met and yaz for the past 8 yrs. It is working pretty good. I went back to the Dr. Recently and I have fewer cysts on one side than the last time. I haven't even started the family but already know if I can't get pregnant there are options out there. Good luck with your journey. It is nice to have others who understand.

lbloverbug

An ultrasound is not necessary for diagnosis. Many women have PCOS but have no cysts present. The doctor did a blood test to check androgen levels (testosterone, etc) to see if they were elevated. You are likely already missing periods.

If you have cysts, or if you don't, the treatment is the same. Since PCOS is a syndrome, you must meet two of the three criterion below:

1. Increased androgen levels (visually- hirsutism; bloodwork can also show this);
2. Menstrual irregularities or missed periods;
3. Cysts in the ovaries.

Hope that helps!