I've been on MFP for a couple months now and kept reading posts about PCOS. I finally decided to check out what exactly everyone was talking about and, to my surprise, found out it is soooooooo me! This might help explain all the health issues I've had over the last couple years.

I remember my mom taking me to a doctor when I was 16 due to my irregular and very heavy periods. The one thing I remember the doctor saying was that I had a lot of the male hormone. I was put on birth control. Nothing else was ever done or said. And, as my luck goes, my mother doesn't remember much about it either.

Now, here I am at 50, dealing with CVD, insulin resistance and learning to live life without a thyroid. I kept wondering about a connection. I've read about PCOS with regard to CVD and IR, but would it also have anything to do with thyroid?

And another question I have is in regard to my youngest daughter. She recently started her periods and I've noticed her armpits and back of neck look really dirty. I kept telling her to wash better. She finally convinced me it wasn't dirt. Is this a sign of PCOS?

I'm really embarrassed I didn't know about PCOS 'til coming here but, at the same time, very thankful.