PCOS Soul Cysters Unite

I was diagnosed with PCOS & insulin resistance last month...but I've had symptoms for as long as I can remember. I've been on Ortho-tri-cyclen-lo for years and started Metformin when I was diagnosed. My highest weight was 275, I'm currently 224, but my lowest weight was 199. Now that I'm fully aware of what's going on in my body the battle for weight loss has been a bit easier...but it's still a battle, nonetheless. I've been kicking around on MFP for a while, but I haven't added any friends yet and this is my second forum post, add me if you need another cyster.

Hello all. I am trying to get together as many women with PCOS as possible to create a support network for our condition and discuss our battle with weight loss, infertility and body image issues. Please join me by "friending" me and other ladies who wish to be a part of the group. I am fairly new to the site although I have been working on weight and wellness for quite some time. As an icebreaker if you would like: talk about your goals, some of your successes, issues with medications, inspirational stories etc.

I persona,ly at my highest weight was 260 ( ahhhh ):explode: and I am now 219. I was diagnosed with PCOS in January and take BC, metformin and Byetta. My goal weight is 160-165 right now. I work in healthcare and enjoy cooking and danceworkouts (Zumba, bellydancing and pole dancing).I do not have any children yet but hope to wed and have some in the future with the help of a good reproductive emdocrinologist.

My doctor just brought up taking Byetta to me!! I have never heard of it. He said it might help lose the stubborn belly fat that comes along with pcos and insulin resistance and help control insulin levels. What is your opinion on it?????

I am 26 years old and my husband and I have been trying to have kids for 5 years now. When we first started trying my doctor told me that I had high cholesterol and need to see a nutrutionist and had to lose weight be cause he didn't like the age I was then (22) and that I already had high cholesterol. The nutrutionist told me nothing I hadn't learnt in Biology in high school, but when I told him about my menstral cycle being way off he told me that I was a young woman and I should give it a few years. I thought 'yeah OK, screw you I know that is not right'.

So on to the next doctor it was, and he said that my cholesterol was fine and that the other doctor was just being cautious, and then he told me about a bunch of test he wanted to run before sending me to see anyone else but most importantly he wanted me to lose weight. This doctor at least had some ideas in his head but he was always off climbing mountains or biking cross country so that wasn't good for me either, so on to the next doctor it was and this is already 4 years later.

This time I got a female doctor, who took one look at my file and actually listen to what I was saying before she told me that she couldn't help me and that she was sending me to see a speciallist. I was so relieved! Now after a 1.25 yrs of dealing with a specialist and doing all his test, I went for surgery,

and yesterday he told me that I had PCOS and that while I was in surgery he drilled holes into my ovaries to help get me pregnant! First of all that was a surprise but he didn't really explain what PCOS was but I thought that drilling in my ovaries was a drastic thing to do especially since he didn't explain that before surgery. He told me he was looking for pyolps, cysts, and endometriosis because I had a blocked fallopian tube. So hearing holes drilled into my ovaries is scary, but he made PCOS sound like nothing until I got home and started to research it especially since he told me to wait 6 months before trying any type of fertility drugs. Why don't more people know about this PCOS it affects about 10% of women that is huge! Glad to see that there is something of MFP to help me learn more about it.

I was diagnosed with PCOS March of this year. It was a shock, because I got pregnant with my son aug 2009 the first time we tried. I have never had any problems until after my son was born. I was bleeding in between periods so went to my OB in March. He did an ultrasound seen several small cyst in each ovary and also my testosterone was slightly elavated. I have gained 35 pounds since my son was born. Since finding this out we have had some problems with our insurance so I have not been able to follow up with an endocrinologist or my OB. I was suppose to go back to my OB at the end of this month for another ultrasound. He told me the most improtant thing was to lose weight he also put me on prometrium for 3 months to stop the bleeding. I started that late the first month then had to lower the dosage from 200mg to 100mg. The 2nd month the nurse did not call it in to walgreens so I was a few days late taking it but it did stop the bleeding and my cycle was 29 days. I was not able to take it this month and I did not have a period so worried about that I have never went a month with out a period. Not sure if it is stress or the PCOS that is causing me to not have a period so anyway that is what I am doing trying to lose weight and praying that will fix things since I can't go to a doctor right now. I also have PPD and since I found out about the PCOS I have been more depressed and some other things have happend so I am just now starting to work out and trying to be happy again Hopefully I can get pregnant again once I lose weight. Feel free to add me!

I have PCOS and hypothyroidism. I was diagnosed in 2002 - I had no periods for months on end. I discovered Colette Harris's PCOS diet book, and I learned that its not just about weight loss but about WHAT you eat.

I got pregnant very quickly after starting the diet (did it extremely strictly for a month), and I know now that when I follow the diet I have regular cycles and no symptoms. My endocrinologist agreed that the diet helps.

US link: http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-PCOS-Handbook-Fertility-Self-Esteem/dp/157324371X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308738049&sr=8-1

UK link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-PCOS-Handbook-fertility-self-esteem/dp/0007213255/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1308738077&sr=8-3

I have managed to loose all baby weight following the principles of the PCOS diet.

I was diagnosed when I was 16 after having failed to start my periods. I was overweight anyway by then. All my hormonal tests came back fine, and have continued to do so down the years. My ovaries show up as "slightly enlarged" on the ultrasound scan. I don't have acne but I do have excessive facial hair, and it's just started to become noticeable on my breasts too, however I feel my weight is contributing to the spread and worstening of these symptoms as I recently reached my heaviest weight ever.

As for medication, the doctor put me on DIanette when I was first diagnosed in order to help the hairy issues and it worked wonders for me. When I moved to a city for university and had to register with a new doctor who took down my medical history she was shocked to find I'd been put on dianette for PCOS because I have focal migraines which increases the risk of stroked, and my mother had a DVT which "dissapeared" when she was first put on the pill way back when....apparently these increased risks should have ruled me out all together. I was put on a progesterone only pill for general BC purposes and told it would not retain my period like Dianette did.

I did however keep a period...it was very small...but when I got into a serious relationship with my now husband I went on the implant and it dissapeared for good (thus far)

Since then my weight has practically exploded and despite having been off of the implant for two years there's no sign of my period at all, so I can only put it down to weight. I spoke to my doctor, as we were looking to start a family. Once again my hormones were normal. She suggested the reason for this was that they were being produced in normal, healthy ammounts, but being metabolized by all of my body fat instead of being put to good use by my baby factory!

We've looked into the possibility of metformin, but blood tests show that I'm not insulin resistant and have no signs of diabetes so doctor thinks it wouldn't help. I'm so morbidly obese that I'm not eligible for fertility treatment, and so I have to get down to a healthy BMI of under 30 (I'm currently 45...so I need to loose another 145 pounds before I'm eligible for help. Still, from what me and the doctor have discussed together about my history etc it is reasonable to believe that my PCOS is pretty much weight exaccerbated and there's no reason to believe anything other than I will naturally regain (or gain for the first place!) my fertility by then.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble! PCOS is a spectrum syndrome with no one pin pointing symptom so everyones stories are always so different and everyone goes through it differently

Has anyone with PCOS gotten pregnant? My husband and I have been trying for about 2 years ( well i dont count the first because my doctor didn't put me on anything to regulate my period) so we have been trying for a year with meds and I'm tracking my periods very well, but I just dont feel like there is any hope. Can anyone lift my spirits at all. I'm the heaviest i have ever been and when my husband and I met I was 183 pounds and i didn't have pcos and then i gained alot and all of a sudden now i have it. Can it go away with weight loss? Am I never going to be able to have kids? I get very depressed seeing all my friends having babys and I can't have one. Please I need some support. :-(

I was diagnosed last may 2010, I have had probably since i was 17, I am losing the weight, to try to have kids some day. My levels are all fine, and I was told that I had to lose weight, I do have a period each month so , hoping the weight will jump the ovulation again.

Hi girls!

I thought i'd join in.

I was diagnosed with mild PCOS when I was 17 (I'm now 22), and whilst being on the pill kept all my symptoms at bay... since coming off the pill last November to TTC, I haven't been able to lose any weight - in fact I steadily put on 9lbs over this time and now am just hovering around the same weight!

It's so hard
I've been TTC for 7 months now, no luck yet, very irregular cycles - and now to add to that I am struggling to lose weight to try and help my chances!!

Feel free to add xx

I've had PCOS for 10+ years. I have over a 100# to lose. I guess I'm incrediblly lucky to have had 2 healthy pregnancies despite having a hard time getting pregnant and miscarrying once. Of course the excess weight, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, acne, facial hair, etc are a daily pain in the hind end. I've been taking metformin for several years now and it's made life a lot better. The medical community's shocking lack of knowledge or interest in this condition angers me some days. I have had to work to find doctors over the years who are even interested, much less as knowledgable as I have had to become (considering I read that up to 25% of women suffer from this and it's one of the leading causes of infertility). But I am in control of my health...so I'm going to lose this weight!!! For me and for my kids!

I too have PCOS, was diagnosed in 2002. I need to lose over 100 lbs. I'm new to the site and am open to friend requests. It will be nice to have a group that understands our challenges.

Oh, I also meant to say I was diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 16, and ovarian cancer at 21. My husband and I have been trying to concieve for going on 8 years, and it seems we will never be blessed.:sad:

Hello, I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2008, shortly after i got married, we found out during our first round of infertility treatment. Since then we have been on a mission to get pregnant, but since the diagnosis, we have had 2 miscarriages within a 9 month span. I am currently looking for any type of support that i can get at this point. I have tried it all Clomid, metformin, IUI, HSG's, ovarian drilling , and 1 round of IVF. I have gained a significant amount of weight due to the second pregnancy and the recent death of my husband's grandmother. Now we are finally mentally ready to start over again, but with the weight gain the docs are afraid that I may not do to well. It also doesn't help that I am in the Army and away from family and friends. So I am branching out trying to find women that may be in the same boat as I am.

I was officially diagnosed 13 years ago when I was trying to get pregnant with my first child. The only "pills" I take is Mulberry leaf and it has done wonders for helping me loose weight and control my insulin. Fell free to add me as a friend if you like!