Hi there, I am not an "expert", but I will share my experience. When I was 14 years old I had a dermoid cyst removed, from then on I had even more problems with my period. Almost every other year I was experiencing cyst and trying different BC . The Obgyn didn't ever tell me or my parents that I had PCOS. My family doctor made the diagnoses and I still did not really know what was going on. A few years later in college I was checked out by a clinic doctor and she tested my thyroid. What she had told me was under-active thyroid and PCOS tend to go together. Every year the doctor increases my medication by 25 mcg. I moved to a new area and had been looking for a new OBGYN. Been here for a year and still have not found one. I think I am paranoid because I do not want to find one that does not know how to deal with PCOS. I am seeing a family doctor and she said my thyroid levels are fine but still increased my medication bc I have gained a lot of weight since my last increase. I've also been put back on metformin but I do not remember it making me so hungry all the time.

I know that is why it has taken me forever to find a new obgyn. I do not even go and read websites anymore. I signed up for this and have been reading post from others. PCOS has taken over my life I used to be fun and outgoing. There are times I get anxiety and freak out. I just want to get my weight and this under control. We know our bodies better than anyone. So hopefully this new doctor knows whats up.

Sorry I forgot to mention that adrenal gland dysfunction (usually from the fatigue of cortisol over production) has been noted to mimic thyroid abnormality. When this is the case, it can cause a 'there it is... Oh no it's not' thyroid reading. Adrenal fatigue... Yours free when you order the PCOS/IR package! Hahaha. ;-)

I had really bad flow when I was a teenager and debilitating pain where I couldn't move some of my limbs, along with really bad migraines... I had cysts burnt off my ovaries when I was around 18 but the flow was still excruciating... the hormones in the pill were making my symptoms worse so they decided to put me on the new injection contraception treatment (it was being trialed in Australia back then - Depo Provera). On that, I didn't get a flow at all but because it was new, there wasn't alot of information so I thought it was normal.

Then when I was 25 and was engaged (to who I thought was going to be my husband!!), we talked about going off the injection so "we" could get my body back into natural sync so we could start a family. It was only a couple of months later of things not being normal that I asked my (new) doctor if he could investigate what was going on with me... I was sent to a specialist and he confirmed PCOS. I never linked being overweight or hairier to the ovaries, I've (thankfully) not had any thyroid problems. The specialist prescribed Metformin and then when we still weren't conceiving, prescribed Clomid. I was on that for about eight months and still nothing so I (as my ex had lost interest in the project by now) went to an IVF seminar to find out what I needed to do. Realising the stress I was under, I decided to let go of what was happening and try and enjoy life for the now.

I moved countries, dumped that nutter and now deal with my PCOS naturally as I don't like to take drugs (thankfully my symptoms don't seem as bad as some of the other sufferers here)... maybe not getting pregnant was a sign that he wasn't the man to father my children!

You can test for hyperinsulinemia (too much insulin in the blood).  And if you want, hyperlipidemia (too much cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood).  If you are going to the doctor for tests, I suggest you do this BEFORE you start the vitamins and supplements that I would suggest for controlling your IR and hormone imbalance (pcos).  your doctor can also look for elevated serum uric acid and ferritin levels, moderately elevated blood pressure, abnormal lipid profile.  Your doctor may also perform liver function tests (gamma-glutamyltransferase) and evaluate the adequacy of magnesium (often depressed/deficient in IR).  IR is NOT diabetes (yet).  Opinions vary but about 1 in 4 IR people go on to become diabetic (Lukaczer 1999).  One of the best measures for IR may be fasting and two-hour post-prandial serum insulin values following a 75g glucose challenge.  Elevations above 15mcIU/mL (fasting) and/or 50mcIU/mL (postprandial) indicate increased insulin levels secondary to insulin resistance (Bland 2000).  Some sources view levels above 5mcIU/mL to be cause for concern. 

But I am not a doctor. Just a chicken that knits. :-)

I was diagnosied with PCOS when I was 16, I didn't have a period for over 10 months, twelve pregancy tests and an ultrasound confirmed I wasn't pregant although it was charming that that was all the doctors assumed. I was finally refered to a specialist who confirmed from the ultrasound that I had PCOS. Everythign else I have found out about it was through my own research as the specialist and doctors didn't really elaborate they just said you have PCOS go to it and good luck.

I'm glad I didn't have this same experience. Do teenagers hide pregnacies THAT often?!? I'd think PCOS would be less common if doctors actually gave their patients treatment plans so they can get better!

I moved countries, dumped that nutter and now deal with my PCOS naturally as I don't like to take drugs (thankfully my symptoms don't seem as bad as some of the other sufferers here)... maybe not getting pregnant was a sign that he wasn't the man to father my children!

You are prolly better off :-)....what are you doing naturally? I'm NOT a big fan of meds and pills......

Clearly better off... I hear from him every now and then, looking to meet up and he has a wife -- can anyone say DOG!!!

There isn't actually anything I do... I just deal with the irregular flows as and when they come, I'm lucky to have fair hair and skin so my hairiness isn't obvious unless I point it out and being cuddlier is just something I'm trying to change through a healthier lifestyle... Who knows what issues I will have when I finally meet a man and ttc, only time will tell...

I was diagnosed approximately 3 years ago. I had two successful pregnancies 9 and 14 years ago. I had my tubes tied right after my son was born, when I was 25 years old. I had a few ovarian cysts before but didn't become a major issue. Then in 2008 I started having missed periods. The longest I went was 6 months without it. Other not so fun symptoms was weight gain, acne, and more air on my face and torso. All it took was doing a bit of research on the internet and then getting an ultrasound along with blood tests. I have since had a hysterectomy (at 33 years old() due to a prolapsed uterus. My ovaries are still there. I wish they would have taken them as well since they are still causing me grief. I guess the benefits of having them outweighs the negatives of PCOS. I guess still being quite young is part of the reason.

I am wondering if I really have PCOS.
I have been on BC since I was 14 due to irregular and debilitating periods. When I was 19 I started having excruciating pain that felt like I was being stabbed in my pelvic region. I figured theses were what people meant by cramps (since I had never had them), and went on with my life, just having to deal with horrible pain once a month. Sometimes the pain would drop me to the floor. Finally when I was 23 my family convinced me to go get my pap test, I was not sexually active so I had put off doing these tests. I went to an OB/GYN and he sent me to have an ultrasound. It came back that I had a LOT of fluid in my pelvis and a lot of cysts on my ovaries. He told me I had PCOS, but my blood work was fine, and the only medication I need to take is BC. He changed my dosage and my cysts got better. I went off BC to see what happens and I do not have a period, the cysts come back, and I start growing dark hair on my face.
Can I have PCOS if my blood work is fine?

Also... I didn't have bloodwork done for PCOS diagnosis. I had a catscan which revealed multiple ovarian cysts and a pelvic exam. What exactly were they looking for? I should think the only thing that would turn up in blood result in increased androgen.

Hi whatwouldmulderdo,

Basically, yes, it's possible, but I'm not suggesting that you do. Remember that PCOS is a syndrome with a varied collection of symptoms (many ovarian cysts, acne, hirsutism, weight gain, irregular periods, hair thinning, skin tags, acanthosis nigricans, infertility, etc). You don't need to have all (or even many) of them to have PCOS, and some women who have ovarian cysts don't actually have PCOS. In general, women with PCOS have varying degrees of different symptoms in different combinations, although, "The clinical severity of PCOS symptoms appears to be largely determined by factors such as obesity" (Wikipedia for PCOS under "Cause"). So if you're not very overweight, you may not show too many symptoms. If you have lots of ovarian cysts though, and your doctor thinks you have PCOS, it's probable that you do have it.

Either way, keeping yourself healthy and fit is the best thing you can do for yourself whether you have PCOS or not, and if you do then it will help to prevent the onset of hormonal disturbances and insulin resistance that cause a lot of the symptoms that we all hate so much.

I'm also not a doctor.

As for myself, since you asked:

At 28 in 2008 I began experiencing debilitating PMS/PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) which cost me both a job and a relationship. I was working as a private nanny at the time and there was no way I could take a sick day, and my ex was probably looking for someone who was a little more "stable" at the time; he told me to move out after I lost my job. At rock bottom and unemployed with nowhere else to go, I had to move back in with my parents, who made me go and see the family doctor. She ran some bloodwork to check on my hormone levels, and it weirdly turned out that my free androgen levels were higher than they should be. Then she looked at my face more closely and saw the light acne scars and facial hair issues that I've been fighting with since my teenage years. She ordered an ultrasound and lo and behold I had the cysts. (Pieces began falling into place as I started to remember things like hair thinning, missed periods when I gained some weight, etc.)

She put me on a low-dose birth control which helped me smooth things out considerably, but I still struggle with acne and the facial hair, and a few (10-20) extra pounds. I find benzoyl peroxide works well enough for the acne when it comes up, and I just tweeze/wax/bleach/depilate as necessary. I'm reluctant to go on spiro or metformin if I don't have to; I'm working on my diet and fitness to keep the weight in check which in turn helps with the hormones and by extension my appearance.

In happier news, I'm married now and feeling a lot better. Just working on losing that bit of weight!