Stupid Question re PCOS

Hi there,
This is going to sound like the dumbest question ever but......
I had an u/s the other week and now my doctor thinks i may have PCOS, affecting my left ovary. I had bloods taken today and I am probably having another u/s next week but I am unsure as to what it even is exactly. Can someone help me? I would have thought that it was something you had forever and would have symptoms of some sort etc. But I havn't at all, he just saw something on the u/s.
I know I should have asked him about this but at the appt it was all kind of rushed as I HAD to get back to work for a patient of my own. I would just like to get an idea about it before my next appt with him.

Sorry if I am being a bother.

Hi Cindy

You are definitely not being a bother, unfortunately i don't know about PCOS but there are plenty of girls in here that do.

Love

Hi Cindy,

I have PCOS and I was diagnosed by blood test and had it confirmed by ultrasound. It was found because I had been TTC for nearly a year. I thought something was wrong as my cycles have never been regular (ranging from 26 - 45 days). I get acne, but just thought that was something that ran in the family. I don't really consider that I have any symptoms.

If something was seen on u/s it was the 'string of pearls' appearance of your ovary with lots of follicles (cysts) around the edge. But wait for blood test results - a lot of women have ovaries with polycystic appearance but have no trouble falling pg and have no symptoms. PCOS is some catch-all for a range of symptoms (the 'string of pearls', irregular periods or absent periods, acne, overweight, infertility, raised androgen levels, high LH levels, insulin resistance etc). It may well be the case that you just have the appearance of polycystic ovaries but no other symptoms, in which case you won't be diagnosed with PCOS.

There seems to be a lack of holistic treatment of PCOS - either the doc just helps with the infertility, the acne or whatever but doesn't consider the entire problem eg raised risk of diabetes.

Wait and see what your blood tests reveal, and if you have any doubts don't hesitate to find a specialist to get a second opinion.

All the best - would love to hear how things go for you.

Thank you so much for all that info. I will get the test results next week and I'm trying not to worry about it but it would make some sense on the TTC front if I was diagnosed as it took us nearly 2 years to get pregnant, only to have a M/C but yeah it shouldn't have taken that long. Periods have always ben regular etc though. I don't know, you can SOOO read to much into everything can't you!! I am seeing a naturopath who kind of specialises (sp?) in womens health and reproduction so maybe he can help me out with it all after I have the test results.

Thank you again for your information.

Cindy, happy to share my experience.

Two years does sound like a long time for someone as young as you. A m/c might be related (having PCOS does increase the chance of m/c) or could just be 'one of those things'. If you were to get a diagnosis, the next step could well be Clomid (pills taken once a day for five days early in your cycle that give your ovaries a bit of a kick-start to produce an egg).

Having regular periods is not the norm for PCOS, but then again it is such a catch-all label that if there is something in your bloodtest then you could get diagnosed. You may be hoping for some kind of diagnosis to explain why you haven't had much luck TTC so far, and my doc once said to me that of all the things that could be 'wrong' with a woman, PCOS is really the 'best' one as it is so easily overcome. I'm not sure that I entirely agree with the doc, but it is a very common thing to have and prognosis for pregnancy is very good.

Hia

I had been TTC for 2 years, but finally got pregnant a couple of months ago.

I was diagnosed with PCOS for an early pg scan, which totally made sense as to why we took so long to conceive. Clomid is a really common aid to pregnancy with PCOS, but also, keep trying as you never know!!! If you've only one ovary affected too, hopefully your chances are even better!

Good luckxxx

Hi Welshgirl, congrats on being pg. Hearing of others with PCOS falling pg gives me hope! Can I ask how long you were TTC before you fell? Also, was any special care taken with your pg due to your PCOS?

Well I just wanted to say that I went back to the doctors today and the bloods came back ok and he thinks that my body just hasn't handled the miscarriage very well. Looks like she is back in the swing of things though as it seems that AF in in the house!

It's definately a reflief to know that everything came back clear today. He wants to keep an eye on my progesterone levels though, thinks that they are very low and extremely high estorgen levels at the same time which may be the cause of the ovary looking big and the endo lining being really thick. He wants to do bloods again in two weeks if my periods havn't sorted themselves out.

Thank you for all of your information it was fantastic and very helpful. Now lets just hope we all have that BFP for christmas.

BEst wishes girls.

Hi Cindy, that is good news indeed. Fingers crossed you get your BFP this year!

Hi Cindy, I am also a PCOS sufferer. I was first diagnosed in 1997 but wasn't treated until this year after over 6 mths TTC second time around. I amazingly fell pg with my daughter on our first cycle off the pill, which I later found out is common as the pill can be used to regulate things with PCOS. This time however we haven't been so lucky, I recently had a miscarriage (in Oct) and we are planning to start TTC again this month *fingers crossed*. When it comes to meds, I am currently on 50 mg Clomid 2 x a day and 850mg metformin 3 x a day. I have found both to be fantastic!

If you need a hand to hold we are always here :) And glad to hear you've had some good news recently too!

*hugs*
Cailin

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Hi Welshgirl, congrats on being pg. Hearing of others with PCOS falling pg gives me hope! Can I ask how long you were TTC before you fell? Also, was any special care taken with your pg due to your PCOS?

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It took us a couple of years, but both my ovaries are affected. :-k As for care in pregnancy, no special care at all. O:) Apparently, once you fall pregnant the hormones produced sorts the PCOS out for you!

Are you taking any meds for your PCOS now?

Love Gwen xx

Hi Gwen, thanks for replying. I wasn't sure you'd be looking at this forum anymore, seeing as your PCOS is now dormant and you have a bub on the way!

No, I'm not taking any meds for PCOS; currently I'm doing IVF/FET but if this cycle fails then I'm going to take a financial break from it, and my doc has said he'll put me on Metformin and Clomid. I've done clomid before (with another doc), and o'd three of the four times, but no pg. My current doc said that he doesn't think Metformin will help me at all, on the grounds that I'm not obese. He said the studies that show good results with Metformin are always on very large ladies and there is no evidence that women of normal weight are assisted. He is also not convinced that Clomid will get me pg, and told me that 80% of women who will fall pg using Clomid fall in the first 4 cycles. But given my age is not (too! 8-[ ) advanced, he thinks there is nothing to be lost by me giving it a go.

I have been diagnosed with PCOS by two different docs but I don't get the impression that they think it is a problem for me other than my infertility. My personal distress about oily skin, acne, and now a few 'beard-like' hairs popping up on my chin doesn't register with them. And I've also been wondering whether my intense mood swings and irritability (revolving around whether I've eaten and what I've eaten) are in fact a result of PCOS rather than a personality defect!

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My personal distress about oily skin, acne, and now a few 'beard-like' hairs popping up on my chin doesn't register with them. And I've also been wondering whether my intense mood swings and irritability (revolving around whether I've eaten and what I've eaten) are in fact a result of PCOS rather than a personality defect!

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Hia

I can totally relate to the mood swings and oily skin etc! I get very bad PMT, and general mood swings - I wonder if this is a part of PCOS?

Oh yeah it is a definite part of pcos coz of the changing and raging hormone levels!!

I was diagnosed with PCOS 18 months ago. My symtoms were irregular AF (cycles were between 14-49 days!). Fortunatly, I concieved my little girl 8 months after being diagnosed, which I think is truely a miracle.

That was the only symptom i had and was treated with the BCP. I was also told that you're born with PCOS and you'll always have it.

Hi Suga, that is a good question to ask your gynae! I don't think it gets worse, except for the biological clock ticking, plus if you have insulin resistance you could be heading towards diabetes. But really I'm not sure.

hi, suga!

i agree with sleebly, i haven't read anything about pcos getting worse. however, if not kept in control, consequences may become worse (e.g. diabetes, heart problems, etc.)

pcos is basically and hormonal and chemical imbalance. so it's more like a condition wherein your body can't handle too much insulin and thus produces more male hormones and wreaking havoc in our bodies. so its a continuing condition as long as its not treated.

i was also diagnosed with pcos last year and took clomid for 1 cycle and got pregnant straight away but ending in m/c after 2 months. then i tried clomid again 4 cycles and then had to rest for now. clomid had a depressing effect on my moods that i couldn't handle.

i'm not a doctor but i've been reading up. there are many websites that can help you with this.

take care and good luck!

Hello,
I agree with the other ladies- it doesnt seem to be getting worse for me. It just seems to stay the same before i had Ryley and now everything is improving.

Good luck and please let me know what the gyno says :)