pcos...

Hello...

The subject of PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) was bought up in another recent topic (I've spent 4 months being completely confused. Can someone help? posted by jessicasbc) but if it's OK I would like to make it a seperate topic on it's own as I would really appreciate other members suggestions, advice and experiences...

I'm 33 (living in the UK) -I've suspected that I suffer with PCOS since my late teens- I have all the classic symptoms- very irregular periods (only a couple of periods a year before I went on the Pill), excessive facial hair (-I have to remove it everyday- that's how bad it is!), being overweight etc...  when I was about 20 I went to see my doctor and she said- yes, it does very much suggest that I have PCOS, but unless I am trying to conceive and I'm having problems doing so then they do not do anything- i.e. liking trying to diagnose it properly.  She put me on Dianette as she said it will give me a regular period each month and it should help with the facial hair problems (it did give me a regular period but didn't help with the facial hair).  A couple of years later I met my long term boyfriend so I needed the Dianette for contraception reasons too. 

A couple of years ago my doctor changed my Pill from Dianette to Microgynon- I had been on Dianette about 10 years and the doctor said it is not recommended to take it this long.  I have been taking Microgynon for about 3 years now....

My last appointment with my doctor to get a repeat prescription of the Pill didn't go well- I was "told off" for being too over weight!  I asked her if PCOS could be causing me to be overweight and she "shouted" at me saying PCOS does not cause you to be overweight!!

I have since discovered this website and loving it!!!  I have been Calorie Counting for 3 weeks and I've lost 4 lbs so I'm really delighted with that.

I was just wondering if any other members had any advice or experience of PCOS that they could share with me...I don't understand what- if any ??- effect it has on your weight- does anybody else ?? and should I do anything differently (i.e. what I eat and daily carlorie limits etc.) because I think I suffer from it. 

Many Thanks!!

Best wishes everyone...Love Jenny XXX

oh sweetie,

I have PCOS and it does cause obesity. It also increases your risk for many other diseases! It is important to try to lose weight and to maintain a healthy body weight. Please research PCOS and push for a diagnosis. Waiting until you are trying to concieve is insane. I was diagnosed at 16 and I was not trying to have a baby!

feel free to email me if you want to discuss this more!

-Jamie

I have PCOS and I have always had a super hard time losing weight, although I was never obese, but I definitely agree that PCOS does make it harder to control your weight.

The biggest problems with having PCOS, other than weight control, are difficulty in conceiving and type two diabetes (because PCOS is caused by an insulin resistance), which is the biggest concern.  50% of women with PCOS get diagnosed with type two by the age of 40, so it's really important that you find out whether or not you have it.  My doctor suggested the pill, but solely to return my periods.  I am also on Glumetza (generic name is metformin), which is a diabetes medication, and this will help regulate insulin levels and reduce the risk of diabetes.  It also has the side effect of helping with a lot of the PCOS symptoms.  Treating the insulin resistance with diabetes medication is a relatively new thing, so your doctor may not have known that a few years ago.

My suggestion, find a doctor that doesn't yell at you and takes your concerns seriously. 

Hello

I was been diagnosed with PCOS in 2007 after bloodwork and several internal and external ultrasounds. I suspect I have had it all along, I have always had extremely irregular periods (too many of them, not too little).

Doctors can be very blase about PCOS unless your symptoms are very severe and/or you are trying to conceive. I have been told to just stick to a birth control that suits me (the implant) and try to lose weight.

The problem is...pcos causes weight gain, and weight loss is much more difficult.

A little ray of hope though, i have lost 126 pounds (204 down from 330, about 25 pounds to go...) in 2 years. It has taken a long time, and I have suffered lots of plateaus but you have to fight! It can be done, and maintenance will be a bitch but you can do it!

Good luck!

there was a pretty good article in glamour i think (a couple months ago) - the woman was able to eliminate her symptoms by controlling her carb intake.  she had to keep her carbo grams really low. maybe you should get a new doctor that will take this seriously.