Question about PCOS

I have not been to the doctor yet to see if I have it or not but wanted to get some advice from some of you out there with it.

The last 6 months my periods have been very irregular. I use to be on a 25 day cycle but my last one (longest so far) was 40 days. Despite my hard work I have put on a little weight. I thought it was hard to lose before, ha, nothing like now. I do eat a healthy diet. I try to aim for about 30% protein,20%fat,50% carbs. Is there anything anyone can tell me about what to eat to maybe help this get better. I need some of your experiences here. I can read on the internet about PCOS but would like to know personal expereinces with this. How has the weight loss been for you?  Any advice or stories would be greatly appricated.

Luckily I don't suffer myself but I know a lot of people that have found "The Low GI Guide to Managing PCOS" by Jennie Brand-Miller a really useful read.  Even if you don't turn out to have PCOS (and only your doctor can confirm it) a diet based on Low GI foods is pretty healthy for anyone and can make weight-control a little easier.

Thank you, I will have to check that out.

Is there anybody out there with PCOS?

Yes I do have PCOS and before I got on medication it was almost impossible for me to lose weight. I was on weight watchers for a while. I followed the diet without any cheating and exercised at least an hr a day and I didn't even lose 3 pounds. It felt like no matter what I did the weight would not come off. At the time I didn't know I had PCOS.

My periods have been irregular since I was a teenager, and they used to be very heavy with painful cramps when I did get them. Since I have been on meds it tends to be better.

I finally went to the doctor about it but not because of those things, but because I had been trying to get pregnant for over a year with no luck, and after she asked me a bunch of questions she suspected I had PCOS and after a blood test and a ultra sound it was confirmed.

Some of my other symptoms are unwanted body hair. It is really gross but I have to pluck my face all the time or I feel like I'm growing a mustache. My husband says that no one can see them, but I know they are there. I also have hair on my toes and my stomach, not as much as a man, but more than a woman should.

I also have bad acne on my face that won't go away no matter what I use. When I was in high school I had perfect skin and rarely had a break out and now when I am 30 my skin looks horrible.

I also have depression and insomnia.

Not everyone with PCOS has all of these symptoms, and there are a few I don't have, but if you think there is a chance you do you should go to your doctor right away as it is something you want to try to get under control as soon as possible.

I hope this has helped you some as this is very hard for me to talk about in a public forum like this, but I didn't want you to wait as long to go to a doctor as I did.

wow, beckah, thanks for sharing. I suspect i have pcos, too actually. I've suspected it for a long time and I talked to my doc about it, but she just basically told me to lose weight. I just go to planned parenthood because i'm pretty broke, so for now, i guess that's fine.

what medication do you take? She didn't even tell me that was an option.

I probably should get my glycemic index down, too.

I agree, the unwanted hair part is so embarrassing. I'm blonde, so it's not as noticeable, but still, i know it's there.

You need to get a doctor that know about PCOS and is willing to work with you on it. Is there any other doctors at the planned parenthood you could see? My doctor knows a lot, but the one I went to before her was pretty ignorant and never even told me pcos might have been the issue, same as you all he ever told me was lose weight. First time I saw my new doctor she wanted to check me for PCOS.

The medicine I take is known by many names, but the most popular is either Metformin or Glucophage. I did a lot of research on it before I started taking it, but it has been helpful to me.

Ask your doctor to give you blood test to check your insulin levels, and you can also have an ultrasound to check for ovarian cysts. I don't know if planned parenthood covers all that, but if it doesn't she might be able to just look at your medical history and decide from there from your symptoms. If she is at least open to listening to you maybe you could take her in some information as to why you think you have PCOS and ask her if she thinks maybe metformin would be helpful to you.

Weight loss is always a good thing if you are over weight, but it is not a cure. There is no known cure to PCOS, even the medication is just to help with the symptoms. My doctor has told me to try to lose weight, but that even then she does not think the PCOS will go away. There is not a lot known about it, but from what I understand loosing weight only helps, it doesn't cure.

Hope that helps some, if you can get your doctor to give you the prescription you can get the generic version at Wal-mart for 5 dollars a month, so it won't be too hard on you financially.

Wow, thanks guys. I will call my doctor and see what he says.   It would be so nice to get this straighted out. i have had ovarian cysts before but they have always gone away. DO they usually stay for PCOS or so they come and go too?

Just because you have had a cyst does not mean you have PCOS, but it is possible. I am not a doctor, and the information out there is confusing to me. I know there is more than one reason to have the cysts. I have many small cysts around my ovaries, and while the amount changes, they never go away for me. I know what mine look like because I have been going through fertility treatment for awhile, so they give me an ultra sound 2 times a month and they tell me they are still there when they do that.

There is a lot of info on the web, a lot of it can be confussing, but its worth looking into. I can't seem to figure out how to post the links here, but I'm sure you can find some.

I have PCOS but I dont have cysts on my ovaries. The most accurate way to diagnose PCOS is to have blood work done, and history on your mens. cycle. I had an ultrasound done last year, and they found some very tiny cysts. My biggest one was only 1 cm. They did another one just a few days ago and they were gone.

I do have hair on my abdomen though, not as much as a guy either but more than a woman should. My periods have suddenly become irregular (used to be 25-32 days long....they got to being 35-37 days long), to completely losing them (but this can also be due to being underweight).

I guess it all depends on how bad your PCOS is. My doctor told me mine is pretty much under control (my insulin levels are normal). I guess im lucky when it comes to that but I still have to take care of myself. I also do get depressed very randomly sometimes and my sexual drive has diminished a lot :S this are all classic symptoms but yeah they all vary a lot.

As for the diet a low GI diet is the way to go. If you are overweight you should lower your carbs, not below 40 grams though, because this well get you into ketosis, but low enough to control insulin levels, and switch to low gi foods. There are lots of low gi meal plans and lists of food online to guide you through it. ITs a lifestyle change though, not some fad diet, so you gotta get really commited to it if you plan on getting long term results from them. (also add exercise to add in weight loss plus medication if your insulin level is high).

good luck!

-xo

Thanks again guys. I have been slowly lowering my carbs over the last couple days and i feel better. My energy leval is not as high as it use to be but my mood swings are way way down and I don't feel as hungry. I am aiming for about 20% fat,40%protein and 40%carbs. This seems to be a good place for me at the moment.  I will get some ideas about low GI meals. I have been thinking lately that I am insulin resistant. I cannot have my oatmeal anymore due to the fact that about 2 hours after I eat I get real shaky and am more hungry the rest of the day. I guess you can have insulin resistance from PCOS and from being hypothyroid. I have a double wammy there. Over the last 2.5+ years I have lost just over 100 pounds and I work out almost everyday so I think I can control some of it that way.

There is a lot of info out there and is can get confusing with everything. But I will keep working on it and get an appointment with my doc and see what he says. It just helps hearing from real people that are going through it.