Update - I saw the GP this morning, she was lovely and has referred me for a scan and blood tests for hormone levels, thyroid, liver/kidney function and diabetes [gulp]. Blood tests booked for Wednesday AM, will probably take a while to get the scan appointment though I'm guessing.

Pregnancy can really help clear up endemetriosis.

Hope all ok on Fri.

Lol Bessie - I was just whinging saying to DH earlier today that I'm all spotty and hairy!

I don't get painful periods any more since having DD - used to get excruciating pain before that, but seems to have gone away since pregnancy/labour. Periods are pretty heavy though - TMI alert - I need to empty my Mooncup every 1.5 hours for the first 2 or 3 days of each period.

Thanks AuntieMaggie - I was thinking it might just be my hormones settling down after having had DD, but they seem to be getting more unsettled rather than getting back into any kind of a pattern. Tsk.

Am just keeping my fingers crossed that the GP is sympathetic - I'm not very good at being assertive at the moment what with depression etc...

oh, could you have endemetriosis? I think that causes painful periods and can make you spotty and hairy (sorry, didn't make it sound very nice)

You could have developed it since the tests five years ago, or it could be that your hormones are more over the place since having your DD.

It's not uncommon for things to be different after having children... or so my friends tell me

Also, as you've been playing around with doses for AD's it could be to do with that too - it's funny what things can affect our hormones without us realising it.

I did it! I rang the GP - have an appointment Friday AM [wibble]

Thanks Attila. Am going to ring the GP tomorrow. Just feel a bit daft, because I had investigations (scan, laparoscopy) for painful periods about 5 years ago which found nothing out of the ordinary, and I felt like I'd just wasted everyone's time. These symptoms have come on since then, but I still feel like I won't be taken seriously because of previous tests and current depression. [dithers a bit more]

Would go and see your GP and if they prove unhelpful I'd ask for a referral to a gynae or endocrinologist.

It could well be due to PCOS but you need proper medical advice first and foremost. You should have blood tests done to see what your hormone levels are like. Usually with PCOS there is an imbalance of LH (luteinising hormone) to FSH (follicle stimulation hormone) in that there's too much LH and not enough FSH.

They can also do an internal ultrasound scan to assess the state of your uterine cavity and ovaries (polycystic ovaries can appear larger than their normal walnut size and have multiple follicles on them. These follicles can and do disappear only to be replaced by further follicles).

You may find Verity's website helpful:-
www.verity-pcos.org.uk

Good luck and don't be fobbed off by the GP.

Thanks Bessie.

[procrastinates about ringing the GP for a bit longer]

Bumping for the evening crowd

I think spots on your chin are supposed to be hormonal, as is the hair, so you could have pcos. Or you could have something else on your ovaries, possibly a growth (do not mean cancer)

I am not a doctor.