PCOS - Diognosis/Treatment

[BowiesJumper]

Hi all,

I'm 30 and I kind of know I have PCOS but am going to the Dr next week to discuss a diagnosis/tests etc with them.

I have regular periods (but which are occasionally VERY painful) but I have gained a huge amount of weight in the past couple of years without changing my diet or exercise, I have hair on my chin/lip, hair on my stomach and shoulders, I have a bit of a receding hairline on one side (ie a bald patch which I hide with my fringe!).. all in all HIDEOUS.

I have been trying a low carb diet (and extra exercise) for the past couple of months because I have read this helps pcos, but I haven't shifted any significant weight as yet.

Do you have any recommendations of what I should ask/say to the Dr and whether I should demand metformin straight off if diognosed with it? A friend who has been recently diagnosed got it as soon as she asked for it..

I know some forms of the pill are meant to help but I want to start TTC in the next year so I would be very reluctant to use one.

Thanks!

I suffer from pcos too and the only thing that seems to help with managing symptoms is keeping weight down. I have a couple of pcos friends who are overweight and they get much worse hairiness symptoms.

Watch your calories like a hawk - myfitnesspal.com has a really good calorie calculator, and it's amazing how just a few extra calories more than you really need each day can add up very quickly.

I eat a lot of carbs and am a pasta-addict, but I still manage to keep my weight to a sensible level.

As for the hairy stomache, I feel your pain and then feel even more pain when I reach for the tweezers - owwwww! I also have the thinning hair problem at the front, I've been using emu oil for a few weeks and it helps hide the problem a bit, as does any hair style where the hair isn't swept straight backwards.

Missed the bit on metformin, AFAIK the jury is still out on whether metformin makes any difference in conceiving, though I did take it during and after IVF to reduce the risk of early miscarriage. I had to have it prescribed by a consultant before my GP would give me a prescription for it.

Thanks for the reply! I know the importance of weight loss in the management of it, so I'm still sticking the low cal/low carb diet but I think I may need an extra boost.. it's all a bit depressing really! I'll see what the doc says..

I'm assuming for a diagnosis they send you off for tests at a hospital? (ie bloods/scan?)

Don't know what they do these days. My diagnosis was via an ultrasound scan, I remember having to drink about 3 or 4 pints of water beforehand so that my bladder was fit to burst. The clinic wisely kept one toilet exclusively for women coming out of the scans.

I thought it might be something like that, can't imagine it has changed all that much. Thanks for the info!

HI - just to be on the safe side - do go and have it checked that this is the cause.

At one point I had every symptom of PCOS, it was a closed case as far as we could tell.

Had checks done for something else, found no PCOS.

I'm going to the docs on Tuesday so I'll deffo get him to refer me for tests don't worry.

I'd say go on metformin, it definitely helped me with weight control and is possibly helpful for TCC too.

For the excess hair, get laser treated ASAP. I wish I had done it sooner and not let it sap my confidence for so long. Worth every penny.

You could ask for referral to an Endocrinolgyst (sp?). Mine was very helpful.

I take Saw Palmetto for thinning hair.

I was diagnosed via ultrasound scan too, about 10 years ago.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

With the metformin it does different things for different people.

It did absolutely nothing for me and made me so sick I couldn't tolerate being on it. The jury is out on whether or not it even works for PCOS.

Weight down, low GI diet, exercise. Easier said than done, I know.

Mine was diagnosed 13ish years ago by VUSS. I left the UK soon after and haven't had any input since then. Apparently it doesn't exist in Thailand

For me, metformin did help but my main symptom is really irregular periods. While on metformin they increased from every 6 months to every 6 weeks, and I got pregnant within a few months. Ultrasound did show cysts. However the metformin did make me feel pretty crap - maybe that's how it helps weightloss? I am not particularly overweight though.

Common side effect of metformin is upset tummy. Some say that is why it helps weight loss.

For me, it seems to help with feeling hungry all the time and having a huge appetite. When I am on it I can stick to my diet much easier.

I find, when I take the pill in the middle of my meal, it helps with the tummy upset. After a few weeks the tummy upset goes away. I also find if I am eating healthy foods in sensible portions the tummy upset is non existent. When I eat junk, and too much of it (e.g. Christmas or on holiday), the tummy upset returns.

I am still struggling with weight loss, but overall the weight is going down, but at a ridiculously slow rate, I yo yo, overall loss is maybe a few pounds each year.

Good luck all.

Thanks guys. The doc has just said I need some blood tests first to check my hormone and insulin levels which I need to go back and do next month as it needs to be just after your period finishes.

Hope you get the help you need and good luck with TTC.