Have just read something about pcos which scared the crap out of me

[singyswife]

Hi, earlier this year I was diagnosed with pcos. I went on line to see if it was possible to have endometriosis too. One of the sites I went on to said that women with pcos who are overweight have a 3x higher risk of cancer. Does anyone know if this is true????? Also is it possible to have pcos and endi??? Thanks

anyone there?

It is possible to have both PCOS and endo.

A much bigger risk from having this disease and being significantly overweight is heart disease, which kills far more women than cancer.

I totally panicked there. Am really battling the weight loss thing (losing I think) as my main worry was diabeties. Excersise 3 times a week and eat lots of fruit and veg. Try to stay healthly. Am I helping myself??

Are you on any medication? Has it been established that your condition may be causing insulin resistance?

Keep exercising!

If you smoke, STOP. Ditto drinking in anything other than moderation.

you can have PCOS and endrimitriosis my friend has both

Did they not check for it when they checked your ovaries or have you not had any investigations yet??

HI what is significantly overweight???? I am 5'1 and about 12.5 stones. Size 18. Is this significantly????

This is what makes me so angry. I have never been properly investigated for it. i.,e no internal scans etc. My dr goit sick of me and eventually sent me to a gyn who listened to what was wrong with me, said oh you have pcos, lose weight or get the coil and you will be fine. Thats been it. I have been battling with the weight since which just doesnt want to come off. Have even seen a dietician (self referred) but to no avail. Am totally fed up./

Also fogot to add. was told to take long term antidepressants for pmt etc.

may have to make another appt for dr. Wish I could afford private. I would be getting the right treatment by now.

PCOS and endo really can't be diagnosed verbally. They need investigative procedures such as ultrasound scan and lap surgery to properly diagnose.

I know I got the feeling I was palmed off. Do I go back to gp or go and make an appt with gyn again and demand that more be done????

PCOS as far as I know in most cases can be diagnosed with blood tests for a hormone profile (at the GP) and an ultrasound scan to check your ovaries. Obviously there will be some cases where the pattern is not so typical and further investigations will be needed. That was how mine was diagnosed.

If you're not getting those tests from your GP, I'd go back and try one more time. Maybe ring your surgery and try and get an appointment with a locum... nothing like a fresh face!

TBH as far as I am aware there isn't a lot that can really be DONE about PCOS, just about the symptoms. You are doing the very best thing you can by tackling your weight and general health.

The main increased cancer risk with PCOS as far as I am aware (not a doctor) is womb cancer. This is a risk for women who don't have many periods. The risk returns pretty much to normal provided you have at least four bleeds a year. This is why women with PCOS who have very irregular periods are often advised to go on the pill - this sorts out the increased risk. Do remember, as well, that the increased risk really is a tiny overall risk. As expat says, heart disease is much more of a worry, and you are tackling that.

Try googling for a 'BMI calculator' to check whether you would count as 'significantly overweight'.

You could try reading A Woman's Guide to PCOS by Colette Somebody. (sorry, not exact details, try googling Colette PCOS and she will come up). Very, very verbose but some very useful and motivating info, and she considers that she got rid of her PCOS by strict dietary and lifestyle means. You would have to be pretty committed to do what she does but it's an interesting read nonetheless.

singyswife,

The author who choosyfloosy was referring to is Collette Harris (herself a PCOSer).

This is taken from a leaflet given to me at the hospital about PCOS:-
"There is no link between the cysts of polycystic ovaries and ovarian cancer. However, although the risk is still very rare, women with few or absent periods are at increased risk of endometrial cancer. This can happen when the womb lining (endometrium) becomes too thick; regular shedding in the form of a perod prevents this.

Obese women with polycystic ovaries are also at greater risk of heart disease - simply because excess weight is linked to high blood pressure and excessive levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream, both known risk factors for heart disease. A high fibre, low fat and low sugar diet at a young age may help reduce these risks in later life - as will stopping smoking. Diabetes in later life, in which the body becomes unable to use sugar efficiently, is also associated with excess weight. Medication might be needs but weight loss and alower intake of carbohydrates will also help. Indeed being overweight is probably the cause of the greatest and most frequent problems to women with PCOS".

Verity is the UK based charity to help and support women with PCOS - their web address is www.verity-pcos.org.uk. I would advise you to look at this.

I have endometriosis as well as PCOS (I would stress that one does not cause the other). In my case PCOS was diagnosed through blood tests and ultrasounds; the endo was discovered when I was operated on subsequently as part of my fertility treatment.

I think that your initial gynae was crap frankly and I think you need to see another such person in due course. Your GP will need to refer you again. Some gynaes are good at working with women with PCOS; finding the good ones though can be harder than first thought.

HTH, any other questions just ask

Thank you all I will look for the book you suggested and also have a look at the website. Dont know why I felt the need to rant today, just having a really bad period which always makes me angry that more isnt being done. Than k you all

thats really bad that you havnt had an internal exam my sis and friend have both had laparoscopies sp and the other one where they check there tubes both on the NHS they both had to wait about 3 months

I would go back and ask the Dr to refer you to a consultant gyne
can I ask do you have children because thy do all of the above if you are trying to conceive
and if your periods are heavy or you get a lot of pain especially if you get pain when ovulating as well

go back good luck

Hi I luckily have 2 children. Would love a third but symptoms and periods have got so bad that it just aint happening. Maybe I should tell them I really want another one and they would investigate me. Is that just cheeky. Thanks for all the replies

Can heartily reccommend Colette Harris's book, she has PCOS herself, it's been highly rated by two people I know and she's a lovely ex-colleague of mine.

if you have pinfull periods then they should do something anyway but if it takes telling them that your trying to get a diagnosis I would

it's not exactly cheeky to tell a doctor what you are really thinking!

If you would like another child then that does alter how a lot of doctors look at PCOS - they can't exactly stick you on the pill, can they?

They are likely to try much harder for a diagnosis if you would like another child - perhaps it shouldn't be that way but it probably will be.

I have had PCOS for 20 years and yes, it has caused me unwanted symptoms (weight hard to shift, unwanted hair) but it hasn't affected my ability to conceive, despite a gynae telling me I'd have to have medical assistance (I had my ds exactly 8 months after he told me this, i'e, had already conceived!) At one point I was given clomid but this tended to make me produce too many eggs. I have always found the best technique is to take the pill for about 6-9months, which stabilises the cycles and more or less eliminates the cysts temporarily, then come off it and try really hard for a couple of months, before the cysts have time to reappear and interfere with ovulation. This has worked twice for me. The doctor raised an eyebrow when I explained my method though!