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General health

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Original poster

what are the 'symptoms' of PCOS?

15 replies

belcantavinissima · 31/10/2007 16:57

a friend mentioned it today but wasnt sure of the exact symptoms. i havent felt 'right' in many ways for quite a while now and though i am getting embarassed about my frequent doctors visits it would be nice to get to the bottom of it. any advice gratefully recieved.

OP posts:

dooley1 · 31/10/2007 17:01

pcos this might help

Original poster

belcantavinissima · 31/10/2007 17:11

thanks for that dooley1. i hate googling as you always end up with something life-threatening and very rare lol!
its the irregular, long cyles, heavy bleeding and the bloating that i have. its so depressing- i currently look about 6 months pregnant- have almost a defined bump- am getting a bit neurotic about not wanting to go out in case anyone asks me if i am pregnant. 7 weeks now since last AF, last time was 5 weeks and time before that was 10 weeks. and i m not pregnant, have even tested despite the fact i know i cant be, i feel sick and tired and out of breath all the time, i basically have preganncy symptoms but am not pregnant. its odd very odd.

OP posts:

LittleGoldfish · 31/10/2007 17:23

My sister has PCOS and gained weight, got more facial hair, felt depressed, constant unbearable pain where the ovaries are.

She has had 2 Laporoscopy (not sure of spelling) and they laser the cysts away but unfortunately they do come back maybe not for everyone i don't know.

ImBarryScott · 31/10/2007 17:28

if you are ttc and you think you have PCOS, it's worth getting it checked. diagnosis is very simple - via ultrasound scan and blood tests. it affects different people in different ways, but bloating and irregular periods can be symptoms.

Original poster

belcantavinissima · 31/10/2007 17:34

i'm not ttc, i have 3 children and that baby part of my life is now done and dusted fortunately.
i have gained a massive amount of weight over last few months. went to doctor who did teests i think she thought underactive thyroid but it came back clear. she told me to eat less and exercise more . i dont eat loads and have never been unhealthy/unfit. its getting me down but feel stupid keep going back when they cant find anything 'wrong' with me.

OP posts:

LittleGoldfish · 31/10/2007 17:42

So you don't eat loads or no more than usual but have put on loads of weight? Hmmm it is hard for anyone to even guess what it could be. What makes you think it is PCOS?? Other than the weight gain of course? Any other symptoms?

Original poster

belcantavinissima · 31/10/2007 19:30

i dont necessarily think it is. but i didnt know what it is really. i mentioned to my friend who is a natural nutritionist about the bloating and weight gain and period probs and thats what she said that perhaps it could be. tbh i dont think t is that having now read a bit about it on that link. i'm not spotty or have greasy skin- in fact its v dry.

OP posts:

NessieD · 10/11/2007 11:45

I have had PCOS I was diagnosed in 2002 after coming off of 10 years on the pill, my symptoms were pretty similar to yours, unexplained weight gain even though I was on a diet all the time and exercised TONS, I also had really heavy and painful periods. I fanally got a Dr to listen to me ( funnily enough a man!) I was given blood tests and my Testosterone was too high, an ultrasound finally confirmed it, however the advice from the Dr's was awful and I was told to cut out ALL carbs to manage my weight which worked for a while but made me V down . I was eventually put on Metformin by a specialist as I wanted to conceive at some point (and my DS is now 7 weeks old!! ) so I don't know if they would prescribe this if you don't want to have any more kids, the Metformin was the best thing for me as I rapidly lost weight once I was on 850mg a day, however I also saw a nutritionist who put me on a specialist diet as I also have IBS and this can effect the hormones apparently!? I swear that this helped me to concieve. In my opinion it is worth really pushing your docs to test your hormone levels and if anything you can eliminate this and put your mind at rest, if it is PCOS it is manageable but everyones symptoms are different. I found Verity really useful when trying to find out about PCOS www.verity-pcos.org.uk/what_is_pcos.html

HTH

mummyblueyes · 10/11/2007 20:30

Nessie - do you still take the Metformin?

I was given it for PCOS but I thought it was making me dizzy so I stopped. BUT, I am desperate to lose wait

ShrinkingViolet · 11/11/2007 09:50

metformin doesn't in itself make you lose weight, but it does help if you combine it with sensible diet and moderate exercise - big study a few years back found that out.

morningglory · 11/11/2007 10:10

If you have 3 children, conceived easily, and didn't have these symptoms earlier, I doubt that you have PCOS. A more common things would be an underperforming thyroid. Perhaps you should see you GP and raise your concerns to him/her.

NessieD · 12/11/2007 10:33

Mummyblueyes - I have just had a baby so don't take it at the moment but plan to go back on it if my periods return like before . It definately helped me to lose weight as the difference in me was dramatic, it can help if you have problems with Insulin Resistance, BUT you have to REALLY watch what you eat. Have you tried seeing a Nutritionist? worked wonders for me as there are more things interlinked than you think in relation to digestion and it's effect on hormones. I also used to take Agnus Castus which worked for a while. HTH

mummyblueyes · 12/11/2007 10:45

Thanks Nessie. My periods are very hit and miss. But what's weird is that when my period is late, if I have sex it brings it on! (TMI?)

I don't get bleeding after sex or anything, it just comes on the next day (if it's overdue!) How weird!

Apparently I do have problems with insulin resistance and am predisposed to diabetes but I don't really understand it all. Just wondering if to start taking them again?

NessieD · 13/11/2007 10:50

I had exactly the same thing when I was at my worst and thought exactly the same thing, how wierd eh? I thought it could be to do with the fact that you have so much of a build up of lining up there that it needs a little helping hand! definitely TMI now!!!

I would go back and visit your doc or specialist if you have one? if not get referred to one they are much more knowledgeable. How long did you take Metformin for? It maybe that you need to take them for longer to get your body used to it, I know that there are lots of side effects but I think most of them pass after a while of taking them, or apparently you can introduce the dose and slowly increase it to help. I also read that you must take it with food (I think) to help with the side effects.

I found a couple of books by Colette Harris really useful so may be worth a look. HTH

JodieG1 · 13/11/2007 10:55

I have pcos and have the typical polycystic ovaries, I had a scan and it was seen on it. I get pain, irregular cycles; I could go from 37 days one months to 24 the next, bloating, I had 5 miscarriages (pcos makes you prone to having them) and other things as well. I'm not overweight but do need to eat often as I get low blood sugar and makes me feel ill. Skin tags are also a symptom.

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