Has anyone been diagnosed with PCOS in their thirties?

[sunsetsandboardwalks]

I'm 35 and after 7-8 months of slightly irregular periods and some other symptoms around my cycle, I had blood tests to rule out early peri-menopause.

I got my results today and the ANP suspects it's actually PCOS due to my hormone levels (which showed high testosterone and androgens, as well as slightly high inflammatory markers). I have another test booked in 6 weeks as well as an ultrasound.

My question is, I was checked for PCOS about seven years ago due to really heavy, irregular periods and my bloods were within normal parameters. I had a scan then which also came back clear, so my GP just put it down to stress.

Can you develop PCOS and associated symptoms in your thirties? A lot of what I've read seems to suggest not, but then other websites say there's so little research done that nobody can say for sure.

The other thing she suggested was endometriosis but she wants to rule out PCOS first. She did seem fairly convinced that that's what it could be.

I’ve had PCOS since teens but was diagnosed only in my 30s.

You should have a day 2 test done to compare your LH (luteinising hormone) against that of FSH (follicle stimulation hormone) as there is often a disparity of LH to FSH when PCOS is present. It sounds something fundamental was missed all
those years ago. The cystic follicles associated with PCOS do disappear (that may be why your scan was clear) only to be replaced by more cystic follicles. The polycystic ovary can have a ring of pearl’s appearance to it and can be larger than a normal sized ovary (walnut size).

Why is she also thinking endometriosis? This is a common cause of severe period pain and it can also cause heavy bleeding to arise. It’s not normally detected on ultrasound scans, it’s usually diagnosed via laparoscopy which is a keyhole surgery op.

Thank you! It's possible something was missed - my periods were really erratic but I wasn't really brave enough to push for a diagnosis. I definitely only had one set of bloods and I never saw the results, she just said it was normal and sent me on my way.

The endometriosis is just because I've had heavy, painful periods since my teens, really, but from what she said, the idea is to confirm/rule out PCOS via a scan then look at endometriosis if that's unclear or shows nothing, just because the endometriosis op. is more invasive. Which makes sense, I guess!

I have a friend who was only diagnosed in late 20s but i dont know the details.

In my case, my overwhelming memory of my original diagnosis and then again 15 years later when starting the fertility journey was both doctors commenting on how completely classic my pcos was on ultrasound. Which I took to mean that its not always quite so clear cut and easy to.spot. so I imagine a missed diagnosis is not completely out of realms of possibility.

I have PCOS.

The actual name is misleading as you don't have ovarian cysts* with this condition, it's about the follicles in your ovaries. They can be hard to see on a scan or they themselves may not be an issue - you can have PCOS without these being an issue (there's a range of other diagnostic criteria).

There is a great support network via the Verity charity :)

*I know some women have PCOS AND actual cysts before anyone jumps on me!!

Thanks so much @WhiteRose222 and @IdLikeToBeAFraser .

I know diagnosis in your 30's isn't uncommon I just find it unusual that it was totally missed before, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised, lol.

28 when diagnosed but no treatment as GP very helpfully and compassionately declared me "too fat" and told me to sort that out myself first.

I strongly recommend asking for a HBA1C test if you haven't had one, that will help identify if you are at risk of diabetes.

I finally got pregnant at 30 after losing 10% bodyweight which got me back to regular ovulation, ended up with Gestational diabetes though.

10yrs after giving birth and I've been diagnosed Type 2 diabetic.

Insuilin resistance goes hand in hand with PCOS and will make you very sensitive to carbs.

Thanks @InfoSecInTheCity - my HbA1c came back normal thankfully, as I was worried about diabetes.

I'm sorry your GP wasn't very helpful, it's shit.

I was diagnosed in my 30s, but that's because I was having issues TTC. I'm pretty sure I'd had it since my teens but no one mentioned it in the context of my irregular painful periods and acne - I'd never heard of it.

I was diagnosed in my late twenties after already having 3 children in 5 years and being described as 'super fertile'! Work that one out!

My gynaecologist told me that getting pregnant is NOT the problem with PCOS. The problem is that you don't ovulate enough. Her comment was that for this reason, many women who have PCOS don't have any problems getting pregnant in their 20s... because basically they're having plenty of sex so the fact that their ovulation is less frequent and/or impossible to predict doesn't matter!

And actually, when I fel pregnant with DC2, we knew I was ovulating more often as my periods were coming every 30-50 days (vs 80-130 days) but it still wasn't predictable. But DH and I were actually having quite a lot of sex, so it wasn't surprising that we managed to get that window right.

Similarly, some people will say that there's a higher chance of PCOS leading to miscarriage. Again, my specialist's point was that women with PCOS having babies in their 20s, probably don't even realise they have PCOS. All pregnancies of older women are higher risk for miscarriage, so women experiencing fertility problems due to PCOS, and seeking treatment in their 30s after a long time trying, are naturally also higher risk of miscarriage.