Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

[Jessica9379]

Hi everyone,
I was diagnosed with PCOS yesterday .... :(
Does anybody else have this?
My only symptoms right now are not getting my period .... I'm not overweight, don't have excess hair growth (although I do have hairs that grow just below my belly button, and thought they became darker over time because I kept plucking them) not balding, no acne, no skin tags ... does that mean that all of this is coming eventually?

I stopped taking birth control pills in January (hoping to get pregnant) and have yet to get a period. My doctor told me to take Provera (to make me get my period) and then metformin to make me ovulate. Does anyone have any experience with any of this? I haven't filled the Rx yet, but it sounds like they both have rediculous side-effects.

I know things can always be worse .... and call me vain .... but I don't want to go bald and get crazy acne.

My poor husband - I have so many things wrong with me now.

[ICNJess]

Hi Jessica,

I was dx'd with PCOS in 2003. My symptoms were:

--I was overweight
--Struggled with mild acne
--Out of control periods
--Ovarian cysts
--Pelvic pain/painful periods
--hair growth

I mean, I didn't have a beard or anything but I've had hair on my face since I was 12...which led to some embarrassing moments...which led to waxing and bleaching at the age of 13! When I was 14 my periods were excruciating and by the time I was 16 I had large ovarian cysts that grew and ruptured. After the cysts, I gained about 100 pounds over the course of the next six years or so.

I struggled with getting pregnant, too. I had abnormal hormone levels and so my ovulation wasn't day 14 at all, in fact it fell on one of the 18 through 20 days. Then I would get my period just days after ovulation, so the luteal phase was real short and the egg never had a chance to implant.

My OB put me on Metformin in May of 05. I went off of it though because I had my gallbladder removed and I didn't want to become pregnant. She put me on the Met hoping it might help with the luteal phase and with my weight issue. I went off it the same month because I had my gallbladder removed (emergency removal) and I thought the Met was making me sick but it was actually my gallbladder.

Anyway, in July I took it during and after ovulation and July 18th, I got my positive pregnancy test! I do not know if the Metformin worked or if it was my own body, but after trying for a year and then all of a sudden getting pregnant makes me think it was the med.

If you want to chat about it or anything else, drop me a line via PM.

Hugs and best of luck!
Jess

[loraleena]

I took Provera in the early 90's after being anorexic screwed up my cycle. I don't remember any side effects.

[mlzippy7]

Yes...I have it as well!

[Tara_09]

Hi :hi: I also have pcos. My symptoms were the same as jess and I also had problems starting from a young age. When I was 16 I didnt have a period for a year and my doctor put me on metaformin because my levels were out of wack. I only took it for a month but I didnt have any problems with it. PCOS like IC can be different for everyone. Some people dont gain weight and get excess hair but some do. Sometimes it can be a little harder to lose weight but its not impossible, you just have to eat healthy, exercise and be patient. There are also message boards like this one that are for pcos. I think one is call soul cysters or something like that.

[sailawaygrl]

I was diagnosed when I was 18 with PCOS and at the time I was under weight and told that I would probably need "help" having children. Over the years whenever I moved I had problems finding a gyn to help me with it because they would say that I wasn't obese, therefore I could not have PCOS--not true. Try to find a reproductive endicrinoligist(sp?) I take metformin-which helps with insulin resistance that can cause weight gain and spironolactone that is a blood pressure med that they found helps with acne and hair growth. Also when you are not trying to concieve birth control pills help with painful and sporadic periods. I have been on these meds for 10 years and wouldn't think of stopping them, they help reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease which those of with PCOS are at risk for. I also try to work out since physical exercise helps to keep PCOS under control. I can even get a tax break for my gym membership because my Dr advises me to exercise for my condition(I keep a letter from the Dr on file) Now that I have IC I don't exercise much at all though and I miss it!!

BTW- my daughter graduated high school a few weeks ago and I had her the old fashioned way!!!

check out the website www.soulcysters.com and www.pcosupport.org
both of these helped me a lot in the past.

Ask me any questions on this and will be happy to answer whatever I can or PM me.

Sandra

[MiLynn]

I have this too. I was diagnosed about 3yrs ago when trying to conceive my 4th child. I had no problem with my first 2 pregnancies (one of them was twins) but it took a year to get pregnant the last time. I have several symptoms, but am not really overweight (maybe 20-30lbs) and I ovulated about every other month, so my cycles were 40+ days long and I had no idea when I was ovulating. I never took any meds for it. I started tracking my temperature on fertilityfriend.com and that is what helped me finally conceive. Best of luck to you!

[emmablah07]

PCOS has different symptoms for everyone. I got the typical hairy, overweight, and no periods version. I have to take provera every three months to induce a period. The main side effects are ridiculous pain and heavy bleeding. There is a support forum called soul cysters and they have way more information than I could give to you. Good luck! :)

[Trishann]

My daughter has PCOS and the doctor wanted her to take metformin due to insulin resistance. She was reading somewhere that metformin can make you feel sick up to 1 to 3 weeks and then it pass and you start feeling better. She was afraid to try it due to she only had 3 weeks of college left. Now she is out of college and have her own insurance through her new job.

Looking for a doctor now and I just wonder somethings. What is the different between reproductive endrocinologist and an endrocrinologist. And did the metformin make anyone of you sick for awhile.

JESS: My daughter was afraid to take Provera because of what she read, so the doctor put her on birth control pills, which did cause her to have a period each month. Before taking birth control pill, she also did not have periods.

[prestwood16]

I was Dx'ed with PCOS last year!! Dx'ed with insulin resistance the year before. My gyno kept doing ultrasounds and saying I didn't have cysts in my ovarys and they weren't enlarged. It wasn't until I went to se my fertility Doctor and he did the Ultrasound himself and pushed right on the ovaries and said "See right there they are!!!" I didn't know whether to be happy or sad!! my gyno kept saying, you have all the symptoms; insulin resistance, weight gain, hair growth etc, but to her my ovaries looked normal bc a tech was doing my ultrasound!! Between taking Amitriptyline and PCOS in a course of 3 yrs I gained 95 lbs. The two worked together to make me FAT!! I do not take Amitriptyline anymore and refuse too. I do not care that it helped my bladder, if I had continued to taking it i believe it would have caused me to have diabetes.
As far as Metaforim, I actually lost weight when I started it. I does cause diarhea at first but it passes. I am unable to take the 1500 mg that is prescribed bc it drops my sugar to low!! I can only take 1000mg once a day!!
With my PCOS i have never missed a period like most of you!! I wish I had, because I have endometreiosis and my periods are to painful!! But, since being on Metaforim I have began to ovulate again and that is something i have't done in years.
I did do fertility pills(clomid) last year and one injection but I went alittle crazy! my husband not quite ready for that road yet!! I can't blame him!! But, his thoughts are, we barely have sex now, so how do you expect to get pregnant if we aren't trying? He has a point!! But, as all you know, sex can be so painful!! I finally have decided to have a few beers to relax me and then I'm in the mood and at least it doesn't hurt during sex!!
But, My problem is this! I have IC, Endometeriosis, fibromylgia, TMJ, Vulvodynia, Pelvix floor dysfunction, migraines and PCOS and its problems AND my brother and sister do not have one thing wrong with them!! Does this sound FAIR to you!! I feel like I'm being picked on!!!:bonk:

[Jessica9379]

Thank you guys so much!! It means so much to have support like this!

Just a little update - I did take Provera. I didn't really have any side effects, except for one heck of a period 10 days later! Yowza! See ya new sheets!

I was actually really happy about actually getting a period on Provera, because I read online that many women don't. Supposedly if you get your period on Provera - they rule out anything wrong with your uterus working properly. So, yay for that.

So THEN, I started Metformin. I started at 500mg/day and then worked my way up to 1000/mg a day. It absolutely makes me nauseous. Pretty much a constant queezy stomach and sometimes gross GI symptoms. Its weird though - compared to dealing with IC pain ... an upset stomach is a walk in the park. I told my doctor about my nausea, and she was like, maybe you should stop taking it - but I said, no, because we really want to have a baby!! I turn 29 on September 3rd - where does the time go?

As far as weight loss ... maybe its because I'm not overweight to start with, I'm 5'7 and around 138 .. but I didn't see any. Although since I stopped taking birth control pills - literally, none of my bras fit!!! Its so sad. Lefty especially, poor guy. :)

I was pretty bummed about the fact that 2 months had gone by, and still no period. I even went and got acupuncture! (my doctor recommended it for PCOS) It was really, really neat - but she wanted me to come every week! Its $100/hour. I don't know what kind of la la land she was living in - but $100/week? Come on. Yeah, hi, I don't think so. She did sense a lot of "heat" in my abdomen - before I told her about my IC - so that was really freaky. I'd highly recommend acupuncture to those who can actually afford it though.

So anyway - I started taking 1500/mg last week and guess what I got a few days ago? My period! Woohooo!!!!!:woohoo:
I can't remember the last time I got my period "naturally" without birth control pills.

Its tough to take 1500/mg - I dread it - but if that makes me ovulate - I'll do it. So now, I actually have a shot! I'm fairly certain that if I got my period on my own, I ovulated. I think. I hope. Right?

Its baby time! :)