Hello everyone! I'm going to give a little background on what's been happening to me, and PLEASE tell me what yall think, okay?

I am 21 years old, and female problems run in my family so my mother told me it is best to try to start having children young...so I did. Here is the timeline of events:

April 2002 - Stopped taking the Pill after 4 years (20 years old)
June 2002 - Still haven't had a period - pregnancy tests were negative
November 2002 - No period! Prenancy tests still negative... doctor put me on Provera
December 2002 - Got a period!
February 2003 - Still on my period after almost 60 days!!! Doctor puts me back on the Provera to make me stop my period! Doctor does pelvic sonnogram, notes "multiple small follicles", does a biopsy which turned out fine. Sends me home telling me I'm not having a period on my own because I'm not ovulating, try taking "THE PILL" AGAIN for a while to see if it fixes me!
July 2003 - Been on the Pill since March and am doing fine!

However, the Pill is what is making me have a period. My DR told me to loose weight, and that is how she left it!!! HELLO..... is there something wrong with this picture? I've gained almost 80 pounds since I was 14... now I need to have a child and can't and my doctor tells me to loose weight! She doesn't even diagnose me with anything! Is this PCOS? I don't have abnormal hair growth (my mother and sisters do) but I have skin tags in my armpits and dark colored skin in my armpits and groin area. What should I do? I'm tired of paying my doctor!! Help me! Should I be on metformin?

Thanks so much (crying out loud for help!!)

It definitely sounds like you do have PCOS. If your doctor won't help you, find one that will. A reproductive endocrinologist will work with you to help you conceive. If you're not necesarily looking to conceive right now a regular endocrinologist can also really help.

A low carb diet will help, as will losing weight. But losing weight is certainly a challenge with PCOS because most women have insulin resistance. Doctors often put PCOS women on metformin (Glucophage) which is an insulin sensitizer. When you're body produces too much insulin your male hormones get out of whack and that's why you don't ovulate. By reducing the the insulin, you also help the body adjust it's hormones and many women will resume ovulation on their own.

The topic is quite complex but the most important thing is to find a doctor who is willing to work with you. In the mean time, head on over to soulcysters.com for more information and support from other PCOS girls.

Right on, what sourdaisy said Definitely get a consultation with someone experienced in helping women who are trying to conceive (TTC) not just controlling the symptoms of PCOS. Many drs think that just getting periods to regular cycles is enough.

There are some good information resources around the web about PCOS; one that you may or may not have seen is the PCOS information from INCIID (InterNational Council on Infertility Information Dissemination). The information is excellent, and they offer a detailed description of diagnosis, what tests your dr should do and what questions you should ask Check out Diagnosing PCOS.

Here is their main PCOS page ... PCOS Frequently Asked Questions. There is a section devoted to Infertility and trying to conceive.

I hope there's something helpful for you, and I hope your dreams of having a baby come true


Doreen

I was diagnosed with PCOS earlier this year sometime, I was like you, always going to see doctors because my TOM was always irregular or either occured to long or at times twice a month.....got tired of the doctors just putting me on a different pill or something.....ive had this problem since I began menstrating. So I started looking into it myself, and I fit into all the signs that were listed. So I went to see a different doctor and he did a ultrasound and found multiple cists on my ovaries and before he could even say PCOS I had already said it and he was surprised, kept asking me if I was a bio major..LOL
He also recommended eating Low Carb because I would probably gain faster because of all the hormone imbalances, and also could be even more prone to diabetes and alot of people in my family or I should say everyone in my family has diabetes. This was hard for me to accept because I love food, food is my friend....LOL But I also care about my health and am glad that I found out earlier. The doc also said that this is something new and that some doctors dont think to look for it. So maybe u could suggest it to your doctor.
I have started the atkins plan and have been on and off it for the past 3 years but it has slowed my weight gain down so much. This is my 8th day and I have lost 10 pounds already through closely watching my carb intake and exercise and lost of water. It seems hard at first but believe me allthose cravings go away and at times you gotta remind yourself to eat something.
Low Carb can change all those things....you can post in my journal if you have questions.....I had alot when I first was diagonosed and I still do but its good to have people to talk to that are going through it and can relate to you.

I have officially decided what to do! I have an appointment with my Doctor this Tuesday (7-29-03) and I'm going to MAKE her tell me something and not allow her to leave me hanging! My husband is SO ready to have a child.... and I've got this doctor that won't help. But... I've been going to her for years and don't want to switch, so I'm going to tell her out it is. She's got all the information she needs, and she's even run most of the tests... I think it's just laziness! But anyway, I'll let everyone know how it goes and thanks for the support!

Hi Sheri,

Glad to hear that you made an appointment!

It sounds to me at the very least you have Insulin Resistance... which needs to be managed with medication. Insulin Resistance and PCOS go hand in hand (and are genetic, hence your mother and sisters having it as well) and THE PILL WILL NOT HELP YOU! In fact, all it does is mask the irregular period issue by making you have a period every month. Non of the other issues are taken care of... namely, the Insulin Resistance. Make your doctor test you for Insulin Resistance as well... with the skin tags and the ancanthosis nigricians (dark patches) I can basically ASSURE you that you have Insulin Resistance. Once you start taking Glucophage (metformin) for Insulin Resistance, and keep on LC dieting, you'll start ovulating regularly all on your own within a few months!

Let us know how it goes!

Karen Taverner
PCOS.net

Update on my Condition!

Hi everyone! I went to the doctor not too long ago because she wanted to do some blood work to see if I could take Glucophage. My cholesterol was 141 which is pretty good, but my triglycerides were 637, which I understand is pretty bad. After that she wanted to put me on a thyroid pill, but decided to run more blood work in 6 weeks. What's going on? She never told me anything else about the Glucophage, so I'm still not taking it. She also wanted to run a Glucose Tolerance Test... all of this is just too much. It sounds like she's just giving me the "run around", you know? It's a shame after paying her $500.00 I pretty much diagnose myself for free, put myself on a diet, and I will probably end up curing myself!!! I just don't know...

Update!!! I just wanted to let everyone know that I started my period ON MY OWN this Sunday. I did start taking Glucophage... I got off of the pill, and started my period! Here's my question? Can you have a period without ovulating, or does this mean I actually ovulated!? I'm so happy!