PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

kandy

Silver Member
Hi All,
I was wondering if many of you ladies suffer with PCOS. I have been diagnosed with PCOS since the age of 12 so 18 years ago and i am still no wiser as to what i should and shouldn't be doing regarding my health . Over the years i have seen many doctors and all there helpful hints have contradicted each other the only thing they all agree with is that losing weight helps alot but having PCOS makes it more difficult to lose weight .
I have had to stop ssing today (doctors orders ) because i have become more ill and i am in need of many more tests i feel very depressed and find that nobody understands this disease with its many symptoms and no cure .
I thought it may help if any of you ladies out there are feeling the same or have any tips advice or general grumbles lets stick together. Looking forward to hearing your stories ! :D
 
The medical proffesion state that as many as 80% of women suffer with some or all the symptoms of PCOS within there lifetime and more often than not it goes undiagnosed .
SYMPTOMS INCLUDE :-
Weight gain
Inability to lose weight
Insulin resistance
Infertility
Irregular periods
No periods
excessive facial hair
excessive body hair
Acne (facial and on the back)
Tiredness lethargy
Extreme mood swings
Male pattern baldness
Skin tags

These are the ones i am aware of there maybe more .
xxxx Julie xxxxx
 
Hi Julie!

I too have PCOS - not as bad as some but it affected my fertility so much so that I had fertility treatment for my second child (injections to make me ovulate)..... I do know from reading up on it that it is recommended that you have a low-carb diet....... I found that SSing helped reverse some of the symptoms (not so hairy:eek: on my chinny chin chin....lol) but couldn't say about TOTM because I've got a Mirena Coil so dont have periods.....

Also my doctor put me on Metformin which is used to treat diabeties as this can reverse the symptoms of PCOS too.... it certainly worked for me..... ended up with Lucy :eek: :eek: which was wonderful after 2 boys....:D However, I stopped taking if because it gave me very bad upset tummy although I guess this doesn't happen to everyone - I'm a bit suseptiable(sp) to upset tummys - bit psychological too...:eek: :rolleyes:

The reason for Metformin is something to do with insulin levels etc..... not sure of the techical terms etc..... I didn't have a coil when I was first on it (before Lucy) and it did regulate my periods and I did start to ovulate (obviously - that's how Lucy was conceived!!) and I only took them for around 8 weeks - was loosing weight on a low carb high protien diet too.....

Anyway, hope this helps......

Love
 
SYMPTOMS INCLUDE :-
Weight gain - YES !!
Inability to lose weight - YES till I found out low-carb best (always did green days on SW - lol:rolleyes: )
Insulin resistance - think that's what the Metformin helped
Infertility - YES - though caught by fluke with No.1 son - Fertility treatment for No. 2 son and then on metformin and caught for No.1 (and last!!) Daughter!!
Irregular periods - YES
No periods - YES (went over 9 months once!!!)
excessive facial hair - not overly excessive but enough to have to be waxed!
excessive body hair - not really
Acne (facial and on the back) - NO
Tiredness lethargy - YES but think that was being 8 stone overweight too!!
Extreme mood swings - Yes, but think thats just me....lol!!
Male pattern baldness - NO!!
Skin tags - Yes quite a few - under arms, top of legs, back of neck

Guess I really do have PCOS - I kind of forget sometimes....!
 
Hiya Mich,
Thanks for your reply,
I have just stopped taking metformin after 2 years as they stopped working for me . So i now have more hairs and spots appearing mmmm how attractive i hear you yell lol !

The metformin didn't help me fertility wise my doctor said i have been left untreated for too long so i will never be able to conceive .

I am so glad that metformin worked for you thats great !

I know that it can have varying degrees of severity when i dropped 3 stone with cd last year all my symptoms improved greatly but unfortunately they have become more serious since i regained.
So on day 4 of ss today and my doctor stopped me, i am gutted i was struggling but i was hanging in there .
I have had another thyroid test today and need more tests in the coming weeks they dont seem to know whats going on, i dont get my hopes up anymore!
Thanks again Mich
Take care love Julie xxxx
 
Hi Julie!

Sorry to hear that the metformin didn't work for you..... there are lots of other routes though for conceiving - hasn't your doctor refered you to a fertility clinic?

I had always had irregular periods and I was just fortunate to conceive with my first son..... then we wanted to try for another child when he was one and we tried for a year.... nothing.... went to the doctors and was put on clomid took it for around a year - still nothing - went back just had the dosage upped and was sent for a scan..... scan came back clear but another year later still nothing.... so referred by doc to Infertility unit at local hospital..... first thing they did was internal scan:eek: and straight away diagnosed PCOS.... told me to loose some weight....:rolleyes: managed to loose around a stone (was still around 16 stone) and then started treatment of daily injections to make me ovulate..... then after so many days having more internal scans to check I was ready to ovulate then go home and erm... do it like rabbits for 3 days..... - how unromantic:eek: didn't work first time round but fortunately for us it did second time.... got lovely son No. 2.

My brother and his wife had alot of problems and had IVF treament for both their children .......

Are these not an option for you hun? Never give up hope and in the mean time if you can't SS why not try a low-carb diet - I found atkins was the best apart from LL/CD.....

Sending you positive thoughts and hope they can get to the bottom of things......

Love
 
Hi Julie,
I have PCOS and have had it all my adult life and as they go hand in hand developed type 2 diabetes too ! I have felt great since being on LL and losing 5 stone+ When I finish VLCDing I will go on a low GI diet as I think that's best for PCOS. It can be very depressing with all of the symptoms, no doubt about it. GP's are a lot better these days at helping to treat symptoms etc. I got no help back in my 20's or early 30's.
 
oh and I was on 3 metformin a day for the diabetes, it did help regularise my periods too. Since being on LL though I have stopped all medication as my blood glucose is fine.
Melissa
 
SYMPTOMS INCLUDE :-
Weight gain YES
Inability to lose weight YES
Insulin resistance PROBABLY
Infertility YES
Irregular periods YES
No periods YES
excessive facial hair
excessive body hair
Acne (facial and on the back) YES
Tiredness lethargy YES
Extreme mood swings YES
Male pattern baldness
Skin tags YES

I have PCOS too, i was diagnosed 7 years ago before being put on Clomid to get pregnant with my second child. I always had irregular periods, even when i was slim.

I am very worried about developing diabetes, hence my dieting...
 
Weight gain YES
Inability to lose weight Until LL, yes
Insulin resistance not sure
Infertility
Irregular periods when i was overweight, yes
No periods
excessive facial hair yes
excessive body hair yes
Acne (facial and on the back)
Tiredness lethargy yes
Extreme mood swings yes
Male pattern baldness
Skin tags

My symptoms are soooooooooooooo much better since losing weight. I no longer go from 0-***** in 30 seconds, I have a 28 day cycle, facial hair is less (and have been having laser too).

I was on dianette, which helped with the facial hair (but had to be taken off this cos of focal migraines) and on Metformin, which gave me the rather unpleasant side effect of diarrhoea with horrendo cramps.

I now feel a heck of a lot better, and find that eating healthily, moderate carbs and keeping alcohol intake to a treat plus regular exercise keeps me feeling well.
 
Hi Julie,hun i know exactly how u r feeling as i have had Pocs since giving birth to Aaron 14 years ago and really only got properly diagnosed last Thursday by the hormone specialist.
I have been put on a drug called Spironolactone, which is a diuretic but also replaces the female hormones back into my body and helps with the excess facial hair, also the doc gave me some cream to rub in my face which will slow down the growth on my face, sorry dont have the name as the hospital pharmacy had to order it in for me and they have the prescription, but can get it for u.

He has advised me to follow a very strict low GL diet and mostly which i am going to incorporate with SW,and i got "THE HOLFORD LOW GL DIETR MADE EASY" which shows u the best way to follow a low gl diet and lose weight at the same time.

Hun i know how u feel about wanting to Ss and not able 2 but we can still lose weight on a low gl diet and i have been told that my POCS will go when i reach a normal weight.
We can do this julie, it might take longer than Ssing but sometimes the scenic route ends up the right route and we will still get to our destination.
I am right there with u girl, to hold your hand through this journey and to help u which ever way i can.
Take care hun xxxx
 
SYMPTOMS INCLUDE :-
Weight gain - yes
Inability to lose weight - alittle then none
Insulin resistance - do not know
Infertility - yes been trying for about 7 yrs with 2 diferent partners
Irregular periods - yes
No periods - yes
excessive facial hair - not excessive
excessive body hair - nope
Acne (facial and on the back) - nope
Tiredness lethargy - yeap (over weight)
Extreme mood swings - kinda
Male pattern baldness - no way hozay (lol) well not yet anyway
Skin tags - ???? what are they


I am 32 in july and want nothing more than to have a second child. My first is 13 and is somewhere in the world with hsi dad who was african and he ran away with him when he ws 3 i have beeen loking for them since but with no luck i have travelled through out africa trying to trace them. I will find my son on day soon, i know this:tear_drop:

I have been advised i have secondary infertility and need to lose weight before i can even get an appointment with a fertility specialist. I have bought metaformin and clomid off the internet but still without second child. I need help and not sure what to do now as my gp is saying i need to lose weight and have a bmi of 29 or below.

How can i stimulate ovulation as this seems to be the problem?


thanks all
 
Hi Julie!

Sorry to hear that the metformin didn't work for you..... there are lots of other routes though for conceiving - hasn't your doctor refered you to a fertility clinic?

I had always had irregular periods and I was just fortunate to conceive with my first son..... then we wanted to try for another child when he was one and we tried for a year.... nothing.... went to the doctors and was put on clomid took it for around a year - still nothing - went back just had the dosage upped and was sent for a scan..... scan came back clear but another year later still nothing.... so referred by doc to Infertility unit at local hospital..... first thing they did was internal scan:eek: and straight away diagnosed PCOS.... told me to loose some weight....:rolleyes: managed to loose around a stone (was still around 16 stone) and then started treatment of daily injections to make me ovulate..... then after so many days having more internal scans to check I was ready to ovulate then go home and erm... do it like rabbits for 3 days..... - how unromantic:eek: didn't work first time round but fortunately for us it did second time.... got lovely son No. 2.

My brother and his wife had alot of problems and had IVF treament for both their children .......

Are these not an option for you hun? Never give up hope and in the mean time if you can't SS why not try a low-carb diet - I found atkins was the best apart from LL/CD.....

Sending you positive thoughts and hope they can get to the bottom of things......

Love

Hi Mich,
Thanks for the advice, I couldn't get my hubby to try ivf with me he has 2 daughters who live with us full time and they call me mum i have been there mum since they were toddlers . He doesn't understand my need so i stopped pushing it and prayed for a miracle :sigh: no such luck unfortunately !

I will attempt another weightloss system but i feel very dissillusioned with myself i will feel better when i have my results back so i know if there is any hope for me Thanks again and its nice to know that i am not alone xxxxxxxxxxx
 
Hi Julie,
I have PCOS and have had it all my adult life and as they go hand in hand developed type 2 diabetes too ! I have felt great since being on LL and losing 5 stone+ When I finish VLCDing I will go on a low GI diet as I think that's best for PCOS. It can be very depressing with all of the symptoms, no doubt about it. GP's are a lot better these days at helping to treat symptoms etc. I got no help back in my 20's or early 30's.


Hiya Mel,
Congratulations on losing over 5 stone thats amazing i think the GI diet seems a very good plan for maintenence i have been told by numerous doctors that its the most beneficial plan to follow for people with pcos .
Must admit i have had a steady stream of crap doctors which is why the infertility problems were left so long and to late . :rolleyes:

My doctor is now taking notice but to be honest i did burst into tears at my appointment yesterday then passed out (just for good measure) :eek: !

It did help though i got a thyroid test done there and then instead of going back and also blood tests for all sorts of other stuff .
2 weeks i have to wait now fingers crossed .

Good luck with your maintenence xxxxxxxxxxxx
 
SYMPTOMS INCLUDE :-
Weight gain YES
Inability to lose weight YES
Insulin resistance PROBABLY
Infertility YES
Irregular periods YES
No periods YES
excessive facial hair
excessive body hair
Acne (facial and on the back) YES
Tiredness lethargy YES
Extreme mood swings YES
Male pattern baldness
Skin tags YES

I have PCOS too, i was diagnosed 7 years ago before being put on Clomid to get pregnant with my second child. I always had irregular periods, even when i was slim.

I am very worried about developing diabetes, hence my dieting...

Hiya Bex ,
congratulations 4 and a half stone thats amazing, losing weight is obviously the best way to stop the diabetes before it starts i must confess its a concern of mine too .

I worry that the symptoms will get so out of control that there is nothing i can do about them .

Good luck with the 3 stone to go i will be rooting for ya xxxxx
 
Weight gain YES
Inability to lose weight Until LL, yes
Insulin resistance not sure
Infertility
Irregular periods when i was overweight, yes
No periods
excessive facial hair yes
excessive body hair yes
Acne (facial and on the back)
Tiredness lethargy yes
Extreme mood swings yes
Male pattern baldness
Skin tags

My symptoms are soooooooooooooo much better since losing weight. I no longer go from 0-***** in 30 seconds, I have a 28 day cycle, facial hair is less (and have been having laser too).

I was on dianette, which helped with the facial hair (but had to be taken off this cos of focal migraines) and on Metformin, which gave me the rather unpleasant side effect of diarrhoea with horrendo cramps.

I now feel a heck of a lot better, and find that eating healthily, moderate carbs and keeping alcohol intake to a treat plus regular exercise keeps me feeling well.

Hiya Dom,
Its great that your symptoms are under control, i know when i lost 3 stone last year that my symptoms were so much better just wish that they hadn't come back when i gained the weight and ten times worse if i can shift this buggering weight then its gone for good this time lol !

I too suffered bad stomach cramps and runny bum with metformin (3 a day). Don't miss them thats for sure .
I also took dianette which was great for the hair problem but i was still overweight and a history of heart disease in the immediate family meant they were taken from me i was gutted but im sure its better than a heart attack.

So glad that your successfully keeping the symptoms at bay gives me hope .
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Hi Julie,hun i know exactly how u r feeling as i have had Pocs since giving birth to Aaron 14 years ago and really only got properly diagnosed last Thursday by the hormone specialist.
I have been put on a drug called Spironolactone, which is a diuretic but also replaces the female hormones back into my body and helps with the excess facial hair, also the doc gave me some cream to rub in my face which will slow down the growth on my face, sorry dont have the name as the hospital pharmacy had to order it in for me and they have the prescription, but can get it for u.

He has advised me to follow a very strict low GL diet and mostly which i am going to incorporate with SW,and i got "THE HOLFORD LOW GL DIETR MADE EASY" which shows u the best way to follow a low gl diet and lose weight at the same time.

Hun i know how u feel about wanting to Ss and not able 2 but we can still lose weight on a low gl diet and i have been told that my POCS will go when i reach a normal weight.
We can do this julie, it might take longer than Ssing but sometimes the scenic route ends up the right route and we will still get to our destination.
I am right there with u girl, to hold your hand through this journey and to help u which ever way i can.
Take care hun xxxx

Hey there Roch ,
So glad your posting again , I would love to know the name of the cream you were prescribed if you wouldn't mind. :D
I hope the tablets are effective for you . I have just ordered the GL book you suggested sounds interesting and a healthy GI approach will be better than just floundering i think . Well scenic route it maybe Roch but when we get there we have shopping to do ;) !
Thanks again Hunny for everything ! xxxxxxxxx
 
I am 32 in july and want nothing more than to have a second child. My first is 13 and is somewhere in the world with hsi dad who was african and he ran away with him when he ws 3 i have beeen loking for them since but with no luck i have travelled through out africa trying to trace them. I will find my son on day soon, i know this:tear_drop:

I have been advised i have secondary infertility and need to lose weight before i can even get an appointment with a fertility specialist. I have bought metaformin and clomid off the internet but still without second child. I need help and not sure what to do now as my gp is saying i need to lose weight and have a bmi of 29 or below.

How can i stimulate ovulation as this seems to be the problem?
thanks all

__________________



Hiya Slimslow ,
Firstly thats an awful thing to have gone through having your son taken from you like that and i truly hope that you find him again one day :) xxx

I don't know the best way to stimulate ovulation when i took metformin they did regulate my periods although i am not sure if it was a genuine period or just a bleed . I would be wary about buying medication from the internet and self medicating as metformin can be quite dangerous . Maybe your doctor can help you with ivf as Mich suggested it must be worth a try !
Good luck with everything slimslow xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
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