Re: need advice about PCOS diagnosis
From: anonymous@obgyn.net
Sun, 23 Jul 2000 10:57:40 -0500
Hayley,
It does sound like PCOS, especially with the way you are gaining weight.
Did he test your glucose and insulin levels?? Ask him to do a fasting
glucose and insulin test. If the insulin comes back high, then you are
insulin resistant (which I suspect anyway) and glucophage will help you
more than any birth control pills will. Also, anti-androgen drugs such
as spironolactone will help with the hair growth on your face and
anywhere else you don't want it.
Have you checked out http://www.pcosupport.org? There's a place on there to
print out papers to take to your doctor that will tell them what tests to
run to properly make the diagnosis. One of the problems with PCOS is
that it is unique in certain ways to everyone. Not everyone has excess
hair, not everyone loses hair, not everyone has high testosterone levels,
not even everyone has cysts on their ovaires but they all can have PCOS.
Hang in there. We're here if you need help.
Polly
On Sun, 23 Jul 2000 05:03:44 -0500 anonymous@obgyn.net (hayley) writes:
> I am hoping that you can help me to talk to my consultant re his
> diagnosis that I have PCOS. I have learnt a lot from reading your
> site
> thankyou, and have some questions. I am UK based. Sorry this
> message
> is so long.
>
> 6 months ago I went to my doctor as I was putting on inexplained
> weight
> around my middle. I was getting depressed about this as I went from
> a
> UK size 10 to a 16 in a year and had to replace all my work suits
> frequently which was costly and didn't make me feel good. I was
> also
> bruising badly and frequently all over my body, and had swollen
> glands
> on the sides of my neck below the ears, and was getting very tired.
> The
> doctor noticed my throat was enlarged too and suggested I may have a
> thyroid problem or goitre. I had a scan which showed a few nodules
> around the thyroid, but my blood and urine tests were in the normal
> range. Then I went to meet an endocrinologist who looked at me,
> checked
> for milk (none) asked about hair growth etc and suggested blood
> tests
> for FSH,LH,prolactin, testosterone,prgesterone. He pointed out hair
> growth on my face which I had noticed but not connected to the
> weight. I
> also have a few skin tags, and am suffering from frequent hot
> flushes
> during the day, tho this may be because I can't bear to take my
> jacket
> off anymore.
>
> He asked if my sisters had had any ovary problems and it turns out
> that
> one sister who had IFV treatment had a pre cancerous grey cyst on
> right
> ovary which was removed,cystic adenoma on the left, dermoid cysts
> and
> then PCO, resulting in scar tissue which was removed. She has since
> had
> 3 kids, but I do remember about the time she went in to hospital I
> had
> noticed she was bleaching heavy hair growth on her face.
>
> Because of this the specialist thought I may have PCOS.
> I did a 24 hour urine test. The results of all the tests are in the
> normal range apparently, including thyroid, and I don't know what to
> do
> next. He tells me he would usually do some stimulating tests, but
> that
> the drug has recently been withdrawn in the UK, anyone know about
> this?
> I burst in to tears as there seemed to be no diagnosis and no
> solution
> and I really can't bear being as overweight as I am particularly as
> I
> have been skinny all my life. He said that if he can't get the drug
> he
> will treat me with bromocriptine which I believe is used for
> infertility? I am 38 and not planning on getting pregnant. I was on
> the
> pill but have now stopped to see if my cycle is normal, it always
> was
> before but no period in last 5 weeks.I haven't had a scan except on
> my
> neck - is this normal? Could it be something else, and is there
> anything
> I can do to help myself or talk to him about? His diagnosis is mild
> PCOS
> - is there such a thing? I don't have acne, brown marks etc.
> Not sure what else to tell you I just need some help
>
> --
> Hayley
>
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