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Re: A light at the end of the tunnel?
From: Jennifer (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Wed, 28 Jun 2000 13:56:29 -0500 (CDT)
Hello,
Glad you posted. The symptoms you are describing lead me to believe
there is a good chance that you have PCOS, especially combined with your
difficulty in conceiving. You have periods, but remember, not everyone
with PCOS has the same symptoms.
I would pursue it with a good endocrinologist in your area - if you post
that you are looking for one, someone from the board may be able to
recommend someone in your area. Get the insulin/glucose tests, also the
floating testosterone and the other tests - can't remember which, but
they should be listed in a few messages here, you can search the board
contents for them.
Definitely act immediately, especially if you want another child, but
also for your own well-being.
Also, you may notice that there is a lot of talk about low-carb dieting
on this board. This might work for you if you have hyperinsulinema, but
if you are going to get tested for everything, I wouldn't start the diet
until after then, because it might skew the results. I would check all
this out and make sure that it is not PCOS before you start treating
this like perimenopause.
Wish you good luck.
Jennifer
At Wed, 28 Jun 2000, D. wrote:
>
>I am so glad to have found this web page. During a recent physical, I
>discussed with my doctor some of the current health concerns that I
>have. Based on our conversation, she decided that I was displaying
>symptoms of perimenopause, and offered me a prescription for birth
>control pills. I declined. I am 36 years old, and I smoke. We both
>agreed that my hormones were out of whack, and it seems that
>perimenopause was the only diagnosis that she was willing (or able) to
>make. A blood sample was taken, and my thyroid hormone level was "in
>the normal range". I decided that more research was in order. If my
>hormones were out of whack, I wanted to know why. I'm just not willing
>to accept that I am displaying the symptoms of perimenopause at the age
>of 36 years.
>
>I am the second youngest child in a family of eight children. I have
>only one sister, she has 4 children, the rest are brothers. I have one
>child, and it took me 6 years and a miscarriage to be blessed with him.
>He is now 7 years old, we use no birth control, and so far nothing. I
>wouldn't say that I'm infertile, but I do have problems with conception.
>I suffer from extremely painful ovulation every month. My cycles,
>always regular, have been shorter than normal for the last 7 months. I
>have never skipped a cycle in my life with the exception of my
>pregnancies. My periods are extremely heavy, lengthy, and quite
>painful.
>
>The hair......my goodness....the hair. In the last year I've sprouted a
>mustache thicker than my husbands. The hair on my legs has become much
>coarser and darker, and I've now got a line of hair from my navel to the
>pubic area, which itself has decided to start traveling down my thighs.
>Two nights ago during a soak in the tub, I noticed black, coarse, inch
>long hairs on my arms. Not many, a dozen or so on each arm. Hair on my
>breasts around the nipples...again long dark and coarse. I'm a natural
>blonde with very fair skin. I've noticed no thinning of the hair on my
>scalp thus far.
>
>My entire body shape has changed, also. I have no waist to speak of
>anymore. Definitely gaining weight in a male pattern.....lower abdomen,
>hips. Thickening in the upper back and arms. My voice has gotten
>huskier and deeper. I feel as if I'm turning into a man. But then men
>don't have mood swings like I do, do they?
>
>I've bookmarked the page that Michelle gave the link to down below (PCOS
>FAQ page). I seem to fit the profile of PCOS with the exception of my
>periods. Where most PCOS sufferers experience absent or sporadic
>periods, I've been experiencing just the opposite. Do I accept the
>diagnosis of perimenopause and treat the symptoms with hormones? Or do I
>pursue this further and push for further tests for hyperinsulinemia? The
>way my HMO works, it is indeed going to take alot of pushing on my part,
>but I'm willing to do that. Any input you may have for me will be
>greatly appreciated. I also have to do some more research.
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