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Re: Could it be PCOS?
From: JULIE (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Wed, 23 Jan 2002 12:28:21 -0600 (CST)
I have been reading some of these stories and I would like to share my
story. I had stopped getting my period at 19 yrs old. I was not
physically ill and attributed the weight gain to being in a new place
(my family relocated from NY to Florida). Years went by and I never
pursued my issues because It didnt bother me that my period was absent.
I have to add I had a child at age 17,so it wasnt like I was looking to
get pregnant either. Five years went by and I got worse..depression set
in..my weight was out of control and the facial hair was disgusting me.
Finally after my fiance left because he couldnt understand what was
going on I went to see a OB. Fortunately the one I chose was very
knowledgeable. I was diagnosed with PCOS in 1994. No one I Knew had
ever heard of the disease. I had blood tests ..my testosterone level
was so high at that point..it was comparable to a man's. I had a
angioplasty done to get a blood sample from each ovary. The solution
for me was to to have one of my ovaries removed. I had an oopherectomy
in Nov of 1994. My weight went down and my periods resumed normally
shortly thereafter. I got back together with my fiance and after all
those years of being together ..I got pregnant ( one ovary and one tube)
in 1997. My son was born March of "98" and my last child was born
February "00" another boy. Although it has been 7 years since the
surgery and two children later...I still have the facial hair and
struggle with my weight.. I thought that I was cured...but I am about
to go and get the hormone tests all over again ..Its nice to know that
their are other people out there who can understand what I have been
going through. I wish I was aware of this website or the organization
years ago...
>HI A.L.
>I would just come right and and tell her that you think you may have
>PCOS.Tell her again about your periods...about having to shave and about
>the dark skin...do some research..PCOSA website is good for this. And
>print info and take it with you.Ask her if she feels you should have
>some testing done to know for sure....if she says no...then find another
>Doctor who will.Some of us have gone through Several Doctors untill we
>found one that would even listen to our complaints and do testing..I had
>gone though 3 myself...some ladies on this board have gone though many
>more than I.Even though you like your doctor..if you feel she is not
>going to try to find out why you have missed periods, excess hair,and
>dark patches of skin...then it's time to move on.Dark patches are
>usually an indication of Insulin resistance..which is a pre-cursor to
>Type 2 Diabetes...do you have skin tags too in these areas?I had been
>with my same OBGYN for 15 years..had I switched earlier I would have
>gotten treatment for my PCOS earlier because she never put all the
>symptoms together.When I went to a new Doctor after having a
>misscarriage...he was the one who said .."you have PCOS" just by looking
>at me.Well good luck to you.Dona
>
>>At Tue, 22 Jan 2002, A. wrote:
>>I started my period at age 12 and was pretty regular until age 16. Then
>>I started going anywhere from 1 1/2 months to two and occasionally three
>>months between periods. I'm now almost 21 now and I consistently go
>>from 2 1/2 to three months between my periods, averaging only four or
>>five periods a year. Also, this last period, which was my first one in
>>almost three months, lasted for 28 days. I'm 5'2 and 180 pounds. I
>>wouldn't say that I have severe acne, but I do sometimes go through
>>outbreaks of pimples, especially around my jawline. I have slight
>>facial hair, but not serious. It's enough that I shave it, but not
>>enough that it can be seen unless you're looking right at it. I'm not
>>exactly sure what is meant by the PCOS symptom about dark patches under
>>the armpits. I do have a very slightly darker skin tone there, but not
>>a lot. Also it is slightly darker around the base of my neck by my
>>shoulders, and there is some darker brown color in a strip around my
>>waist. Could this be PCOS? I've talked to my doctor about my irregular
>>periods, but she didn't seem too concerned. If it might be PCOS, how
>>should I mention it to my doctor as a possibility? I want to maintain a
>>good doctor-patient relationship with her and I don't want to come
>>across as if I'm saying that I know better than she does. Thank you to
>>anyone who can give me any information or advice.
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