PCOS Messages for March, 2002: Re: pcos and cushings, hairloss, enlarged liver/pancreas

Re: pcos and cushings, hairloss, enlarged liver/pancreas

From: tera (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Mon, 4 Mar 2002 16:35:03 -0600 (CST)

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In reply to: Holly: "Re: pcos and cushings, hairloss, enlarged liver/pancreas"

Hi Holly!

Yes, I do think that my enlarged liver and/or pancreas was caused by my PCOS. My reproductive endo did say this also. She even had a full color poster which showed the different organs that were affected by PCOS and how. I wish I had that poster now!!

An enlarged liver can happen for many reasons, though. You probably will find that you have a fatty liver. There are two different kinds of fatty liver. One is a benign fatty liver that usually doesn't cause too many problems and the other is NASH where significant inflamation can exist and some degree of fibrosis is present and it can lead to cirrosis (excuse my spelling) although I've heard that it is rare for this to happen. No one knows why some develop a benign fatty liver and others develop NASH. I've been told that I have NASH although I did not have a biopsy and I have read since then that a biopsy is necessary to determine if fibrosis is present and to determine a positive diagnosis for NASH.

An enflamed liver can be caused by too much alcohol consumption, hepatitis, being obese, some medications, etc. What I'm talking about though is an enlarged liver from fat deposits in the liver. I've read that the average person with NASH or fatty liver is a middle aged, obese woman with IR or diabetes who may also have one or more of the following: high cholesterol, hypertension or high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and thyroid problems. An enlarged fatty liver and/or pancreas is not a direct symptom of PCOS and that is why you probably won't find any info on a direct link between the two (But then the study of PCOS is still in its infancy compared to other conditions). But look -- obesity, IR or type two diabetes, thyroid problems, high cholesterol, risk of heart disease -- does this sound like anything we've heard of? Yeah, PCOS. We have most if not all of the risk factors (many of us) for a fatty liver. We need to watch out for this! That is why I can say with all of my heart that I would not have an enlarged liver if I did not have PCOS -- I was of normal weight (if not underweight), had normal cholesterol, etc. before my PCOS kicked in.

About the Glucophage, it seems that Glucophage generally does not harm the liver provided there was no significant underlying liver damage to begin with. However it can happen so you need to have your liver monitored closely. Also, because Glucophage is cleared by the kidneys patients with kidney problems also need to be monitored closely. Your levels are higher than mine. My ALT or AST (I don't remember which) is only 46 (normal is 40). Make sure to go to that G.I. appt. and make sure to tell him that you are on Glucophage. From what I've read the Glucophage may even help your liver since you will be doing something for your IR. But again, your G.I. will let you know if your liver can handle it. From what I've read there is no cure for NASH or fatty liver but you can do things to halt any damage or to reverse your enzymes -- lose weight, control your diabetes or IR and your cholesterol and follow a diet that is lower in fat and in sugar and other carbs. Some suggest 100 ius of Vitamin E. Your doctor will tell you all about this. Sorry so long. I hope I've helped you some. I'm not sure if I've answered all of your questions and I probably haven't so feel free to e-mail at anytime! God bless! Tera jasonandtera@att.net

At Sun, 3 Mar 2002, Holly wrote: >
>Hi Tera,
>I have been doing research on the net for several days now because I was
>just told that I have an enlarged liver and pancreas. I found your
>message and wanted to be in touch and see what your latest is....have
>you found out why yours are enlarged? Do you really think it's the PCOS?
>Are you taking glucophage? Have you had any success with any treatment?
>
>I am 35 and I was diagnosed with PCOS 6+ years ago. I also have
>hypothyroid. I began takin gluc. about 9 months ago or so. All summer
>I had hives from God knows what, I've gained weight, not lost it....I
>suddenly have much worse allergies than I used to have and my liver
>enzymes are 121. The allergies and weight gain make more sense now that
>it seems I'm not metabolizing things very well. Anyway, I digress. I
>have already had a CAT scan and now my docs want to do an MRI. I will
>also see a GI doc on the 19th and I'm anxious to see what she has to
>say. I have heard, through my sis, that her neighbor (a GI) says this
>could definately be the glucophage....but I can't find anything that
>says gluc. causes enlarged organs. I also can't find anything concrete
>that says PCOS causes it either. I would really really really like to
>hear from you. Please reply ASAP if you can.....I'd love to hear your
>experience before I go to my next appt.
>
>Thanks!! HOLLY
>
>At Fri, 30 Nov 2001, tera wrote:
>>
>>Hi
>>
>>What is the difference between PCOS and Cushings? I've been diagnosed
>>with PCOS and have all of the classic symptoms listed by many others on
>>the boards. I also have an enlarged liver and pancreas and my liver
>>function is off. A reproductive endo I was seeing for a while said that
>>my liver and pancreas is definately related to PCOS. Has anyone else
>>heard of this? She said many patients may have enlarged organs but may
>>not know because of the excess weight many PCOS suffers carry.
>>
>>Also, I did try Metformin for about a month and was so weak and fatigued
>>and overcome with nausea I could barely work and I stopped taking it. I
>>did some research and discovered that many diabetic medications should
>>not be taken if you have problems with your liver function. Does anyone
>>know of a diabetic med that is easy on the liver?
>>
>>Also experiencing severe hairloss. I used to have THICK, STRAIGHT hair.
>>It has been getting thinner slowly for the last year and is now CURLY
>>and slightly lighter in color especially at the hairline and finer in
>>texture. In the last month it has been falling out by the handfulls.
>>The hairline is the worst. I can now see through my hair in the front.
>>I started taking saw palmetto because of the anti androgenic properties
>>I read about on the web and will be heading to my OBGYN in a few days
>>for my annual exam. I was in there a few weeks ago for a cyst and
>>showed her my thinning hair which she pretty much blew off saying that
>>the breakage around my face was new growth. I should know - I'm a
>>cosmotologist! I will try to get her to put me on another diabetic med -
>>per anyone's advice which may be easier on my liver and some aldactone
>>per the advice of the many postings on the message board. Sorry so
>>long. I'd appreciate any advice!

--
Tera

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In reply to: Holly: "Re: pcos and cushings, hairloss, enlarged liver/pancreas"

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