PCOS Messages for March, 2003: Re: Not sure about my diagnosis and treatment options...

Re: Not sure about my diagnosis and treatment options...

From: anonymous (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Thu, 20 Mar 2003 18:40:42 -0600 (CST)

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I can answer a couple of your questions by telling you my story, and hopefully, it will help you.

I am now 44 years old and was diagnosed with PCOS 2 years ago, even though I know I had it for about 17 or 18 years.

When I was 23, I also weighed about 110 or so, and weight was not an issue at that time. Nor did I have facial or head hair problems. When I was about 26 or 27, I began to show signs of increasing lack of ovulation and longer and longer menstrual cycles. I also then began growing the hair on my face. It was not until my mid 30's that I began gaining weight and my late 30's when I began losing hair and showing signs of cystic ovaries. For me, pcos was one of those slowly growing and progressive diseases that started very small and got worse with age. I will say though, that even though weight gain was not an issue for me until later, I did begin having afternoon hypoglycemic episodes (now assumed to have been the beginnings of insulin resistance) all the way back in high school, even though blood tests for insulin/glucose levels never showed to be abnormal at any time up til now.

Hormone blood tests don't usually lie, so I would be warry of your results. If it makes you feel better, have your doctor also test your thyroid and your cortisol level (done by a 24 hour urine test) to cover all bases. You may also want to get a 2nd opinion from another repro endo, showing him/her your current blood tests, and maybe he/she will suggest other things.

I would not go solely by FASTING glucose/insulin results. It is important to test glucose/insulin levels fasting, as well as 2 hours after eating a full balanced breakfast, and your doctor should also do a test on total insulin output. This would mean 2 visits to the doctors office for blood tests that morning.

Glucophage/Metformin does not MAKE you lose weight. It helps your body use insulin more efficiently. If you have a lot of weight to lose, Metformin, along with proper low carb dieting and exercise, can help you lose excess weight. Additionally, if you do have the beginnings of an insulin problem or hypoglycemic problem due to sensitivity to insulin, then beginning Metformin early would probably and hopefully stop any further pcos symptom progression, and stop you from possibly gaining weight as a result of insulin resistance later on in your life. As pcos progresses, it can lead to high cholesterol and heart disease, and diabetes.

How nice to catch it early!!!!

I can't help you with the other issues as I do not know about them, but maybe someone else will have some info for you.

At Thu, 20 Mar 2003, Kristina wrote: >
>Allow me to give a brief history:
>
>I was taking the birth control pill and then got married; we decided we
>wanted to start a family. I stopped taking it and was absolutely
>clueless about conception, etc. Then I found out I was pregnant-boom,
>just like that; right away. So, naturally I assumed I had no fertility
>problems.
>
>Fastforward to December 2001, my son is 9 months old and we decide we
>want another baby. I stop taking the BCP. Nothing, zip zero zilch.
>Went to my doctor in May, got Clomid. Did Clomid for 2 months, took a
>break; then took it for 3 more rounds-never got pregnant. During this
>time I had a lot of infertility testing-including an HSG, which really
>hurt. Everything was completely normal with me and my husband.
>
>So, by now a year has gone by and my doctor sends me to a Reproductive
>Endocrinologist. He sends me for cycle day 3 lab work. SHOCKER. My
>FSH was 7.7, LH 20.5 My new RE says this is indicative of PCOS. On
>Friday (tomorrow), I am getting my fasting Insulin and Glucose tests.
>
>I am 23 years old. I am 110 pounds, I have never had a weight issue. I
>have no facial hair. I have no acne. I have periods every 4-6 weeks. I
>do ovulate, but not every cycle. There are no cysts on my ovaries. I
>really have no symptoms of PCOS. I really don't know what to think
>about these hormone levels. I suppose they don't lie, and I guess I do
>have PCOS.
>
>My questions are these:
>My FSH is already borderline high, especially for someone who is only
>23. If I take Clomid again, won't it make it go higher??
>
>If I do get on Metformin, will it make me lose weight? Like I said, I am
>only 110 pounds and I cannot afford to lose any weight. This really
>concerns me.
>
>Has anyone heard of this new treatment where they prescribe a Birth
>Control Pill (Ortho Micronor usually) and then Clomid right after? You
>take the pill for 42 days, then Clomid days 5-9. I am wondering if this
>will work for me, because I got pregnant with my son right off the
>pill..so I wonder if that could possibly be the magic trick for me. I'm
>not sure my RE will go for it, though....
>
>*If you got through all of this, bless you. Thanks for reading, and
>please answer! I am really freaked out by this diagnosis, and I am
>terrified that I will never have another baby.
>
>~Kristina

Next message: Tina: "Re: Worried: Enlarged inner labia. Anyone ever heard of this? Please answer."
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