WOMENS-HEALTH Messages for October, 1999: Re: Polycustic ovaries and no period

Re: Polycustic ovaries and no period

From: Patti Tessler, FNP (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Sun, 31 Oct 1999 12:24:52 -0600 (CST)

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At Sun, 31 Oct 1999, tracy wrote: >
>Can anyone help?
>I was in hospital three months ago with sever abdominal pain, which my
>consutant thinks could be polycystic ovaries. They did however state
>that I didn't look like anyone with polycystic ovaries, whatever that
>means!

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO) is a collection of signs and symptoms that can include extra hair on the face (more like a man's hair growth), male-pattern hair loss, obesity, acne, skin changes (velvety, dark skin in the groin or armpits), characteristic appearance of the ovaries (looking like they have a string of pearls around the edge when seen via ultrasound), infrequent periods, infertility, elevated insulin levels/insulin resistance, and probably a few more I'm forgetting. Those with the syndrome have elevated levels of "male" hormones in their blood. Not all women with PCO have all of the symptoms. Not all women with a polycystic, string-of-pearls appearance to their ovaries have PCO. Having pain-inducing ovarian cysts is different from having PCO, although certainly it's possible to have both. Women with PCO are at increased risk for future health problems, including cancer of the lining of the uterus, heart disease, and diabetes, so treatment is important.

>They put me on the pill even though it gives me sever depression. I had to come off it (this even lead to a course of antidepressents|!).

The pill is a typical treatment for both PCO and for reducing the likelihood of recurrence of an ovarian cyst. Other treatments for PCO are available, depending on symptoms and signs.

>I am now over two weeks late for my period, all preganacy teasts are
>showing negative, and I have no usual pmt symptoms. I do have a
>worsening abdominal pain in the place i suspect my ovaries to be. Am I
>worrying over nothing or is it worth seeing my doctor yet again? (They
>seem to think I have irratable bowel and am making a fuss over nothing).
>I'm at my wits end, an I the only one??????

I think it's worth seeing your doctor, because your diagnosis is unclear. Did you have blood tests to diagnose PCO? Did you have an ovarian cyst? Has anyone talked with you about diet treatment for irritable bowel syndrome? If you do not take the pill again, what can you expect to happen? Are other treatments available to you?

For more information on PCO, I recommend searching the archives on this board, as well as visiting http://www.pcosupport.org. Please write again if all that leads to further questions.

--
Patti Tessler, BSN, MSN, RN, CS
Family Nurse Practitioner

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