PCOS anyone?

[greysangel]

Well I'm not sure whether to be happy or sad. My lab results came back and the doc said the results indicate PCOS. I know there are some people here with it and I was just wondering what treatment was offered to you and how it helped with the symptoms? I'm not worried about conceiving, but am worried about the other things

You can pm me or email me as well. greysangel@hotmail.com

[greysangel]

ps i'm kicking myself for not going to an endocrinologist when I was working my tail off and not losing an ounce. Now I've gained on a 1600 cal diet Not to mention some other things

j

[RunnerKim]

I don't have much to add but know there was a thread discussing this recently so thought I'd provide you the link

http://community.cookinglight.com/sh...highlight=PCOS

Kim

[wallycat]

There was a blurb on yahoo.com/health a day or so ago about ladies with PCOS and that the newest type II diabetes pill seems to be helping this condition. They're trying to figure out how it helps that...women with PCOS can have IGT, but how the drug works on ovarian cysts seems to elude them as of yet.

Good Luck to you (((((((JEANNE)))))))))

Editing to add...
here's a link to WEBMD.com they have a support group there...
http://boards.webmd.com/topic.asp?topic_id=1191

[ktg0930]

I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis. It's a sucky syndrome that gets me really down sometimes. I was diagnosed with PCOS about 1 year ago because we had been TTC for about 6 months and all the sudden I didn't get a period. So I had all the lab tests, etc., and received the diagnosis. I haven't done any reading on PCOS for a while and I'm not sure how accurate my memory is on treatment, but I remember that the pill is one of the mainstays of treatment if you are not trying to get pregnant.

My doctor recommended the Sugar Busters diet and I have since adopted a South Beach type approach. I find that helps, but I have to be super-diligent about eating and exercise to maintain my weight. It's incredibly frustrating because if any other person ate like I do and exercised, the weight would be falling off. I found weight management to be much easier on the pill.

I tried glucophage (metformin) which helps with weight loss in some people and seems to be used more in people TTC to induce ovulation. Metformin helps with insulin resistance by pushing the glucose into the cells which then reduces the circulating insulin and that then helps the hormone balance thus inducing ovulation. I don't think that it has any effect on the cysts.

Once I switched my diet and reduced carbs, especially "bad" ones, I have had regular periods for over a year now. I wasn't crazy about the metformin side effects and I didn't see any weight loss so I quit taking it. With some people who take metformin, the weight just drops off.

Honestly, I am more concerned about the possible long term effects of the syndrome because of the excess male hormones...like hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol.

I hope this helps. PCOS is one of the leading causes of infertility (can't remember the percentage) but very few people have actually heard of it.

[buffygirl]

JeAnne, I have lots and lots to add b/c I'm a PCO girl (as my doc calls us) too. I need to run though. Briefly I'm on Glucophage (1500 mg per day) and when I take it like I'm supposed too, I am able to lose weight and I feel great. Not eating sugar and "whites" helps immensely as well.

As for the effects on my fertility, I've droned on ad nauseum about that, but who knows how much of it is PCOS versus bad plumbing. I'll write more later. Hugs, but just know it is not the end of the world. It is something most people can deal with fairly easily.

BK

[funniegrrl]

Yes, I have it as well. Started having symptoms in my teens, wasn't diagnosed until I was about 39. :P

First, there is a great website you should check out: www.pcossupport.org.

Second, I take metformin 1550/day also. I've been doing Jenny Craig for over 2 1/2 years and have lost over 140 pounds. I started JC about 6-8 months before I started taking the metformin, and lost steadily (but slowly). Taking the drug didn't really seem to help with the weight loss, and the doctors told me not to expect anything in that regard. I also was not instructed to reduce carbohydrates, and there is recent research that says that's not necessarily necessary. It may depend on the severity of your insulin resistance or of course diabetes if you have that.

One of my biggest problems was extremely irregular (nearly absent) periods. It was to the point that I had irregular cells which could develop into cancer. So a priority for my doctors was to jump-start my periods. They gave me progesterone first (which you take for 10 days, then stop, then take for 10 days again the next month). That, even with the metformin, did nothing. So, they put me on a low-dose birth control pill. (I had been on the pill about 8 years before and my body did NOT like it, the breakthrough bleeding was AWFUL, plus all the other possible side effects -- my blood pressure was already borderline -- made them wait to use them as a last resort this time.) FINALLY, I had a period, and used the pill for about a year. I kept losing weight, so we stopped the pill and I have been more or less regular (every 3 to 6 weeks) since then.

I have also had severe hair problems for a long time. My endocrinologist suggested laser treatments, and they have helped a LOT A LOT. Not cured completely, but that's one of the biggest changes in my life. The technician said that women with PCOS who are taking metformin seem to respond much better to the laser treatments, too. I have also been taking spironolactone for the last year. This also helps with the hair (as I only get laser treatments on the face/neck).

With the weight loss, exercise, and the medication, all of my blood work is great, my blood pressure is now fine, my reproductive system seems to be functioning mostly normally (to the point that I had a little pregnancy scare a few weeks ago *ahem*), and the hair issue is much less of an issue, even though it still is an issue. The only thing that hasn't abated is the dark skin patches. But ... I'll take what I can get!