Questions for women with PCOS

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LittleRose

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I was recently diagnosed with PCOS, and I’ll be seeing a GYN soon about it, to see what we can do about it. Fortunately, she is an active Catholic, and I hope she will be supportive of my desire to be able to continue using NFP.

I already have Marilyn Shannon’s book, but diet does not appear to be controlling the problem completely.

Those of you who have it, have your doctors been able to help you control it without birth control pills?
 
What is PCOS? I see it everywhere on other pregnancy boards but I never saw what it means? Thanks. And when I know what it is, I can pray for you 🙂
 
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome 🙂

I was a bit surprised with the diagnosis, because my cycles are pretty regular, and when I have had cysts in the past, it has usually been one at a time, but I recently had two that ruptured (one on each ovary), which is something completely new for me.
 
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

It is a diagnosis of exclusion. Women usually present with irregular/anovulatory menses, some have hirsutism, and some have a difficult time getting preganant, plus other symptoms. One does not actually have to have cysts at the time of diagnosis.

Before a diagnosis can be made, one has to rule out other causes like late onset congenital adrenal hyperplasia.
 
cough metformin cough

now run and google it before this thread gets shut. 😉
 
What kind of symptoms are you having? I’m sure your treatment will rely heavily on the severity of your symptoms.
 
The diagnosis was made by a gynecologist in the hospital based on ultrasound and CT scan results. So far, I haven’t had any other symptoms, that I’m aware of. That’s part of why it surprised me.
 
Birth control pills do NOTHING for PCOS!!! They only mask the symptoms. The problem is still there. The drug of choice is metformin, which treats the insulin resistance which causes the PCOS, which causes the insulin resistance, which… viscious circle. Anyway, you do NOT need the pill, it will only cause side effects of it’s own and not heal anything. Good job on getting informed about it, it took me 8 years and at least as many docs to get a diagnosis. Keep researching, and know your options before you get there so they won’t talk you into that useless pill!
 
Teakafrog said:
Birth control pills do NOTHING for PCOS!!! They only mask the symptoms. The problem is still there. The drug of choice is metformin, which treats the insulin resistance which causes the PCOS, which causes the insulin resistance, which… viscious circle. Anyway, you do NOT need the pill, it will only cause side effects of it’s own and not heal anything. Good job on getting informed about it, it took me 8 years and at least as many docs to get a diagnosis. Keep researching, and know your options before you get there so they won’t talk you into that useless pill!
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I definitely have no desire to use the Pill. I have met too many people who have suffered horribly because of it. I’d rather just live with the PCOS, frankly.

After my first ruptured cyst, the GYN I was seeing at the time suggested the Pill. I asked her if there were any other options,and she looked really confused. I never went back to her.
 
Someone else who is in the same boat!!

I’ve been to…I don’t even remember how many doctors. And all they’ve done is throw birth control pills at me. (I just throw them right back!) 😃

I’m just as puzzled as anyone else. I’ve thought about metformin…but I’m a bit hesitant to go that route…(I have other health problems which cause me to have weird reactions to medication.)

So, I don’t really know anything, I just wanted to tell you that you’re not alone, lol. 🙂
Tif
 
There are so many different variations in women who have PCOS. Everything I read when I was diagnosed said that having PCOS doesn’t mean you will have an actual cyst on your ovary(ies) as I have never had one. However, it refers to the bubbling up of water-filled sacs (“cysts”) during ovulation…it can cause a woman to either NOT ovulate…or to ahve a painful ovulation…or she may never notice anything at all.

Anyway, i haven’t struggled infertility as of yet due to it…but I was just diagnosed over the course of the last few years and had two babies in between things that finally, when pieced together, helped us come to the PCOS diagnosis.

I am not one with the insulin resistance…I was tested…but the doc thinks that if I ever give up running as much as I do (I’m a marathoner) I could give way to it.

I take natural progesterone for 10 days of my cycle (beginning on day 18 if I notice I’ve ovulated…beginning on day 20 if I don’t notice ovluation by then). This helps balance out my hormones.

I still have anovulatory cycles…usually one every three or four cycles.

With a good pro-life doctor, I would think you will be able to figure out a treatmnt that will work for you. 👍
 
3GirlsRUs said:
I am not one with the insulin resistance…I was tested…but the doc thinks that if I ever give up running as much as I do (I’m a marathoner) I could give way to it.
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I don’t have the insulin resistance either. My body functions wonderfully in that regard. I’m one of those that just doesn’t ovulate and thus I don’t have periods. My hormone levels are fine to.

I’ve been starting to have other issues though so I’m going to make an appointment to see one of my docs right after New Years…it’s like a 2 month waiting list to even get a basic appointment with her :rolleyes:
 
Metformin Metformin Metformin Metformin!!!

I love it. It works amazingly well for some people including me. Others don’t respond. I"ve been on it for 4 years through 2 sucessful pregnancies. I went from having about 2-4 annovulatory cycles every year to perfect classic 28-30 day cycles from just using metformin. I would be happy to answer any questions you have via pm. Just pm or email me.

The good news about a PCOS diagnosis is that it is entirely treatable. Good luck.
 
I have PCOS. My doc told me it would be difficult for me to get pregnant. Took me two and a half months and I wasn’t even trying. 😉

Metformin never really worked for me, though it does for some women. The only thing that worked was controlling my diet with less carbohydrates. Once I lost 10% of my body weight my cycles got regular. There’s no one cure for every woman. We all respond to different treatments, I guess. 🤷
 
A PCOS diagnose cannot be made just by ultrasound or ct.
when there is a suspicion, laboratory tests should be done. they include sex hormones and other hormones that are produced by other endocrine glands.
not every policystic ovary is a part of policystic ovary syndrome. these are NOT synonyms.
therapy of the policystic ovary should be perscribed individually. sometimes hormone pills are a good choice for the treatment because they make the cysts blow out and after a while a woman has a normal ovary which can ovulate and then she can become pregnant.
in most cases of the pcos, a loss of weight, regular exercise and relaxation can lead to dramatical improvement. but sometimes it is not enough and drugs have to be included.
in is not wise to shut down the possibility of hormone pills a priori, because hormone disbalance can lead to severe complications. not just infertility, but metabolic disorders such as diabetes type two, hypercholesterolemia, etc.

In pcos treatment, it would be best to find both a good gynecologist and an endocrinologist.
 
agapewolf said:
Metformin works for me.

Go to omsoul.com and find an NFP-only doc that can take care of you.
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Already did. There isn’t a single one in my area (or anywhere reasonably near it) listed in their directory. I’d have to get on a plane or drive several hours to see anybody they list. :mad:

Fortunately, my primary care doctor is Catholic, and seems to support our use of NFP. He’s the only doctor I’ve ever been to who hasn’t looked at me like I’m from outer space when I said we use it. In fact, he didn’t even bat an eyelash! 🙂

I asked him if he knew of any GYNs who wouldn’t just try to throw the Pill at the problem, and he referred me to one who is an active Catholic at one of the local parishes.

I also have friends who try to be open to life, so if this GYN doesn’t pan out, I may ask them whom they go to.

I know there must be Dr’s all over the place who support NFP and, for whatever reason, aren’t listed places like One More Soul. It seems the best way to find them is by word of mouth.
 
Hi all! I just joined because I have PCOS (non-insulin resistant - they actually call it “thin PCOS”). (dx in Jan 2011 via blood test and u/s). My OB/GYN put me on birth control and I’m not too thrilled with it. My reason being, if we decided that we wanted to have another baby, I’d stop it to try to get pregnant so I feel like I shouldn’t be taking it then. Plus, I teach at a Catholic high school, and our health insurance won’t cover the cost of it.
Metformin made me very sick, but I feel like it may be my only option for treatment. I’ve been reading treatments for PCOS and birth control seems to be the most common one. Anyone have any success with anything else? I know every woman is different, but I feel terrible every night when I take my pill.
 
I don’t know yet but I think it’s “yes”.

My cycles can be as bad as 8-9 months apart. I had been on metformin for a while. While on it, it took a few months until I ovulated and it ended up being the usual 8 month wait. The NEXT cycle was only 2 months but I can neither confirm nor deny that it was not a fluke and it was “working” because my girl was conceived that cycle. I haven’t completed a cycle since giving birth though points to baby ticker. I’ve been on the met again for a few months but it may be a few more months before I could accurately talk about how effective it’s been for me.

I second the omsoul.com search. I love my doctor. She’s been really helpful with all of this. 🙂
 
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