Ladies with PCOS? :)

yepitsme215

Hi all! I am fairly new here and was just hoping to meet some of the nice ladies out there that have PCOS in the 3T crowd. I was diagnosed at 20 after years of absent periods and I was convinced I would never be a mom because of it. I have struggled with my weight my entire life, along with the lovely side effect of facial hair and hair thinning. I am basically incapapble of O'ing on my own, I've only had about 3 natural periods my entire life, and I was 15 or 16 years old. DH and I have been struggling because of this but he has been wonderful putting up with my mood swings and depression.

Anyway enough about me, I want to meet some of you and hear some of your stories and what you are doing to deal with this disease. Sometimes I feel so alone in having this and it eats at me sometimes, and these forums help me not feel that way! (You are also welcome if you don't have PCOS, I would love hearing all of your stories and meeting you all.  

By the way my name is Yolanda, but my friends call me Yoyo

AnnaClaire256

Hey Yoyo! Welcome to 3T! I'm a fellow PCOS girl. There are quite a few of us over here. You've come to a great place for support

lovesmonkey

Hi Yoyo! I also have PCOS. I'm pretty sure I have had it for a long time, but just got diagnosed recently. I came off BCPs a couple years ago and my body went crazy. I went to an RE for testing and am currently taking Metformin while getting ready to try Femara. You have found a board for great support along with a lot of knowledge. Look forward to chatting more!

TTCBabyJ

Welcome YoYo! Well I was diagnosed with PCOS about a year ago. Prior to my diagnosis I had been on birth control pills for like 20 years so I didn't have any real symptoms then. But as soon as I went off drugs my body went crazy...oily skin, hair thinning and weight gain. I didn't really have much facial hair...but my family isn't really hairy. I still don't even shave my legs. But now I'm on 2000 mg of Metformin and I think this is the right dosage for me it helps with symptoms and sometimes I even O on my own.

MARISAV77

Just got diagnosed with PCOS in July. I'm thinking I've had it for atleast 3 years now. My RE in Nov said I didn't have it because I didn't have the classic polycystic ovaries, all my labs were normal and didn't really have any other symptoms besides the super irregular periods I've had for the last 3 years. Got officially diagnosed in July because I asked to get my testosterone retested because my hair was falling out massively! Came back high at 76.

dogshowgirl

Hello there!

PCOS Cyster over here! I was diagnosed January 2014 after I thought that I was pregnant and just not getting a positive HPT. I hadn't had a cycle since November 2013 so my husband and I got excited thinking we were pregnant :-( Not so much. All of this started when I got off of birth control November of 2012 as I wanted to give my body enough time to get the BC out of my system in time for our wedding (6/15/13). Turns out, the birth control was what was keeping me regular. At the same time, I was also diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease (Hypothyroidism). I am currently on Metformin (Extended Release) 1500mg (3 Once a day) and Synthroid 50 Mcg (One tablet in the morning). Hope to hear good progress from you soon!

BunnyBerry

It's true was @rainbowbridge14 said, PCOS diagnosis means the best chances for pregnancy with treatment compared to other diagnoses.  

dancerspose

Hi YoYo!  I'm a fellow PCOSer as well, just diagnosed in July.  I struggled with some level of acne since my teenage years that was only mildly better on birth control and have always had a lot of body hair as well.  I always chalked that up to an ethnic thing, though, since I have some very hairy family members as well.  My guess would be that the biggest tell that I've missed all these years was irregular period, but since I had been on birth control non-stop since I was 18, I just never remembered how regular or irregular my period was when I was younger.  I was really active in dance and sports when I was younger too, so I think any irregularity in my cycle then was blamed on that.

So basically, I was pretty much caught off guard by all the things that happened when I went off the pill last year.  Unfortunately, I have some other issues as well that became known during testing, likely impacting my fertility, but hopefully with the right treatment plan we'll be lucky.

Good luck!

yepitsme215

I love hearing all your stories and knowing that we can support each other. I agree with PP who said that they can't believe how much PCOS goes undiagnosed. I was told by doctors (up until I was 20) that it was normal and periods usually bounce back after a while. I agree with whoever said PCOS is more treatable than a lot of issues so thats always comforting to think about!

LindseyM2012

Hi Yoyo! Yet another PCOSer here. Just wanted to welcome you. I know it can be so frustrating and discouraging but there is a good chance of successful pregnancy with PCOS. You just need to work with an RE (my RE wishes all her patients had PCOS), take meds, be monitored and be diligent in your treatment. Since you've likely not ovulated much, you probably have a lot of eggs waiting to be stimulated. Make sure your doctor monitors those follicles closely because it sounds like you're in a prime situation for high order multiples.

Welcome to 3T.

dancerspose

@BlueFairy5 you are most definitely not alone!  I'm not Italian, but often mistaken for it so I definitely understand.  I'm somewhat pale skinned with pitch black hair EVERYWHERE!  I'm so jealous of women who are hairy but blonde!

yepitsme215

shafwilson said:

@BlueFairy5 you are most definitely not alone!  I'm not Italian, but often mistaken for it so I definitely understand.  I'm somewhat pale skinned with pitch black hair EVERYWHERE!  I'm so jealous of women who are hairy but blonde!

I meant to respond to @BlueFairy5 as well, my mom is part African American and my dad is Italian and French, so not only do I get the nice lip hairs from my dad's Italian side, but I also get the typical coarse hair thats almost impossible to comb through. I just feel like I was cursed from the beginning, PCOS or not haha.

Shauntee

Welcome! I have PCOS as well, so I can relate to the whole unwanted hair situation. I was not diagnosed until I was 29. My cycles were always irregular. Sometimes I would only have two or three cycles in a year. Every time I would complain about my infrequent periods I was told it was my weight and stress. So I was somewhat relieved to get the diagnosis because it meant I could try to fix it. Like some of the PP I am also on Metformin which has helped my cycle become more regular.

kushie77

Hi, fellow PCOS gal here.  I didn't get my dx until last March.  I don't have classic PCOS symptoms and the few that I did have, irreg cycles and the big cystic acne was always chalked up to Hashimotos thyroid.  Our first visit to the RE she took one look at my labs and walked me right over to the US room and turned the monitor to show me the string of pearls on my ovaries.  It seems that when my TSH and T4 are in tight control my PCOS behaves itself.  Sorry you find yourself here but the ladies are awesome. 

DharmaChick

Hi there!  Another PCOS girl here.  I was diagnosed as a young teen, and was on various types of hormonal BC in order to get a regular cycle.  Unmedicated, I do not O, either.  The non-fertility related symptoms sucked on their own, but I had no idea that it would cause such a problem with TTC.  I definitely struggle with letting go of the regret of not starting TTC earlier.

yepitsme215

DharmaChick said:

Hi there!  Another PCOS girl here.  I was diagnosed as a young teen, and was on various types of hormonal BC in order to get a regular cycle.  Unmedicated, I do not O, either.  The non-fertility related symptoms sucked on their own, but I had no idea that it would cause such a problem with TTC.  I definitely struggle with letting go of the regret of not starting TTC earlier.

I hate that we can't O on our own I cried several times and around the time I first was TTC I convinced myself that my body was incapable of releasing eggs (irrational, I know). Dealing with this disease is definitely one of the most challenging things I have ever faced. 

jenmcD11

I also have PCOS. I was diagnosed through an ultrasound in July because they counted 43 follicles- yikes! I don't have many of the classic symptoms though. I am one of the rare PCOS girls that ovulate fairly regularly with cycles between 30-40 days (except once when I went 70 days and then used provera to induce a period), but I have long hair on my arms and bacne. My doctor told me that because I am quite slim, it might be reducing the symptoms that I experience. I don't really believe that though.

MrsMandolin

Hi Yoyo! I also have PCOS... I was DX when I was around 14. I got an early DX but it went untreated until I was 20 when I got married and getting pregnant was on the forefront of my mind. I ended up having Gastric Bypass in Jan 2013 and lost 115 lbs. It has really helped with almost all of my symptoms. My period started 2 months after my surgery and have been fairly regular since. I have been getting positive OPK's and have EWCM. Before, I could count on one hand how many periods I had on my own. 

Good luck to you and don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions. I am an open book!