[Pinkool14]

Wow glad to know im not the only one suffering here
I always wonder, out of all people, why did i get it?? Did I something that bad?? Lol (1 in 10 ppl)
Im 20 and found out that i had pcos when I was 15. The long, irregular periods are what bothers me (which is one reason I can't exercise regularly). I also have issues with unwanted hair on my face, chin, chest etc. And since can't afford electrolysis and laser atm, i'm having to deal it with hair removing cream.my Not very ideal and gotta do it on a regular basis
My main issue is my weight. Been overweight for few years now and getting a bit worse, it's really hard to maintain and control. Been on contraceptive pills for 2 years, but didn't do much, so I stopped. So now im back on metformin. I do get depressed and sad occasionally because of my looks, and hate it when other people state the obvious and advise me to exercise bla bla bla. Most of the people don't even know that I have pcos, so they don't know all the trouble that i'm' having. And that really bugs me.
So I guess, by researching online, that the only healthy and effective way to improve this, is to have a healthy lifestyle (as mentioned by others) which is true. So as it's the Summer now, can finally go to gym regularly and maintain healthy meals. No point of those crash diets, because they never work. So I've to start somewhere, and I Do get there...it will be all worth while

Good Luck to all girls who have trouble now, and don't worry, have faith and you will achieve your goals

[redwood_phoenix]

Those of you who've mentioned your on metformin - what are you taking for? Do you all have insulin resistance. I bought it up with my doctor a few years ago but they said because I'm not IR (or wasn't at the time at least) that I didn't need it. Does it help with any of your symptoms?

Sorry - just curious!

And to the above poster - totally sympathise with really not liking when others state the obvious. I've found some of the doctors I've seen (uni health centre is not great) have been worse - I'm like 'well yeah, I know that' and one guy (don't know if he knew I had PCOS) made out that loosing weight is like the easiest thing ever. Of course he was rather skinny.

[HeatherWood]

Thank you for replying so quickly
I know its not all doom and gloom it was just a bit of a shock yesterday. I know I should let them take a blood test I just really, really hate them

[Anonymous]

Thanks for making this thread. I was diagnosed with PCOS today and it would be good to talk to others with the condition. I am 18 and I have had irregular periods ever since I started 6 them years ago so I decided to go to the doctor to get it checked. I got blood taken last week then had a scan today which confirmed my ovaries are polycystic. The doctor is going to discuss it with me next week but I've been reading a bit about it on the internet and saw this:

Women with PCOS have greater chances of developing several serious health conditions, including life-threatening diseases. Recent studies found that:
More than 50 percent of women with PCOS will have diabetes or pre-diabetes (impaired glucose tolerance) before the age of 40.
The risk of heart attack is 4 to 7 times higher in women with PCOS than women of the same age without PCOS.
Women with PCOS are at greater risk of having high blood pressure.
Women with PCOS have high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.
Women with PCOS can develop sleep apnea. This is when breathing stops for short periods of time during sleep.

Feeling really worried right now.

[Anonymous]

started them 6 years ago*

[pineapple86]

Tip number one, dont google pcos a lot when you first find out you have it. It leads to a lot of overthinking, anxious thoughts and even getting your head into situations that may not happen to you. (i learnt this from experience!)

Tip number two, focus on what you can do now to help yourself in the future. E.g. kids, if you want them and have weight problems then maybe think about losing weight because it can help in the future, plus you dont want to have more health problems.

I have PCOS since i was 16, im 26 in a couple of months. I found out I had it when i didnt have a period by the time i was nearly 17 and had other issues that are a side effect to pcos. The doc did blood tests and scans and found out i have it. I've been on the pill since and i've had about 2 or 3 scans over the years to see how bad it is. There is a chance said by the docs that i may not be able to have kids (this devastated me since everyone i know knows that i want kids and always have done), but with ivf available, pills and all sorts i shouldnt give up hope yet and who knows what will happen when i try to have kids so i have to wait til then. I am really overweight and i have tried for years to lower my weight but with no luck, last year i tried slimming world and since starting it i've steadily been losing weight. I've lost 2 stone so far and still losing, so its working and my docs are happy that i've found something that doesnt involve a fad diet cos the quicker you lose the weight the more chance of you putting it back on, you need to lose it slowly and steadily to keep it off and you have to want to do it too. If anyone wants to talk or ask me quetions then feel free to. I tell you now i hated the ulltrasound scan, i felt horrible afterwards.

[JammyChoos]

I have PCOS - was diagnosed when i was 13.
I have pretty much all the symptoms with the exception of cysts. However i do get abdominal pain which is supposed to be a sign of cysts but the doctors say i have no cysts.

[Anonymous]

As far as I'm aware, the cysts are small and harmless. Does anyone know if the cysts can spread or get bigger and become dangerous?

[pineapple86]

Im not sure if they can spread, but i have had a cyst burst once which i was in really bad pain that i had to be taken to hospital and i was constantly throwing up and rolling around in pain. But they said its harmless and its not serious.

[CheesePuffff]

I have this too - I'm 15.
I must have been diagnosed at about 10/11. (I have medical conditions which I guess made me start puberty early, at 6, so most of my issues presented themselves early).
I've been on metformin since I was about 8ish I think because I have insulin resistance. It's never really done anything for my PCOS seeing as it was discovered after I'd started metformin anyway.
Obviously I've always had a problem with my weight because I have insulin resistance and an underactive thyroid, so that wasn't really why they were looking for PCOS, but I had heavy periods and I suffer with excess body hair, especially on my neck and face :/
They didn't really do much about it when they found a few small 'cysts' because they kind of hoped the metformin would treat them. But a year later I had one that was about 4cm (I'm guessing that's quite big, idk) so when I was 12 I got started on the pill, specifically Dianette.
It's great and I really think you should ask about it if you haven't found anything that helps. I don't have any 'cysts' at all now, and also the excess body hair isn't so bad and my periods are SO much better

[Anonymous]

(Original post by pineapple86)
Im not sure if they can spread, but i have had a cyst burst once which i was in really bad pain that i had to be taken to hospital and i was constantly throwing up and rolling around in pain. But they said its harmless and its not serious.

What did they do at the hospital? Have you ever had to have any removed?

[pineapple86]

(Original post by Anonymous)
What did they do at the hospital? Have you ever had to have any removed?

I just had a scan, blood test and they asked me questions and just gave me painkillers. I felt better after taking painkillers all day and spending the day sleeping it off. I felt delicate the next day but its just awful. But its rare it happens so i wouldnt get freaked out.

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my GT-I9300

[Anonymous]

(Original post by pineapple86)
I just had a scan, blood test and they asked me questions and just gave me painkillers. I felt better after taking painkillers all day and spending the day sleeping it off. I felt delicate the next day but its just awful. But its rare it happens so i wouldnt get freaked out.

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my GT-I9300

Oh that sounds awful. After you were first diagnosed did you have to get any additional tests such as a glucose tolerance test? I've only had a blood test and a pelvic transabdominal scan but my doctor hasn't discussed the results with me yet. The person who did the scan just said there were cysts and I asked if it was PCOS and she said yes. They also checked my kidneys which I didn't think was a routine part of the scan so it's making me wonder if something came up in my blood relating to my kidneys. :/

[Anonymous]

(Original post by redwood_phoenix)
Those of you who've mentioned your on metformin - what are you taking for? Do you all have insulin resistance. I bought it up with my doctor a few years ago but they said because I'm not IR (or wasn't at the time at least) that I didn't need it. Does it help with any of your symptoms?

Sorry - just curious!

And to the above poster - totally sympathise with really not liking when others state the obvious. I've found some of the doctors I've seen (uni health centre is not great) have been worse - I'm like 'well yeah, I know that' and one guy (don't know if he knew I had PCOS) made out that loosing weight is like the easiest thing ever. Of course he was rather skinny.

It seems you should only take metaformin if you actually have glucose intolerance and if you have PCOS without glucose intolerance then clomiphene is more appropriate.

I read this on wikipedia:
"The use of metformin in PCOS was first reported in 1994, in a small study conducted at the University of the Andes, Venezuela.[24][25] The United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommended in 2004 that women with PCOS and a body mass index above 25 be given metformin for anovulation and infertility when other therapies have failed to produce results.[26] However, two large clinical studies completed in 2006–2007 returned mostly negative results, with metformin being no better than placebo, and a metformin-clomifene combination no better than clomifene alone.[27][28] Reflecting this, subsequent reviews noted large randomized controlled trials have, in general, not shown the promise suggested by the early small studies. U.K. and international clinical practice guidelines do not recommend metformin as a first-line treatment[29] or do not recommend it at all, except for women with glucose intolerance.[30] The guidelines suggest clomiphene as the first medication option and emphasize lifestyle modification independently from the drug treatment."

[pineapple86]

(Original post by Anonymous)
Oh that sounds awful. After you were first diagnosed did you have to get any additional tests such as a glucose tolerance test? I've only had a blood test and a pelvic transabdominal scan but my doctor hasn't discussed the results with me yet. The person who did the scan just said there were cysts and I asked if it was PCOS and she said yes. They also checked my kidneys which I didn't think was a routine part of the scan so it's making me wonder if something came up in my blood relating to my kidneys. :/

I cant remember the names of the tests i had but i did have tests to check insulin, kidneys etc and had blood tests. I had ultrasound scans too over the years. I have many cysts but they are small. I wouldnt get freaked out, try not to get freaked out. I cant have my periods naturally i need tablets, i have awful facial hair and bad skin too. I have to do a lot of hair removal a week and use cream on my face to try and clear the acne and also take the pill (dianette) for it.

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my GT-I9300

[Anonymous]

I got my blood results yesterday and was told everything is normal apart from my prolactin level is slightly high... is this normal for having PCOS or is it something to be concerned about? What I don't understand is how all my other hormone levels and sugar levels are normal but I still have ovarian cysts because I thought they were caused by a hormonal imbalance of FSH and LH or excess androgens? I am glad they are normal though.

[orchid]

I also have PCOS, its nice to see a thread on it. I suffer with being overweight, its also extremely hard to lose. I did it once (and got slim!) but only with extreme diet and LOTS of exercise every day. I barely had time for anything else and it made me pretty miserable. I put it back on because I got ill (non pcos related).

I'm scared I won't be able to have kids I know Victoria Beckham etc has kids but it still bothers me.

[Killuminati1989]

(Original post by MediterraneanX)
(though I do have bulky ovaries).

...

[Anonymous]

What specific type of blood test do they do to check for pcos?

I had a blood test for feeling run down etc, it was full blood count and electrolyte test.. the results came back normal.. would these tests pick up pcos?

I didn't specifically ask for a test for pcos, and I do have some of the symptoms which I told my doctor. She didnt mention anything about PCOS just sent me for a blood test, should I assume it's been tested for and Im all clear?

Thanks in advance for any answers! x

[kunoichi]

Does anyone else with PCOS have almost constant pains? Since about march ive had pains everyday through most of the day