What were your symptoms of PCOS?

[ardnaxela]

A couple of years ago I took the depo shot. I only got three or four shots total but that year I gained like 70 pounds! I blamed it on the depo. Ever since then my periods have been irregular and now since we've been TTC for 11 months I'm starting to wonder if I have PCOS. I just started tracking my BBT again and Fertility Friend has not detected ovulation in ANY of my cycles for the passed 11 months (the ones where I did track my BBT)
I started reading about PCOS and I'm wondering if someone can help by telling me how you knew you had it, your symptoms and if you got pregnant or not. Thank you!!!

 

[Desire89]

I have PCOS, I was diagnosed about 6 years ago at 19. I always had irregular cycles and up until December was taking BCP to manage my symptoms and regualte my cycle. TTC and I still havent had a period since December.

At 20 I had an unltrasound done which showed many cysts on both ovaires (GYN at the time used this sonogram and my irregular persiods to diagnose me). Recently I had some bloodwork done that shows my androgens are too high & indications of insulin resistance. It's also worth noting that I have gained a lot of weight over the years and am now am about 90 pounds over my healthy weight; Im having a HARD time bringing my weight down but I'm still trying, a couple of months ago I started taking inositol and metformin in addition to my prenatals.

My regular GYN suggested I see an Endocrinologist, but Hubby & I decided I should see an RE instead. My appointment is next week and I can update you on what she says if you want.

I would suggest you talk to your doctor about your concerns & get your issues sorted and properly diagnosed sooner rather than later so you acn accomplsih your goals.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Dollybird]

I have PCoS - diagnosed when I was a teenager so a long time ago now. I had irregular heavy periods, excess hair growth (argh!), weight problems. Before we started ttc o had bloods taken to check if I was ovulating and I wasnt.. I ate healthy for a year and looked after my body well and that seemed to help loads. Conceived naturally fairly quickly after my initial extopic pregnancy. I came off my pill again last June and we officially started ttc in December. Thought I wasn't gonna have much luck as cycles where 4months+ and I never actually got a positive opk (although had a near pos on a cheapy but no smileys) and managed to conceive second official cycle. Xxx

 

[ardnaxela]

Thank you both! I just saw my OBGYN today and she didn't run any tests or think I have it. She just told me to exercise and work on a low carb diet. Maybe I'm just stressing over becoming pregnant so much that it isn't happening... but it's hard not to! This will be my first and it's hard seeing so many people on Facebook announcing that they're pregnant and I'm not yet. Blah. But good luck to the both of you!

 

[Bee Bee]

I have PCOS also. Before I go into how I was diagnosed, here is some stuff I know about it...

In order to be diagnosed with PCOS you need to have 2 out of 3 of these indicators.

1. Lack of Ovulation
2. Hormonal issues (typically with testosterone)
3. Cysts on the ovaries.

I had 1 and 3 which is how I knew I had PCOS before I was even diagnosed.

Anyway, When I first started TTC, I went off of BC and for the first 2-3 months, everything was perfect. Then, all of the sudden I stopped ovulating and having periods. (which I knew because I was charting also) I went to an OBGYN and she performed bloods and an US. The US showed that I had lots of cysts on both ovaries. When my blood came back, I asked her if I had PCOS and she said no.

I didn't believe her so I went to a RE and got a second opinion. The RE looked at the exact same blood results and my LH was 5 times more than my FSH (a ratio of 3:1 will disrupt ovulation). And my insulin levels were through the roof despite having perfect blood sugar. My testosterone was fine though. So, she confirmed my suspicion and diagnosed me with PCOS.

As far as my symptoms go... I can not lose weight no matter what. I constantly have ovary pain. (in fact, I had it real bad on the right last night even though a US showed ovulation came from the left) My acne is terrible on my chin and jaw (which is hormonal). And I do have some strange few hairs that constantly grow back no matter what I do.

But remember, you can not diagnose PCOS from symptoms alone. The best diagnosis for PCOS comes from the blood tests and ultrasounds.

 

[Laura27]

I have PCOS

After coming off the pill in September 2013 I had a couple of normal periods, then they completely stopped in January last year. I went to see my doctor in the May and was referred to a specialist who said my bloods showed slightly elevated testosterone levels so he wanted to scan me and sure enough my ovaries were covered in cysts. I was sent for an HSG (to check tubes) then put on Norethisterone (to bring on a period) and Clomid (to bring on ovulation). 50mg wasn't enough to make me ovulate so I was upped to 100mg. First month I conceived with a chemical pregnancy, third month I conceived with this little one!!

I don't have any outward symptoms, so no excess hair, weight problems etc...which makes me think I might have a 'mild' case? That could be why I fell pregnant so quickly, because all I needed was a jump start to ovulate. I didn't have any of the problems associated with extra weight, high testosterone levels etc. If anything, I would advise a healthy and clean diet, I think that's so important!

Good luck x

 

[nmv]

Yes, absolutely!...A clean diet is essential!!!!

I've tried just about every supplement I came across that claimed to help boost fertility, and the one thing I found has the MOST affect on my ovary function is going mostly sugar-free, and generally controlling carb intake to help prevent blood sugar spikes. This is our biggest hurdle...carbs are hiding everywhere...lol...but if you can keep your consumption below 100g and stay away from added sugars as if they were the plague, it can be controlled without meds (in most cases)!

I had the best success with this combination:
1) I cut down on all sugars!! (NO soda)
2) Ate more organic, whole foods
3) FertiliTea
4) Fish Oil
5) Evening Primrose Oil (until ovulation confirmed)
6) Royal Jelly, Bee Propolis, Bee Pollen combo, in honey (Alive Bee Power brand)
7) RELAX!!!! I've made it a priority to decompress and stay super positive.

Doing this got me the strongest ovulation symptoms I've ever had!!

HOWEVER if I do everything the same but I DON'T watch my sugar intake, it still throws everything off!...(which is what's happening this cycle)

I know it can be frustrating...Hope this helps!!!

 

[Jamie Sue]

I also have PCOS. I had my first 2 children very young (19 & 21). I didn't start experiencing PCOS symptoms until after I had my 2nd child. It started with crazy irregular cycles and incredibly sensitive ovaries (bc of the cysts). I'm now 28. My cysts were confirmed by ultra sound, I'm also borderline insulin resistant, and I have gained 45 pounds in the last 6 months
On that note though, I have a beautiful 20 month daughter that was conceived after 2-1/2 years of naturally TTC. So it is definitely possible!!!

Evening Primrose Oil (until ovulation confirmed)

Quick question for NMV, why only Primrose Oil until ovulation? I also use Primrose Oil for my headaches bc it's a natural inflammatory.

 

[nmv]

Jamie Sue...I've read it could cause complications, so I won't take the risk...

I'll just copy over a snippet from this web page:
https://www.babyhopes.com/articles/epo.html

"Evening primrose oil also seems to have a direct effect on a woman’s uterus. Its effect seems to be to make the uterus contract slightly and to strengthen the cells in the uterine wall. Because of this, women are warned against using evening primrose oil during pregnancy, except at the end when the woman is trying to induce labor. These small contractions are thought to potentially lead to miscarriage in early pregnancy by stimulating the uterus to contract.

Women trying to conceive are encouraged to take evening primrose oil in order to maintain hormonal balance and reproductive health. Because of the cervical contractions, women should only use this supplement through menstruation until ovulation in order to avoid potential negative side effects if the fertilized egg ends up implanting in the uterus."


You can Google it and read similar warnings all over the web.

 

[laura_019]

Hello, I have PCOS as well. When I was 15 years old, I went on BCP because my period would show up every three weeks. At 22 years old, my doc switched me to a different pill and it was making me so sick that I stopped taking it. I had my regular withdrawal bleeding, then my period didn't show up for 3 months, just spotting. Oh, and my sex drive was next to nothing.. Went to my doc to have an ultrasound and blood test. Ultrasound showed the cysts on my ovaries and the blood test showed I was producing too much male hormones. So, I was put back on BCP to balance out my hormones. I've never been overweight, but last summer I lost 15 lbs through healthy diet and exercise, and now I'm 5'3 at 115 lbs.

Just recently I came off BCP because my boyfriend (of almost 6 years) would like to add a baby to our little family, so we'd be happy to be pregnant but won't be too bummed out if it doesn't happen right away. I've been taking Femaprin (a combination of vitex and vitamin b6) every day at the same time and I've actually already noticed a huge difference. I'm on cycle #1 since stopping BCP and I've been charting, marking down everything that I can. One PCOS symptom that hasn't returned is my lack of sex drive. Actually, since stopping BCP it's been through the roof (sorry, tmi!). So that's one PCOS symptom out of the way Still too early to say for sure that I won't end up having polycystic ovaries again, but staying positive every day!!

Baby dust to all you ladies!

 

[Mommy2Rosie]

These other ladies have pretty much nailed it on the head.

I have PCOS. I was diagnosed 3-ish years ago because of extreme amenorrhea (due to anvoluatory cycles - we're talking 6-8 months or longer with no AF from the time I first started getting periods when I was almost 16) and overwhelmingly cystic ovaries - the pictures of my ovaries are a sight to behold. I do have some weight on me that I just can't seem to lose. I show as moderately insulin resistant, even though I have perfect A1c and blood sugars. I did lose about 25 lbs before I conceived my daughter, and was also on metformin at the time. I really don't have any of the outward signs of PCOS. I don't have extreme hair growth or acne, or anything like that.

When I lost all the weight to have my daughter, I ate mostly low glycemic (had a few 'high' glycemic things a week, but tried to avoid high glycemic load items). I was on metformin, but I was on that for about a month before I changed my diet and it didn't help me lose any weight. I took a prenatal daily. I also started, at the recommendation of the nurse practioner at my OBGYN's office to walk every day for 45 minutes (at a pace that you couldn't hold consistent conversation, and if you skip a day, you can't skip the next day). I went from 202 lbs to about 175 in about 8 months or so. Once I hit the lower 80's, upper 70's, I actually ovulated on my own twice, the second time resulting in conceiving my daughter (born 11/7/13). I'm back up to 196 lbs right now, but I'm working out with a trainer 2 days a week, trying to walk for 45 minutes a day (it's tough to fit in between work, my daughter and taking care of all of our animals), and am trying to start working on eating organically, naturally and low glycemic again.

nmv - I just started eating more organic foods this week after really researching what it means to be organic. I'm trying to eliminate all GMOs from my diet (it helps that my family raises its own grassfed beef, grassfed milk, homegrown turkey and free range chicken's eggs!). But sugar is definitely the hardest to avoid. I have a serious sweet tooth - I can totally knock out an entire Angel Food cake in one sitting...which might contribute to the baby weight that's been sticking around!

 

[Timetotry]

I have pcos. I was diagnosed 9 months ago, after 13 months ttc.

My symptoms were irregular cycles, 29-45 days (only 2 cycles were 29 days, most around 36). I thought I was having late ovulation but my RE said it was anovulation. I still think I ovulated on my own (maybe not consistently though).
I also have a bit of excess body hair. And horrible acne when I stopped bcp.

My doctor never did any blood work to help diagnose. She diagnosed me based on symptoms. However I recently had a day 3 ultrasound that confirmed my diagnosis, apparently a normal person recruits 8-12 follicles each cycle, I had around 30.

I just started seeing a naturopath to complement my fertility treatments. The big thing we are focusing on is nutrition. They said I am extremely sensitive to carbohydrates and produce too much insulin in response to them. So I'll be working to lower my carb consumption (but not eliminate!)

 

[nmv]

Timetotry...that sounds so much like me, I could have almost written it myself! Mine range from 32-48ish. In the last few years I've had one 29 day cycle, and the occasional 53 or 60 day cycle...but regardless of cycle length I only "O" about 5 times a year on average (judging by bbt), which is quite frustrating!
Not to mention the male-pattern dark hairs...stupid hormones!...and my hair is half as thick as it was 10 years ago...
Bummer.

Turns out I'm just ridiculously sensitive to carbs...throws my body right off track.

Mommy2Rosie...I remember skipping for over 9 months once when I was about 17 , Doctors always told me not to be concerned, that my body would regulate itself, then they'd offer me BCP. This never quite added up for me and I was always confused as to why they didn't care to find the cause. It was an episode of Oprah (of all things) that tipped me off...I saw so much of myself in these ladies with PCOS.
Oprah - 1...Doctors - 0...LOL