PCO

[Tee85]

Hi everybody. Could you please help a girl out.. I'm looking for all advice on managing symptoms of PCO, my left ovary is more cystic than the other. My consultant has explained that In some women with PCO their ovary/ovaries can become slightly thicker and they can have far too many follicles that most times do not mature and release an egg.. these follicles can then rupture during the ovulation timeframe and leak free fluid in the abdomen which can cause excruciating stabbing pain (which is what I recently went through and needed morphine to control it first time in my life, it can mimic torsion of the ovary symptoms when this happens) I was still sore and uncomfortable and fatigued right up until 3rd day of my period- I always have really painful periods first 2/3 days leaves me bedridden).. What measure can i take to stop this from happening again. Consultant wants to do ovarian drilling on this ovary (but I'm not ttc) I just want to start living a healthy life and not worry about cysts rupturing bringing me to hospital. My AMH was 75. I'm 34 so this is way too high and scans showed the ovaries and many follicles but my left ovary was larger in volume/size mid cycle when I had the rupture... thank you in advance. X

[C765]

Hey!

Just read this and saw you get really painful periods that make you bed ridden and thought I'd message and see if you've looked into endometriosis before?

I also suffer with PCOS and Endo and it is a battle to find stuff that helps. I've recently gone back on the pill and its helped a lot for the time being. Has the doctor suggested anything to help manage it? Xxx

[Hols969 in reply to C765]

I agree on the endometriosis front and it isnt uncommon to get both, generally pcos does not cause pain but endo causes excruciating pain sometimes.

I have never heard of pcos cysts rupturing as they are follicles and not cysts, generally they disperse back into your body

I've joined a facebook group called PCOS Diet Support & 30 Day Challenge and the amount of ladies who have improved their symptoms is amazing, I have found it really interesting (have lost weight too which is a bonus as not TTC) as it talks about how inflammation causes pcos to be worse. I had a diabetes test a month or so ago which was fine but had an inflammation marker so I have cut out dairy as dairy can cause inflammation (only week 3 at the mo) so a change in your diet could help.

[Tee85 in reply to Hols969]

I have polycystic ovaries and my left ovary seems to be burned out. I have an abnormal high AMH and scan have showed the ovary increased in volume compared to my right one. I was referring to the follicular cysts. The follicles that do not mature as they should, they sometimes rupture most of the time this is not a problem for women but as was the case with me, it did cause a problem - it ruptured and leaked free fluid into my abdomen. This is not uncommon and can happen during any cycle for women that have pco with or without the full syndrome. I have lean type pco/pcos. (I'm awaiting accurate blood testing with an endocrinologist before I accept a diagnosis of pcos. So far from recent gp blood results it look like I am not insulin resistant. but this will be checked again as I've mentioned. I have yet to check my testosterone levels again. The endocrinologist will know best in relation to blood tests far better than a gp would.. I have managed to regulate my periods by having a healthier approach to eating. So for me that means eating at regular intervals. Not skipping meals. I'm looking into medetarian food plan which is similar to my normal food plan that I was brought up with. except for it skips the processed foods and frozen foods... Hopefully that will help. But I haven't found a less invasive way to stop my ovaries producing far too many follicles or telling if they won't rupture and cause the free fluid again. That's what I need help with. I don't have issue with weight in lean type so I have a problem with weight gain if anything. I've been reading up on lean type pcos and why it's more difficult for this type to get pregnant even through ivf. Look up the article by Dr. norbert gleicher called ' What is new with polycystic ovary syndrome ' 15th June 2018 Or you may find it on you tube, it offers more insight to this particular type of pcos...eg: "In further investigating the ontogeny of this condition CHR investigators made additional fascinating observations: At least some (and possibly all) women with lean PCOS at young ages are hyperandrogenic and usually, nevertheless, regularly ovulatory. In late 20s to mid-30s their androgen levels suddenly and surprisingly quickly plunge, while their AMH levels remain elevated. They then go through a period of demonstrating normal androgen levels (from previously high ones) before dropping further into hypo-androgenic levels. Since patients present to CHR usually at older ages, it was not surprising that the overwhelming majority of patients with lean PCOS were already hypo-androgenic."

How is a diagnosis of H-PCOS reached?

The diagnosis of a H-PCOS-like phenotype is reached based on the following characteristics:

Female infertility

Lean BMI

Unusually high AMH for age and/or in proportion to FSH

Low testosterone, DHEA, DHEAS

High SHBG

Evidence of autoimmunity

Often multiple failed IVF cycles

Larger than expected egg numbers for age but poor egg quality

Poor embryo quantity and quality

Thank you for your Facebook suggestion I will check it out and sorry if I caused any confusion about cysts/follicle cysts xox

[Tee85 in reply to C765]

Hiya, I'm sorry I'm late replying.. It was suggested that I try out the pill too until I get a laparoscopy. But for now I don't think I want to mask my symptoms or add more. I'm trying to look for other thing besides the pill. If my diagnostic laparoscopy shows that I have endo than I might be more likely to try it.. I'm seeing an endocrinologist this week for the pco/pcos management because that's very important for future health risks and I'm still waiting for a seperate appointment for a gyn that specialises in laparoscopy and excision.. So hopefully I'll have some good advice that I can pass on. So sorry to hear you have both pcos and endo not fun at all. I'm sure you are part of the dif endo groups but if you need more info or advice "endoireland" on Instagram give factual and up-to-date info. They attend the latest seminars and speak with all the leading endo specialist around the world. I'm not affiliated with them but I do follow them in case it turns out that I also have endo...We are trying to advocate for better diagnosis and treatment options here in Ireland.. Xox