Any advice and support for recently diagnosed

[sunnytrail]

Hi all. Appreciate anyone who reads and responds. I recently went to the doctors as my periods started to become less regular and also lighter. I had blood tests which showed my testosterone was slightly high, I was told it was slightly higher than the range they would expect it to be, and from that they ‘think’ I have PCOS. I’m 27, normal weight and BMI, I have slight hair growth near my belly button (wouldn’t say it’s excessive) I had acne when I was younger, and do have oily skin. I came off the pill last year in July. Me and my partner are trying to conceive. The GP said that the pill probably has masked it up until now. I asked if I would need a scan and was told no? I’d just really appreciate any advice, or questions that I need to be asking health professionals, any tips on trying to conceive too. Feel a bit lost on where to start at the moment

[Elmo13]

Hi Sunnytrail. So sorry to read this. It’s great that you’re trying to tackle this at 27, and didn’t wait until 37 like me!

I would ask the GP to refer you to a gynaecologist (or a reproductive endocrinologist). You must be properly diagnosed so you can get appropriate management as this can impact lots of things. If I were you I’d insist on a referral- even if you have to be annoying(!) and take it from there.

Good luck! X

[sunnytrail in reply to Elmo13]

Thank you for your lovely reply and advice - will definitely get the GP to do that as like you said I need a proper diagnosis.

x

[harriegeenen]

conventional medecine has no cure for pcos.

2 solutions:

a/ Jason fung md, a canadian kidney desease specialist, knows how to cure pcos. he also wrote several books.

b/ the kitavans, a tribal well studied community, do not experience pcos. switching to their diet seems a good choice to me, so abandoning the western diet, no more grains etc.

[Jasminxx]

Hi, it’s really hard to say as not everyone has all of the tell tale symptoms of PCOS! Mine are very obviously PCOS but not sure of the ‘official’ process to investigate. I was given an ultrasound on my ovaries and blood test to test FSH,LH, testosterone etc. The pill can definitely mask symptoms!

I’m not sure how long you plan to try to conceive naturally but after 1 year of trying you are eligible to be referred to a fertility clinic (wait times vary). Depending on where you are situated you could be referred to a gynaecologist, however when my doctor tried the wait list was 6 months minimum with the potential to be much longer. That was around 9 months ago but I am now with a fertility clinic thank god!! (Still haven’t heard from a gyno).

If you have a healthy BMI then your weight is not a factor, so you would not be advised to lose or gain weight. Smoking is a not good for fertility on either side, not sure if you do or not? As well as excessive alcohol. From my experience exercise really helps even if it’s just walking. I’ve seen online PCOS is thought to be linked to inflammation in the body so not sure if that is why! I’m not a healthcare professional so would advise looking into that

Have you tested your ovulation? For me this was a massive warning sign as I never had ‘peak’ ovulation, so I knew hormones were off and not ovulating is why PCOS can cause temporary infertility.

I know easier said than done but try not to stress yourself about any of this though. If this is your first time trying and you have been on the pill for years give yourself some time. Some doctors aren’t the best at taking these things seriously, if you have a suspicion something is off then ask your doctor for more tests, if not you are entitled to be referred to a fertility clinic if that is something you would want to do. They will also test your partners fertility, as you never know this could be a contributor! They can do thorough tests to determine if there is a problem and if not you just carry on trying naturally! It’s not just IVF, I would say have a read up on the treatments they offer

If it’s PCOS and you are having problems with ovulation there are fertility medications which have a really good success rate. All the medical professionals I have spoken to have assured me that it is very common and lots of people get pregnant with help. Just know you are not alone in this.

[Jasminxx in reply to Jasminxx]

Just want to say also you need to go down the route YOU are comfortable with. Not everyone wants to go to a fertility clinic and that is fine, some people conceive naturally straight away, some it takes longer and some maybe never would at all. But unfortunatley you don’t know until you try! I was 3.5 years unprotected sex with my ex partner, so I already had an idea it wouldn’t come easy - so was straight to the doctors when me and my current partner were planning to start trying. I am not ovulating regularly/at all, even if it’s occasionally obviously chances of conceiving are less than someone with normal ovulation (but remember still possible!). Maybe have a discussion with your partner about how long you want to try naturally etc, that is what we did.

It sounds like they haven’t really done enough investigation into your hormones and find it strange they haven’t bothered to ultrasound your ovaries (although I believe you can have a diagnosis without this) but just seems a little lazy to me!! Just keep pushing them if you feel something isn’t right. I am thinking of you though and sending you lots of good vibes and it is also reassuring for myself that I too am not alone. Sometimes it is hard when people don’t openly talk about it (which is understandable given the stress of it) and it may feel like everyone has it so easy getting pregnant.

Keep doing research how it affects the body and ways of easing symptoms. I’m not saying this to worry you though, more so to make you feel better in that it may not be something which is in your control. I have tried lots of things to try and regulate my periods but at the end of the day it is just an imbalance in my hormones. I hate some of things I see online about ‘reversing PCOS’ etc, some people just need medication to ovulate. However leading a healthy lifestyle is always a good idea and women with PCOS are more likely to have anxiety./depression and the stress of TTC doesn’t help this lol!! Just be kind to yourself

[Afive in reply to Jasminxx]

This is great advice! Did you manage to get pregnant? I posted a question about inositol supplements, would love to hear from you if you have tried them. Tks!

[Jasminxx in reply to Afive]

We are still visiting the fertility clinic and are waiting to hear back regarding our more recent tests - it is a slow process so far but I am trying to be patient! It has been over a year of trying and no pregnancy, so I know I still have a long road ahead.

I did try inositol! First month on it my period came, but it had been around 3/4 months since my last one and I do tend to have one around every 3-4 months so I think it was just coincidence. To be honest I don’t think it actually did anything for me. After another few months I noticed that i was getting really physically exhausted, so I decided to stop taking it and felt better! Again this might have been total coincidence. I didn’t actually have another period after that first, so it wasn’t helping in that sense (which was what I was most concerned about)!

I don’t know where you are located but it is not available to buy here in the UK, so I had it shipped from America and it cost an absolute bomb! Personally it didn’t work for me

[Jasminxx in reply to Jasminxx]

Sorry I didn’t mention, this was Ovasitol which I was taking!

[Afive in reply to Jasminxx]

I'm in the UK yes, and I've seen inositol supplements sold here but most are shipped from the US. Do you know that there are 4 different subtypes of PCOS? Inositol doesn't work for every type.