PCOS-are these all a result of it

pinkgirl1

Not sure if this is where this should be posted so feel free to move it.......

I have just found out i have pcos,the doctors have not really told me much about it,so i have symptoms bit i don't know if there all connected with the pcos.I just want to know if anyone suffers the same symptons if there pcos and how they get through them

My hair has thinned out a lot and i have hair where i don't want it and its heavy.i am piling on the weight and no matter what i try cant lose it,get serious pain in my sides,have no period and then have it for maybe weeks,get shakes regulary and my breasts are so tender.does anyone else have any of these symptoms or am i on my own because it's depressing me!!:(

smares

Your not on your own at all.Gp's dont have that much info on it but if your going to a specialist they can tell you everything.

I suffer the exact same,my hair is very thin and i have heavy dark hairgrowth everywhere else which is a main symptom of pcos its called hersuitism.I shake everyday which i hate and would be very self conscious of,had no period for 9 months and suffer the worst pain ever in my sides and lower abdomen.

I was referred to a specialist and more or less all of the above have improved.There is a help group as well i can't think of the proper name but i will find out and let you know if your interested.

It takes time to get used to and if you only found out its hard but you will realise so many women suffer with it and some have worse symptoms then us.

pinkgirl1

Thanks so much smares,you have given me some hope.I know it is not bad compare to other people but it is a lot to take in.
Only with my new partner a while so find it hard to talk to anyone about it. Can you ever go on the pill.Would love the help group:)

smares

No probs,well i had to go to an endocrinlolgist to see if the pill would help because everyones case is different .I will be Pm you the helpgroup when i find it

MiaRobbo

Hi pinkgirl,

I have PCOS - I was diagnosed in May 2002. docs here know sweet FA about it so most of the information I have I got from English websites and the US.

Have you been referred to a gynae? get one ASAP....not sure where you live but there are a few good ones in Dublin who understand the syndrome...

'I can't remember the web address of the Irish support site but www.soulcysters.com is a really good site.

First of all - as Smares says, Hirsutism is a big symptom of PCOS. We have too much testosterone(among other things) in our system.

Second, weight gain is a pain - it's due to insulin resistance but CAN be fixed by following a Low GI diet - Rick Gallop is yer only man(although, I'm doing the celebrity slim shake diet, it does work)

Third - you can go on the pill with PCOS - I'm currently on Yasmin(dianette didn't agree with me) I like it, it's helping to curb my cravings(and regulate my period)

Plus - I am a mum of two children - both conceived naturally, one straight after coming off the pill and just as I was preparing for my first clomid cycle...the second was 6 months in the planning with irregular cycles..

there is a book - PCOS, A woman's guide to dealing with PCOS by collette Harris...It is a fab book written by a woman who has PCOS...

PCOS manifests itself in various ways...I am overweight and I have problems with periods and hair loss....some women are skiny but have problems with too much hair, lack of periods and acne...its a syndrome that docs here really should educate themselved better about...

HTH

taram

I had the body hair problem, the pains, weigth gain and lack of periods. And then some more probs Believe me, you're not alone!

My GP referred me to an endocrinologist, ask your GP for a referral. Once I saw the endocrinolgist I was sent to a diabetic dietician.

It is hard to deal with at first, but since being on the on glucophage a few months and on a special diet, the weight's coming off, my skin's improved and have had two periods since. I'm also on dianette.

Good luck!

JessieG

hi,
im 26 suffering from PCOs, my hair periodically thins at the top of my head, have irregular periods, terrible cramps, excess hair on in all the "male pattern" areas. Have major carb cravings and i too can also go on major binges and eat for hours but on the flip slide i can fast for ages. Also sometimes suffer dizzy spells and morning sickness.
Recently though my moods are eractic and i am completely exhausted. I mean all i do is sleep. The exhaustion is new, I cant face the day without at least 10/11 hours sleep. (Tonight is an exception as im up reserching pcos as im sooo depressed about my weight.).........which brings me to my most hated side effect witht the exception of possible infertility. The weight issue. I started to get quite larger so really went all out to shift the weight. did every diet, the brown rice, the protein, the educo gym, the cream and protein....etc. getting there slowly, kinda two sets forward one step back.
I find this hugely disheartening as sometimes my weight can shoot up by 10lbs and i can gurantee my daily calorie intake has been below 1500.

would love to know the details of any treatments ppl are undergoing and the name of an irish support group. have just switched doctors as i found gp's in my county have no idea about this issue.
thanks

taram

JessieG wrote: »

hi,
im 26 suffering from PCOs, my hair periodically thins at the top of my head, have irregular periods, terrible cramps, excess hair on in all the "male pattern" areas. Have major carb cravings and i too can also go on major binges and eat for hours but on the flip slide i can fast for ages. Also sometimes suffer dizzy spells and morning sickness.
Recently though my moods are eractic and i am completely exhausted. I mean all i do is sleep. The exhaustion is new, I cant face the day without at least 10/11 hours sleep. (Tonight is an exception as im up reserching pcos as im sooo depressed about my weight.).........which brings me to my most hated side effect witht the exception of possible infertility. The weight issue. I started to get quite larger so really went all out to shift the weight. did every diet, the brown rice, the protein, the educo gym, the cream and protein....etc. getting there slowly, kinda two sets forward one step back.
I find this hugely disheartening as sometimes my weight can shoot up by 10lbs and i can gurantee my daily calorie intake has been below 1500.

would love to know the details of any treatments ppl are undergoing and the name of an irish support group. have just switched doctors as i found gp's in my county have no idea about this issue.
thanks

I did a low-GI diet and a solid exercise regime with my sister (but she ate junk). I ended up loosing 1kg after a month, she lost 5kg. Last straw My GP didn't know much about it, but was concerned enough to send me for an ultrasound and did blood work, eventually I ended up an an endocrinologist who was fantastic and it's been all uphill from there. If the symptoms are there they'll have to investigate more. Good luck! PM me if you have any other questions.

ChewChew

Thank god I too am not alone!!

I was dianosed with PCOS in may. bit of a shock but i'm ok with it now. I seem to have ALL the symptoms except the excesive hair growth. for that, I am very very grateful. everything else though is an issue for me. I have really thin hair. the shakes, bad skin, contant cramps and the weight gain.

I also have an underactive thyroid gland so the old pcos is not helping the weight loss. but I am starting a new treatment next week and my medication for the underactive thyroid was upped last week so hopefully i'll manage to shed a few stone!! I have been seeing an endocrinologist for the last 4 years. but have'nt seen a gynae or dietician

What age are you girls, btw, if you dont mind me asking?? I'm 25.

taram

ChewChew wrote: »

Thank god I too am not alone!!

I was dianosed with PCOS in may. bit of a shock but i'm ok with it now. I seem to have ALL the symptoms except the excesive hair growth. for that, I am very very grateful. everything else though is an issue for me. I have really thin hair. the shakes, bad skin, contant cramps and the weight gain.

I also have an underactive thyroid gland so the old pcos is not helping the weight loss. but I am starting a new treatment next week and my medication for the underactive thyroid was upped last week so hopefully i'll manage to shed a few stone!! I have been seeing an endocrinologist for the last 4 years. but have'nt seen a gynae or dietician

What age are you girls, btw, if you dont mind me asking?? I'm 25.

Not sure how a gynae would help if you're already at an endocrinologist, but a dietician can be a great help, I was on the right track already but she showed me how to break meals up so my blood sugar would be more regular etc. I'm 22, diagonsed with possible PCOS 2 years ago, definite PCOS a year ago.

Cat1981

HI All,

I don't know where to start really. I heard about PCOS through a friend because I'm being consumed by my weight problems. Basically it has been going on a decade and everyone kept telling me, if you try harder, you will loose weight, excercise more, you will loose weight, do this, do that. I got so paranoid that I was not giving it 100% that I decided to do a marathon which I did and still didn't loose weight, I actually gained weight, I tried ww, lipotrim for 6 weeks, the motivation clinic and every other diet inbetween. I have always been very fit because I always wanted to loose weight. I have gone to my GP on numerous occassions and always got told not to worry, your not obese, (I was 15 stone, I'm now 11 Stone 7 pounds) but I would always say to my doctor, it doesn't make any logical sense that I could eat the calories I'm eating and not loosing weight but I was always ignored. I think the final straw for me has been the fact that I have been following the motivation clinic weight loss programme for 3 months and have lost 12 pounds by basically starving myself and they cannot explain why I'm not loosing more weight, I'm doing an average of 10 hours exercise a week and I might loose 2 pounds, then I'll be up 2 the next week.

I don't even know if I have PCOS - all I know is the following:
I have irregular periods
I have excess facial hair
I can put on 10 pounds in a week
I get extremely tired and moody
I get serious cravings for carbs and sugar & feel the need to binge for no emotional reasons

I'm 27 and over the years have always said to my friends the only way I can loose weight is if I literally starve myself but I kind of just resigned myself to the fact that I would always be like this. My friends are so good to me, always trying to encourage me and it was actually one of them that suggested PCOS as they are around me all the time and know exactly what I eat and they cannot understand it.

But it wasn't really till lately that my friends and family have started to support me in my quest to find a medical reason. The problem with me is to look at me, you would not think I have a problem, I'm a size 12/14 and extremly athlethic looking as I spend all my free time excercising and when I mentioned it to people outside of my circle they are like, but you look brilliant.

But surely your weight should reflect what you are eating, I want to get down to my recommended weight which between 9 Stone 7 and 10 stone 7. My family and friends see me going to the gym every day, eating only fresh products, no take aways etc and are finally telling me to do something about it.

You know I have even been told in the past that I am excerising too much, so I cut down, I was told I was eating too much, too lately, too early in the morning, too late at night, not enough times during the day, too ofter during the day. Too much protein, too lately, too much carbs, too late etc etc etc, You name it, I have tried it.

I have been on around 800 calories a day for the last 2 months on the motivation clinic diet and been in the gym every single day, sometimes I wonder what size I would be if I was eating what all my friends are eating.

One of the hardest things to overcome, is my compulsion to over eat, I as just always hungry, having lots of protein does help a little.

I am really sorry for the rant, but I am so desperate at this stage, does anyway know anybody in the Kerry area that knows alot about PCOS so that I could get tested?

Thanks so much!!!