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PCOS: Symptoms
Apr 14, 2009
PCOS: Symptoms
The symptoms of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) can affect your fertility, your appearance, and your general health. Symptoms often begin during the teenage years and may include:
Abnormal Menstrual Periods
Since women who have PCOS do not ovulate regularly, all women with PCOS have irregular periods. Your period may be very heavy, very light, or you may have no period at all. These changes in your menstrual periods make it difficult to become pregnant.
Male Characteristics
With PCOS, the cysts on your ovaries can cause your hormones to be out of balance. Since your ovaries produce higher-than-normal amounts of androgens (male hormones), women with PCOS may develop characteristics that are usually found in men. For example, your voice may deepen or you may acquire a condition called hirsutism in which women grow extra body hair on the face, back, chest, abdomen, nipple area, thumbs, or toes. The hair on your head may thin or you may become bald on the top of your head (male-pattern baldness.)
Skin Conditions
PCOS can also affect your skin. Increased androgen levels can result in acne, clogged pores, or oily skin. You may develop patches of thickened dark brown or black skin on the back of your neck or on your arms, thighs, or breasts.
Health Problems
Other symptoms associated with PCOS include elevated insulin levels, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. You may have trouble maintaining a normal weight, gain weight, or become obese. These symptoms increase your risk for serious health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. Getting these symptoms under control may help prevent long-term problems.
Depression
Some women with PCOS have problems with depression due to infertility problems, grief from miscarriages (which are common in PCOS,) or unhappiness with the noticeable changes in their skin, hair, or weight.
i.m 24 years old female i found out that i have pcos i need a good doctor to help me to become pregnant i ready have a child his 5 years old but everything happen when my son was born please help me find a doctor near south california with this zip code 92220
heh i have this problem a long time.I realy want to have children, i love them so much.I pray every nite and ask god to help me through this, just hoping one day my prays could be answered.please help me i want a baby,i from trinidad i try alot of things but nothing works, i realy need yr help.hope u get this and help me out.
i have the same problem but also deal with endometerosis but there is good news i now have a one year old. Have you tried ovarian drilling. Do you go to a fertility doctor? Have you had your thyroid checked. All of these things plus lots of prayer and just waiting on God helped me. God sent me an angel of a Doctor. I just wanted you to know that there is hope.
am 28 yrs. old and planning to have a baby, but coz of pcos ..am unable to get through it..i have almost all the symptoms mentioned up here..and doctor adviced me nothing as such..except, saying that be regular in having sex..am worried that it might not help..so please suggest me something..or should i change my doctor or what?..am so confused and worried.
Just wondering if you found another doctor, or had your questions answered. I am 29 and curently going through treatments.
Brandi
The doc prescribed for me metformin which works in two ways
1. Increases ovulation
2. Helps with insulin resistance
I am only 155lbs and am 5'7" so i am slightly overweight. I think the medicine is working because as i monitor my vaginal secretions i can tell when i am ovulating. Go to your doctor, loose weight and see what happens
I am 28 years old and I was told that I couldn't have children, but I was blessed with a son 7 years ago. Then I was diagnosed with pcos when he was 2 years old. I didn't think that I would be able to have anymore children.
I was blessed with another son who is 2 years old now. I think the only thing that helped me is that I have a high sex drive.
So your doctor maybe telling you the truth.. With pcos we dont know when we are ovulating so I guess the truth is "the more sex the better your chances"...
My 18 yr old daughter has this for yrs. She has NOT had a period in 8 months. The drs just send her to obgyn who gave her Yaz birth control.Did nothing to help. Now they just tell her to lose weight and give her metformin that made her have diahrea for days on end,She has cysts on one enlarged ovary they do nothing else for her. She has K chip and will not have it after she graduates from school.I would really like this taken care of before that time.But the drs do nothing .Can any one help?
hi my name is tina im from south carolina im 30 years old and ive had pcos since i was 18, i have 3 beautiful children and i have been through all this and am still going through it. i had first child normal but had gestational diabetes and got type 2 diabetes after due to being unrecognized i got pcos, my second baby i got fertility treatment 'CLOMID' in 2 months i was pregnant i dieted lost 100 pounds and 2 years later had my baby girl,of course not having a period for 3 years was bad but the main help for pcos is good diet,exercise and hormones to keep period going to help ovulate. i just want to tell my story with my battle with PCOS,i wish you lots of luck!
ok, first of all get ur daughter off of YAZ this birth control has been recalled and has been on tv saying it causes alot of problems.it is very dangerous it could do more harm then good for her. anyways i'm surprised the metforming didnt help shrink those fibroids nor did the b/c. i have fibroids myself and got them i guess sometime in 2006. fibroids are not serious and are not canerous, but they do cause heavy bleeding in menstrual periods and infertility. They can grow as big as the size of a cantalope,but i highly doubt that they will. if she has been treated and the ob/gyn says there nothing he/her can do..then switch her to a different dr. someone who understands and is caring and will help her.The fibroids can cause heavy bleeding and light bleeding or no periods at all.as for the other things she has wrong i dont know what to tell or how to help her im no Dr. like i said change her Dr, to someone who is caring and understanding. i hope i have answered all of ur questions and gave u some helpful insight. Good Luck!
I just found out i had pcos. I am 29 and want to have a baby what are some thing's i can do?
Jennifer Hi!
I suggest that you post your question on the message boards – there are many of us out there that are going through the same things. On the boards you will be able to post specific questions and get replies to your concerns. Other members can also give you their input or suggestions.
Here is a direct link to the boards
http://www.fertilityauthority.com/community/index....
Big hug Zoe your board admin :-)
I am 25 years old and already have two kids. My daughter 5 and my son 4. At the beginning of October I had really sharp pains at the lower part of my stomach to the lower part of my back when I started on my right side. I am now having pains on my right side in the lower part where my overies are, and between my bellybutton and down to my clitoris. From the middle to the right it hurts really bad. I went to the doctor and she has done blood work and has schedule an ultrasound for my bladder and overies. I am not sure what is going on but The LORD and told me that everything is going to be ok but want to know more about what is going on. The doctor is doing a ruling out thing is that what your doctors did for you all.
I am 32, with two girls, 5 and 3, and I have the same exact symptoms! It's been going on for almost a year. My doc is doing blood work for tests right now, so far no luck. The pain is awful... hope it works out for you.
Hi I just wanted to let you know you are not alone with the pain. I am almost 30 years old have 2 little girls 4 and 2 but have had 5 misscairiages. Both of my girls were major problem pregencies and so I had to get my tubes tied. Since all this I have had several surgeries trying to control my pain now I am on metformin and it is to help me loose weight and make my pain shrink. I hope you are well now and have more answers since it has been several months since you have post this
I just turned 33 years old. I have been living with PCOS since I was sixteen. I have maybe had roughly 30 - 50 periods in my entire life. Nothing has seemed to help. Praying has not done me any good. I have lost all hope. Whenever I tried to talk to my friends about it they all tell me the same thing. "kids are overrated" or "Take one of mine". I cry every night. I have looked into adoption, but I just keep thinking that if I were meant to have a child than God would let me. I don't know what good posting this will do, but I have no other options left.
it took me 7 years to have my son and i did it naturally then i remarried and two years ago my son already 11. I tried and tried and finally my doctor put me on Clomid. I tried it once and I got pregnant. I know have a beautiful baby girl. Dont give up hope. I have been in your shoes and know how hard it is and people that have kids just dont understand or take pregnancy for granted. Dont give up hope.
Thanks for your insight. I have a 13 year old son and did it on my own. I have been married now for 2 years and have decided to go to the doctor on the 19th of Jan 10 to dicuss my options. I'm hoping that they put me on Clomid and it will happen. I refuse to pay for IVF, becuase i know it can be very expensive. I'm just praying that the clomid will work for me too. My husband dosent have any children and he claims that my son is just find with him, but I hate to be the reason why he can't have any children of his own.
Thanks,
T
The first thing you need to do is find the right doctor. The first doctor I saw for my PCOS told me it was my fault because I was overweight. I aked her if I would ever have a baby and she asked me if I was trying. I told her no but i was wondering if the PCOS will effect me having children. She said "if your not trying to get pregnant then how would I know if you can get pregnant?" Need less to say that was last time I saw her. The doctor I have now has been great. I had to try and get preganant on my own for a year then we started with fertility treatment. She gave me clomid which is to make you ovulate and I got pregnant the first time I used it. I ended up having a miscarrage 2 months in but then was able to use the clomid again and got pregnant right after taking it again! There is hope!!! If I am not on birthcontrol I do not get my period either. You should look into seeing a fertility specialist right away and I bet they would go for the clomid right away. You also have to stay calm and be positve. The stress does not help the situation at all. I know plenty of people who have tried and tried to have a baby and it didn't happen until they stopped trying becuase the stress seriously messes up you body. I hope the info I gave you helps. There really is hope good luck!
I too have this condition. I tried for years to get pregnant, saw many doctors, and was dissapointed each time. Finally I went to an infertility doctor in Sandy Utah, and he was the only one that really understood my condition and gave me different options. I thank the Load and Dr. James Heiner for making my dreams come true after trying for 8 long years.
For all the women out there that wants a child, don't give up. Good luck!
Can you please tell me what he did? I had to do ivf with my first child and they told me that that's my only way of becoming pregnant. I went threw it the second time ans missed carried at 3mths. My third and fourth time nothing. I dont want to give up and I really do feel less of a woman
hi. Im 16 years old and i havent had a period in 10 months. I first started getting a period when i was 11. I have been to doctors and they dont know what is wrong. I am scheduled to see an endocrinologist. What is wrong with me?
Myranda
hey i am 17, (will be 18 may 1st) and i have this exact promblom! i havent started my period in almost a yr! and have pain, and lots of other sympoms of pcos, the dr doesnt know whats wrong with me so is sending me to an endochronoligist as well, i am afraid bc of all the bad comments below. im glad to see another teenager goin throgh this as well tho bc it is a tad bit embarising, lol. anyways, my name is ashley and i hope everything turns out ok with you. youll be in my prayers,
ashlynn
I too have pcos I'm 45yrs old and was diagnose 10 yrs ago. i haven't had a normal period since I was a teenager, I have the darkening skin in the back of my neck it's embarrassing for people might think that you don't bathe regularly. I was also put on birth control pill just to regulate my period..
Does anyone know if PCOS can cause ectopic prenancy? I was recently pregnant but had to have surgery because it was a ectopic (tube) pregnancy and they cant tell my why it happened. Now I am having the symptoms of pcos and was wondering if that could cause the ectopic.
Lori, I'm sorry to hear about your loss.
PCOS in and of itself does not to my knowledge increase the risk of an ectopic pregnancy. I encourage you to talk to your doc about your symptoms though!!
:)
Claire
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Need help or have a question? Contact me!
claire@fertilityauthority.com
when i was 18 years old i was hospitalized because 2 days after my period i had extremely sharp pains in my ovaries the pain went from my lower back to my sides all the way down to my thighs, it was the most pain ive ever felt. the doctors said i have polycystic ovaries, but my periods are regular i have never been off by more than 4 days, and my skin is normal. i had an ultrasound and i was told that if the cysts didnt get smaller within 2 weeks i would need surgery, well they shrunk and i havent had an episode again. Was i misdiagnosed? sould i be concerned that something else happend? or is it just a matter of time before it happens again?
Elizabeth, one of the strange things about having polycystic ovaries is that it doesn't necessarily mean you have PCOS! The polycystic ovarian syndrome diagnosis can also be given when a woman doesn't have polycystic ovaries! Weird, I know, but it's because the syndrome is really a cluster of problems that has only recently become understood. PCOS is most notably diagnosed in the absence of ovulation and has been linked to blood sugar issues.
I encourage you to bring your questions to your doctor so that you can get a personalized understanding of what's going on for you and what health issues you might need to be aware of in the future.
:)
Claire
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Need help or have a question? Contact me!
claire@fertilityauthority.com
Hello, I have (today) been diagnosed with PCOs. I am 28 and have 1 beautiful 2 year old daughter. I've never had any serious health issues prior to my misscarriage at 12 weeks last April. My Dr talked about possibly putting me on Clomid. Has anyone had any luck with this?
Hi Kris--
Clomid can be a good choice for some women with PCOS but it's important that you're monitored and that testing has ruled out other possible issues. Most doctors feel that if three rounds of Clomid haven't worked it's time to try something else. Are you seeing an infertility specialist or is this your general practitioner?
Claire
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Need help with our site? Contact me at claire@fertilityauthority.com. I'm happy to help!
I am 28 also and have PCOS and was unable to get pregnant for a year and my doctor gave me clomid and i got pregnant the first time I used it! I did end up have a miscarrage at 2 months but I used it again and got pregnant right away once again and now have a beautiful healthy 2 year old son named Graysen. I plan to use it again next month and hope to get pregnant again. I hope you use clomid and it works for you! It gave me my son. I wish you all the luck in the world!
Hi, im 37 yrs old and i have pcos to. I have been dealing with it now for almost 4 yrs and i already have 1 child and would like to have another very soon. Clomid does help u get pregnant faster cuz i have used it and i got pregnant 2-3 months later,but be careful with clomid. if takening too oftenor too much it can cause u too have twins or mulitples. My dr warned me of that when he put me on clomid.If u are struggling with infertility clomid is the best way to go it helps u ovulate more and u will be pregnant. I may have to use the clomid again for my 2nd pregnancy, but i want to try without it. Well, i hope i have answered ur question and i wish u luck.
~mom37
I am 26, almost 27, and about two years ago I was diagnosed with PCOS. I knew something was really wrong when I started getting sharp pains in my right ovaries. I went to the doctor and she ran blood work. That is when she told me that I have PCOS. She also ran an inner and outer ultrasound. She said it came back negative for cysts. She put me on birth controle but the pain never stopped, the chin hair never went away and I have skin tags all over my body. I continue to get more skin tags, still have chin hair and the pain. I now not only have pain before my period but this month it started happening at the end of my period. I do not know what to do. My husband is really concerned. He is an EMT and wants to take me to the hospital because the pain will not go away. I don't want to go because I am scared that they will just brush me off because 1) we have no insurance yet due to change in job and 2) because they know I have PCOS and will tell me to go to my OB/GYN. I have told her about the pain and she has done nothing about it. She recently left the office that she was in and I have no clue where she is now. I do not know what to do. Anyone have any advice? Please feel free to e-mail me at ladyrose0218@yahoo.com.
i am 17 yrs old, will be 18 may the 1st,, the dr. is almost poitive i have this, i go and get tested soon, i am very afraid tho bc of all these comments, those of you who are christians on here, pls pray for me, i want a good dr, one who cares, one who can help me, i would greatly appreciate it. thanks,
ashlynn from kentucky.
This condition is inherited my daughter who is ten has pcos, she got the pcos from me. I have had it for 16 years. I have had problems getting pregnant. I have only the one child my first pregnancy ended in miscarried. I know that my daughter has a long road ahead of her.
hi im 22yrs old i was told i have pcos 3 days after i hit the age of 18 which was about almost 5yrs ago.i have missed periods i just dont no wat 2 do. i mean i do plan on having kids 1 day but i have no luck! my boyfriend want kids really bad so we try almost like every nite but still dont get any where ....can some1 please help me im the only 1 of my mothers kids that dont have any kids at all smh i pray 2 god i can give my boyfriend and family wat they ask for which is me bringing a baby into this world...thanks ...do any1 no where i cant find a good dr im in the city of los angales,ca
i am 17 years old...and...i havent had my period in 5 months but i am not pregant but i have been linking here and there...i gotten black spots and i am lossing more hair the othen...on my sclap ..i think have this thing u guys tallk about
I am in my mid 40's. Ten years ago I developed severe cronic pelvic pain. I underwent years of radio-frequency oblation, Phenol injections. Each procedure seemed to only make the pain worse. No-one seems to have the answer of what is causing this. I have had two cesareans, a hernia repair and partial hysterectomy. Recently, I was. diagnosed with kidney stones I had a CT scan which revealed a lg cyst on the right ovary and a mass on the left ovary. Is it possible that PCOS could have been the cause all along ? Wondering if anyone else might have a similar problem with hopefully an answer.
Medico legal.
I have been diagnosed with PCOS... at 42, children 22 , 19 and 6, have no intention of having more children. My overweight and developing health issues have pushed me to want and feel a need for Gastric Bypass as a help/relief and hope. I am wondering..should I have a hysterectomy FIRST? I am now 100 lb overweight.Which not only hurts my tiny bone structure, but is messing with my mental and emotional stablilty.What good would it be to BYPASS,if the hormones will continue to pack on problems?Thank you.
hi i just turned 28 in june i had symptoms of pcos when i was16 i just didnt know it i went thru several drs who wanted to check for preg which i knew i wasnt i had gained alot of weight so they said when the test was neg that it was my weight i was so upset its like noone wanted to help me i was 18 when i found a good dr that listened to me i found an article in a magazine on pcos i thought i was loosing my mind and now here i am trying to tell my dr i know whats wrong he ran the suggested test the artical said to do and wouldnt u know it the test got me referred to a specialist the first one i went to had an mri done and found a prolactinoma and begain treatment i thought all was well until he told me id never have children hearing that at 18 just about broke me i found another specialist at 21 because the one i had didnt listen to me didnt answer my question and didnt want to explain any of it to my husband to be. The new dr was very open to discussion and even gave hope of having a baby once things were under control after 3 yrs of being married i actually got pregnant but it was a very difficult pregnancy i started to loose the baby after just 10 weeks my husband fired our first obgyn because she said there was nothing to do about the cervix opening which it was doing from the baby down seen only by an internal ultra sound it was too early in the preg to know if the baby was worth saving we found another dr in the same office that took over put me on bed rest then at 12 weeks saw that the cervix was almost completely open decided to do a cerclage stitch i was on bed rest for 26 weeks i was allowed up 5 min every hour then back to laying on my left or right side but it worked i had my healthy red headed lil boy at 38 weeks since then i have found yet another dr because my weight has been soring up at one time i weighed 365lbs im only 5'6" i wasnt healthy and i wasnt happy so my family dr sent me to see an obyn that had helped other patients with weight problems he took one look at me and said he knew what was wrong my pcos was not getting proper treatment my past drs were only treating the high prolactin levels nothing else im now on 7 to 12 meds a day depending on the day but i feel so good the weight is coming off i have energy again which makes exercising so much easier i found out that by taking metphorman the chance of miscarrage goes down im going to the dr again the 30th of this month to change my meds again because my husband and i have decided we wanted another baby and this time we know its possible dreams do come true
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