Advice? Assistance?
So, I went to the dermatologist the other day because I'm about to turn 30 and I'm still having break outs (though they are better than they used to be). I've been through two previous courses of Accutane, and though I didn't want to go on it again, I did want some Retin-A or something. Any way, the dermatologist told me while I was in there that I have a lot of symptoms of PCOS. I also have hypothyroidism, so I do see an endo on a regular basis, but she has never suggested PCOS to me. I have noticed it is very difficult to lose weight, I don't seem to have any abnormal hair growth, but the hair on my head is thinning a bit (or maybe I'm paranoid) and, aside from the acne, I have problems with lethargy and have always had a lot of trouble with very irregular and very painful and very heavy periods.
Anyway, the derm told me that I should have my endo check it out. I'm not opposed to this, but the derm also said that I would have to get off of my birth control (I'm on the depo-shot, so it takes a while for it to get out of your system) before they could accurately test my hormone levels.
After doing some digging on everything, I was thinking- at this point should I even bother with getting tested? Though I haven't been diagnosed, I do feel more motivated to do something about my health and weight, and I feel like, at this point, even if I was diagnosed with PCOS, I would not really want to start a course of metaformin or anything because I don't feel like I really need it. Additionally, I do not like oral contraceptives- I seem to have a lot of side effects on them and I spiral into depression. Depo has worked for me for a long time mostly because it completely suppresses my periods (mostly- though the last few days I've been bleeding heavily and think I may have had some kind of very early miscarriage).
Am I making a mistake by not getting diagnosed? If I move on with this doing the things that are known to alleviate PCOS, like losing weight and trying to maintain a more stable blood-sugar and getting exercise, but not getting medical intervention/treatment, am I harming my body? I know the lovely ladies here at 3FC are not in the business of doling out medical advice, but your personal experiences and insight would be much, much appreciated.
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