Poll: What type PCOS patient are you?

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View Poll Results: What type patient are you?
traditional PCOS -- anovulatory, increased androgens, no insulin resistance
61
19.37%
syndrome X -- anovulatory, increased androgens, insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes
83
26.35%
non-traditional PCOS --anovulatory, normal androgens, obese, insulin resistant or type 2 diabetes
45
14.29%
non-traditional PCOS -- ovulatory, increased androgens, mild insulin resistance
60
19.05%
idiopathic hirsutism -- ovulatory, increased androgens, no insulin resistance
11
3.49%
Not sure -- but think I have PCOS or IR
32
10.16%
Don't have PCOS. I am Insulin Resistance (pre-diabetes)
9
2.86%
Other (What is it?)
14
4.44%
Voters: 315. You may not vote on this poll
  • seems to be traditional but not 100%
  • (my reply is the the pole, I had to pick other)

    Was traditional PCOS from mid teens until late thirties, then I became ovulatory again (the real down side of this is the money spent on infertility treatment while my husband was alive and becoming supposedly fertile years too late.)
  • At the time of diagnosis, I was anovulatory. I lost some weight and became ovulatory, though I had long cycles, up until I started gaining the weight back and then went on BCPs back in January
  • I think my biggest problem has been when I do have a cycle, they are very long and VERY bad. Thankfully they were only few and far between. Thus far, metformin has not helped much...but I'm still working with it.

    Being diagnosed with PCOS has opened my eyes to a lot of issues I had going on that I just shoved off. Insulin resistance being the biggest eye opener.
  • I was diagnosed with PCOS (Ovulatory, low androgens, and IR) seven or eight years ago, but a recent trip to my General Practitioner in December of '11 had her convinced otherwise. When my OBGYN diagnosed me in 2007, she put me on Metformin, which did nothing for my IR and made me extremely ill. My current GP believes that the lack of physical reaction to the metformin is a clear indicator that I am not PCOS. HOWEVER, I continue to gain weight even while dieting and increasing exercise, and my periods are incredibly irregular (I've been on my period for a whole month at this point... after two months without it.)
  • I know that I have PCOS because my specialist found it in an internal ultrasound, but I didn't get any further information. I didn't even know there were different types. I had blood work done and nothing unusual was found (before I was diagnosed), so maybe it's traditional?

    The worst thing is, I had a laparoscopy 3 years ago and they found nothing I knew there was more to it than 'painful periods'.
  • The way I answered this has changed over time.
  • Non-traditional with NIDDM (type II diabetes).
  • Non-Traditional with IR. Didn't know there were so many different types!
  • I'm pretty sure I'm non traditional PCOS..It took a long time for a diagnosis because my bloods were 'normal' even though I was was pretty hairy, have acne and the beginnings of male patterned baldness. The only thing I can assume from that, is that my 'normal' is at the higher range of normal. Only after a scan and the radiographer stopped counting the cysts, did I get a confirmed diagnosis. Have had 2 children, so I'm not infertile, but I know I haven't ovulated for quite some time now. I do believe my weight is the issue, and that things will get better.
  • I really don't know. I got a hormone test done once and it turned out I had abnormal LH/FSH (I think) and my gyno at the time said I probably had PCOS. He initially seemed inclined to do nothing about it, but when I asked a lot of questions, he decided to send me for an ultrasound. The ultrasound found ovarian cysts and confirmed the diagnosis. Nobody ever told me if I'm traditional, non-traditional, or what. I've never been pregnant, but then, I never tried to become pregnant. My periods (before hyst.) were regular, but 5 weeks apart. I grow hairs on my chin. My guess would be "non-traditional PCOS -- ovulatory, increased androgens, mild insulin resistance," but I'm not sure.
  • Traditional PCOS. I get 1, maybe 2 periods a year unless on bcp, I have (blessedly light) male pattern growth (mostly chin and "happy trail"), last they checked my blood sugar is fine. I'm obese, have been my whole life. Last I was checked (been awhile) I don't have any cysts. I'm currently only taking bcp, nothing else.
  • Not really sure, so I chose "Other". Like I officially got a diagnosis at age 25-27 (not too long ago) but I actually had symptoms from age 10. I was an early developer back in a time when it wasn't quite normal for a girl to develop breasts and body hair around the age of 9 or 10. Anyway, I got my first zit at age 9, I had a full face by the end of my 10th year, and that was the year I started trying various medicated soaps, etc. Nothing really seemed to work until age 13, when I got Clearasil face wash and I was still having issues. I didn't have a cleared up face until I was like a junior or senior in high school. I still occasionally get breakouts when under enough stress. But I did have normal periods, starting around the age of 11. However, they were very thick and lasted 7 days. They didn't even shorten up to 5 or 6 days until 8th or 9th grade. I would get them practically every month. I started noticing facial hair when I was like in the 8th grade and luckily I would get blond to light reddish hairs due to my natural hair color but it was still embarrassing. As I went through high school, I noticed I was getting a blond mustache, and sideburns. I kept my hair down most of the time so no big deal but I was actually shaving off or tweezing my chin hairs, that had gotten worse overtime. I even get really long chin hair on the base. Anyway, I also noticed when I get my eyebrows waxed, they are really thick. Luckily with the way my blondish eyebrows are formed you don't really notice it until you are up close. But anyway, I started missing my period around age of 18. I was mostly too nervous to see a doctor and I chalked it up to gaining alot of weight. But anyway, I started to get my periods back around 20-21 when I had a breif period of losing about 40 lbs. But a couple of years later when I got up to 200 lbs, I lost them again and I went to my doctor (who was a bad one), despite the obvious signs he would not tell me I had PCOS or insulin resistance, and basically put me through unneccessary pap smears, and perscribed bad meds for me such as provera but when I switched doctors (after his insensitivity toward a new diagnosis of hypothyroidism), she explained things better to me and started me on better meds. First with BC and then eventually Metformin, which I now use Glucophage. Since my move, I have a new doctor but he does seem a lot more sensitive than the doctor I had in my early 20s.
  • I believe that I am non-traditional PCOS. I ovulate, but have increased androgen. I have a lot of facial hair and I dealt with dark spots and ingrown hairs. About a year ago, my doctor put me on metformin, a low dosage of birth control, and spironolactone. Plus, I started using Obagi Skin Care.

    Within a week, I lost about 15 pounds of water. Within a month, the facial hair decreased. Within six months, my skin tone evened out and there was a decrease in ingrown hairs. I've been off all of my medications for a month; my doctor won't renew until I go in and see her for blood work. I'll be doing that this week, so hopefully I will be back on my meds.

    I can say, that within two weeks of stopping all of my meds, I gained back 15-20 pounds. I am assuming that's water weight, because my weight had been steady for about 10 months.
  • So THAT'S what's been wrong with me all these years!
    I have two daughters-in-law, both of whom have struggled with what they call PCOS. I looked it up to see what that was, and you could have knocked me over with a feather. But in the late 60's, 70's and 80's, there was no formal diagnosis of what had been wrong with me.

    In a nutshell, terrible acne, anovulatory, irregular or no periods, hair on my face (I shave daily), obesity and trouble losing weight, and my hair today is thinning with male pattern baldness.

    It was a miracle that I got pregnant. (Our other son is adopted). If only there had been a recognition of this syndrome when I was 13, I could have avoided the awful diets, the self loathing, the embarrassment at not menstruating. I used to make up a week every month when I would tell the PE teacher I had my period. And then I would really get a period that soaked through my clothes no matter how much "feminine protection" I wore. Didn't feel very feminine. And the zits! My hair started thinning at 19, which by then had seen me through several cycles of Weight Watchers, weight loss counseling, and 237 bottles of Neutrogena.

    Anyway, I realize I have some healing to do, emotionally, and perhaps there is help for the PCOS I still experience, aka adult acne and insulin resistance. I'm hoping to find some answers here.

    I should mention that I've been on the LCHF plan of eating, and feel better than ever in my life; and I've come to accept myself as insulin resistant and carb sensitive and ready to leave behind grains, sugars, breads, and other high carb foods. On LCHF, I have no cravings, and after just 2 weeks, I can feel my energy level zooming back. Just had a Thanksgiving dinner with family, and had no interest in rolls, birthday cake, potatoes, etc. I made sure I had the food I could eat and didn't miss anything.

    I'm a newbie here, and open to learning. Thanks for listening. I hope I can be in service to others with my posts at some point.