PCOS/Insulin Resistance SupportSupport for us with any of the following: Insulin Resistance, Syndrome X, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or other endocrine disorders.
My daughter was diagnosed with PCOS over a year ago by our family doctor who did hormone testing. That and my daughter's history of irregular periods plus some recent weight gain (she went from 140 to 165 in one summer) were contributing factors in the diagnosis. She was sent to a gyno who confirmed the diagnosis.
Last week she went to a repro endo since we now live in an area that has one. The doctor is a member of one of the two groups listed on one of the PCOS sites. She looked at my daughter and said she really didn't think Erin has PCOS. Huh? She said that Erin doesn't have the normal symptoms associated with it so she would be in a minority if she does have PCOS. It's true that Erin doesn't have facial hair, and she's not obese, but there appears to be a family history of PCOS (her half-sister does have the "normal" symptoms and my mother-in-law had infertility problems), and two doctors have already confirmed the original diagnosis. Erin wasn't very pleased with this doctor's attitude, but the doctor wants to run "her own tests," which will include an insulin resistance test.
I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what happens, but I'm not real thrilled with a doctor who just looks at my daughter and states, just by looking at her, that the other two doctors were wrong in their diagnosis. While I do hope the other doctors were wrong, I don't think this doctor necessarily knows what she's doing.
I would be really interested in knowing how many women have PCOS and are not overweight or have facial hair, or whose problems with those symptoms started later in life, but they had PCOS prior to the visual symptoms appearing. Anyone have those stats or anecdotal information?
Hi Sheila, I don't have any stats for you, but I know that being overweight is NOT always a side effect. Your daughter may very well have PCOS and just be one of the lucky ones with less visible side effects. Here is a page that might give you some info: http://www.hormone.org/learn/pcos_2.html
Also, how old is your daughter? When I was a teenager I always had problems with periods, and these 2-3 hairs that grew in unattractive places, but as for being overweight, maybe 10-15 pounds was all I was overweight at many times in my teenage years. The less desirable symptoms didn't come until later. Have they done ultrasounds on her ovaries? She really does need the blood work to confirm the diagnosis. Here is a page of hormone levels, and in the details, they tell what some of the levels would be for PCOS patients: http://www.inciid.org/faq/pcos2.html
Thank you for the information. My daughter, who is 19, was diagnosed based on her LH:FSH ratio, which was 4 to 1 (however, all the levels were within the normal range), and her history of missed periods.
The tests that the endo has ordered are (if I can read this correctly):
Hopefully everything is covered in those tests. The two previous doctors did not do an ultrasound, and this doctor didn't suggest it either. Maybe she's waiting for the test results.
I think what really bugged Erin was the doctor saying to her, "So, you think you have PCOS?" To Erin, it seemed like the doctor wouldn't believe in the diagnosis (and we'd never heard of PCOS until the previous doctors diagnosed her with it) of the other doctors given that Erin didn't have classic symptoms, and that Erin was making it up. Kind of frustrating for a teenager!
I've been checking on this thread waiting to see if you daughter's dr. has come back to you with the bloodwork results yet. Her case reminds me so much of myself at 19, although I already had a weight issue to contend with. I wasn't properly diagnosed with PCOS until I was 29, so at least you have found someone who is taking the proper steps, starting with the bloodwork.
My current dr. did not do an ultrasound for me. Her reasoning was that cysts are more like a symptom. The bloodwork give the true picture about what's going on with the hormones, etc. She said even if she didn't see cysts, she would determine the PCOS diagnosis based on the bloodwork results. But, I guess if there is another issue like pelvic pain, you may want that done.
I had no symptoms at all except irregular periods until about a year ago (I was 26), when I started gaining weight inexplicably and hair started growing in my sideburns, chin, and stomach. Even now, I am not that much overweight (I gained about 20 in the past year and have lost 8, so 12 more to go!) and my BMI is almost 26, the cutoff for normal range is 25. I've never had acne, even when I was a teenager, and I'm not losing any hair on my head. I don't know if I have polycystic ovaries, I am waiting for an ultrasound appointment. However, I have been diagnosed with PCOS and am currently taking metformin to combat my insulin resistance. Just goes to show that not everyone has all the symptoms...
I am one of the one's who have had problems with my periods since I first started as a teen. But in my late teens-early 20's...the weight started rising, and the hair started growing and my hair on my head was falling out.
It is GOOD for you to push the issue, to find out what's wrong with your daughter. The sooner it's treated, the less likely she will develop the symptoms I and many others have. These things don't appear overnight.
Make them do the work, and find out what the problem is. If your current DR won't, find another one that will! I will kepp cking back to see what happens...
Upsetting doctor visit
