Hey all...

I'm having a really rough week with all these things going through my head. I have an appointment with my doctor on Thursday to have some fertility testing taken and maybe even an ultrasound to confirm. I have not had a period in a couple of years unless I started on Birth Control. When I was 13 I went to see a gynecologist and they told me I was at risk of developing PCOS. Nothing was done...nothing has been said since. Being 13, I didn't think twice about "PCOS", they didn't explain it and no one mentioned it again after that.

I've been doing research and reading up on it because I've been having intercourse with my boyfriend for over a year and no pregnancy has happened. This worried me (not that I was trying to get pregnant), but I kinda expected it would happen. I mentioned PCOS to my mom and that's when she told me that they said I was at risk for it. My jaw dropped because I"ve been speaking to my doctor about my lack of periods and she just kept saying "oh, you're fine, just take some birth control".

Maybe this didn't even come into her mind? Anyhow, so many things racing through my mind. I've always wanted to have a child of my own and now I may have to tell my (almost) fiance that I may not be able to give him a child. He thought I was using birth control before. *sigh*

And then with the different things that can follow someone with PCOS...I'm so scared! I don't know how to handle this right now.

How did you deal with it when you found out? Help me understand..

You didn't want a child now, but you're having intercourse and not using birth control. But you've told your fiance that you are using birth control.

Beyond PCOS, you may want to look at how you're managing your fertility.

I went off the BC because it gave me horrible pain in my back all month, and I would spot badly the first two weeks and then have a full-out heavy period the next two weeks. This is what two different BC did to me, so I just quit. At the time I kinda figured that if I wasn't having a period that I couldn't conceive. Does that make sense?

So, I figured...no period, no pregnancy, but I never thought of the possibilit of NEVER being able to get pregnant.

I was relieved to find out I had PCOS, because it answered so many questions for me. But later, the more I read, the more disturbed I was because I knew the risk factors that went along with it. The one 'total package' answer to a PCOS'er is weight loss. Weight loss helps with fertility, acne, hair growth (not in everybody, but many many people report this), and in turn, drastically drop your risk of heart attack and Diabetes later on in life.

Grab it by the horns and you'll be ok!

Thank you for the encouragment...I really needed it. I'm still in the disturbed mode. How do I tell my fiance? What DO I tell him? Do I tell him the risks other than infertility that I may have down the road? Obviously it's his right to know what he is marrying, right?

I've got the weight-loss thing down. I'm losing it pretty quickly and am very happy to have lost 41 lbs in 2 months...I think it's a great accomplishment. I exercise 2 hours a day and it helps a lot with my emotional state. I don't think I could quit, because it helps me get through the tough times. The only thing I've really been dealing with is the absence of periods and lack of energy. This is another reason why I exercise so much is it kicks those endorphines out and gives me energy I wouldn't otherwise have. I have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning though.

I don't want to develop other issues...I wish there were some way to make this all go away. I wish someone would've explained this to me a long time ago so I could've been ready and maybe taking preventative measures earlier. Wouldn't that make sense??

Don't blame yourself, there are NO preventative measures. Absolutely nothing you could have done to prevent it. Yes, you do need to tell your BF. Honestly - if you get your weight down, keep your blood sugars and insulin under control, and exercise, you're going to be healthier than a lot of women that DON'T have PCOS. Just pay good attention to your cardiovascular health (trans fats, smoking, Omega oils, etc) and that will be a tremendous help.

I don't know if this helps - but I am certain that I am in better health since I do have PCOS. I don't want to have a heart attack, and PCOS puts me at higher risk - but there are SCORES of things that put women at higher risk for heart attacks. Now that I know I have a risk factor, I'm much more aware of my health, and I'm sure more than I would have been if I was in the 'it will never happen to me' category. So in a weird way, knowing this has helped me.

Thank you for explaining this to me. All of my levels are either at or below where the "healthy American" is supposed to be....(note...not the "Average American") but the "Healthy American". Every since I dropped some of the weight my levels have been great. I guess it's good that I just had to deal with one thing at a time...starting weight-loss and now trying to deal with medication for this. At first I thought "Oh well, this just means no periods for the rest of my life", and then I found out that not having periods can cause many problems including early osteoporosis. This is what brought me here because I know I need to get back in tune with my body.

Thank you for being so positive...I REALLY appreciate it.

You're very welcome.

Just because you are not having periods doesn't mean you aren't ovulating. There are a lot of young women who get pregnant even though they are not having periods.

Please let your doctor know why you stopped taking your birth control pills. There are other types and dosages he could prescribe that may be more suited for your body. If you don't find one that works for you, there are still many other types of birth control out there.

Good luck

I hope that your dr's appt went okay.

To be honest, you just deal with it. Making better choices is the first thing that you do--- eating, exercising, etc.

If you aren't trying to get pregnant, there are other birth control pill options that may work for you and it may help to keep your hormones in check.

Hopefully your dr had some answers for you.