Wow, what horrible doctors i had...

I was diagnosed with PCOS just over 4 years ago. The doctor I had at the time said that it was normal for someone my weight to have this and not to worry. She put me on Yasmin and that was it.

I had a falling out with that doctor and found another. I explained the situation to him. He did a ultrasound and he said that there were no more cysts, just one and it was a cm big, nothing to worry about.

I stopped the yasmin because my periods became regualr.. but i never knew about the other symptoms listed...

- irregular periods- absent periods
- ovarian cysts
- hirsutism (excess facial and/or body hair)
- obesity
- skin tags (just one, but it fell off... and i thought i got them from my dad..)
- borderline high cholesterol
- exhaustion
- decreased sex drive
- infertility (we've tried numerous times, and failed each time..PG tests are expensive!!)

We moved and i was not able to get back on the Yasmin. I haven't had my period for a few months now..the hair on my chin is HORRIBLE and my sex drive is nill..


N O N E of my doctors informed me of these other symptoms..now it all adds up..

thank you for posting this. I have to find a new OB/GYN because I just moved..but now i want to know everything i can possibly know about this.

What else can I do besides losing the weight to help with this?? (i was told only losing the weight and Yasmin would make it go away).

You can also look at your diet. I'm a big fan of looking at the glycemic index (and lately I found out about glycemic load) in regards to the food choices we make. I also like a whole foods diet. I think eating a lot of processed foods and sugary/starchy stuff can aggravate PCOS much like it can aggravate diabetes.

Aside from what Nelie said, which I totally agree with, exercise was a tremendous help to me. And reiterating the above, sugar is a huge aggravator so I stay away from refined carbs in particular.

Also, if you want to get back on Yasmine, you can. Look in your area for women's clinics or Planned Parenthoods. If you can't afford it, many of them will charge you on a sliding scale. I know at mine, an exam would cost about $120, but just a "pill consult" costs $25.

Also, most of my symptoms went away when I lost about 30 pounds, which is less than half of the total amount I ended up losing. It may not take much in the way of weightloss to aleviate your symptoms.

I definitely second what nelie and Jen said. Eating clean is VERY helpful. Chemicals, additives, sugar, artificial sweeteners can completely mess up your hormonal system, and lean your body towards weight gain and fat storage. Exercise is SO important for regulation of male hormones (cause of the facial hair, head hair loss, acne, etc). Above all, clean diet and exercise. Make organic markets your best friend. On a Friday night get goodies from Whole Foods instead of the pizza joint down the street. Even when I'm indulging, if I keep it real, clean foods (like real organic ice cream) in small quantities I feel better. Green & Black make amazing organic ice cream and chocolate bars.

Exercise - lots of it, including serious weighlifting made a BIG difference for me. We finally conceived after our first round on clomid but I think that my cycles were also starting to become ovulatory.

PCOS is something you need to take into your own hands - doctors are horribly under educated about it & tend to downplay how much of an impact it has on our lives everyday - probably 'cause they don't have to live with it.