Pcos

[swish]

Hi!
The doc thought I might have this (I'm waiting for a scan), I didn't ov last month and my cycles have been crazy. I thought this was just because of supps and losing weight but now I'm not so sure.
Can anyone tell me what some of the symptoms are?
Is gearing up but failing to ovulate a sign of pcos?
Are back/ bottom pains before ov/af a sign of pcos?
Many thanks!

[nuthinbutpink]

Hi testosterone levels, facial hair, anovulatory cycles, cystic ovaries. We have seen HT gals find out they have PCOS or at least have poli-cystic ovaries and egg quality can be affected due to the conditioin. Michaela is very familiar with PCOS on here. You can post a question in the TTC/Infertility section and she will likely see it.

[swish]

Thank you, NBP, I will!

[atomic sagebrush]

Hi!
The doc thought I might have this (I'm waiting for a scan), I didn't ov last month and my cycles have been crazy. I thought this was just because of supps and losing weight but now I'm not so sure.
Can anyone tell me what some of the symptoms are?
Is gearing up but failing to ovulate a sign of pcos?
Are back/ bottom pains before ov/af a sign of pcos?
Many thanks!

1)Doctors often assume people have PCOS if they did not ovulate - it's a common diagnosis and just because someone wants to rule it out, don't worry about it jsut yet.
2)Some people have symptoms like they are heavyset with fat distribuition in the "apple" shape, facial hair, etc but others have no symptoms at all and there is great debate amongst docs and REs about whether these people even have PCOS, or what PCOS even is and if it is a disorder or just a variant amongst people.
3)I do not believe that gearing up and failing to O is in any way a reliable symptom of PCOS. Polycystic ovaries are PCOS, not failing to ovulate in and of itself. There are a million reasons why someone can gear up to O and then fail that are all much more common than PCOS, even just a stressful few days can make your body "change it's mind" and not O. Every woman has had a month or many where O was late or held off all together.
4)Back/bottom pains are again not indicative of PCOS in particular. Many people have very severe O pains that have nothing to do with PCOS. My O pains are much worse than AF is. In fact, if you have very severe cramps with AF it would be more likely that you have endometriosis (your doc will check for that.)

[swish]

Thank you, atomic, that is all really useful!! I have had on/off dull pains in lower tummy which i know can be a sign of pregnancy (I'm 4dpo) BUT can it also be a sign of PCOS or is there no way of telling - I'm driving myself crazy, can you tell?!?!

[atomic sagebrush]

There is no way of telling - I've read quite a bit about PCOS and NEVER once seen that listed as a symptom but that doesn't mean it's not floating around out there somewhere. However, I have personally experienced uterine cramping as a sign of pg though!!!! FXFXFX

[swish]

Thanks so much, atomic, I know I'm being stressy!! X

[lindi]

I think the scan will help to see if your ovaries are polycystic. Then bloodwork, and possibly a glucose test will help make a sound diagnosis. You would have high androgens (testosterone) which could possibly make you irritable, have acne, or extra body hair (facial). You would also probably have a reversed LH/ FSH ratio, your LH would be high and your FSH low. Insulin problems are thought to be at the heart of PCOS and actually other things now- like alzheimers- but anyways, the thinking that I follow is there is something causing your body to be slightly to very sensitive to insulin, and therefore your ovaries over-respond to insulin, causing an issue with the pituitary-ovarian axis- it sort of loops at a higher frequency, the end result is that your ovaries are super-and under charged at the same time- many more eggs than normal gear up to be ovulated, but none actually get ovulated. Hence the string of pearls appearance.
If you have PCOS the anovulation is of course not good when TTC, but there are other health problems that unaddressed PCOS can create- weird things like hearing issues to obesity to cardiovascular problems, so its good to see what exactly is going on, and going on with your insulin.
I have polycystic appearing ovaries, but doctors can;t quite give me the PCOS diagnosis definitively. Firstly because I don't "look" the way most PCOS women appear when battling weight gain (I'm thin), and I don't have acne or facial hair. I also ovulate regularly, so most of the criteria doesn't fit me.
Its hard to make a diagnosis, and I think a lot of doctors deal with PCOS in ways that aren't helpful. Good luck let us know what they find!

[swish]

Thank you so much, lindi. I already had blood work and my testosterone levels were average, my fsh and lh levels were both slightly on the low side. I have acne, I'm thin and I don't think I have extra facial hair!! So maybe it looks good for me?? I will definately let you know what happens at my scan, it's not until mid oct, I wish it were sooner!! Thanks for all your information

[atomic sagebrush]

Thank you lindi! VEry helpful info as usual.