Dealing with PCOS

hi Megan

i to was diagnosed with pcos on my 17th Birthday and i am know (33) . i had painful periods from the age of 12 and my symptoms got worse so had bloods and other test then got the results . i to have good days and bad days . i have found books are a great help with understanding pcos i can give u the name of the books if u like also there is a fb group which have been great help . knowing that there others out there who know what u are going through.

claire

Hi, I started my periods at 17. Had massive clots on school trip which scared me. I didn't have many after that but every time, I was really bloated, nauseous and vomiting. On a trip after the HSC, (last school exams in Australia), I had an ovarian cyst the size of a grapefruit burst. It was excruciating. I had surgery to drain it and check the area. Diagnosed then at nearly 19. Since then, I have very odd periods. I only have a period when I have the withdrawal bleed on The Pill. I haven't had The Pill recently because I forgot (been really sick). I had a natural one that was black (very old blood) and very big clots. Prior to that, I have had some bleds whilst taking the Pill. So odd.

I had severe infected cystic acne on my face at school before the PCOS was diagnosed. My hormone imbalance was really bad and not diagnosed/treated. I was put on Roacutane but my liver was not monitored properly. When it was finally tested due to abdominal pain, my liver enzymes were 5 times normal! I ended up with an infected gallbladder which went undiagnosed for 2.5 years. When I started collasping in horrendous pain, vomiting pure bile and fainting, I was finally taken seriously and sent for tests. Prior, we were told it was end of school stress. One day, my grandpa came home and found me unconscious on the floor, vomit out my mouth. I had emergency surgery that night for a necrotic gallbladder. I had a raging infection in my blood too. My gall bladder was almost bursting and actually burst in the bag as the surgeon pulled it out. Obviously, I would have died if that had happened inside me. My surgeon said, it would have burst within the next 24 hours.

I'm 37 now and the scars on my face are visible. I was extremely depressed at school during all this. I became very teary wanted to be alone and stopped talking to my friends. I spent most days at school vomiting or having diarrhea. It was awful.

But I got through it and I learned to always listen to my body. No matter what people tell you. Yes, I have to have IVF to have children. I've accepted that. Researching it all helped me and talking to my parents. Try talking to family about yours fears etc.

Take Care

Melissa

You are not alone. This is something many of us have struggled with. You are lucky you have been diagnosed so young because you know what is causing your problems. I started my periods late and they were very irregular. I had awful tummy pain, very bad mood swings, depression, anxiety and acne. I wasn't diagnosed until my mid 20s at which point I thought I was a bit crazy. I saw an endocrinologist in my late 20s who explained why I had all my symptoms. There are things you can do to help yourself. The first is to give up sugar, PCOS basically means you have insulin resistance. Sugar and alcohol can both affect your hormones so you need to try and avoid these. Secondly try a low gi diet. Eating and drinking certain types of carbs/sugars will make you put on weight very fast. Take a multivitamin and mineral tablet as well as starflower oil tablets and oil of evening primrose tablets. They can help regulate your hormones. Some people take metformin to help regulate their hormones, particularly if they are trying to get pregnant as it helps reduce the risk of miscarriage.

I would recommend you see an endocrinologist, they can explain everything about PCOS to you and how to live with and treat your symptoms.

My name is Shreya and currently in my 18th year. I have been suffering from PCOS since the past one year now. It all started with a sudden increase in my weight. Initially, I used to think it was may be duet to my eating habits but when diagnosed, I found out to be a victim of PCOS. PCOS is a very common disorder which leads to formation of cysts in the ovaries. It makes the body insulin resistant making it difficult for the body to convert glucose into energy. When I diagnosed into it further with a physician, I found out that there is no major cause of PCOS other than genetics. However, following a healthy diet and routine exercise can help in dealing with this.