Looking for someone else with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

[mellipoo]

I just started this diet because in the book Dr.Agatston mentions a woman with PCOS that had reversed it by the diet. Im really looking for a permanent lifestyle change that would rid me of a good chunk of weight. Ive been overweight ever since i was about 6 years old, im 20 now and in college. My school is division 1 ( Go Mount St. Marys!!) and covered in atheletes and its not that i want to become them, i just would like to be able to make it up the stairs without being out of breath, and also being able to go to our gym without getting looked at like i am an alien. Anyone who wants to be a buddy?

[shellbelle]

Hey, I too have PCOS and there are several on the boards with it. If you ever want to talk just PM me. Smurlene's journal is a really good one to read. She could probably help you with any questions you might have.

GOOD LUCK to you!!!!
Shelly

[lilac]

i've bumped our pcos thread back up to the top so it should be easy for you to find



marilyn

[MaryB]

Both of my daughters (ages 17 and 22) have PCOS. Both carry most of their weight in the typical PCOS place - in their middle (as for me, I'm a big butt/thigh girl). DD#1 didn't have a regular period until she got married and got on birth control, but she still battles the weight (especially since she quit smoking). DD#2 started SB with DH and I in early January. She just had her monthly checkup with the Dr. this week and lost 9lbs this month. He's thrilled and so is she. AND, she had a period this month - 1st time in probably 3 months, at least. Her Dr. is VERY gung-ho SB, especially for PCOS. He has her on phentermine for a couple months. She was taking glucophage to get her hromones in balance, but it wasn't working so she stopped. He isn't putting iton her again because he said getting the weight down is what is key. It's so hard for her (both, actually), because for every 2 lbs. I lose, she loses 1 - and she's doing everything right. She knows the PCOS makes it tougher to lose the weight, but because her Dr. is such a great motivator AND she's seeling results, she's motivated!

[mellipoo]

Oh im so glad someone else understands how tough it is! Ive been recently diagnosed with ADD and the doctor thought that since Adderral suppresses appetite that i would lose tons of weight but the truth is ive cut my food drastically for a good 3 1/2 weeks and ive lost like 8 lbs. Its really annoying cause im such an impatient person, but luckily the adderral makes it so i dont care if have to eat only SB foods. I had been on metformin, saw nothing change, and am still on BC so that i do get a period once in awhile. Its been tough having the PCOS because my mother denounces that it even exists, and all my friends are toothpick super model type people who eat everything all the time. I will have a tough time not drinking because here its the only thing to do on weekends, but ive been trying real hard to find alternate activities for the weekend. This weekend im leading a retreat! Woohoo! Well im gonna quit blabbering. Anyone else with stories ide LOVE to hear them!

[chrissymarie]

I am a true believer in glucophage. Sometimes it takes a while to get it working with your body.

[mellipoo]

i took the metformin for a long time and saw absolutely no changes so i mean unless i want to have a child, im gonna stick without it.

[futballuvr73]

I've taken metformin for a few years and with weight loss have regulated my periods. I was needing to take progesterone to get a period. Since losing 30 pounds last year (before SB), I haven't needed the progesterone. My journal has some of my struggles in it, if you want to check it out.
Gretchen

[TehPatty]

What are the symptoms of the syndrome? I've never heard of it before.

[mellipoo]

Common symptoms are an apple-like shape( heavy on the top and thin legs), excess facial and body hair,acne, some male pattern baldness, irregular periods caused by ovarian cysts, insulin resistance and several others. It affects 10% of women ( in america i think?) and may cause infertility. It also makes losing weight a lot tougher than usual.

[Smurlene]

Hi everyone! PCOS...gotta love it.

The main symptoms of PCOS:
male pattern hair growth and loss
skin tags
obesity (difficulty losing and maintaining weight)
dark patches of skin between the thighs, under the arms, etc.
fatigue
irregular periods
infertility from annovulation
frequent miscarriage
mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression

The syndrome was first dx back in the 1840s when a couple of doctors did a study of diabetic circus performers who were obsese and had lots of facial hair. Later, in the 1930s, Drs. Stein and Leventhal found the polycystic ovaries and the syndrome finally reached some medical attention, though it was not until the 1990s that interest in PCOS reached the forefront.

The current theories behind the cause fo the syndrome are complex. Some researchers think that it is entirely due to insulin resistance. Other researchers think that is a flawed theory given that weight loss does not cure the syndrome and 40% or so of women with the syndrome are thin or moderately overweight. Other researchers think the cause is in the ovaries. Some researchers think it is genetic. Other researchers think it is environmental. Most women I know who have the syndrome think it is a combination of all of these factors. There are a number of books out on the subject. The best of which is Dr. Thatcher's PCOS: The Hidden Epidemic.

As you can see, I love talking about the syndrome and have done a good bit of qualitative research on it. I will be glad to answer any questions anyone has about it. Although I hate having PCOS, it changed my life and my attitude towards my health. Getting diagnosed in 1998, finally unlocked the keys to most of my health problems and my struggles with weight.

[Smurlene]

Hi everyone! PCOS...gotta love it.

The main symptoms of PCOS:
male pattern hair growth and loss
skin tags
obesity (difficulty losing and maintaining weight)
dark patches of skin between the thighs, under the arms, etc.
fatigue
irregular periods
infertility from annovulation
frequent miscarriage
mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression

The syndrome was first dx back in the 1840s when a couple of doctors did a study of diabetic circus performers who were obsese and had lots of facial hair. Later, in the 1930s, Drs. Stein and Leventhal found the polycystic ovaries and the syndrome finally reached some medical attention, though it was not until the 1990s that interest in PCOS reached the forefront.

The current theories behind the cause fo the syndrome are complex. Some researchers think that it is entirely due to insulin resistance. Other researchers think that is a flawed theory given that weight loss does not cure the syndrome and 40% or so of women with the syndrome are thin or moderately overweight. Other researchers think the cause is in the ovaries. Some researchers think it is genetic. Other researchers think it is environmental. Most women I know who have the syndrome think it is a combination of all of these factors. There are a number of books out on the subject. The best of which is Dr. Thatcher's PCOS: The Hidden Epidemic.

As you can see, I love talking about the syndrome and have done a good bit of qualitative research on it. I will be glad to answer any questions anyone has about it. Although I hate having PCOS, it changed my life and my attitude towards my health. Getting diagnosed in 1998, finally unlocked the keys to most of my health problems and my struggles with weight.

[Lilybunny]

I found out I had PCO 7 years ago when I was trying to conceive. It answered a lot of questions I'd had for years regarding irregular periods, mood swings, weight gain and intense stomach pains that I now know where cysts.

My specialist started me on glucophage and it worked like a charm. I lost my first pregnancy, however I succeeded shortly after and now have a 5 year old little girl Unfortunately I am not a person who is good with taking medication and so I didn't really have the weight loss that's supposed to happen with glucophage - but it did help with the other problems that I had! and now SBD is helping with the weight so it's all good

[dini]

I've been on metformin for 5 years now, and I did not see any weight loss from it at all, however, my mood swings got better and my periods became more regular. I'm an odd ball when it comes to PCOS, I have a pear shaped body, and don't have excess facial hair or thinning hair. My doc says it's called Syndrome X, basically, I have all the other symptoms, and very bad insulin resistance. I also have polycysitic ovaries.

It is definetely hereditary, I don't care what anyone says. My mother had it, and she had all the classic symptoms. She was diagnosed in her 20's back when it was known as Stein Leventhal syndrome. But then they didn't know it caused weight gain, infertility, and in the long run, diabetes and all sorts of stuff. I was diagnosed after begging my doc to test my insulin levels.

One other feature of this wonderful syndrome seems to be that girls that have it tend to start puberty a bit early, and very often, come out of it long before other girls. I got my first period when I was 11, and started the whole body changing thing, and by the time I was about 14, I was done growing and changing completely. My doctor thought it was odd that I was no longer developing, and my mother said the same thing happened to her, except she started at 10, and stopped at about 12 or 13. She had no waist to speak of, but I do. I guess I lucked out there.

I am planning to start trying to concieve next january, so I am doing my best to lose as much weight as possible before then. My doc is also a big advocate of SB for PCOS, which makes it easier!

[mellipoo]

IT IS NOT ALWAYS HEREDITARY. I am living proof! I am the first ever in my family to have it and yes i did trace back as far as family records can and there still is nobody with it. I have every classic symptom and i developed late. I got a period at age 14 and stopped developing at about 19. Im not being rude or anything,im just saying that your case is not the end-all in what is experienced with PCOS. The weight loss ive seen so far is without any excercise though which shows me that there is hope for weight loss and that is something i am EXTATIC about. I did start excercising in my dorm room with the celebrity fit club and biggest loser dvds. Very fun!