What kicks the hair growth into overdrive...will it ever get better???

Hello.........I'm scheduled for surgery next Thursday and I was wondering if the weight loss helps at all with the hair growth? Mine has went from bad to way worse in the last year.........Will it ever get better? What about the dark spots? I take metformin(which I forget often)..but that is about to change and the doc prescribed me some Spironolactone, but I thought I would wait till after surgery to start it. I have been to the endocinologist.....they continue to say I DO NOT have PCOS....but I have EVERY screaming symptom. The little wiskars on my neck it what drives me NUTZ!! Can anyone relate??

I should have read your post before I posted...I think we basically asked the same question.  Maybe we'll get an answer with some hope in it. As for not having PCOS, it took me 10 years of misery to get diagnosed.  What kinds of doctors have you been to?  I went to them all and finally got dx'd by a reproductive endocrinologist.

I am 4 months post op.  I have seen a difference with my pcos.  I have had pcos since im 14 and im turning 30 in a few months.  I do not take any meds at this point although i know i do need to seen the gyno doc.  My symptoms have improved and i have also had two periods since surgery... which i might add is alot for me considering that i had averaged two periods in three years.  Yes, i still have hair growth but not as bad.  I do not have dark spots so i cant help ya there.  I do take biotin everyday with my vitamins. My hair is actually growing on my head!! It had grown more since surgery than it has in the past year.  Everyone is different.  Everyone's body is different and reacts differently.  As for not being diagnosed with pcos.... someone once told me .. YOU need to be your own advocate.  YOU need to find a doc who will diagnose you with the pcos.... I know its hard.. we all work, kids, etc........ but ya gotta take care of yourself.  If there is anything else i can help ya with let me know..... take care  Christine.

I can completely relate- the hair growth totally sucks. There's a couple of different things that cause it- mostly testosterone. The dark spots are from insulin resistance or diabetes. They tend to go away as your blood sugars get lower. I had a hard time getting dx'd too. Different labs have different values on what's normal. My first lot of blood tests had my testosterone at 79, which they considered in the "normal" range. Over 80 would have been abnormal, although most women have a level under 50!  I was retested about a year later, and my testosterone was 81, and bingo- dx'd with PCOS. Later I had ultrasounds that showed enlarged ovaries w/cysts also.  You have to (typically) have abnormal ovaries and hormones to get the dx. A lot of doctors are getting better about going off history in combination with lab results, but unfortunately- there are still some out there that think you have to fit everything to a T. It's important to remember that PCOS is a syndrome; meaning a symptomatic disease, based off your symptoms. There are thin cysters, there are fertile cysters, and we come in all shapes sizes and different degrees. You should take a look at this site; http://www.wdxcyber.com/dxinf001.htm it describes the 5 "types" of PCOS, and see where you fit in. Some people believe that weightloss can be a cure for PCOS. Hopefully it will be. Good luck to you! Bug

I guess since your surgery is on Thursday this may not matter anymore but  another way to get diagnosed is to have a 3 hour glucose tolernace test.  PCOS is caused by being insulin resistant.  You drink this gross liquid sugar stuff and they take blood before, you drink it, then every hour for three hours to see what your glucose and insulin levels are.  Mine were horrible!!!  The norm is 80-100 (units?) mine insulin levles got up to 842!!!!!!!!  But my glucose levels never got to the diabetic range.  So for years I knew I had problems with my sugars but my regular doctors kept saying that I was not diabetic, which was true but  I still had a major problem and I currently take Metformin ER. I see one of the leading PCOS researchers he is a reproductive endocrinologist at Hershey Medical Center, Dr. Legro.  I actually just saw him today.  He was all for me having WLS and said most of my symptoms will be alleviated and that  research on WLS and PCOS  is currently being done but the results are not publisehd yet.  Hershey is doing a research project on women who have had WLS and they look at the reproductive hormones, etc. one month before one month after then 6 months and 12 months after surgery.  I have a call into the dept so if I find any info I will post it :) GOOD LUCK ON YOUE SURGERY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You might want to check out this site http://www.pcosupport.org/   In addition to having a lot of useful informaiton, it also provides a directory of doctors my state that are members of the PSOS group.  This is the way I found my doctor.   As far as hair.... I have thyroid issues along with PCOS - both can cause hair loss and thinning.  I have gone from a full head of hair to very fine thin hair after two serious bouts of hairloss.  The most recent loss was in late 2004 and early 2005.   I am concerned about this as part of WLS so I am diligent about taking my Biotin.   The part of my body that has no problem growing hair is my face.  I have to shave daily. I have been on Spironolactone for 13 plus years.  I can't really say that it has ever helped.  I have RNY scheduled in just two days.  I  have heard that this surgery helps PCOS patients and I am all for that.  How ironic that we have to deal with too much hair where it should not be (face and neck) but can't keep in growing on our head? Good luck to you.

I can relate -- I weigh less now than when my hair issues started in my teens -- and now it's growing back faster than ever.  I plan to get myself tested very soon.

I don't know if you got an answer or not but here is what I have found from my experience.. My hair growth on my face got HORRIBLE right before my surgery I was on spironolactone for years to control it and rfight before surgery it didn't work.. But since my surgery ti's gotten 150% better... it doesn't come in as thick or as a dark or as fast... I think it's interesting that they don't want to diagnos you with PCOS but they are giving you the a-typical treatment for it... interesting to me anyway...

I have went and had blood tests done since surgery and i'm off my metformin and my obgyn and endocrinologist both state that my insulin resistance is almost completely gone that i should start ovulating and cycling on my own... i feel fantastic and I hope that it's the same with you, now if I can just get prego

My hair growth is less after surgery right now.  I do take vaniqa cream to reduce the hair growth, it is prescribed and like $60 a tube.  If  I don't use that I must get electrolysis, or I would never leave the house.