Ladies with PCOS post RYN

Hi ladies!

I was wondering how the symptoms of PCOS has affected your surgery.  Has it helped anything??  I have very thick, coarse dark facial hair that I have to tweeze and clip everyday.  The meds for Hiritusm haven't worked for me at all (aldoctone) as far as thinning out the hair.  I haven't had a menstral cycle in over a year.  I'm obese and keep periodically getting "skin tags" (raised skin colored moles or something similiar on my face).  They are ugly and I want them removed and not sure how to go about getting them removed.I have PCOS ...REALLY bad.  Any feedback and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I too have PCOS and ugh the agony of tweezing and clipping everyday! Haha when I was in the stages of getting my surgery approved I joked with some of my friends that I was having the surgery just to save me hours of plucking! I'm only 2 months out so hopefully we'll hear from someone a little farther along because I'd love to know also! I can say that my periods have been regular the last 2 months (with a little help from Yaz since they were concerned about me not getting pregnant the next 2 years) and I haven't had any new skin tags grow. I also have managed to lose about 35 pounds in 2 months which would have taken years before surgery with this PCOS! Friday I will have updated results again and my Endocrinologist has high hopes after losing so much weight it'll make a difference, but even 1 month out my insulin was only 103 on NO metformin (they say 70-99 is normal for fasting I think so this was a huge difference) and my testosterone so was also a little elevated still which is probably accounting for the hair not having slowed down as much yet. So hopefully we will both have success in the facial hair department!

Hi Ladies. I am new to the website and have been researching WLS for some time now, even before I was diagnosed with PCOS 2 years ago. I have been over weight my whole life, and couldn't understand why no matter what I did, the weight just kept adding on. I wanted to read this post, because I am trying to find out as much info as I possibly can about WLS generally, but also those affected by PCOS like me. I too have the most common side effects like facial hair and body hair, skin tags, and the regular issues with menstruation. I have decided to go this route for many reasons but mainly my over-all health. Obesity related health issues run rampant in my family, and I know that I will be next if I don't do something about it. I will be meeting with a surgeon in a little over a week to discuss my options. I am concerned with which option is going to be best fo me given the fact I am only 21, and still want to have children. I have done some research on other sites about WLS in relation to PCOS patients and I have seen some really great studies that show huge success rates in almost diminishing the symptoms of PCOS. Many women forget they even have it after WLS because of the changes in their bodies'. Anyways, I wanted to join in on this one. I am also interested in hearing other responses. I hope that wasn't too long, or too off subject.

To answer your question regarding the skin tags, they are removable. If you see your family doctor they can use liquid nitrate on them or they can also be frozen and cut off. 
I also have pcos and I'm just 2 weeks out from having gastric sleeve. I consider myself lucky cause the metformin and spiratlone had worked and I have little hair growth. As bad as it sounds I would bleach my mustache every week and pluck under my chin about every 2 days and now I can go months. I am hoping with the weight lost I'll be considered normal again.

Kee.

Well im only 10weeks out of my RNY, but it is such a blessing!!! I have lost 44lbs and there is NO way that I would have been able to lose that amount of weight. My endocrinoligist said that i would only have been able to lose 1-2 lbs a month bcuz of the PCos ... so what i have accomplished in 2 1/2 mths would have taken me 4 years without the RNY.

As far as my Pcos symptoms, I havent seen much change yet, still have facial hair and very irregular periods, never had skin tags. But am off the metformin... which I think is a huge blessing in its self... I go back to the endocrinologist in 2 weeks to see how my hormone levels, ect are and decided if i need to change any meds,ect...


Hope this helps you, but i wouldnt change have my Rny... it is such a blessing !


Erin

Well being 5 years post-op. I can say I'm mixed on this, some Dr.s say a surgery that effects the metabolism will rid you of PCOS others say no because a hormone imbalance is not fixed by surgery. I think it depends on the severity of PCOS. As I know there is the PCOD diagnosis now, not sure if it is one in the same or possibly a diagnosis for severe PCOS. I will probably do some digging on that. So I say YMMV!

My OBGYN is in the camp of surgery help fixes your weight not what hormone imbalance that might be there(but believes it can vary), which he is a huge pro surgery Dr. and extremely knowlegeable about ALOT. And so far with me its true. My PCOS symptoms vanished for roughly 2 years, hair on the chin minimized (no more 5 oclock shadows), regular periods, and a killer sex drive. But then things started to snowball, it wasn't till I sat down one day analyzing myself and why the heck I felt so damned miserable. My PCOS was working in full force you could say. Minus irregular periods (I'm on BC). And that because I had the DS I had no worries about insulin resistance. But everyother bad symptom was there, chin hair comming back bad...like 5 oclock shadow by 3 oclock, extreme pain from a burst cycst (it has yet to be shown that my body actually even produces an egg, even prior to using BC...I didnt get on BC till after surgery), my mood was atrocious I didnt want to be by me, and absolutly no sex drive *** im 27 WTH this was never a problem before!)

I should add even though I had the symptoms ever since I was 12 Dr.s refused to diagnose me with PCOS. It wasn't till I found my current GYN that did I actually have someone give me a definitive, hated my previous GYN I found my current one 6 months post op.

I'm on spironalactone now and an oral BC (i used to use the Nura Ring, I loved it) but needed something stronger to help balance the hormones.


As for skin tags I only ever got them when heavy. And only on my neck and under my arms...once in a while between my legs. But thats were either floss or thread comes in. Just tie a piece around it, cutting off blood flow and usually in a couple days "poof" gone, basically falls off like a scab as it dries out from lack of blood flow.

I also have severe PCOS and I'm 2 yrs out from RNY.  How surgery affects the symptoms of pcos varies from person to person.  I also think it varies from stage to stage in your life.  At first I had a great out come with the surgery.  My hair growth slowed so much that I went 6 months without having to wax then it came back gradually.  The other symptoms took longer to resurface.  My menstral cycle was regular without any meds til about 6 months ago.  Then nothing for 2 months.  I was given progesterone for 10 days and on the 12th day it finally worked.  After that I was given fertility drugs sense I am trying to conceive but that didn't work.  According to my doctor my insulin levels are okay but I really have to watch what I eat.  To much sugar or carbs and they shoot up.  My hormone levels are not so good.  Even with the fertility drugs conceiving will be hard.  Getting past the first 4 months will be even harder.  I will have to take hormones just to keep from having a miscarriage.  I wouldn't change anything I've done so far to lessen the affects PCOS has had on my life.  Surgery has at least given me a chance to have a somewhat normal life.  Everyday is a battle to keep the weight off and you will have ups and downs but it's start.  Doctors said it wouldn't be easy or a fast cure for anything.  I wish you all luck with the battle.