PCOS ???

ok i am 2 years out of gastric bypass and about 200 pounds. started at 270. i was 170 for a little while after surgery. the dr told me at a young teenage year that i had PCOS and now i am wondering why no one ever helped me. i only take 2 kinds of pills a day. all i am on is birth control to get periods. and 25 mg of spironolactone - 1 a day for facial hair. and that dont help. i have to shave almost every day and cant stand it. so who do i talk to about this my reg. dr? obgyn dr? surgeon? anyone help me please... thanks

I will be 52 in January. I was suffering from PCOS since I was a teenager which they never picked up on until 1989. Imagine going all those years with that and not one doctor had a clue, including OB/GYN and visits to Endo specialists, too. And all the while they knew I had an underactive thyroid and battle a weight problem, too. Typical response of all doctors to overweight patients is to lose weight instead of digging deeper for an underlying cause. My PCOS wasn't discoverd until my HMO brought in a newer Endo/OBGYN/Cancer specialist that they sent me to who had to deal with my stage 3 hyperplasia problem. That was lovely, at least a month of a strong high dose of hormones that he informed me of testing showed it cause breast cancer in beagles. Hyperplasia is known as a result of not getting your periods for a very long time and that's besides anyone who has gone on to deal with cancer related hyperplasia stages, too. Then after I did those hormones, the next step was to have a D & C. The final step he took was to put me on one pill of provera for ten days a month to bring on the period. I hate them. They make me nutso. A regular rollercoaster of emotions. And of course, I would stop them because I just couldn't handle the moods and I gave up on dealing with the weight problems PCOS caused me on top of overeating. I am paying for it now because of that dumb move. Early on when I was much younger, I gave up and settled for bad medical care. But ever since I knew of PCOS, I have told every woman, and teenager I know of about this medical problem that affects many and goes untreated. Not much to my surprise, after informing my sisters and sister inlaw, two of my nieces were found to suffer from it in their early teens. It much more out there than everybody knows about and goes untreated by the medical professionals. Even with diabetic females patients. I know I will catch hell for this from the men but they can bite me. Womens health care is still in the cave man era and if we don't do for ourselves, we sit and suffer. Seems its more important that men grow back their hair, and that they have a 24 hour erection thanks to a little pill because the medical field plus the pharmaceutical companies are controlled by and in the hands of men. As for you, dealing with this, you knew to take to your regular doctor about it, and your OB/GYN on top of seeing an endo specialist. All three have to be involved in treating you on this. And don't settle for just any off the top of their head medication/medications to deal with this because there are differnet meds available to deal with this. They just might not know about it. Halina

An endocrinologist helped me more than anyone else. My family doctor knew, my gynecologist knew, I was diagnosed for 15 years and was told that the only thing that could help me was to lose weight. I repeatedly tried and tried, to no avail. I saw some info on the net on soulcysters.com, printed it off, went to my family doc and demanded to see an endocrinologist who treated PCOS. The endocrinologist put me on glucophage and explained that I had severe insulin resistance ( per my lab work). I started a low-carb diet and lost 40 lbs, then nothing. He suggested the gastric bypass and here I am. He knew that I wouldn't lose weight as well as others and told me to make sure I follow the low-carb diet and he also continued the glucophage. I've lost more slowly than a lot of others, but I'm now trying to reach a maintenance weight and stabilize out. I still deal with the hair issues, he's offered the spironolactone, but I'm newly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and have to take so much medicine already. I'm going to do the laser hair removal, I do believe. Good luck to you Rachel 344 highest weight 302 day of surgery 168 goal weight 155 current weight

Oh good god! Only 25 mg of Spironolactone? That is nowhere near enough! I take 150 mg a day. I'd speak to your gyno if I were you about increasing your dosage, and also ask about Metformin (Glucophage). That's what I am taking for mine, and my gyno specializes in PCOS because his own daughter has it, too.

i heard from this bosrd that 25 mg is not enough. my pcp gave me the spironolactone. i have to shave everyday. now i am on birth control pills will they still give me metformin? thanks. anita

I don't see why they wouldn't. The Metformin and birth control treat different parts of the condition. Most women with PCOS have a problem with their cells not using insulin effectively, and the metformin helps change that, as well as absorbing some of the excess insulin in your system. The birth control is just to try and get your hormones more normal. Hope this helps.

well i guess i will have to give my gyn a call and see if they will give me the metformin. i have gained weight since the pic now i am about 200 pounds. i cant seem to loose the weight.