Polycystic Ovaries

Nurses General Nursing

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I have a question, I have been dx with Polycystic Ovaries and other than giving me medicine for the symptoms the doc really hasn't done much. Does anyone know anything about this problem? Any help would be appreciated. I have the excess weight, excess facial and body hair, Pimples on my face and body, irregular menses, Hypertension, High cholesterol, and mild depression. I take Diovan/HCTZ 80/12.5mg, Lipitor 20mg, Paxil 20mg, Birth control pills, and a multivitamin.

:confused: :confused: :confused:

OMG, DO I REMEMBER BEING AN INACTIVE AND VERY NOT IN THE SOCIAL GROUP BUT YET ON THE "PILL" AT THE AGE OF 15........

BECAUSE OF MY abnormal cycles....TO SUPPOSEDLY REGULATE my cycles......

oh, the hindsight and the pain of it all.....and as I refuse to feel sadness tonight........the $$$$$ I could have saved on birth control pills and etc, etc........over the years..........

hey you ladies out there, dealing with such as discussed this thread......you got my love and respect.......

just get everything out of the medical technology that is out there and do not take no from your doc......demand what you want........because it just may be possible.......

too late for me, but not for you.........

love you all!!!!!!!!!

and take care of yourselves.....

Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

Thanks micro for you support. I went to my OB/Gyn today and mentioned the glucophage to him. Well he admitted that he didn't know much about it so he referred me to an RE in Cleveland. I am calling in the am to see when I can get an appt! All I want is one healthy baby. I'll be thirty soon and would like a child before I turn 35.

I also have polycystic ovarian syndrome. Have had irregular to no menses on and off since my teens, weight gains, weird hair growth patterns, all ignored and passed off by docs. I am now on 8 mg/day of Avandia and feeling great. The excess hair growth has stopped and my weight has become managable.

A big part of the problem with PCOS is that you become insulin resistant, which accounts for the weight gains. The purpose of the Avandia/Glucophage routine to curb that resistance, and therefore make it easier to bring your weight under control. It also somehow affects your hormones so that hair growth, and other symptomes recede. My OB/GYN had told me that if I chose to conceive she would take me off the pill, and leave me on the avandia, as they find in PCOS patients that getting their insulin levels under control often results in successful conception.

Hope that helps.

I also have polycystic ovarian syndrome. Have had irregular to no menses on and off since my teens, weight gains, weird hair growth patterns, all ignored and passed off by docs. I am now on 8 mg/day of Avandia and feeling great. The excess hair growth has stopped and my weight has become managable.

kaknurse and nrsjo,

wow, and keep on fighting.............

I do not know what it is about doc's and I do not know if it is a female patient to the typically male doc thing.......

but how often we are overlooked and just said "puffaw" tooo'

sadness for me, but it at this point in my life gives me something to share and to give to my 'sisters'.........

micro's daughter would have been cool', but hey, micro can touch a lot more than one, huh?????

sorry for a bit of sadness......here.........

micro has only learned to speak up in her thirties and in just a day micro turns forty one.............

oh, well..........

hey, all (my lady friends at least,..........read anything that Gail Sheehy writes.......she is so cool)

love to you all.........

micro

I was diagnosed with PCOS by ultrasound when I was 17. I have never had a regular menstrual cycle, and my GP immediately suspected this malady.

Unfortunately, this was back in the day when the general idea of treatment was a BCP script to regulate menses, and regular facial waxing.

Recently, I've been thinking about the possibility of pregnancy, so I've started seeing a new doc who wants to treat this more aggressively. She's pondering the metformin route, and has also placed me on a low-carb diet.

Hopefully, with proactive treatment of this disorder, we all need not suffer its effects so greatly.

It's been interesting to me, personally, to see the number of women here who've posted their personal stories rather than just treatment experience... It's been eye-opening. After all, the research assertion is that 1 in 10 women has PCOS. After seeing these posts, I believe it.

Donna :)

we are out there and learn from our mistakes........

mainly not learning to speak up and DEMAND what we want...............

because even though there may and will always be sad answers for some of us.........

the majority of us, will have and gain what we want want, .............

IF WE FIGHT FOR IT"

micro

too late for me, but I love all my sisters'

Specializes in Critical Care.

Well good luck with your treatments. I have 2 large cysts on my left ovary, about 11cm. I am having surgery to remove them next month. I did not have any symptoms, the Dr. found them on a routine exam.

This is so awesome! Not that it seems PCOS is not as uncommon that I thought, but that there are others out there who are dealing with what I am. I am currently on 25 mg of aldactone and a BCP. I have known I've had pcos for YEARS, I was actually put on bcp when I was 16 to regulate my periods, but stopped when I got older. I only have a period on my own about every year or so. I actually just started treatment about a month ago and had my first period last week. That was ugly, I don't remember my periods being so painful.

But after reading the messages here, I am wondering if I should be on glucophage instead of the aldactone and bcp's? For the ladies who started having periods with glucophage/avandia, are you also on bcp or is it purely the other?

PS Someone said they are going to try clomid. I was on it for three months and all that happened was I got cysts on my ovaries. So be careful and report any pain to your doc immediately! Good luck.

I am 54. I had such terrible periods in my teens & early twenties that I was anemic all the time. I was skinny - 5'7" and 115 lbs. I was very lucky to have 2 kids and then talked a doctor into a hysterectomy, but my ovaries were left (I was 26 and this was the 70's). After the hyst I gained weight (no more anemia), and the acne stayed terrible. The hair on my scalp was thin & getting worse, but I was hairy elsewhere. Then, as I got older, I developed insulin tolerance & "borderline" blood sugars, which were not treated except by diet. I became frankly diabetic only in 1997. In the meantime, however, my dermatologist was the only one who really listened and helped me. When I was 39, he attended a c.e. seminar where they suggested use of Spironolactone (an old B/P med), estrogen, and Rogaine to treat the syndrome (no one else bothered to determine if there was something real going on). My life became worth living with this combination. The hair on my chest fell out, and the hair on my head grew in again. My acne was much improved, as was my Rosacea. In 1997 I became quite suddenly fully diabetic after some surgery, and was finally put on Glucophage. I have finally been able to lose weight, although it is always still a struggle. I thank God for my dermatologist, because no one else listened & cared and believed. For those of you who still have acne problems, do talk to your doctor about spironolactone - its action is to block androgens at the skin level. Initial dosage is 50 mg. b.i.d. I have never been able to get off it completely, but it is a very safe drug. And the Rogaine is a miracle, but you have to stay on it or the hair falls out again - I know! I wish I'd been diagnosed at a much younger age, but they know a lot more these days, if you can get a good doctor who doesn't think you're a neurotic whiny hypochondriac! Hang in there, compadres. The world is slowly becoming kinder to our half of the human race.

I have tried Aldactone/Spironolactone, but ended up with dizziness and no real difference in my PCOS symptoms. Right now it is just BCP, Diovan/HCTZ (for blood pressure), Paxil (for depression), and Xenocal (for weight loss). I think the reason I had such dizziness with the Aldactone was because they kept me on the Dirvan/HCTZ at the same time and I ended up with low blood pressure. I think I will bring up the Glucophage with my doc next time I go in. I have to go back in soon in order to get more refills on my other meds anyway.

I didnt know there were so many of us out there!!!!!!

Does anyone also been diagnosed with a high testosterone level and they only thing the internest told me to do, was go to Weight Watchers, i am now 41 years old, have had one surgery to remove a large cyst and have not had a period in 15 months, except for a small breakthrough spotting.

I really dont want to go on the pill because it makes me sick except the triphasal but my insurance wont pay for it and I am tired of no periods or the last one that lasted 3 weeks and was a 3 pad gusher could cough or laugh without gushing yuk!

Why cant all doctors practice the same medicine instead of playing games, I am very overweight have always had alot of facial hair and now its growing other places and pain in my hips which I had before when Ive had a cyst, what should I do and what is this about glucophage, how does this act on this dx?????

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