found out i had this

[ztachick]

Well i went to the doc 2 weeks ago and it was a new one- so i was asking her about the pap/pelvic and the meds that i was on(specifically metformin for high insulin- not dibetic though) and she said that that ment that i had metabolic syndrome, and that was related to PCOS, so now what... does that mean that i need to do anything difffernect or anything.. i read the stickys and a bit about it but im not sure what happens now... anything that i need to know or what else this could mean? thanks

[lowcarbing4ever]

Hi ztachick, :hug

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I think the main thing is to not panic. A lot of women do panic when they get the diagnosis or they just don't get it or are very confused. Having PCOS means that you are at a higher risk for many things than most women; no one knows why on some things, others may be related to the higher insulin and its connection to diabetes and heart disease.

You are probably doing the best thing that PCOS'ers can do: get healthy. Getting and staying healthy are the best thing for us because it lowers our risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, IR and other things. It can control certain symptoms as hair growth, ovulation, irregular periods, cramps, fertility, etc. which PCOS does wreck havoc with.

The range of symptoms can vary widely from woman to woman and whether you have them all the time or not. the biggest issue surrounding PCOS that bothers most women (like me) is fertility. It can be much more difficult to get pregnant or maintain a pregnancy with it. Many miscarriages are common but pregnancy can be achieved by many, with diligence and a smart doctor who knows how to help you. Excercise, eating a low carb diet, not getting too stressed and a few drugs like Metformin or Avandia can help ease symptoms and get things on track. Metformin, they are finding, can also aid with Clomid in helping achieve pregnancy. Many women can get pregnant just by losing weight, exercising, and taking Met because 80% of women who have PCOS are overweight or obese (I hate that word!).

Search the internet and you will find a lot of info about it, what treatments are being used, doctors who specialize in your area and about how to control the disease. Now, there is a lot of info. A couple of years ago, ther was none. Also go to Kat Carney's site: http://www.soulcysters.com/. She created it as a place for those of us who needed help and info. You can learn almost anything there from the women who post there and look around at all the articles and stuff Kat has collected. I recommend going there first.

Lastly, having this can be a big pain, an inconvienience and heartbreaking but it can be dealt with a lot thru health and nutrition. If you need to chat please feel free to email me or post here and I will help any way I can. :hug

[ztachick]

lowcarbing4ever -- thanks so much for your reply-
so i guess many women have PCOS and dont even realize right.?
anyways thanks again.

[pockets]

I just thought you needed a hug. :hug :hug It seems doctors keep finding things to worry us.

[ztachick]

Thanks pockets-oh and happy birthday

[lowcarbing4ever]

Yes, that is true; many women have it and aren't diagnosed. I realized years later. that I was actually diagnosed when I was 17 (I went to the doc for irregular periods and abnormal hormones) but they called it Stein-Leventhal disease (another name for it) but I was young and I had no clue what they were talking about and there was NO treatment for it then at all. Besides, at 17 what did I care with my teenage brain? LOL!

I even know of women who have most of the symptoms but refuse to go to the doctor because they "don't wanna know"; which I think is silly and naive and dangerous. PCOS is not fatal but it can be dangerous for us because it raises our risk of diabetes by 50% and heart disease by 60% is some cases! But diet and exercise lowers that substantially. i would rather know and do something about it than know nothing and get sick and find out! :nod

[2big4mysize]

glad you got a good doc.

Keep seeing and asking her questions about your dose if met as you do your Atkins since with low carbs your insulin production should go down and your cells will become more sensetive to the insulin. Dr Atkins talks about insulin resistance in chapter 20 of DANDR.

Happy low carbing

[ztachick]

Thanks alot for all the great advice- im going to be going every 4 months or so to the doc to get my blood checked and make sure things are going well, and now my only concern is that i have been on the pill since i was 15 for irregular periods- im 24 now i know that is a long to be on them, does that effect the chaces of getting pregnant later when i want cuz having PCOS does effect it- right?

[2big4mysize]

the pill will not effect it but your PCOS can if you have any physical damage to your reproductive system from the PCOS. When you are ready to try for a baby discuss it with your doc who is treating your PCOS.

In the mean time keep eating your Atkins and getting healthier and back to normal estrogen levels.

[lowcarbing4ever]

You know, that is probably when your PCOS symptoms started to occur because irregular periods are usually the first sign most women notice and usually it isaround that age. I agree with 2big4; keep in step with your doc about the time when you want to concieve and s/he can help with testing to make sure that when you are ready, things will be ok.
Actually, it may have helped taking the pill, because the cysts usually can't form on your ovaries when you take them (because of the regular cycles) and also can keep down your hormone level so that the hair growth is better controlled. And who knows? You may not need them to regulate your period anymore since you have lost so much weight; most with PCOS who lose weight don't. By just losing 15 lbs my periods came back. Just a thought....if you are not in a relatioship or whatever, at your current weight right now, you could talk to your doc about stopping them (temporarily) and see if your periods come back on their own. It would sure save $35-40 every month just for regulating your cycle!