Not sure if I have PCOS

[Spen673]

Hi,

I am 42 almost 43, I have suspected that I have PCOS for quite sometime now. I have all the symptoms, hair growth in weird places, losing hair on my head, acne, weight issues, no period. I was also diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic 4 years ago. I have tried talking to my family doctor on numerous occasions even printed information out and took it with me to my appointment. He is now sending me to a ob/gyn because of an abnormal cyst on my ovary which I thought went away a long time ago. I don't have any pain or discomfort. The thing that is getting to me is the hair loss, I hate it! I just want to know what I need to ask this new doctor to get him to hear me and really check this out. I am tired of being called sir by my customers. Help me if you can. What questions do I need to ask the doctor, should I take certain information with me, what?

Thanks,
Penny

[SherryRN]

Penny,

My advice is to get a referral to an Endocrinologist. Both diabetes and PCOS are endocrine disorders. Your PCOS treatment might be different given the fact that you are diabetic and an OB/GYN might not take that into consideration. Eg. put you just on BCP's. Do you take medication for your Type 2 diabetes? or do you control it with diet? Since there are a lot of similarities between diabetes and PCOS- mainly Insulin Resistance, you are probably already doing some of the things to help yourself, however Metformin seems to be the drug of choice not other oral hypoglycemics, so if you were on another medication that might have to change. Depending on how high your blood sugars run, you might have to start at higher doses of Metformin to see some benefit for both, then say someone with PCOS and normal blood sugars. An endocrinologist can also help you to rule out other possible causes for your symptoms. Seeing both the OB/GYN and Endo, are equally as important. It definately sounds like you have PCOS from what you write. But they should check to make sure that it's not something else. I work in the healthcare field and I know that a lot of doctors are put off that people go and research their symptoms online...It is probably only half of the time that patients are correct and so I can see how it can get frustrating on their end. However, most of them need to take a course on LISTENING. Most patients KNOW their own bodies, and KNOW what's not right. Researching online can speed up the diagnosis process, if someone does their homework and it seems that you have. It is hard to get someone to LISTEN and to help you...The best way is to ask questions and to keep asking them. So what questions should you ask? When you see the ob/gyn or even your GP again, I would list all your symptoms and make sure you talk about them collectively. Initially I would complain to my doctor about "acne" and he would try and treat it. Then I would complain awhile later when my periods stopped, that I wouldn't be having my period, so he would test me for pregnancy....it wasn't until I bled for a MONTH straight that he sent me for an original ultrasound, which showed cysts.. I was told that it was "incidental". In otherwords he never looked at my chart and thought...hmmmm I wonder if all of this is connected.
Lay EVERYTHING out. Make them investigate. Ask about things as if you have PCOS. So what is the course of treatment if it turns out I have PCOS? Should I see an endocrinologist, since I already have diabetes?
GIVE them ideas. My old family doctor would wait for me to tell him what I wanted.
Specifically with PCOS not everyone has cysts, despite the name of the syndrome. Just because you have cysts, you might not have PCOS and just because you have PCOS it doesn't mean you have cysts.
However: In polycystic ovary disease, under-developed follicles accumulate in the ovaries. Follicles are sacs within the ovaries that contain eggs. The eggs in these follicles do not mature and, therefore, cannot be released from the ovaries. Instead, they accumulate as cysts in the ovary.
You can also have other cysts, ones that can grow quite large (and therefore cause pain). I think my doctor said I have both types.
An OB/GYN is a specialist, and SHOULD have experience in dealing with PCOS. If not, then you need to find an OB/GYN that does. In your case, I would definately not start treatment from an OB/GYN until seen by an endocrinologist because you already have a diagnosis of diabetes.
I am still in the process of being diagnosed "officially" but I found that most of your time and energy are spent on saying "HEY...Listen to me...I know what I'm talking about...I have PCOS and I want to get help, so help me". If a doctor is not willing to listen to you, or provide referrals, or proper treatment, you owe it to yourself to find someone who will.