Can any one tell me anything about pcos?

Question

can anyone tell me about pcos. i have had pcos for 8 years now n dont really know anything about it i have read up on it but it asnt really helped. i get lower abdominal pain which is really painfull. i have read that i should have check ups is this right because the doctors dont seemed to say anything about it.

Answer 1

It is caused by harmless fluid- filled sacs honey. They rest on the ovaries, like a 'pearl neckalce' effect. They hardly ever cause pain but sometimes this can be mild. By pushing on the ovaries this causes a hormone imbalance. This causes weight gain, spots, more hair on the body and face, spots and heavy/light or no periods. This can be hard to deal with but there are many medications that your doctor can give you to regulate hormone inbalance and sort this out. Unfortunately there is no cause of pcos. but in many women it is caused by weight gain and can also be stopped by weight loss :) long term it can sometimes affect fertility, but this is something you can deal with when and if you want to be pregnant. PCOS has no major health risks though :) Take care hun xxxx p.s yes it is best to keep regular check ups, as the cysts can grow in size and its good to keep an eye on them. Your doctor should have given you information on this! especially as a young woman as you have many things to deal with and they should have given you some information. Anything else email me xx

Answer 2

Hi,

I have had PCOS for a long time, and first of all I must say that "Young Nurse" is wrong about the pain. The cysts can be excruciating, in fact, just having the follicles before the cysts develop is very very painful and uncomfortable. Inducing a period is sometimes the best way to combat the cysts, usually by first taking Provera tablets, and then regulating your cycle with the combined pill such as Marvelon.

You should have check ups, but you actually need to ask your doctor to refer you to a gynaecologist or endocrinologist to sort out your hormonal problems. Basically you are producing too much testosterone which causes the pain in the form of the perlvic pressure and lack of periods. This hormone is androgenic so that gives many women with PCOS skin problems such as acne and hair issues (either too much or sometimes male-pattern baldness). You don't have to show all symptoms. A gynaecologist can run some blood tests and see your exact hormone levels and then will be able to prescribe something to help you specifically.

It does take a while for things to settle down, and often you may feel you need to change pills or methods if things don't suit you. But in the meantime try to eat healthily and exercise gently (i know the pain can be awful, just a walk around can help though).

You may not know that there are a couple of very good websites with discussion boards. We all have PCOS and are there to support one another.

www.verity-pcos.org.uk       (www.verity-pcos.org.uk/board)

www.soulcysters.com         (www.soulcysters.net for discussion board)

I found these sites to be so helpful and still use them occasionally. A lot of the time it felt like nobody, not even my specialist understood what I was going through, so having the support of people who were like me was great.

For the pain, you could ask your doctor to prescribe you Mefenamic Acid tablets, which are stronger than ibuprofen.

Really hope you get sorted. Good luck, take care xx