My History

On January 29th, I saw on Daily Strength, a question regarding Vitex.  The replies from the post stated that these women had great success with it.  I looked it up and thought I would give it a try.  I went to the store and bought Vitex and progesterone cream.  I started taking a cough decongestant on the 28th because I read that it can help with the cervical mucus. I also decided that I must have been delirious on the 28th when I thought I had a visit from AF.  Of course I am delirious, 59 days without a period?

When I think about my history and my diagnosis of PCOS, I always wonder if I didn't cause it.  I was on BCP for years that I only needed to have a visit from AF 4 times per year.  I wonder if that could have tricked my body into only having AF every few months. But then when I read symptoms and information on PCOS and LPD, I have had those for years. I switched from ob/gyn to ob/gyn trying to find out what was wrong with me until I met my current ob/gyn in 2003.  I always thought / knew something was wrong, but no doctor would listen to me.  I was diagnosed in 1996 with a hypothyroid.  Then depression some several years later.  I had a laproscopy and hysterscopy in 2002.  The ob/gyn punctured my uterus during these procedures.  She thought I had endometriosis, but said I didn't after these procedures.  I found my current ob/gyn in 2003 at a women's event.  She asked me to give her a chance and I did.  She didn't diagnose me with PCOS until last year, but she has always listened to me and taken my concerns seriously.  When I first started seeing her, she found a BCP that worked for me and seemed to "cure" my symptoms.  She is the doctor that recommended I go on BCP that I only need to have AF 4 times per year.  My visits from AF were horrible, so I agreed.   Things were fine.  DH and I decided we would start TTC in June 2006.  In March 2006, I stopped taking BCP and was pregnant in May 2006.  We had a healthy, beautiful little girl in 2007.  I did have GD during the pregnancy. 

PCOS Diagnosis

July 16, 2009, DH and I attended an ob/gyn appointment. I have been off BCP since October of 2008. My periods were fine the first 4 months I was off the pill, but then just stopped. My cycle before DD was about 30 something days, now it was 42days long (well the 4 months I had a period!). March and April I didn't have a period. I only had a period in May because the ob/gyn's office prescribed Provera. I missed a period in June and July. I was not ovulating.

The ob/gyn did a pregnancy test and it was negative. She said that I was not ovulating. Apparently my lining is too thick. The estrogen in my body is turning into testosterone, which turns into insulin. She said that every women has cysts in their ovaries. It is one of those cysts that gets fertilized or if it doesn't causes your period to start. Your body only allows the best cyst to get fertilized. Well apparently I don't have any of those "best" cysts. I have what is called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). The ob/gyn said this is why I am gaining weight in the stomach. The fat is just collecting there. She said this is why I am having pains in my stomach as well. We are going to try to treat it with Metformin, which is a Diabetes drug. She is also doing bloodwork to make sure everything else is OK. The Metformin could also cause stomach pain and diarrhea.

When the ob/gyn was telling us this, I was about to lose it, but tried to act OK. I looked over and saw DH tearing up and knew I had to be OK about it. I didn't want both of us to cry over this. After the appointment, while I was waiting for my script and bloodwork req, he lost it and had to leave the office for a minute.

He went to the lab with me. They got me in and out of there rather quickly. I picked up the script for Metformin that evening.