My Truth About PCOS Symptoms..

After reading a few people’s blogs who also have PCOS and reading their answers to the list of what research says you will have to deal with if you have PCOS, like other people’s blogs I’m going to write my side of it, I know in many regards I do not have it as bad off as other’s have it, in fact compaired to many I’ve gotten off lightly. So here is my side of the deal as I see it though my own eyes.

Early symptoms of PCOS include:

Few or no menstrual periods. This can range from less than nine menstrual cycles in a year (more than 35 days between cycles) to no menstrual periods. Some women with PCOS have regular periods but are not ovulating every month. This means that their ovaries are not releasing an egg each month.

Well I know when I was a child and my cycles first started I was 7 years old and maybe for the first year they where semi regular, as in every two months or less I’d be getting them and they would be fair heavy, but I didn’t think anything of it. Then the weight gain started and my cycles got less and less till I was lucky to get an hour of bleeding once a year.

Hair loss from the scalp and hair growth (hirsutism) on the face, chest, back, stomach, thumbs, or toes. About 70% of women in the United States with PCOS complain of these hair problems caused by high androgen levels. Acne and oily skin, caused by high androgen levels.

Again this was something that I experianced growing up, at age 13 I found my first white hair on my way to my Jr. High Graduation, not a great thing to find at that age what so ever. Though I am lucky in this area that I only had the hair falling out issue on the top of my head, no hair on my chest to speak of and very little on my back (though that’s now changed or so my husband tells me). I do have hair on my hands, but I can’t remember a time that its never not been there so its never been an issue to me same goes for my toes its always been there so I’ve never paid it any attention. Only hair I am now actually paying attention to is the part that has start to be more noticible on my upper lip, not that is starting to get rather annoying!

Acne and oily skin, caused by high androgen levels.

I have the Acne, but I do not have oily skin and most of the acne I have is on my body not on my face as is common for most people – but I find is more annoying big time when it likes to appear on my breast.

Depression or mood swings. Hormonal changes are a known cause of emotional symptoms.

K I did go though a short period of Depression according to my mom, but we don’t link it to the PCOS but to that abusive relationship I was in for over a year. But the mood swings, well that is another matter, according to my mom I’ve always been moody so she’s not ready to say that its because of the PCOS, though I am sure some of it might well be. I do know that some of my mood swings are do to High Glucose levels or Low Glucose levels going to high or going to low I have found can trigger a swing in my moods big time.

PCOS symptoms that may develop gradually include:

Weight gain or upper body obesity (more around the abdomen than the hips). This is linked to high androgen levels.

Not sure about this in general, as most of my weight is carried in my hip area, I’m more a pear shape then an Apple which is the common look for those with PCOS or so I’ve been told, I’m also close to the Hourglass form as I am the Pear shape (as in I’m only 10 inches different from the width of my shoulder to the width of my hips, and only 5 inches different from my width of my shoulder to the width of my waste.

Male-pattern baldness or thinning hair (alopecia). This is linked to high androgen levels.

As I stated above this is something that I have found happening to me since I entered into my teen years. Though one funny thing once I had my hysterectomy I my head hair started thickening and down below where I was once almost bald started to grow with avengance.

Repeat miscarriages. The cause for this is not known. These miscarriages may be linked to high insulin levels, delayed ovulation, or other problems such as the quality of the egg or how the egg attaches to the uterus.

I’ve only ever had one known miscarriage, there might have been other’s but I only know of one actually taking place.

Inability to become pregnant (infertility). This is because the ovaries are not releasing an egg (not ovulating).

Well I know I will never have a child of my body, and I am 100% alright with that. Its not something that was ever meant to be and since I don’t have the drive to be a mother its something that is alright with me. Being infertile to me is a blessing, it opens up a whole lot of things that I don’t have to worry about, though it does isolate me at times from other women who can’t understand how I can be happy without being a mother.

Symptoms of too much insulin (hyperinsulinemia) and insulin resistance, which can include upper body weight gain and skin changes, such as skin tags or dark, velvety skin patches under the arm, on the neck, or in the groin and genital area.

Well of all the signs listed above I only really have had to deal with the skin tags, they haven’t been that bad and the ones that are most annoying I tend to take care of on my own.

Breathing problems while sleeping (obstructive sleep apnea). This is linked to both obesity and insulin resistance.

As yet this is not something what I have any known issue with, my husband hasn’t mentioned anything about it so as yet I don’t think I have an issue with it.

Pain in the lower abdomen and pelvis (chronic pelvic pain).

I lived with this for close to 5 years, it getting worse and worse and worse with each passing year and nothing my gyn or doc would to do help with the 24/7 pain that I was having to deal with. I finally all came to a stop when I had the hysterectomy in 2008. However in the past year its started up again, and there is no rhyme or reason for it since I do not have a reproductive system in place anymore.

High blood pressure may be more common in women with PCOS, especially if they are very overweight. Your doctor will check your blood pressure.

Well so far so good on this grounds when it comes to what my Endo says with each visit. I still not close to having it if anything my levels are better then my age group and way better then my age group for those with diabetes to start with, so all in all he’s happy with how that side of things are with me.

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