pcos? questions

my last period was september 26, 2012 and i havent had any spotting or bleeding since then. its really annoying... i was getting a period every month for a whole yr and i loved it cause i actually thought my body was becoming "normal" but now its happening again :/ i think i have pcos? i need to make a dr app. how do they find out if you do indeed have it? what tests do they do? and if i have it whats the next procedure????? what is pcos exactly?

PCOS is an endocrinological disorder, it doesn't just effect fertility. It effects the whole body. With PCOS you have a higher risk of heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke and uterine cancer, high cholesterol, nonalcoholic fatty liver, and diabetes. Of course not everybody will have those issues. With PCOS its important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, eating right, working out and keeping your weight at a normal level.

Some women with PCOS, not EVERYBODY with PCOS will have polycystic ovaries. Some get ovarain cysts. I've had PCOS symptoms since I was 13, I was diagnosed with PCOS at 16.. I didn't have any ovarian cysts for 7 years, now I'm getting cysts out of nowhere. Ways they diagnose PCOS is an ultrasound, your ultrasound may come back completely normal but you still may have PCOS. Women with PCOS tend to have an elevated; LH/FSH ratio and a high testosterone level. Some have insulin resistance.
Laboratory Tests

• FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) - will be normal or low with PCOS
• LH (Lutenizing Hormone) - will be elevated
• LH/FSH ratio - This ratio is normally about 1:1 in premenopausal women, but with PCOS a ratio of greater than 2:1 or 3:1 may be considered diagnostic.
• Prolactin - will be normal or low (elevated in hyperprolactinemia)
• Testosterone - total and/or free; usually elevated
• DHEAS - frequently mildly elevated with PCOS; may be done to rule out a virilizing adrenal tumor in women with rapidly advancing hirsutism
• Estrogens - may be normal or elevated
• Sex hormone binding globulin (SBGH) - may be reduced
• Androstenedione - may be elevated
• hCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) - used to check for pregnancy; negative unless pregnant
• Lipid profile (low HDL, high LDL, and cholesterol, elevated triglycerides)
• Glucose - fasting and/or a glucose tolerance test; may be elevated
• Insulin - often elevated
• TSH (Thyroid stimulating hormone) - to check thyroid function
• Free Cortisol and Creatinine levels - rule out Cushing syndrome
• 17-hydroxyprogesterone - to rule out congenital adrenal hyperplasia
• IGF-1 - to rule out acromegaly http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/conditions/pcos/start/2

Besides irregular periods do you have any other PCOS symptoms? I'd also bring up to your doctor that you've been TTC for over a year. They can give you Provera to start a period, and Clomid to help you ovulate. If you have any questions about PCOS feel free to PM me.  

omg thank you so much this is very helpful   since i was 11 my periods were always 5 months apart. I have had cycts more than usual but never bad.. i have been testing with ovulation test and they all come up positive,, so i have no idea... im sure i have this   and yeah i wanted to tell my dr about ttc but she always goes against me   its always the same thing that im to young... and trys to get me on birth control but i cant find another dr at the moment to switch ugh

Quoting MiSS JDM (ttc#2):" omg thank you so much this is very helpful   since i was 11 my periods were always 5 months apart. I ... [snip!] ... the same thing that im to young... and trys to get me on birth control but i cant find another dr at the moment to switch ugh"

Hopefully you can find a new doctor.. I started TTC at 18, by the time I was 20 I was doing IUI to get pregnant. I'm 23 now (almost 24), doing IUI once again. If I don't get pregnant this cycle we're moving onto IVF, you're not too young!

I wish doctors would take their patients more seriously. With the tests that I listed demand that your doctor tests all of that.

Quoting MiSS JDM (ttc#2):" and i always had heavy bleeding during my periods and they would last like 10 days ! it took 3 yrs to ... [snip!] ... some depression like forever.. i think its something big now that i think of it. thanks for helping me.. def making a dr app "

It sounds like you could have PCOS! It's best to try to get it under control now before it's too late. My doctor has even said he's happy that I'm TTC now and trying to take care of the PCOS because it can be harder for me to get pregnant when I'm older.

omg wow and yes it sucks when they try and push you to other things you dont want.. i didnt know it was harder when your older..   its so hard now i cant imagine it being even harder...

Quoting MiSS JDM (ttc#2):" omg wow and yes it sucks when they try and push you to other things you dont want.. i didnt know it was harder when your older..   its so hard now i cant imagine it being even harder..."

It all depends on the person and their hormone levels. Some people with PCOS are super fertile and others have a hard time.

I did get judgment from the doctors but I don't care. I'm able to care for and support my children on my own, it's not their business!

Just like Spookshow Baby said, PCOS is NOT just a fertility issue but a general health issue as well as it affects the whole body. PCOS should be treated regardless of TTC status and if your doctor refuses to test for and/or treat it then that doctor is not very knowledgeable about PCOS and you should find a new one!

Quoting Amelia [13 Weeks]:" Just like Spookshow Baby said, PCOS is NOT just a fertility issue but a general health issue as well ... [snip!] ... doctor refuses to test for and/or treat it then that doctor is not very knowledgeable about PCOS and you should find a new one!"

thanks i will asked to be checked for it