What's PCOS?

I have seen it on a couple of posts-- and then just read on another that having a long cycle is a sign of it.

I have a pretty long cycle (35 to 42 days)- I went off the pill just to take a break, and am just considering not going back on if we want TTC in 6 months-- just not worth it to screw my cycle up again. When on BCP though, I have a 28 day cycle.

Just curious.

Re: What's PCOS?

hey randi-
PCOS stands for polycystic ovarian syndrome, which is a sort of complicated hormonal disorder that affects a lot of women (something like 5-10%). the major hormones that are affected are male sex hormones (elevated), estrogen (elevated), progesterone (decreased), and insulin (your body becomes resistant to it). these hormonal issues cause a number of effects, including:

-infrequent or no menstruation; the uterine lining becomes thick (lots of estrogen) but does not shed (too little progesterone). ovulation is also impaired because of this same hormonal imbalance, so even when menstruation does occur, ovulation may not. the ovaries develop little "cysts", which represent follicles that were not able to release their eggs due to the hormonal imbalance.

-because of the increased male hormones, you can get acne and excess face/body hair

-because of increased insulin resistance, you can get type 2 diabetes. some women with PCOS are also overweight or obese.

there are lots of other symptoms, but these are the prominent ones, in a nutshell. hope this helps!

Re: What's PCOS?

thanks Alex... I just did a little digging on the internet- and other than long cycles, nothing else seems to add up, so I just have long cycles.

I am only 2 months off BCP, and if I can remember to the days before the pill, my normal cycle was about 35 days-- First cycle off the pill was 35 and my last cycle was 43-- but my body is not normal yet.

My body is uber sensitive to hormones and stuff-- even if I ever took a generic version of my pill my body would need to adjust (which is why I voluntarily chose to pay $50/month for the damn things). This is why that if we want TTC in 6 months-- going back on the pill is prob not a good option for me.

Re: What's PCOS?

i agree, i wouldn't worry about your cycles. i also agree that going back on the pill is probably not the best idea if you guys are gonna ttc in 6 months - better to get your cycle in order now than ttc while your cycle is still normalizing - i think that would just cause a lot of unnecessary frustration.

i hear you about being sensitive to hormones - i am as well, and couldn't even take the pill because of it

Re: What's PCOS?

Thanks for the medical advice

I love being off the pill now though-- I feel a little more like me-- I was just on it for too long and I think it contributed to a lot of mental crap, etc.

Re: What's PCOS?

one of the main reasons i couldn't take the pill was that it made me VERY moody and depressed - like PMS but all the time. there really aren't any good studies on this, but i have heard from people over and over that they are mentally not the same while on the pill... so i'm not surprised to hear that... i'm glad you're feeling better

Re: What's PCOS?

To explain in Layman terms, One indicator of PCOS is a build up of Cystic Follicles around the time of ovulation. There is usually a leading follicle and usually grows at a faster rate which is competing with the others to finally burst, but never does which means you don't truly ovulate. You may even have AF without ovulating (anovulatory).

Some hormones that cause lack of ovulation ....are ...glucose, insulin, testosterone, DHEAS, prolactin, tsh and all the t3's and t4s (thyroid panel), progesterone. YOu may want your doctor to do bloodwork on CD3.

My diagnosis was through a sonogram which revealed I had cystic follicles and my bloodwork revealed that I have elevated dheas hormones. I am not insulin resistant though.

Have you considered buying the Book Taking Charge of Your Fertlity? I loved this Book! Very informative and I highly recommend it! Good Luck!

Re: What's PCOS?

I would mention your cycle length to your doctor when you go again. My doctor had said that cycles lasting more than 35 days indicates a hormonal problem. It wouldn't hurt to mention it so they can run some blood work.

Re: What's PCOS?

Re: What's PCOS?

It's probably nothing but it's better to mention it to them so that if it is a problem it can be addressed before you TTC.

Re: What's PCOS?

Re: What's PCOS?

you can definately get your period with pcos..but it might be annovulatory cycles.

i would go to www.soulcysters.net and check it out if in doubt