Now on YOUTUBE!

I now have a channel on youtube (click on the link to go to my channel) where I am Vlogging my TTC Baby #1 w/PCOS journey!  Subscribe to my channel and follow this blog too!  Thanks everyone!  **Baby Dust to ALL**

~Lacy

Getting Back To The Basics

Here is an article that I found through my online Kaiser patient website.  It pretty much takes us back over the basics of PCOS.  This is great information for the recently diagnosed, or maybe to give to husbands, family, friends, co workers or anyone who wants to understand your diagnoses better!  

Love,  Your San Diego Cyster

Topic Overview

What is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?

Polycystic ovary syndrome (say “pah-lee-SIS-tik OH-vuh-ree SIN-drohm”) is a problem in which a woman’s hormones are out of balance. It can cause problems with your periods and make it difficult to get pregnant. PCOS may also cause unwanted changes in the way you look. If it is not treated, over time it can lead to serious health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (or PCOS) is common, affecting as many as 1 out of 15 women. Often the symptoms begin in the teen years. Treatment can help control the symptoms and prevent long-term problems.

What are hormones, and what happens in PCOS?

Hormones are chemical messengers that trigger many different processes, including growth and energy production. Often, the job of one hormone is to signal the release of another hormone.
For reasons that are not well understood, in PCOS the hormones get out of balance. One hormone change triggers another, which changes another. For example:

• The sex hormones get out of balance. Normally, the ovaries make a tiny amount of male sex hormones (androgens). In PCOS, they start making slightly more androgens. This may cause you to stop ovulating, get acne, and grow extra facial and body hair.
• The body may have a problem using insulin, called insulin resistance. When the body doesn't use insulin well, blood sugar levels go up. Over time, this increases your chance of getting diabetes.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms tend to be mild at first. You may have only a few symptoms or a lot of them. The most common symptoms are:

• Acne.
• Weight gain and trouble losing weight.
• Extra hair on the face and body. Often women get thicker and darker facial hair and more hair on the chest, belly, and back.
• Thinning hair on the scalp.
• Irregular periods. Often women with PCOS have fewer than nine periods a year. Some women have no periods. Others have very heavy bleeding.
• Fertility problems. Many women who have PCOS have trouble getting pregnant (infertility).
• Depression.

Most women with PCOS grow many small cysts on their ovaries. That is why it is called polycystic ovary syndrome. The cysts are not harmful but lead to hormone imbalances.

What causes PCOS?

The symptoms of PCOS are caused by changes in hormone levels. There may be one or more causes for the hormone level changes.
PCOS seems to run in families, so your chance of having it is higher if other women in your family have PCOS, irregular periods, or diabetes. PCOS can be passed down from either your mother's or father's side.

How is PCOS diagnosed?

To diagnose PCOS, the doctor will:

• Ask questions about your past health, symptoms, and menstrual cycles.
• Do a physical exam to look for signs of PCOS, such as extra body hair and high blood pressure. The doctor will also check your height and weight to see if you have a healthy body mass index (BMI).
• Do a number of lab tests to check your blood sugar, insulin, and other hormone levels. Hormone tests can help rule out thyroid or other gland problems that could cause similar symptoms.

You may also have a pelvic ultrasound to look for cysts on your ovaries. Your doctor may be able to tell you that you have PCOS without an ultrasound, but this test will help him or her rule out other problems.

How is it treated?

Regular exercise, healthy foods, and weight control are key treatments for PCOS. Medicines to balance hormones may also be used. Getting treatment can reduce unpleasant symptoms and help prevent long-term health problems.
The first step in managing PCOS is to get regular exercise and eat heart-healthy foods. This can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol and reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease. It can also help you lose weight if you need to.

• Try to fit in moderate activity and/or vigorous activity on a regular basis. Walking is a great exercise that most people can do.
• Eat a heart-healthy diet. In general, this diet has lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, and whole grains. It also limits foods that are high in saturated fat, such as meats, cheeses, and fried foods. If you have blood sugar problems, try to eat about the same amount of carbohydrate at each meal. A registered dietitian can help you make a meal plan.
• Most women who have PCOS can benefit from losing weight. Even losing 10 lb (4.5 kg) may help get your hormones in balance and regulate your menstrual cycle. PCOS can make it hard to lose weight, so work with your doctor to make a plan that can help you succeed.
• If you smoke, consider quitting. Women who smoke have higher androgen levels that may contribute to PCOS symptoms.¹ Smoking also increases the risk for heart disease.

A doctor may also prescribe medicines, such as:

• Birth control pills. They can help your periods be regular and can reduce symptoms such as excess facial hair and acne. An androgen-lowering medicine, spironolactone, may be used with birth control pills to help reduce symptoms even more. These medicines are not used if you are trying to get pregnant.
• A diabetes medicine called metformin. It can help restore regular menstrual cycles and fertility.
• Fertility medicines, if you are trying to get pregnant.

It is important to see your doctor for follow-up to make sure treatment is working and to adjust it if needed. You may also need regular tests to check for diabetes, high blood pressure, and other possible problems.
It may take a while for treatments to help with symptoms such as facial hair or acne. In the meantime:

• Over-the-counter or prescription acne medicines may help with skin problems.
• Waxing, tweezing, and shaving are easy ways to get rid of unwanted hair. Electrolysis or laser treatments can permanently remove the hair but are more expensive. Your doctor can also prescribe a skin cream that slows hair growth for as long as you use it regularly.

It can be hard to deal with having PCOS. If you are feeling sad or depressed, it may help to talk to a counselor or to other women who have PCOS. Ask your doctor about local support groups, or look for an online group. It can make a big difference to know that you are not alone.

Medical Review	Author	Last Revised
Sarah Anne Marshall, MD - Family Medicine	Healthwise Staff	May 11, 2010

© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. Since specific guidelines may vary, consult with your physician to find out which guidelines are recommended for you. Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information. For more information, please read the Healthwise Terms and Conditions.

The Bump,com: Interesting Link for those TTC!

I thought that my TTC Cysters our there would like this link!  Pass it on to friends, family, co-workers....anyone!  I know that I have pretty much heard all of these statements from people and it breaks my heart every time!  Let me know what other things people have said to you!  It's amazing how insensitive people can be sometimes.  I guess we just have to remember that most of the time they mean well...they just don't realize how painful and frustrating infertility can be!

Worst Things to Say to Someone Trying to Conceive

Love,
Your San Diego Cyster!

An Article My Dad Found For Me!

My dad found this article in the Life Extension magazine.  It mentions PCOS on pg.33.  Interesting article all around.  It might be worth asking your Dr. to check out the SHBG in your next blood work-up.  Let me know if you RE already checks it and what does it show for you as a PCOS sufferer??

Book Review: Taking Charge of Your Fertility

     I purchased this book shortly after being diagnosed with PCOS.  Many people were reccomending it to me and I felt inclined to at least check it out to see if it could help me in any way.  The first thing I want to say is that I LOOOOVE this book!  I had started charting my BBT(basal body temperatures)  after watching some video blogs of other girls with PCOS that were having infertility issues.  But I really didn't understand much about it except that I was supposed to be watching for a dip in my temps followed by 3 higher temps, thus indicating that I did indeed ovulate.  As I'm sure that many of you can relate....I had MANY dips in my temps and CRAZY temps throughout my LOOOONG cycles!   I never really understood how charting could benefit me if I had PCOS and didn't ovulate anyways.  This book opened my eyes to so much! 
      My parents were never the type of parents that would have the "sex talk" with their kids and my mom never bothered to take the time to explain to me what my body was about to go through when I started puberty.  I honestly feel that "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" would be a great book for a mother and daughter to read together.  Their may be a few chapters that the mother will want to skip over when sharing the info with their daughter.  But this book helps women of all ages learn so much about their bodies and how YOU can take an active role in preventing pregnancy, identifying problems and concerns to share with a Dr. and also time intercourse perfectly when pregnancy is desired!  This book is written in terms that anyone can understand!  You don't have to be a graduate from medical school to get it!  :o)  Thank God, because I have only taken  a  few community college classes after I graduated from high school!
       So, I think by now you know that I DO recommend this book as just another tool on your tool belt to fight PCOS and all the crazy things it does to our bodies!

You can purchase the book on Amazon.com:
click the link to below
Taking Charge of Your Fertility
Your San Diego Cyster,
Lacy H.
"Knowledge is Power"

Introduction

Hello,  
      My name is Lacy.  I will be 25 years old on May 5th, 2011 and was diagnosed with PCOS(Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) in February 2011.  However, I knew I had PCOS years before this I just hadn't found the right Dr. to diagnose it properly.  About 5 years ago I went to my GP(General Practitioner) and he sent me to an endocrinologist who just did some basic blood work.  He just told me that I was "pre type 2 diabetes" and did no other testing....  So I just dropped the issue for quite sometime!  The endocrinologist had put me on Metformin but I wasn't having any results with it so I discontinued using it (on my own).  5 years later, after getting married and wanting to start a family, I knew I had to see a Dr. again.  I had recently gotten Kaiser Medical Insurance and so I made an appointment with a gynecologist.  She acknowledged, based on my symptoms, and ovulation charts from ( www.fertilityfriend.com ) that I most likely did have PCOS.  So she reffered me to my first RE(Reproductive Endocrinologist). 
      On my first appointment they did a full medical history, ordered a FULL workup on blood work and did an ovarian ultrasound.  After reviewing the ultrasound images she said I had "textbook PCOS ovaries"  and that I had a lot of uterine build-up due to me being on CD(cycle day) 70! 

You can see the ring of follicles on the wall of the ovary that are not growing to be released....

This is a side view of the lining of my uterus the "blob" of white in the center is the build-up of the uterus lining.

She then wrote me a RX(prescription) for Provera to force my body to start my next cycle, and Metformin 1500mg/day.  Although I had tried Metformin in the past without success I have a lot more confidence with this Dr. than the first Dr. who presecribed the Metformin.
      After taking the Metformin for about 2 months I still haven't seen much change.   So I started looking into more information about PCOS and other treatment options.  My hubby and I really want to start our family soon!   So through research I discovered that many women with PCOS that were TTC had success using a natural herb called Vitex (Chaste Tree Berry).  I have started taking that along with my Metformin and prenatal vitamin.  I really hope that it works!  They say to allow approximately 3-6 months for herbs to actually start working in the body so I will continue to try to be pacient.   I have only been taking the Vitex for 2 weeks so I still have a ways to go before I can expect to see results. 
      I think this is about all I have to tell you to get you caught up on who I am and my PCOS journey!  I hope that you continue to follow my blog....as I plan to do reviews on other blogs, products, books, and research sites!  I am also hoping to start a local San Diego Cyster Support Group so if you or someone you know has PCOS and lives in the San Diego area please let me know!

Your San Diego Cyster,
Lacy