Poly Cystic Ovary Disorder and Cycling Question

[Brandi]

My last birth control pill was jasmine and it was wonderful. My skinned cleared up really nice. And with pcod I have had acne for all of my adult life. It really helped that. And my periods were light and predictable. It is a nice pill! I highly recommend it. I took it for four years no prob! But so is te iud I am on now.

[gr8lakesgurl]

[ I do know it's been at LEAST 2 months now though that I've cycled. well, THAT cycle LOL...
Anyone with similar experience??
[/QUOTE]

I had a something similar recently...I went to so many doctors and they finally figured out that I had celiac disease...I was eating wheat and my body was fighting itself since I was basically making myself sick everytime I ate! It eventually messed up my cycle and they couldn't figure out why...so you might want to ask that they rule out a food allergy. I never knew how much something like that could affect my body!

[VenusdeVelo]

How timely, I am just in the process of doing my own research...I've had problems many years with irreg cycles, sometimes none at all, and then in recent years, non-stop bleeding. About 2 years ago when the problem escalated where I was unable to stop the bleeding (and I was on Yasmin and other BCPS I tried), my gyno upped my dosage to temporarily stop it and I had some surgery to determine what the problems were. Although she could not identify alot of cysts, and I am not diagnosed w/endometriosis, I have all the symptoms of both. Apparently she indicated you can have PCOS without the cysts, but it's hard to diagnose then as you are counting solely on symptoms (irreg bleeding, weight gain only in recent years (even with good diet and heavy exercise), the most painful periods of my life in the last 4 years that required about 10-12 advil and 4 darvocets per day to quell...).

So last Xmas when I went home to the US, I had an endometrial ablation done (they use a laser to remove a lining of the uterus which has built up and is often part of the problems). It helped, unfortunately I still get my period again (about 30% of people who have the procedure do not), and I tried going off Yasmine. Pain has subsided during my period enough to warrant not going back on it. After 3 months off Yasmine, I experienced not weight loss in pounds, but fat loss (same regimens of good diet and cardio 5x/wk). Esp in my upper body, back, stomach. It looked like I lost 15 lbs or so but in reality I lost about 3 lbs-4 lbs only and but many inches. So more research on why...

I am now looking into the book on an insulin resistance "diet" -- ie it's a lifestyle...as this appears to be a result of those afflicted with PCOS and many women have had success with this eating style. Basically, similar to the Zone, it balances protein and carbs (has to do with the role of insulin and glucose in the body, she explains it in the book) and veggies are all okay (do not need balancing). So no, it's not high protein, I am not a fan of fad diets -- the overall balance they try to achieve is 45 carb, 30 protein, 25 fat. Which is relatively safe for me and my level of desired energy and fuel I need to workout, compete, etc.

So here's where I am on this. I am going to try and follow the logic for a while and see what happens. I am not desirous of going back on Yasmin or any other BCP unless my periods get unbearable again. Mainly because it may contribute to the other problems. If they do get unbearable though, I will have to but the more control variables I remove from my experiment with the insulin resistant diet the better. My mom died of heart disease at 53 (of course she smoked since she was 12!) but we had no diabetes in our family anywhere. So I need to determine whether I am increasing my risk factors by determining if this insulin issue is a real issue. Last time I had my diagnostics done (cholesterol, LDL, HDH, triglycerides) they were not ideal but greatly improved after a very large spike in fitness that I had started on 2 yrs before. I am going to have this done again in summer probably and see if I see improvements.

Sorry for the long saga but I am really loving getting feedback and insight on this from others. I try to be educated in physiology and nutrition as best a lay person can so I shun fad diets and concepts. But after my own experiments, for my body, calorie reduction and increased exercise is no longer working the way it should. And my problems with the other stuff must be playing a role.

Happy to hear from other women, or Mary, would love to hear how you're doing in the same challenges....

There is SO little good solid research and remedies for women's gynocological problems out there. We have Viagra, but we can't even come up with a cure for most serious female gynocological problems!! (Ok, so I'm a little bitter about the uneven $$ that go into males medical research over women!)

[Grog]

Ok, sorry for the technical info, but BF happened to be studying PCOD this week so here are the three criteria. To be diagnosed with the disease, you need to fill two of these:

1/ ovarian cysts
2/ high male-hormone levels (eventually associated with masculine features like high pilosity, low, tick voice, etc.)
3/ anovulation (no ovulation -> but of course you can have no ovulations and still have periods, just like anyone on the pill can experience)

Insulin resistance is one of the consequences, not sure it's a cause...

I am not sure whether having a diagnosis makes a real difference in treatment. Moreover, I DO NOT ADVOCATE self-diagnosis. See your doctor, and get a second opinion if you feel it is necessary.

Good luck to all of you...

[btchance]

Ok, sorry for the technical info, but BF happened to be studying PCOD this week so here are the three criteria. To be diagnosed with the disease, you need to fill two of these:

1/ ovarian cysts
2/ high male-hormone levels (eventually associated with masculine features like high pilosity, low, tick voice, etc.)
3/ anovulation (no ovulation -> but of course you can have no ovulations and still have periods, just like anyone on the pill can experience)

Insulin resistance is one of the consequences, not sure it's a cause...

I am not sure whether having a diagnosis makes a real difference in treatment. Moreover, I DO NOT ADVOCATE self-diagnosis. See your doctor, and get a second opinion if you feel it is necessary.

Good luck to all of you...

Another thing you see with the high male hormones is excess body hair, particularly on the face and and abdomen. This can definately be treated, and try to get your physician to measure various hormones including TSH, FSH, LH, prolactin, and if you have hypertension consider a cortisol measurement.

I hope you gals can get this figured out. I'm thinking of you (female problems suck)

[VenusdeVelo]

Yes, have been tested and my hormones are imbalanced so I do see the unfortunate results from that as well. Much less of an issue though that the period pain and related problems. Again, cross my fingers, the ablation brought some of it under control. Now I am focusing on other side effects and seeing how to address them...

Did not mean to say that insulin resistance causes PCOS, not at all. PCOS sufferers have been shown to demonstrate insulin resistance, so kind of the other way around, but not all PCOS sufferers. This is why many are also put on Glucophage/Metformin and seem to get good results, even in weight loss. But as with all women's issues, there is no cure, there seems to be only management. And it can be different from person to person it seems.

The info though is always good, keep the insights coming and if anyone has had successes in these area, pass it on!