Does PCOS cause acne? Does PCOS cause fatigue? Does PCOS cause depression? Does PCOS cause infertility? Does PCOS cause anxiety? The questions go on and on.
I can only imagine how difficult it is for women who have recently been diagnosed. I knew very little about this disease when I was first diagnosed. I never imagined that so many of my issues could be a symptom of PCOS. One website discussing PCOS may list symptoms another website doesn't list. It's all very confusing. I have provided quick links on my Blog (on the right-hand side of the page) to some of the resources I have found most helpful.
The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone. If you have recently been diagnosed, I would recommend joining a support group. I think some of the best information and advice I have received is from fellow Cysters (that is what we call one another). They live with this disease every day.
If you join any PCOS support group, you will see countless stories of women going to their General Practitioners (GP) or even their Gynecologist and be told incorrect information regarding this disease. Most doctors know very little about PCOS and understand it even less. I have seen posts from women who have had their GP tell them it is a made-up disease and it's just an excuse for women to use if they are overweight. A piece of advice: if your doctor says some nonsense like this, FIND A NEW DOCTOR!
PCOS is very real. Don't let anyone tell you differently. We have to fight to be heard. Doctors need to educate themselves about this disease. I read an article about PCOS in 2001 and realized I had many of the symptoms listed in the article. I went to my OBGYN and requested to be tested for the disease. Her reply was, "You probably have it, but I'll test you."
I probably have it? Why didn't you mention it before? This doctor knew I probably had this disease but never bothered to even mention it to me. Why? Of course, this is the same doctor who would lecture me about my weight during my entire examination, EVERY YEAR. Like I don't know I'm fat. (By the way, I have a different OBGYN now.)
If there are any doctors reading my Blog, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: Fat people know they are fat. They also know what you are supposed to do to lose weight (which doesn't work for me). It's fine to mention it once and recommend some ways to help us lose weight. You don't have to mention it every time we see you. Lecturing us over and over will not help us in any way. As a matter of fact, if someone is overweight because they have an addiction to food, most likely they will leave your office and go straight to the nearest fast-food joint to bury the emotional pain.
You can call me many things and I can brush most of it off. But if someone starts talking about my weight, it hurts me to the core. I started gaining weight as soon as I hit puberty. I was able to lose some of the weight with a severe diet and lots of exercise when I was 15, but I'm not 15 anymore. I went through a severe depression when I was 16 and started emotionally eating and gained everything I lost back plus some. Since that time I have tried just about every diet and exercise regimen out there and nothing has consistently worked for me except not eating. So, talking about my weight will not help me. It will only hurt me. I know I'm fat. I've been fat since I was 9. It isn't like I don't try and lose weight. However, having PCOS has made it amazingly difficult to lose a significant amount of weight. Don't lecture me. And if you have some amazing diet that has worked for you, it doesn't mean it will work for me. Everyone is different.
If you suspect that you have PCOS or you have recently been diagnosed with PCOS, there is help out there. There is no cure, but we can manage most of our symptoms. Join a support group. These Cysters have seen and done it all. They are a great resource for information about the disease, diet tricks, supplements that work, etc. They are also great at just being there when you are struggling. Many of them have been where you are at one time.
This is my preferred support groups on Facebook, but there are many out there:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/pcosgrouphelp/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/344589048925066/
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