Polycystic Overy Syndrome

[Pandora_150]

Hi all,

I went for an Ultrasound last week and yesterday I was told by my doctor that I have Polycystic Overy Syndrome (PCOS).

Although I am devastated at this diagnosis, this (alongside my Hypothyroidism which I have known about for 6 years) has at least helped me to understand why I gained so much weight so quickly over the past 8-10 years.

The doctor, when explaining this to me, told me that I would not be able to loose weight as quickly as other 'normal' people, and that it would be a lot more difficult.

Is there anyone who has PCOS (alongside Hypothyroidism) who has been able to get down to their 'normal' BMI?

I am more than willing to put the effort in to loose the weight, but I also want to know it is possible... if that makes sense...

Thanks!

Steph x

 

[gemmas85]

thank you for starting this thread as i have never thought to question this i was diagnosed with pcos about 7 years ago. i am currently pre op but would be interested in seeing whether this has effected others weight loss

 

[ditzeeblonde]

Hi I was diagnosed with PCOS age 16... since then I have had my life long battle with my weight & have never been within ''normal'' bmi! I did get very close when I lost 7 stone in 4 months on a vlcd but was unable to sustain it. x

 

[smilergem]

hi, I don't have the pcos, but do have hypothyroid problems, and currently am on 200mg a day of thyroxine. Do you think this contributes to me not being able to lose weight, I have been on this dose for 12 years now. Thanks if anyone can help on this xxxx

 

[Pandora_150]

Hi Jan (smilergem), I am also on 200mg Thyroxine a day.

I was told that when your thyroid is UNDERACTIVE then yes it can contribute to weight gain/inability to loose weight. However, when you are on the correct dosage of Thyroxine then this is countered as your Thyroid levels should be normal.

You should get your Thyroid levels checked regularly as this can contribute to weight gain/inability to loose weight if your levels are low and you are not on enough thyroxine.

However, PCOS is not something that you can counteract with synthetic hormones, which is why I was wondering how and if it would affect my weight loss.

Hope that helps!

Steph x

 

[smilergem]

Hi again Steph, thanks for that. I think 200 is quite a high dose, they reckon I am being slightly over medicated, but have no symptoms ie palpitations, so they have decided to leave me on this dose and check every 3 months xx

 

[Pandora_150]

Lol! I was told that usually if you were perscribed 225mg of Throxine means that your thryoid is more or less not functioning at all! So doses of 200mg is really high!

I was on 200mg of Thyroxine at my highest weight and my levels came back fine. However, now that I have lost some of my weight they are expecting the amount I need to go down. My specialist does tests ever 2-3 months, and at the minute my levels are on the upper part of 'normal' so he is happy to keep me on 200mg for a bit longer!

Steph x

 

[rosejohnson]

I have lost 7 stone almost since my bypass, I have pcos. It's a horrible horrible illness and I feel for all the other sufferers out there. But the bypass will make a big effect on your weight, it has mine, my BMI is down to about 28 now.

Rx

 

[jaynefrances]

I too have PCOS and hypothyroidism, diagnosed when i was 16. When i was diagnosed with PCOS all the consultant told me was that it explained my weight problem and that i would have fertility problems. It was only in the summer of 2008 that my dietician explained about the insulin resistance in relation to PCOS and the effect that high GI foods were having on my body. The metformin prescribed really helped to stabilise this and modifying my diet accordingly helped to kickstart my pre op weight loss (unfortunately i couldn't stay on it for long due to it interacting with another med i was on, but it was good while it lasted !)

 

[moonflower]

I too have pcos had it diagnosed about 6yrs ago but undiagnosed since teenager as never had regular periods pain in sides big weight gains. I started metformin which helped alot to stabilise it but not to lose weight. Hence the bypass on tues.
Wishing you all the best in getting it sorted. Do you have the insulin resistant side of it I do.

xx

 

[Lostinmy30's]

PCOS and insulin resistant here - metformin didn't really help. My period started 2 days after my op and hasn't stopped yet and shows no signs of doing so (this always happens when I am losing weight). I think bariatric surgery is the way to go for us PCOS girls to assure any kind of healthy weight tbh.

 

[carol150]

hi all i have pcos and hbp and have been on metformin and other drugs that did not help for 8 years .and that is why they have now given mr the go ahead on nhs for this op

 

[CHUCKY]

hi all i have pcos and have never had regular periods. Had my op in aug 09 and have lost 6.5 stone and since the day after my op i have had a period every 4 weeks. Its amazing and my diabeties has gone too. (think i was insuline resistant but was called diabetes and treated the same) so there is hope for us pcos sufferers.
Good luck all

 

[thinnerangela]

My daughter has PCOS - she's 19 - she's had tests for insulin resistance and is on Metformin but doesn't tolerate it very well.

She has been told that her weight is an issue and that losing weight will improve her fertility. She is nowhere near a high enough BMI for WLS.

Her other problem with PCOS is the hairyness which bothers her more.

There is a contraceptive pill that helps the symptoms of PCOS - Dianette - but unsuitable if your BP is high.

Hypothyroidism does affect weight gain - I'm hypothyroid following a partial thyroidectomy for an over-active thyroid and I was under the impression that 200 mg thyroxine was a fairly average dose - thats what I've been on for a while now and my WLS has made no difference to the dose or my blood levels - mine always runs a bit over supplemented but I'm better that way

I think PCOS is more of a problem for fertility than anything else and I know from another forum many sufferers have gone on to have babies after WLS for PCOS associated weight gain

Never rains but it pours doesn't it??

Love Angela xx

 

[BlueDiamond]

Hi all

I have had pcos for 20 years, and still to this day, I been on dianette, metformin etc, I just saw the endocrine Tuesday last week and its amazing after all this time there is no known cure for pcos. I have just been informed that I am being discharged from the endocrine after 7 years of tests, drugs , scans etc and still no closer to getting within the "norm" range. When I was at my heaviest I didnt have no periods at all (maybe 1 every 3-5 years) I was told to lose weight. and now even with a 4 stone weight loss the periods are very irratic still (every 3-5 years) so Its basically put up and shut up with pcos , they wont take the ovaries out , or give me hysterectomy or nothing at all, they dont class pcos severe a illness enough to do any op at all . so am stuck with it for life it seems...........................

All the best 2 e1 - MeJulie x x

 

[jaynefrances]

I agree with some of the earlier comments that as my weight gain was influenced by my hypothyroidism and PCOS (although i will not hide behind these conditions as an excuse because my food choices were also part of the problem) that it is a bit like fighting a losing battle, and after 28 yrs of trying, wls was the only way i was ever going to get into a healthy BMI range. I doubt that i will ever be a size 8 but i will be happy to get anywhere closer to that than the 28 i've just left behind !

 

[StephieAck]

I have hypothyroidism and was diagnosed at around 13 years of age (currently 32) and for the longest time I was on 250Mcg thyroxine. I lost a little weight due to my diabetes and my dose came down to 200Mcg and then eventually to my current 175Mcg and this seems fine, apparantley on my last test the numbers were a bit high so I am being tested again a couple of weeks to see if it needs further reducing. My GP, and other doctors, have assured me that this is one HUGE reason for my difficulty in losing weight.
I also have PCOS and was diagnosed around 10 years ago and have had no end of trouble because of it.
All of the doctors have all but promised me (yes, stupid of them!!!) that once I get some weight off my periods and fertility would normalise and for the first few months after surgery it did seem to be happening but nothing this month, we'll see about everything else as we go along.
I dont know if my history means that I wont do as well as others, I know that I am quite a slow loser but I dont care, losing is losing and I dont care what pace the loss is as long as it contines to come off.
Steph xx

 

[BUNNYRIOJA]

I have PCOS, as do 3 of my sisters, 2 hardly notice it but 2 of us are severe, of the 4 of us 2 struggle with their weight (oddly enough the 2 that are severe), 1 is normal weight & the other is under weight.

I have had 3 major surgeries due to my PCOS causing problems I was diagnosed years ago, when nobody knew very much about it, have diabetes & on good old Metformin.

My weight has been a big issue & losing weight has always been very slow and worst of all keeping it off has been a nightmare, hence the RNY, so it's been really good to read posts from other people with PCOS, losing significant amounts of weight post op.
Bunny xx