Your PCOS stories have been my encouragement

by Samantha Holden
(Fair Haven, Vermont)

Hello, my name is Samantha. I am currently 19. I was diagnosed with PCOS a couple of months ago. Before this, I had never heard of it.

I started my period when I was 9. I had always been more mature than my other class mates.

I was embarrassed to tell my friends about starting my period, they barely knew what it was and here I was experiencing it.

I was a total bitch. One minute I would be screaming at you the next hugging you saying sorry. I had horrible mood swings.

I went on birth control when I was 13. I have always had high blood pressure also. They wouldn't put me on birth controls pills with estrogen in them because of my high blood pressure.

My periods where never normal. I would bleed for 6 weeks then not see it again for 6 months. I was everywhere. I never knew when it was coming or how long it was lasting for. I had really bad acne. I tried everything to get rid of it. I went to a dermatologist and tried a bunch of creams and lotions and nothing helped.

I had facial hair and had to shave my legs everyday and they would still be prickly by the time I went to bed at night. I have a lot of hair underneath my chin.

I was overweight and tried everything to lose weight. Nothing ever worked. I got so depressed and thought I would always look this way.

When I was 16 I met this wonderful guy who I am still dating now. When we first started dating he loved how mature I was. We used to argue all the time. He used to say that I was having mood swings.

My mother and I have always been really close. She has always been my best friend. During this time I had been diagnosed with high blood pressure when I was 15. I hated the doctor I had. My father and I had the same doctor because he had a lot of health issues also.

I kept gaining weight, having irregular periods, acne, hair growth and mood swings.

The doctor said this was normal. I didn't feel normal. I tried the DEPO shot as a form of birth control. Bad Idea!!

I gained 60 pounds in 3 months. The weight just piled on. I knew something was wrong.

Last fall I asked for a second opinion and he told me I didn't need one.

So my mom and I made an appointment with another doctor. When I saw her the first time I told her my symptoms and within 3 minutes she had threw out the word Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

I had no idea what this was but it sounded scary. She then ran some test and sent me to a specialist.

I found out I had many cyst on my ovaries.

She put me on Spirolactone for my hair growth and Metformin for everything else. 500mg*2 a day.

Within a month I had lost 20 pounds and left much better. I have always been able to sleep a lot. It was normal for me to sleep 14 hours and go lay down for a nap 4 hours later.

I felt like a new woman. I am also on YAZ for birth control. My mood are much better. I feel completely different.

She is a wonderful doctor and am so glad I finally know what is wrong with me. She has changed my life.

I am worried about not being able to have kids but I hope to be back in a couple of years sharing a success story.

Thank you everyone who has posted a story on here. Reading your stories has been my encouragement. Thank you so much.

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Editor's comments:

Congrats on finding a better doctor and getting some good results!

We suggest you not stop with pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceuticals can only take you so far.

To a great extent, PCOS can be successfully managed over the long term with a much improved diet and more exercise, according to medical research.

A healthy diet plays an absolutely crucial role in managing the symptoms of PCOS, including infertility, acne, weight, hair loss, male-pattern hair growth, and depression. A healthy diet will also greatly reduce your risk of developing diabetes and heart disease.

A good place to get diet advice is from The Natural Diet Solution for PCOS and Infertility .

Regular exercise is vital, especially if you have a weight issue. Daily exercise, when combined with the correct diet, can be as effective as metformin (Glucophage), but without its side effects.