I was scrolling around on DS and found this support group. I thought i would share my story, perhaps there might be some information helpful to others.

at 19 i was about 40 lbs overweight. i gained another 60 in three months when i started college. up to that point i had periods regularly enough. then i stopped having them. it took about 4 years for me to finally go see a doc and he said i was overweight which was stopping them and i was probably overweight because i was depressed. he put me on prozac. which i took myself off of within a few months - i was not depressed.

during this time i also began to have major facial hair growth - nothing helped.

A woman a work noticed this and suggested her laser technician. I went and she said she thought i could have PCOS. I began researching.


All of this within the first 6yrs.

in 2001 i decided to go to a GYN, for the first time in 6yrs! PCOS was not well known then. but my doc researched it. She put me on birth control and metformin. Nothing ever changed except that i had periods, and that i continued to slowly gain weight.

In 2004 we used clomid to get pregnant and progesterone and metformin to carry the pregnancies. Total i have had 4 miscarriages of spontaneous pregnancies. Note - never used any birth control for pregnancy

once i had my first child my hair really started to fall out.

2006 went the clomid route again - second child born.

gaining more weight - hovering around 230 - 240 now. Facial hair, acne, and male pattern baldness abound.

2009 decided to see an endocrinologist. he wasn't much help except to put me on spiralactone for the hair loss - it worked! but i went off it to try for baby #3 and hair loss resumed. When i stopped trying for a baby and went back on it - the hair wouldn't grow in.

2010 had baby #3. and decided i would put an end to this. I went to an informational session for Gastric Bypass Surgery (GBS) I was 36, done with having kids, and tired of every dieting stalling at a loss of 20lbs. i wanted to be my best for my kids. I have lost 95 lbs in 8 mos and i have 43 to go.

My hair is growing back slowly - lost more due to the GA for the surgery and the rapid weight loss - but it is growing back everywhere.

Facial hair is still there but the daily growth is slower - i am hopeful this is going to go too. But perhaps i will have to laser it for it to stop. And hopefully the laser will work now.

For the acne i use Proactive. It really does work. i also have rosecea (sp) so i have them swap the normal wash out for their deep cleansing, but it's a great system. i have known one person who was allergic, but otherwise i would recommend it.

So there it is. I wish i had an instant sure fire fix for you. But to be honest there is not much hope in our condition. The good news - you can have babies! just work with your GYN. i can tell you almost to the day when i got pregnant with my kids. i am so grateful to my GYN for my children.
But i would say to you that if you find that you are disgusted with the constant lack of results, that if you are tired of these freakish symptoms, you should look into other options than meds. I don't know of anyone truly helped by metformin. There is help to get pregnant, there is help for acne, to regrow hair. but i have never seen anything to really help you lose weight or to stop facial hair growth.

Nothing except GBS. of course there are a slew of risks and life altering changes. but the freedom from the hell of PCOS! i can not explain it. GBS is not for everyone - some people because of mind, some because of body. But if you are tired of all of the PCOS yuck, it is worth a look. Maybe this will not be the answer for you. Maybe your insurance won't cover it (so many insurances are starting to cover). But maybe, just maybe it will be the answer to your prayers.

God bless and good luck,
Rochelle