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Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
February 27 2006 at 12:50 AM Ally  (no login)
I've been doing some research and I've found that I fit the mould of someone with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). The symptoms are:

- acne
- excessive facial/body hair growth
- weight gain about the waist
- irregular menstrual cycle

I don't have the weight gain problem though, but I do suffer from the rest of the symptoms. I think there are some other people on the forum who may have the same problem as me. Now I don't know if herbs alone are the solution to the problem. I have been taking them primarily to restore my hormone levels to their natural levels, and secondly to increase my bust size. But if this is the problem, I think I should go see a doctor about it.

Are there any others who have the same problem??




Ally
(no login)
Re: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
February 27 2006, 12:51 AM

I've read that natural progesterone cream and modification of diet (no carbs) is supposed to help resolve this problem. Any input would be appreciated!



Steph
(no login)
Now that u mention it...
February 27 2006, 7:47 AM

That all fits the "excess androgens/ testosterone" profile as well and myself and my daughter (15) also have those symptoms and like u we dont have the weight issue either,I think Lisa has many of these symptoms too.Do u get mood swings as well Ally (I do so thats why I ask)? I dunno,this all could be linked to our lack of pueburty breast development too.U guys wouldnt happen to have any type of allergy /dermatitis/ asthma/allergy or any of those type of problems do u?? Im allergy prone as well so just trying to find any commen links that MAY exist between us (for BE purposes and just health in general).



Lisa
(no login)
Re: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
February 27 2006, 11:06 AM

Steph is right, it also hints to a androgen dominance, I don't have the weight gain or irregular periods but the other two as well as the mood swings.
You should go and check with a gyno and get your hormone levels tested as well, just so you know. Even if you don't have cycts now you might develop them later if you don't treat elevated androgen levels (if you turn out to have them).
Steph, I never really had any allergies, although I guess you never know if you are allergic to dairy unless you totally cut it out of your diet. A doctor once recommended that to me, just to test it for two weeks and see if I feel any better, I just never had the nerve to start it, I just love cheese and milk too much and it sounds too much hastle cutting out wheat etc. :-)
I started to show symptoms of hayfever a few years back but since taking the multivitamins last summer they have disappeared.




Little Sister
(no login)
Re: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
February 28 2006, 12:38 PM

Since PCOS affects puberty and menstrual cycles and skews the hormones as early as that, to me it make sense that it could also affect how the breasts develop (or don't develop).

[admin]

Has anyone with PCOS had success?
August 15 2007 at 4:53 AM Fluffy Sheep (no login)
I have had PCOS for over 10 years and have absolutely no breast tissue. I never knew sugar and carbs could have such an effect on breast growth. Has anyone here that's been diagnosed with PCOS had success with NBE? Thanks for any responses.



Alexia
(Login Alexia1981)
Re: Has anyone with PCOS had success?
August 15 2007, 8:15 AM

Hey Sheep,

I also have PCOS and a little growth using natureday. I also ordered goat's rue.

http://www.motherlove.com/product_goats_rue_veg.php:
goat's rue is one of the most potent herbs known to increase breast milk, stimulating the development of mammary tissue. Helps adoptive mothers to successfully breastfeed, as well as women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), or women who have had breast reduction surgery. Also may be used to increase breast size in non-lactating women. May be used in the last month of pregnancy.

http://breastfeedingpcos.blogspot.com/20...chive.html
Goat's rue was first used by European dairy farmers who noted an milk production increase of 35-50% in animals who grazed on this wild herb. Some mothers have reported a doubling of their pumping out put while taking goat's rue. Additionally, goat's rue is thought to increase mammary tissue which may offer some hope for women with hypoplastic breast tissue or women suffering from PCOS who have underdeveloped breasts.

Good luck!



Louise
(no login)
Re: Has anyone with PCOS had success?
August 15 2007, 9:37 AM

I take WU which contains goat's rue (960mg) - how much goat's rue are other people taking?



Anja
(no login)
Re: Has anyone with PCOS had success?
August 15 2007, 10:26 AM

Puzzle: If Goat's Rue is so good, why doesn't NBE products use it as an ingredient?




Nell Gwynne
(Login nell.gwynne)
EVE MEMBERS
Re: Has anyone with PCOS had success?
August 15 2007, 10:44 AM

As Louise said above, Wonderup contains Goat's Rue (WU = Wonderup).



Ally Lou
(Login Ally Lou)
EVE MEMBERS
Re: Has anyone with PCOS had success?
August 30 2007, 1:56 PM

I've always had small breasts, but it wasn't until I found this forum that I started wondering about the connection this may have had with PCOS, and wondering if in fact my breasts had ever fully developed.

[admin]

Louise!
October 18 2008 at 1:37 PM Linn (Login linn7880)

I have been on the internet today and research a bit about pcos. I do'nt know if you already know it but some experts on pcos have said that women with this syndrom often have small breasts..Some also have very large breasts so there in'nt a rule that fits all. I have been thinking a lot about why my breasts are so small and underdeveloped. I have the tendency to this syndrom myself (doctor told me), but they have not put the diagnose on me. I found aut that there is not only fat girls who have this you can be thin too.My BmI is 19,4 so I am not fat. Although the fat often goes to the belly and not to the breasts (my problem)

I must say I think there is a link between this syndrom and small breasts. At least if you have it in puberty. How can the body develope properly when the hormone system is'nt working properly? I will try to find out more about this
My hope is that vitex will fix my hormonal imabalce (along with nettle) and it will help them to grow. Maybe it is to late I just got 30..I remember that you use bcp they will hold the symptoms under control, but they want heal the syndrom. I think herbs, homopathy and acupuncture can heal it along with a healthy lifestyle.. What do you think about the link small breasts and pcos?




Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: Louise!
October 18 2008, 7:39 PM

I agree about the small boob thing - if your hormones are trying to turn you into a man you're more likely to grow a moustache than a decent bust! Most of the girls with reasonable boobs who have this problem are just fat not busty.

I'm not really the person to ask about all this natural stuff as I don't really believe it - as soon as I started looking in to PCO I went to a private gynaecologist, got tested and diagnosed and put on Dianette + Metformin. I think proper medicine is the way to fix medical problems. I'm only interested in herbs as a substitute if they're actually going to do something and I think if your hormones are off to start you need something strong. Also as far as I know it's not curable, it's just a matter of staying on the pill to keep the acne and hair under control and I try to take the Metformin as I really don't want to get diabetic. If I can stop the hairs getting worse (Dianette's great for this but Yasmin's been better for my skin) then I'm going to get electrolysis slowly and work up to the whole body. Technically avoiding sugar, simple carbs, fat etc should help but I'd just be too depressed if I couldn't eat nice food so I just try to take the tablets and hope it balances out.



Linn
(no login)
Re: Louise!
October 18 2008, 8:37 PM



I agree that you often need convention medicine to treat serious health problems. I am a nurse so I am used to fill people with drugs, and I have always thought that it is the only way to heal people. In many cases it is, but I believe when it comes to some chronic diseases that homopathy, acupuncture and herbs is a better solution, because it can help the body to heal itself. The convention medicine only holds the symptoms under control and you must use the stuff the rest of your life( or until menopause) I do'nt know if alternative
medicine can cure pcos or if you have to be treated the rest of your life.
Anyway I think it's healthier to use alternative medicine to treat such diseases..I guess it depends on the degree of pcos if it can be treated this way..



Linn
(Login linn7880)
pcos
October 18 2008, 8:59 PM


Hi again,

I find it good to maybe have found a reason for the small boobs..
About the sugar and sweets I find it very hard myself to avoid such things, espcially during the weekends.. I also get depressed without it, but maybe this also has something to do with the hormones..who knows
I am a nurse myself so I am used to fill people with drugs, and I have always thought it is the way to treat all diseases. Lately I have been more convinced about that when it comes to some chronic health problems homopathy, acupunture and herbs is a better solution.When it comes to chronic diseases the convention medicine put you on a drug that you have to eat the rest of your life. The alternative medicine tries to get the body to heal itself and get balanced.
I do'nt know if pcos can be cured with alternative medicine or if you have to
be treated forever.It might depends of the degree of it. Anyway I think it is healthier to be treated this way.. But I understand if you do'nt believe in it.



Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: Louise!
October 18 2008, 9:06 PM

I think acupuncture is fair enough if you've got backache or something but homeopathy? How can maximally diluting something make it work better? Just doesn't make sense! As far as I understand I'm on medication for life but as a nurse you know how serious diabetes is so I think it's well worth it.



Linn
(Login linn7880)
Re: Louise!
October 18 2008, 9:41 PM


The homopathy thing is difficult to understand, but I definatly believe it can heal some diseases. Diabetes is serious so I understand you are afraid of that. I do believe that future medicine will be different than what it is today. If you are interested you can research alternative treatment of pcos, but I understand that you might are pleased with the bcp and metformin.
The optimal is to find a doctor who has studied convential medicine, homopathy and acupunture, they got the whole pitcure of it..



Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: Louise!
October 18 2008, 10:07 PM

I tried taking all the vitamin supplements and stuff but it's too many tablets. My mum would like me to try natural stuff because her friend has used vitex + SP for PCO but she's quite a lot older than me and probably has a better diet. I also have a hereditary eye condition in the family which I've heard can be helped by vitamin A and made worse by vitamin E so although I don't go out of my way to take lots of A I certainly try to avoid E just in case.

What symptoms / signs do you have? Have you had a scan? I got kind of lost to follow up when I was 19 so I thought they'd discharged me because I had a normal scan result but they probably just lost it or something stupid because when I went to a better clinic last year they found cysts that were very obvious on ultrasound. If you've got symptoms you might want to try going on the pill, if that improves them then it's pretty safe to say you have some sort of problem and should possibly get a second opinion.



Linn
(Login linn7880)
Re: Louise!
October 18 2008, 10:51 PM


It is interseting that your mothers friend takes vitex and sp, did her breasts got bigger..? I have just started vitex and nettle you see..
The eyecondition must be taken care of so understand you have some concerns. It's probably best to be treated under supervision of a health care provider.

I have used the pill for many years and it has helped me, but now I have just quitted to start vitex and nettle do nbe and if the symptoms gets worse, try homopathy and acupuncture too. In a couple of years I will maybe try to get pregnant.

My symptoms..embarrasing..Once I had one cysts, another time I had 4.(on a scan)
(I have also read that you can have this syndrom without cysts)
Irregular periods and long time between them from 34-60 days I guess (but not when I am on bcp)
Have had acne,but have become better last two years, still have some.
I also have hairgrowth above my lip, around nippels and up the stomach and much hair down there..(I have done electrolysis for a year, takes time and is expensive)
My fat also goes to the abdomen and nothing to my breasts..
And of course I have really underdeveloped breasts with puffy areolas
(Like I said today I found out that this can be caused by the syndrom)

Even if the gynecologist just said I had tendency to pcos I think that was because she did not know much about it.

Do you have some of the same symptoms?
Sorry if my english is bad.



Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: Louise!
October 18 2008, 11:02 PM

I'm pretty much exactly the same but I've had a couple of severe attacks of pain (which I've since been told is when a cyst bursts) - feels like your internal organs have burst. Also I would get bad period pain for the week before and the week during my period. I also have a long cycle maybe 5-6 weeks and bad pain around the time of ovulation when a new cyst forms. It also gave me a bad back so I can't do a lot of walking. When I got fat I came out in a lot of acne and suddenly developed side-burns, then when I lost weight I started getting chest hair - yuck! Right around the time I was getting married I was turning into a man!!! That's when I started the medication. Dianette is great, I waxed the chest hair once, took the Dianette and about 2 little hairs grew back. I did start getting weird visual migraines but that may have been stress related as it started a couple of months after my treatment started. It's funny, the thing I don't have is a fat stomach, maybe I have my genes to thank for that.

There are other meds you can take to help if you want to get pregnant. My friend's sister has PCO and got pregnant pretty quick on meds (she's a doctor so she must feel the treatment is safe).

Not sure about mum's friend's boobs as I haven't met her and didn't like to ask!!

Your English is fine, which country are you in? Do you learn at school? In the UK we're rubbish at other languages because everyone in Europe speaks good English!



Linn
(Login linn7880)
Re: Louise!
October 18 2008, 11:45 PM



It is interesting to hear that your symptoms are the same. You are lucky not to have the belly then..But sad to suffer from migrains.
Now I think I have had this pcos syndrom since puberty..It is sad to realize.
I forgot to mention that I also have pains before my period and during the first days.(also got some back pains)
( But I am fine when I am on bcp)
The last years I have also had much pain in my ovaries, it can be many times during a cycle, so ca'nt be ovulation each time..I have wondered if it is endometrioses or just cysts..

I understand that you wo'nt ask your mums friend..
I know convential medicine has something to offer if you are not getting pregnant. My hope (maybe a stupid hope) is that vitex can help me to achieve breasts and get a good cycle. I will take nettle for the excess androgens.
I think that if I can fix the imbalance with vitex it would be great! I read fairycats post and she ment vitex could be good for people who stalled in puberty. I read today that pcos often got worse after the age of 25, and I think that was when I got my first cyst.

I think that if you are on bcp it will be difficult to fix the imbalance and maybe more difficult to succeed? Maybe you have had good results on bcp?

I am from Norway and I live there, we learn english in school



Linn
(Login linn7880)
Re: Louise!
October 19 2008, 12:04 AM



I saw you wrote that pcos is a metabolic disease, did'nt know that.It was bad
news though.. Do you know how high the risk of getting diabetes is?



Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: Louise!
October 19 2008, 8:42 AM

I think the diabetes risk is about 60-70%!!! A lot!! I'll write more later - going to be late for work!



Linn
(Login linn7880)
pcos
October 19 2008, 10:51 AM


I found a website that you might find interesting.
http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVAprMay05p27.html



aunaturel9
(no login)
Re: Louise!
October 19 2008, 12:30 PM

Hi Linn and Louise,

I too, like yourselves, have PCOS. I was diagnosed at 14 and it's been nearly a decade since then. I have pretty much the same symptoms: excessive hair growth (upper lip and the pcos classic on the belly), also infertile and have been trying for years to get pregnant, my ultrasound significantly shows the cystic growths on my left ovary, have underdeveloped breasts, oily face (acne at a minimum). Although, I don't have irregular menstrual cycles (28-30 days), plus I'm actually underweight as opposed to most women with PCOS.

I've undergone electrolysis myself on my upperlip and abdomen, which was a huge relief. I'm a nurse too and stumbled across this NBE page due to pcos research. I've tried vitex for 10 days and I grew alot on it but once i stopped the vitex, my breasts went back to its original size.

Curiously enough, I think women with pcos have underdeveloped breasts due to the excess androgen levels. I'm still taking saw palmetto (for 6 months now) and it has helped alot but i'm at a very low dose, I read somewhere that women with pcos could take up to as much as 5,000mg daily.

I was told to go on bcp and metformin too but they both had really odd side effects on me. bcp gave me severe cystic acne and metformin would cause you to lose weight(i have a 17 BMI so its not for me). Tell me how your routine goes with vitex, i'm pretty sure it will work for you.



Linn
(Login linn7880)
"ovarian cysts no more"
October 19 2008, 3:58 PM


Hi again,

I bought and downloaded a book today, It is called "ovarian cysts no more"
It is build on a holistic system and the author claimes that you will succeed with this method.. I do'nt know but seems like you have to change your diet completely. The author had pcos herself and researced it for 11 years.
She has a lot of testemonies at her site, at least you will be a very healthy person with this program..!The sad thing is that one has to avoid sugar completly.. I am struggeling with myself about how much effort I am going to put into it..maybe I got fooled but seems promising..



Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: Louise!
October 19 2008, 7:50 PM

Excess sugar turns into testosterone. Due to the metabolic problem you are producing insulin but you are glucose intolerant so your body ignores the insulin you produce and the excess sugar turns into testosterone which causes the acne and the hairs etc. I think the testosterone also affects the ovaries such that when the egg is supposed to be released it attaches to the ovary and forms a cyst. This means you need to avoid sugar, fat and simple carbs - personally I couldn't do this, it's just too depressing. I can crash diet for a short period to lose weight but I couldn't make a real lifestyle change as I don't smoke / drink / go out much, my main vice is eating.



Linn
(Login linn7880)
Re: Louise!
October 19 2008, 8:26 PM



Thanks for your answer Louise, that was interseting. Awful to think about the testosterone though..So each time I take a chochlate or some candy it turns into testosterone ugh..!!
I can really understand that you could'nt deal with avoiding all sugar..
I do'nt think I can either just for short periods. I do'nt drink, or go out either..
Did they test you about you were likely to get diabetes?



Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: Louise!
October 19 2008, 8:36 PM

I only ever had one test they didn't tell me not to eat before so I stuffed myself and then never heard anything after so not sure if the result was normal or they lost the letter!

I really intend to do a fasting glucose, glucose tolerance and glucose throughout the day test - one of my friends has all the stuff for this.

I would hope and pray to God that I'm the 30% who don't get diabetic because I'm not overweight, no family history of diabetes / stroke / heart problems and I try to take metformin. The only worry is I eat really badly but want to cut down from November.

Off to get some Chinese now!



aunaturel9
(no login)
Re: Louise!
October 20 2008, 12:03 PM

I think sweets, fats and carbohydrates pretty much sums up my diet. It's ridiculously hard to avoid them (especially chocolate!).

Linn, that book sounds like an interesting find. I depend solely on the internet to get random info on pcos. If you do have any tips, do share them.



Linn
(Login linn7880)
diabetes
October 21 2008, 3:04 PM

Hi Louise,

It will be good to take a test. I consider one myself..
The best would be to test the genes (do'nt know if that's the word) to see if you are in a high risk group to develope diabetes, cause when you get the symptoms it's often to late. I guess there are few places which will do a such test though. I really belive that we must keep the weight and stay healthy.. but hopefully we are among the 30 %..

[admin]

PCOS, hormones, bc
January 18 2007 at 2:34 PM flatkat (Login flatkat)
hey i was just wandering, i have PCOS, which is partly characterised by low estrogen and high testosterone, but im on diane birth control which is designed to balance up my hormones, thats one of the actual treatments for PCOS. i was wandering then if im on that, would something like wonderup or the herbs even make any difference, compared to the high estrogen and progestrogen in diane.

also i am 16, which most people would say is too young, but my doctor did some tests and said that ALL my puberty development was finished and the only way to increase my breast size was through surgery and even asked if i wanted her to arrange an appointment with a plastic surgery, which i declined as i want breasts, NOT PLASTIC. does anyone know if its possible for me to still increase at all? my mother said she increased when she was 16 so i dunno.

oh and ive been doing massages with palmers cocoa butter and wild yam, which has made my breasts VERY tender, which has never happened in my entire life, and also my right breast is noticably bigger than my left, which is also a first because before they were evenly flat. do you reckon thats to do with the massages, my supposably finished development or both?

and also i have to say its a slap in the face to have someone tell you you will never be able to have breasts without surgery. thanks everyone




mark
(Login sunnyMark)
Re: PCOS, hormones, bc
January 18 2007, 2:44 PM

hi flatkat, don't worry what the doctor told you, you know they're not always right, my stepmother was told she would never have babies and now she has two healthy kids which were both conceived naturally.
i know that some girls here mentioned that they grew when they were 20, co you can still have a growht spurt, you're still very young. i think massages could help and could be the reason why one of your breasts is bigger now. as for the PCOS and BC i don't know, it could have some influence on your breast growth, i'm sure there are other people here that know more about it.
good luck girl
mark



flatkat
(Login flatkat)
Re: PCOS, hormones, bc
January 18 2007, 2:49 PM

well there was definetely some development in the first cuppla months of diane, but that only got me so i could JUST fill an A cup, and im a decent sized girls, so i wouldnt mind some decent size breasts to go with it lol. i was more wandering if some of the other hormone balancing things would work, considering the pill only made a slight difference. thanks for your support



Katrina
(Login mountainkat)
SENIOR MEMBER
Hmmm...
January 18 2007, 10:01 PM

I didn't know your doctor could do tests to see if you are done developing breasts!... What was that test called? I do sometimes hear that some women are late bloomers and they developed in college. But I am 21 years old and I don't want to wait any longer! There is one celebrity, Gabreille Union, who said she didn't develope until after college, at 23 I believe. She looks great now. But that is VERY RARE!

By the way, my mom had PCOS and had my two brothers and me too! So that is not true at all. If you get your hormones balances it will disapear and you will be fine. Just have faith!



flatkat
(Login flatkat)
Re: PCOS, hormones, bc
January 19 2007, 12:14 PM

oh she did some blood tests to see if there was anything unusual that would force them to not grow, and she did an xray to check my bones, how long and thick they were, to see if they've finished developing, and they had, so she said when that happens all my puberty development is finished. she was an edocrineologist btw too, a hormone doctor, i went there to discuss pills, and she said if the diane didnt make a difference than nothing would

[admin]

My microbiologist friend's advice about PCOS
February 9 2007 at 10:49 PM LL (Login Lillea)
SENIOR MEMBER
Hi everyone,

I have a brilliant friend (something that she developed might earn her a Nobel prize one day, according to another Nobel winner).

This is what she has to say about PCOS - advice for anyone who has it. She's experienced many hormonal problems that are similar herself.

...

The book "It's my Ovaries, Stupid" is probably a good place to start. The real
bummer is that most authors and doctors are pretty clueless and have jumped
on the bandwagon that insulin problems cause hormone problems (or they
debate whether it's the chicken or the egg.)

If you look at the way estrogen is made...

Cholesterol --> Progesterone --> Testosterone --> Estrogen

...you see that testosterone is the immediate precursor to estrogen. So,
one obvious "answer" is that there's a problem making estrogen, causing
testosterone to build up on the other side. (Or, there's too little
cholesterol to make hormones in general, or there are problems synthesizing
progesterone* from the ovaries, etc.) Elizabeth Vliet (It's my Ovaries,
Stupid) says that women with PCOS have too little estrogen and too much
testosterone, so my hypothesis seems valid.

(*Note: Don't use progesterone creams. If you don't fix the T-->E problem,
then extra progesterone ends up giving you MORE testosterone.)

So, I've been trying to get down to the process of how estrogen is made, and
one of my observations is that essential fatty acids and fat soluble
vitamins are important, as well as mineral cofactors like calcium.

If I had to make a protocol for anyone with PCOS, my first recommendation
would be the egg yolks.

1.) egg yolks (*not* fortified with omega-3): 2 per day
2.) seafood (get omega-3 from real food, not supplements!): 1-2x per week
3.) mineral rich foods
a. Broths and Dark leafy greens for calcium, magnesium
b. Red meats, shellfish for zinc
c. Sea salt for trace minerals
4.) Low sugar diet in general, regardless of weight

And for some observations: the egg yolks contain a very important EFA,
which is much maligned in the layman's press. If a person is
deficient in this one EFA, then starting on the egg yolk regime may
initially lead to some flu-like aches and pains. The reason is that cell
receptors can be "primed" to suck it up, and then when you suddenly give
them all they want, they get "swamped" with it. This can last for a few
weeks, until cell receptor levels normalize to the new levels of intake.
(The body is very good about regulating stuff like this...) On the other
hand, some people never have a problem. It's just something to look out
for, and not to worry about if it does happen.




LL
(Login Lillea)
SENIOR MEMBER
More information
February 10 2007, 3:12 AM

women with PCOS don't ovulate and therefore don't produce progesterone through that route. Progesterone is also made by the adrenal gland, so there is at least enough for making a full
complement of steroids (though maybe not in enough quantity to support
gestation.)

Clearly, there is enough testosterone in women with PCOS, so I don't think
that progesterone deficiency is the cause of the problem.

The EFA that I mention in egg yolks is arachidonic acid. One large egg
supplies approximately 65mg of AA, and for reference, French women eat about
~150mg AA per day. So, that's how I figure that 2 egg yolks per day are
good source of AA, especially if a person doesn't consume vegetable oil or
has trouble synthesizing AA from linoleic acid (due to a less-efficienct
Delta-6-desaturase or other enzyme in the pathway.)


-Laurel




Fennel Fairy
(Login fennelfairy)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: My microbiologist friend's advice about PCOS
February 10 2007, 7:50 AM

That was a very interesting read! Thank you for posting it. I really does make a lot of sense.



LL
(Login Lillea)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: My microbiologist friend's advice about PCOS
February 10 2007, 8:02 AM

You're welcome, Fennel Fairy.

It's interesting that traditionally in many cultures eggs have been considered to be a very important food for fertility.

Free range eggs are best, of course. Orange yolks are good.

Laurel started to have many PCOS symptoms herself not so long ago. She was also reacting allergically to many different foods. She did an ALCAT test for allergies, and although she reacted to eggs, she knew how important they were so she set about to stop the reactions. She found that by sealing up her system by either taking glutamine for a few days, or a product called SeaCure (fermented fish product), that stopped things from leaking into her system (what allergies are. Foods aren't supposed to leak into our blood like that). To give her self good 'bugs' (bacteria) in her intestines, she took (and still takes) a special probiotic called VSL3

http://www.vsl3.com/VSL3/about.asp

She has tried many probiotics, and this is the one she recommends for this kind of thing because it's potent and contains bacteria that really seem to treat problems thoughroughly, candida included, I think.

Pharmacies can order it. Expensive, but I trust her since she's been through all of this and often charts things on graphs, etc.




LL
(Login Lillea)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: My microbiologist friend's advice about PCOS
February 10 2007, 8:06 AM

I forgot to say that after going through all of that, her skin cleared and she has a much healthier hormonal profile. She had quite bad PMS for a while. I mean she had bad PMS for a while BEFORE doing everything!




LL
(Login Lillea)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: My microbiologist friend's advice about PCOS
February 10 2007, 8:19 AM

The glutamine, Sea Cure and probiotics may not be helpful for everyone, but in modern times problems with digestion and allergies have really gone up, so it might be helpful for people (PCOS or no PCOS) to consider that protocol.

Hormonal problems reflect problems with health in some way, so anything that we can do to help our health is great.

But eggs are easy to get, at least, so that's not a difficult thing to try. Having a good diet is important, of course, with the things she listed. Organic/free-range/grass-fed. When she lists 'broth' she means homemade long simmered broth, not canned or packaged.




Anonymous
(Login tinky_winky_18)
Re: My microbiologist friend's advice about PCOS
February 11 2007, 1:54 AM

yes, VERY VERY helpful

im going to be making some changes.



LL
(Login Lillea)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: My microbiologist friend's advice about PCOS
February 11 2007, 3:36 AM

I'm happy that this might be helpful! It might help other hormonal problems, too.




Whitney
(Login Magickwomun)
Re: My microbiologist friend's advice about PCOS
February 11 2007, 5:17 AM

I'm not sure how this fits into the equation, but I read on Wikipedia:

"The herb Chrysin blocks the aromatase enzyme which converts testoterone into estrogen..."

So would Chrysin be considered good or bad for NBE, or is that a matter of ones individual hormonal balance?



LL
(Login Lillea)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: My microbiologist friend's advice about PCOS
February 11 2007, 5:24 AM

Based on what I've learned so far, something blocks that enzyme is bad for BE for anyone trying to up estrogen levels (BE needs decent estrogen levels). It's okay to block things that cause testosterone to convert to DHT instead of estrogen for BE, but what you describe, I imagine, would mean that testosterone levels would go up only and and then testosterone couldn't convert to estrogen. For anyone with PCOS, this would be bad. PCOS people have more testosterone than is optimal.

But I'm quite new to all of this, so maybe someone else will understand this better.

Flax with lignands are a problem. Lignands are aromatase inhibitors as well, apparently.

[admin]

pco symptoms match?
March 24 2008 at 3:59 PM pco worrier (no login)
Ok, now I am worried that I have Pco though I dont have all the symptoms ..now to begin with I am not fat never have been, and have also just lost a lot of weight.I miss/skip periods sometimes, when they do come it is very light..I dont have too much facial hair (if you dont count two forests above each eye) but well..I do have an abnormally(for my frame) fat abdomen region though noone can notice it if I just suck it in and walk around..which by the way is what I do many a times..so do I qualify..rather disqualify for pco? do I need a doc? pleaseee helppp



Jackie
(Login classyfashh)
Re: pco symptoms match?
March 24 2008, 8:25 PM

That's really not enough information.

I assume you're concerned about breast development.




Hopeful88
(Login Hopeful88)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: pco symptoms match?
March 24 2008, 8:38 PM

You do NOT have to be overweight/obese to have PCOS. As well not everyone ho has PCOS has the same symptoms, it is a hard thing to diagnose from what I understand. Visit this website if you wish to learn more about it: http://www.soulcysters.net/

Hope this helps.



This message has been edited by Hopeful88 on Mar 24, 2008 8:44 PM




Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: pco symptoms match?
March 24 2008, 8:47 PM

You might just have that as your natural body shape, I'm 106 lbs, 24 inch waist but I do have PCO.

A few questions to clarify:

Do you take BCP? (I imagine you don't if you're skipping periods)

What is your cycle pattern? e.g. 28/5 means entire cycle including 1 period is 28 days with 5 days bleeding

Do you have acne? Esp worse acne in your 20s than your teens

Do you have male pattern baldness?

Do you have male pattern body hair? (Chest hair and hair in a line down the middle from your cleavage to your belly button)

Do you get very bad period pains? Mid cycle pains? Random abdominal / lower back / joint pains?

Have you had any severe acute attacks of abdominal / lower back pain where you feel like you burst an internal organ?

Do you get bad PMS / mood swings / depression?

Do you feel 'well' in yourself or do you feel there is something wrong?



momXseven
(Login momXseven)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: pco symptoms match?
March 24 2008, 9:46 PM

I have PCOS and I'm not overweight at all, at 34 I'm 120 pounds (I'm 5 foot 2in. BTW).

Louise has some good ?'s, BTW I would answer yes to most of them. And the "severe acute attacks of abdominal / lower back pain where you feel like you burst an internal organ" question she asked is signs of ovarian cysts, I get them almost every month.





pco worrier
(no login)
\
March 26 2008, 7:02 PM

Hey Louise, I have annwered the question to teh bst of my knowledge can you please tll me if you can make out anything from it..Thank you any everyone else for their valuable inputs.

Do you take BCP? (I imagine you don't if you're skipping periods)- NO I NEVER HAVE.

What is your cycle pattern? e.g. 28/5 means entire cycle including 1 period is 28 days with 5 days bleeding WELL IT'S MORE LIKE 45 DAYS,3DAYS BLEEDING..ONLY THE LAST TWO PERIODS HAVE BEEN LIKE 29/ 3

Do you have acne? Esp worse acne in your 20s than your teens WELL I CANT REALLY ANSWER THAT SINCE I AM 21 NOW,BUT I HAVE ALWAYS HAD CLEAR SKIN.

Do you have male pattern baldness?i DOTN KNOW WHAT EXACTLY MALE PATTERN BALDING IS BUT I HAVE A PATCH OF BALD SPOT FROM A VERY LONG TIME,IT IS NOT VERY CONSPICUOUS THOUGH..

Do you have male pattern body hair? (Chest hair and hair in a line down the middle from your cleavage to your belly button) HELL YES OMG! I THOUGHT THAT WAS..GULP.. NORMAL TILL NOW!!!!!!!!!

Do you get very bad period pains? Mid cycle pains? Random abdominal / lower back / joint pains?- ABSOLUTELY NO PAINS DURING MY PERIODS, IT IS LIKE ANY OTHER DAY IN THE MONTH,NO MID CYCLE PAINS,NO OTHER PAINS.

Have you had any severe acute attacks of abdominal / lower back pain where you feel like you burst an internal organ?.. NO (THANK GOD!!)

Do you get bad PMS / mood swings / depression? DEPRESSION IS SO HARD TO DIAGNOSE...I HAVE SUSPECTED IT BEFORE BUT I CAN NEVER TELL IF I AM GIVING MY SIGNS TOO MUCH CREDIT MAYBE I SHOULD CHECK WITH THOSE SYMPTOMS FIRST!!LOL

Do you feel 'well' in yourself or do you feel there is something wrong?
I AM GENERALLY QUITE HEALTHY,YES.



Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: pco symptoms match?
March 26 2008, 11:06 PM

Don't panic about the body hair thing, I was trying to be discreet about how nasty mine was before I got the meds! A bit of blonde fluff all down the middle is nothing to worry about especially if other women in your family are quite hairy. What I meant was thick dark masculine type hairs, a few people get a couple near the belly button but a whole load down your cleavage wants checking out! Have a look at this grading scale for hirsutism:

http://www.femalepatient.com/html/arc/se...icle02.asp

Before anyone wants to ban me from the forum for being totally disgusting mine was never as bad as most of the grade 2s and it's cleared up with medication!

Another thing to watch out for is the sudden appearance of sideburns, I got these when I was about 23 although I think they're getting better too. Never had a beard and moustache is not that bad, only get it waxed 6-8 weeks.

Also go to google images and put in hisutism - only try this if you have a strong stomach!

I would say that it's unlikely you have actual cysts as you have no pains but you can still have PCOS i.e. the syndrome or you may just have high testosterone or be naturally hairy. You cycle does warrant getting a medical checkup though esp if you feel it's getting less and les regular, I got to a point where I felt like I was drying up.

Another thing you may want to check for yourself is BBT (basal body temperature), you'll need a fertility thermometer from the pharmacy, tell them you want to measure BBT to check when you ovulate. Then every day you need to measure your temperature orally before you get out of your bed in the morning and plot a graph, you can compare this to charts online to see when and if you ovulate. It may be useful to do this first and take it with you to the doctor.

In terms of depression, everyone feels crappy here and there esp when crappy things happen, do you notice that you feel worse or are nasty to people when you are due for your period?

In short, you're probably fine but I'm not a doctor and you hould have a blood test and pelvic ultrasound just to rule it out. They may also want to consider endometriosis althoug again that's unlikely if you don't have pains.

Are your periods heavy? That can be a sign of fibroids.

Hope you get it sorted x



Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: pco symptoms match?
March 26 2008, 11:11 PM

p.s. not sure how much weight you need to lose but being overweight can mess up your hormones, do you feel the hairs have got worse since you put weight on?

I put on a lot of weight after I dislocated my kneecap because I couldn't exercise and had a desk job where there was always food about. I'm only 5'1 and was 135 lbs, now I'm down to about 106 lbs. I remember reading somewhere that if you have problems with acne (not sure about hairs) then losing 5% of your body weight can fix it. I've lost 20% and I do feel better but not sure if it's the meds or a combination.



pco worrier
(no login)
Re: pco symptoms match?
March 28 2008, 6:41 PM

Thank you Louise , that was very insightful...reading your post somehow got me convinced that I dont have any of them..I guess in short my only two problems are...irregular periods and big bad stomach/abdomen- and now that I am on wonderup, I have very wierd periods..like it just spots around and then disappears ...before I started wu, I had irregular periods but they were definitely normal periods that lasted for 3 full days,and I didnt stop in between..now I DO feel like I ma drying up..sigh..and yeah just to make sure I checked with a few of my friends and they did have the same pattrn of hair down their chest heh.I guess I should check if I am ovulating at all! but that is a scary thought..

[admin]

PCO - my experience
September 4 2007 at 10:45 PM Louise (Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
I first had the odd twinge of abdominal pain when I was about 17 and had bad period pains from age 15. Have always been fairly hairy, never had terrible skin. Was on the pill age 16-19 - improved period pains. Age 19 had severe attack of lower back pain, was asked by GP if I'd pulled a muscle or if I was sure I wasn't constipated. Few months later had severe attack of abdominal pain, GP gave painkillers. Took painkillers for 5 days then the warfarin in them started giving nosebleeds so had to stop, GP ordered ultrasound. Was told by technician that ultrasound was normal, never got written report, doctors considered endometriosis and it got left. Age 23 developed sideburns, age 24 acne, age 25 chest hair. Started the pill - acne, pms, period pains, mid cycle pains all gone, joint pains improved. I requested hormone tests, the GP said I should be seen in hospital. Hospital said I need to come off the pill, have tests and see the GP as they can't give a follow up appointment for 6 months.

That's the boring background...so on Friday I thought I'd give a private gynaecologist a try and they did ultrasound and saw me with the results this evening. I do have ovarian cysts, and the left ovary is deep which may explain all the back pain. I've been given a prescription for metformin to combat insulin resistance and dianette to balance hormones and block testosterone. Further hormone, thyroid and liver tests to be done next week. Finally after 6 years I have a diagnosis and can begin some treatment - what a relief!

I'd really urge anyone else who's left in limbo of having all the symptoms but no diagnosis to go private and get something done about it, here's a link to the female gynae I saw (London / Essex area, UK):

http://www.gynaecologist4u.co.uk/index.html

So let's just hope it works, even if it has no effect on boob growth, just to know I'm not sitting here slowly becoming diabetic as the testosterone kills of the insulin receptors it's well worth the money.

Good luck and best of health to all xx




Lost Sheep
(no login)
Thank God!
September 5 2007, 7:31 AM

It must have been a relief to finally get a proper diagnosis. Even if PCOS isn't nice to have, at least you will be able to get treatment which is great. Sometimes doctors are so sloppy! A friend of mine went for YEARS with cancer growing in her chest without any doctor noticing it even though she complained about "pressure", difficulties to breath and chest pains. A simple x-ray would have given the answer. Instead, the cancer mass kept growing and attaching itself to her lungs and to the tissues around her heart. :-( Just clumsy idiot doctors fault. Incompetence!

Anyway, I'm glad you will be able to do something about your previous trouble and hope the meds will help you get well.




Lisa
(Login Lisa121)
EVE MEMBERS
Re: PCO - my experience
September 5 2007, 1:43 PM

Louise, I am so glad you found out what is wrong, now you know what to treat at least, that is a big relief, I know how you feel, I have been undiagnosed with several things over years, it went that far that doctors even told me I was imagining things. Nice, huh, especially when it turned out in the end that I was right all along and they were wrong. There are just too many doctors out there that are just not very good, but think they are, and that just sucks.
I hope you get better soon. Can you get rid of the cysts by taking medicine or do you need an operation to get rid of them?
I just don't get it how it works, I thought extra estrogen can cause these cysts, but on my blood tests from years ago it said that I might be at risk, but I have elevated testosterone levels and not estrogen.
At least you know that all your increased symptoms will be from the cysts, so when you get rid of them those should go away or at least get better too.



Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Sorry, can't help being long-winded
September 5 2007, 2:03 PM

Thanks Black sheep and Lisa for your support xx

They only usually operate if you have one big cyst. PCO means that the surface of the ovaries is covered in tiny cysts which I think are the follicles that should have become ova which is why some PCO women don't ovulate. I'm going to be reading about this so will keep you posted. On the plus side infertility is more common in women who are over weight and low calorie diet and weight loss can restart the ovulation, so glad I've got the weight down anyway.

I just need to remember not to go mad and that the metformin isn't license to eat sweets all day! I might buy a diabetes blood sugar home testing kit so I can keep an eye out, my degree covered diabetic stuff so I know how to interpret the results. Also hopefully the cyproterone in dianette will fix the hairs but if not the doctor is willing to prescribe cyproterone in addition. She did warn me that you can't take it long term because of the liver toxicity but that when you come off it the hair comes back unchanged not any worse. I have also read a study that concluded 4 years of cyproterone significantly reduced hair regrowth so praying just to stop it then can think about electrolysis to mop up what's left.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lisa,

I think you're UK-based, if so I would strongly recommend going private. I'm particularly annoyed because when I first went to the GP I was covered by Bupa and by the time she'd finished fobbing me off with painkillers and antibiotics I'd left my job and lost the medical cover so now I'm paying Bupa to treat me. Even so the ultrasound, consultant appointment and blood work is going to be about £550 and then £25 for 3 months metformin and dianette so could be worse. I was told originally that my ovaries looked normal but now I'm not sure that an actual doctor ever saw the images or that my report didn't just get lost in the system. At that time I also had a blood sugar test (they didn't tell me it was fasting glucose) and I ate a pasty and a cake on the way to the test and never heard back from the doctor - surely that would've produced an abnormal result!!



Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: PCO - my experience
September 5 2007, 2:37 PM

This is good:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycystic_ovary_syndrome

Also PCOS i.e. the syndrome can be present without any actual visible cysts but can still be treated in the same way to relieve acne, hirsutism, weight problems, pms and other hormonal symptoms.



momXseven
(Login momXseven)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: PCO - my experience
September 5 2007, 3:33 PM

Man I could have written your post, My back pain set in around 15/16. I was on Tylenol 3 ( Tylenol with codeine) by 16 and on to real pain killers by 19. I have lot of ovarian cysts, about every 2-3 months. I got a diagnosis of endometriosis at 25 and than diagnosis of PCOS this past year at 32. My Dr said I'm a walking miracle to have endo & PCOS and 7 kids.



Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: PCO - my experience
September 5 2007, 3:44 PM

MomXseven, are you on meds for any of this? I was ?endometriosis a while ago as it would explain cyclic pains as the stray endometrium builds up (dunno if contraception lessens this - definitely makes periods lighter). Are you concerned about insulin resistance?



momXseven
(Login momXseven)
SENIOR MEMBER
Louise
September 5 2007, 4:47 PM

Not on any meds right now. I have been watching my blood sugar all my life. I was hypogloseamic (spelling ?) from birth until about 3 years ago and than started getting in pre-diabetes range. I was told I had had "reactive" hypo and they have now learned that those with reactive hypo can go diabetic. So long story short I'm still watching but still not in need of meds yet. My blood sugar is still within normal range most of the time, if I have a spick it comes down pretty fast on it's own. I've done better as the weight loss.





Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: PCO - my experience
September 5 2007, 4:57 PM

The gynaecologist I saw lists PCO, endometriosis and gynaecological endicrinology amongst her specialities. She looked at the ultrasound and put me straight on anti-diabetic medication. When you say hypoglycaemia are you sure you don't mean hyper (too much)? I've not had it checked but hopefully the tablets mean I can eat normally and have already lost a lot of weight. Apparently high insulin levels encourage a fat belly and discourage fat boobs. If you've got PCO you're making plenty of insulin and then ignoring it so you have high levels. Interestingly I read that there is a higher than normal percentage of PCO women who have problems with milk yield so possibly this is why I didn't get bigger boobs as a teenager. Also this article said nearly all PCO women lack progesterone which is something I intend to ask the doctor about next time. The doctor told me that exercise makes you more sensitive to insulin so you produce less. Have you done much reading about SHBG? This binds to sex hormones and prevents them attaching to receptors so low SHBG (which you also get from PCO) means more free testosterone.



momXseven
(Login momXseven)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: PCO - my experience
September 5 2007, 5:15 PM

WOW, I hate most of the US Dr's. They don't tell you anything.

Yes I mean hypoglycemia, too low. That's the odd thing, going from too low to too high but it's because it's the "reactive" hypo.

You Dr didn't check your sugar level before putting you on anti-diabetic meds? That's not right!

No I haven't really looked into SHBG, I will now. Do you remember me posting that I'm 33 and have never really even had a sex drive at all and now after being on GABA and maybe from the other herbs I have a real sex drive finally.

Boy all the things I have learning just because I wasn't happy with my boob size, LOL.

BTW, Louise I emailed you.




This message has been edited by momXseven on Sep 5, 2007 5:20 PM




Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: PCO - my experience
September 5 2007, 5:22 PM

I think the antidiabetic meds not to reduce blood sugar but to make me more reactive to insulin such that I don't produce so much insulin. I'm glad to take this as I hope it'll help to direct fat where I want it and I can stop panicking about all the low fat foods I eat that are sugary. I wonder if it's possible you produce too much insulin and do react to it causing your sugar level to drop. It's usually high in PCO.



LL
(Login Lillea)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: PCO - my experience
September 5 2007, 10:41 PM

Thank you for posting this, Louise. I have wondered about myself for a while. Acne, hairiness, problems with carbs. I'm slim, but I've come to understand that PCOS isn't weight dependant. Tomorrow I'm having an ultra-sound. I already had blood work done for PCOS and the results were all 'normal' but the doctor told me that just one test isn't going to give the full picture of what my hormones are doing. It said I wasn't diabetic. I really need more comprehensive tests, I feel, to find out what's going on.

I found this site:

http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/index.html

and bought the e-book about diet. When I ate in the way it described in the past (low carb), my acne cleared up and I think I gained some boobage, but then I went through a stressful time and upped carbs (in the form of fruit and rice), which brought back the acne and compromised the boobs.

Thanks again for sharing what you're going through.




This message has been edited by Lillea on Dec 24, 2007 7:21 AM





KittyCharlette
(Login KittyCharlette)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: PCO - my experience
September 5 2007, 11:31 PM

i dont know much about PCO and i dont think that i have it, but i just wanted to sympathize with you ladies on not getting answers from doctors. i too have been "brushed off" about my womanly problems. ive always had really heavy, very painful periods and every gyn ive seen just gives me a pap and birth control and send me on my way. needless to say birthcontrol only shortened my periods from 7 days to 3 or 4 but are still heavy and painful. anyway, i know what its like to be ignored by "professionals". i have seen this with my daughter also for different problems. its a shame. i don't even see doctors as often anymore. ive been looking more and more into natural remedies. good luck with you, louise. i hope everything turns out OK for you



Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: PCO - my experience
September 6 2007, 6:56 PM

I think a lot of people on here have some problem or another hence they didn't get boobs the first time round.

Lillea - have the scan, but PCOS i.e. the syndrome is not dependent on having actual cysts, so if you have all the other stuff but not the cysts you can still have PCOS and benefit from treatment. Similarly if you have just the cysts but not the rest then you have PCO not PCOS. BTW, I read that PCOS makes you deficient in vitamins A,B6 and zinc and supplementing these can improve the skin.

Kittycharlette - what you have sounds most like fibroids or possibly uterine polyps or maybe even endometriosis, PCO usually causes lighter periods. Fibroids should get better after a pregnancy, I think polyps can be lasered off and endometriosis should be fixed by hysterectomy if it's affecting you badly. I think if the pill makes you feel better rather than worse you probably have some underlying hormonal problem, maybe try a different doctor.

Thanks for the support girls, good luck to all with medical probs and boobs x



LL
(Login Lillea)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: PCO - my experience
September 6 2007, 7:15 PM

Thanks, Louise. I'm hoping that tests or someone will help me to figure out why I'm having these symptoms! That's interesting about the vitamin deficiencies. I'll pay attention to that!

Today is ultra sound day for me. I want to be healthy, but in some ways it would be a relief to know that I have cysts - at least it would be an explaination.




Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: PCO - my experience
September 6 2007, 7:42 PM

The way I see it you're living with the untreated disease at least a diagnosis means you can get some treatment.

[admin]

To those with medical knowledge on polyovarian cysts...
November 24 2006 at 4:12 PM J (no login)
Hey,

I've posted a previous thread on wanting encouragement on why WU is not working even tho I was on Breast Sculptor for a month then immediately switched to WU and now been on WU for 7-8 weeks...but nothing, no tingles, no growth nothing...

Anyway recently i went to the doctors because I've always got problems with my periods... ie very irregular.. so irregular that at the beginning of this year I didn't have a period for about 6-7 months... so (July) then it was very bang on regular for next two months(sept) now i've not had a period since sept(I think) So My GP sent me off for bloodtests in July to test for hormone etc and then had a recent pelvic scan beginning of this month. Turns out bloodtest shows normal hormones, yet scan shows suspected polyovarian cysts...smthing to do with the way the follicles on ovaries are arranged, but the GP still can't say for definate I have them...just that the follicles as well as the v irregular periods...

I wonder if the lack of periods can be the cause to my breast growth...obviously I am asking these questions instead my own GP cos she has no idea I am taking WU..I'd be so embarassed..so if there is sm1 here who has medical knowledge please help...

Also I read on previous post about Thyroid...could I have this..cos I have extremely cold hands and feet, sometimes suffer from insomnia.bit bloating to tummy and recent flabbage to tummy( but could be side effect of WU)..but surely when I had my blood test etc the doc would have checked my thyroid???I am uncertain as I can't remember!My mum also used to suffer form thyroid in her 20s.

I weigh 125 lbs 5'5 tall, definite pear shape with fat to lower body and increasing even tho I exercise for 30 mins a day....so I am deffo no underweight.

anyway I hope to hear you responses as my main worry is the lack of periods and if it can affect the WonderUp working?? Also thyroid???

J
xxx




faerycat
(Login faerycat)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: To those with medical knowledge on polyovarian cysts...
November 24 2006, 8:27 PM

Hi J

Is there any way you can contact your doctor and ask if your bloods were checked for hypo/hyperthyroidism? There are so many tests available for so many things, so it is possible that your bloods weren't checked for the thyroid thing.

Some of your symptoms sound like they may be related with an underactive thyroid. Here are some symptoms, but you don't have to have all of them to be affected.


Hypothyroidism - Underactive thyroid condition

Allergies (developing or worsening)
Anxiety
Breathing difficulties (shortness of breath, chest tightness)
Cold body temperature (feeling cold too)
Constipation (not usually relieved with the usual aids)
Depression
Dizziness (often accompanied with vertigo)
Eye problems (bulging eyes; gritty, dry, achy, blurry, irritated, red eyes; light sensitivity; double vision; jumpy eyes)
Facial puffiness (eyes, lids too)
Fatigue (despite sleep sufficiency)
Fertility problems (miscarriage too)
Goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)
Hair problems (coarse, dry texture) (hypothyroid hair loss: head and outer edge of eyebrow )
Hearing disabilities (tinnitus, ear ringing)
High cholesterol levels
Infections (less resistance to them)
Low blood pressure
Menstrual changes (flow, duration)
Mental Challenges (brain fog, lack of focus, concentration)
Mood changes
Muscle and joint aches (severe, especially hands and feet)
Nail problems (dry, brittle)
PMS (premenstrual syndrome)
Sexual dysfunction (low drive in both sexes, impotence in men)
Skin changes (dry, itchy, patchy)
Sleep apnea (lapses of breath while sleeping) and snoring
Slow pulse
Throat problems (swallowing difficulty)
Voice changes (hoarse, husky)
Weakness (overall, all the time)
Weight fluctuation (gain or loss)


Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones. This tends to slow down the body's functions. Approximately 1 in 50 women and 1 in 1000 men will develop symptoms of hypothyroidism at some stage in their lives. So if your body's functions are being slowed down, then it is possible that this may counteract the positive actions of any herbs you are taking for NBE.

The only way you can know for sure is to contact your doc and ask for a thyroid test.

Wish I could be of more help to you.

Good luck and please let us know how things go.

Love

=^_^= x



bonnette
(Login bonnette)
Re: To those with medical knowledge on polyovarian cysts...
November 24 2006, 9:11 PM

sound very familiar examples to me. Is Kelp as a solution for this?




J
(no login)
Re: To those with medical knowledge on polyovarian cysts...
November 24 2006, 9:30 PM

Thanks Faerycat!

i will contact my GP to ask about thyroid...thanks very much for your indepth reply, some of the examples you typed, I have as well(which is a bit worrying)!!


Bonnette...

whats this about Kelp???what examples have you got that sounds familiar? please enlighten us.

J xxx




faerycat
(Login faerycat)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: To those with medical knowledge on polyovarian cysts...
November 24 2006, 9:44 PM


Kelp is a natural source of iodine and can have a normalising effect on hypothyroidism. But, the iodine content in kelp may cause hyper- or hypothyroidism, if taken in excessive amounts, and may interfere with existing treatment for abnormal thyroid function. The iodine content in kelp has been associated with acne eruptions and may aggravate pre-existing acne. Elevated urinary arsenic concentrations have also been traced to the ingestion of kelp tablets. As such, kelp used as a food and/or for a medicinal product should not exceed arsenic levels above 3.0 ppm and lead levels above 10.0 ppm based on the internationally recognized Food Chemicals Codex. Prolonged ingestion of kelp in large quantities may also reduce gastrointestinal iron absorption and affect absorption of sodium and potassium and cause diarrhea.

Not a good idea if you have anaemia J.

I would say that when using kelp, as you have to get the balance perfectly correct, then treatment should best be left to the experts.....unless of course, you know what you are doing.

x



April_Anna
(Login April_Anna)
Re: To those with medical knowledge on polyovarian cysts...
November 25 2006, 2:33 PM

You really have to tell your doctor that you are on NBE, let him know what you are taking and make some diagnosis tests. Otherwise, there will be no way to find out what made your breasts grow, and what's happening to your organism. Love, April *GOOD LUCK!!!*



bonnette
(Login bonnette)
Re: To those with medical knowledge on polyovarian cysts...
November 26 2006, 9:20 AM

hello J

i was getting curious when reading these symphtoms cos i have problems with low bodytemperature, low bloodpressure, dizziness, jumping eyes (don't know what it means but i feel sometimes my sight is not stable but jumping), tiredness, fatigue, frizzy hair ( very dry whatever i do), always worried about losing hair (this has become obsession cos i was losing them a while ago) and so on quite constantly.always thought it's due to low bloodpressure only but could also be thyroid problem. Couple of years ago i was really suprised when measuring my bodytemperature just by chance (though i had a fever) but i was only 35. and i was taking wonderup at that time, not suprsied it didnt work.

about Kelp i'm also suspicious cos what about if your body get's used to it.

i think using normal salt instead of seasalt would be useful. i have beeb trying to use seasalt as much as possible instead on normal one but guess it's no good in this case.

should get my thyroid checked when back at home

bonnette

[admin]

spironolactone
December 3 2007 at 5:34 AM No Name Sheep (no login)

has anyone taking spironolactone for PCOS noticed breast increase OR decrease? I noticed a marked decrease but most websites state breast increase as side effect for men taking spironolactone.

Thanks and God bless




Miles
(no login)
Re: spironolactone
December 3 2007, 2:49 PM

I have been taking spironolactone for androgen access symptoms. After a few months, my breasts swelled up about 2 cup sizes and hurt an extraordinary amount. I was in severe pain all the time. This laste for about 2 months, then they gradually began to shrink back down until they were actually smaller than before I started the spironolactone (although they were really small to begin with anyway). Now I've been doing NBE the last 4 months, with herbs to try to get them bigger and fuller.



Louise
(Login Louise1982)
SENIOR MEMBER
Re: spironolactone
December 3 2007, 6:15 PM

Spironolactone is a diuretic so it should reduce any water retention in the breasts. A know side effect is breast growth in men, not sure if this usually happens in women or not. Otherwise you could try Dianette / Ginette or Yasmin contraceptive all of which contain anti-androgens.



Grandma Sheep
(no login)
Re: spironolactone
December 8 2007, 8:38 PM

Thank you so much. This helps a great deal. I also noticed breast tenderness and slight increase in the first few weeks of usage. But now my boobs have shrunk a whole cup size! I am horrified. To make matters worse the acne & facial hair have not reduced either. bummer.