Hi everyone
I'm a 28F looking to get pregnant soon, but my period is super irregular and I don't know if I still have PCOS or not. For context:
1- I was diagnosed with PCOS as a teen because I had a "necklace" of cysts detected in my ultrasound, I was also hairy, had higher testosterone, and very irregular periods. Though I was not overweight my Gyno suggested I had enough characteristics to be diagnosed with PCOS.
2- Fifteen years later, I lost a ton of weight (currently 126lbs at 5'8), was on BC to regulate my periods and ultrasound showed no more cysts. Doctors then said PCOS was unlikely since I did not meet the criteria anymore.
3- I've stopped birth control the last couple of years, my periods were more or less regular, being at most a week off. I lost even more weight and had a stressful summer and my periods have just been more and more unpredictable. I eat very well though, even tried gaining weight and taking supplements but found it hard.
4- Since June, my period has come early and also come late. My last cycle was 45 days and my current one is at 35 and counting.
I don't know if weight loss and stress can affect periods this much or if this is just me and my history of PCOS. I'm nervous because I've done all the lab work and everything seems normal, but I'm tracking my fertility overall and I can't seem to find my ovulation day and worried I have anovulatory cycles and it's due to PCOS. I have an OBGYN scheduled for February but worried they'll take too long to help me.
Any advice or similar experiences from anyone?
Thank you!
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You can have PCOS without having cysts on your ovaries, and you being on birth control doesn’t mean you have “regular periods” because you don’t have periods when you are on birth control, you have an induced bleed. When was the last time you had bloodwork done, especially testosterone? The most up to date criteria for being diagnosed with PCOS is known as the Rotterdam criteria, and you only need to me 2/3 to get a diagnosis: 1. polycystic ovaries 2. irregular cycles and 3. clinical (symptoms) or chemical (lab test) hyperandrogenism. If you met the criteria before you possibly still do. And again, you only need to me 2/3 for a diagnosis. Testing your hormone levels will give you a better idea.
As far as tracking your cycle, how are you doing so? Are you tracking BBT, CM, LH, none or all of the above? This can give a better idea of why you may not be seeing signs of ovulation every cycle.
I want to throw one thing out there— I can’t comment with any certainty for your situation, but I’m 5’8” and my lowest adult weight was 127, which was way too low for me. So especially if you’re really lean, I’d consider the impact of body fat percentage on cycle regularity.
That’s my case. I seemed to ”recover” with a good diet and supplement but I experienced anovulatory long cycles. My regular obgyn told me to come straight away if I wanted to start ttc and basically put me on medicated cycles plus monitoring.
Thank you this is helpful! I was worried that they would just tell me to try for a year before they put me on any medication because of my age... can I ask what they prescribed for you and if it worked? Also did you have any side effects?
It was letrozole and clomiphene plus progesterone for the second phase. It works, I monitor my cycles each month and there’s always a dominant follicle and I have my period regularly because of these two medications. No side effects, but I got more aware of signs my body sends me.
I’m in a very similar situation as you, except I’ve never been diagnosed with PCOS. I’m on Day 50-something without a period, I’m also unable to track my ovulation using all the methods recommended. I stopped taking BC late winter of this year, no luck conceiving or even identifying ovulation.
At first, my initial 3 cycles after BC were amazing, 35 days long and a nice heavy flow. It felt liberating to see my body do its thing and have a real period. Then it went all downhill from there. Next month I’ll be meeting my new doctor and requesting a hormone panel or some kind of test, because I find it strange that I can’t track my ovulation. Before BC, I was also irregular. I took BC for a decade. Best of luck to you!
Weight loss and stress can definitely cause periods to be irregular, so that could be part of it. At the same time if you were diagnosed when younger, it's very plausible that hasn't changed. Definitely recommend getting testing done to check your hormone levels! "Lean PCOS" is a thing btw - you don't have to be overweight to have PCOS. (I only learned that when I got diagnosed!)