Moving forward

Yesterday was tough.  Thankfully I had a super busy day at work to keep my mind occupied.

I also called my doctor yesterday.  After talking with DH, we decided it is probably time for me to get checked out.

I haven't written about it here yet, but lately I have been wondering if I might have PCOS.  I have a friend who has it, and she was actually the first person to mention that maybe I should get checked for it.  I honestly never really thought about PCOS before, but when my friend started telling me her symptoms, I realized... I have every single one of them.

Even though my friend had mentioned it, I never seriously considered the possibility of me having PCOS until this past weekend.  I randomly came across some information about PCOS online, and was shocked to discover how familiar the symptoms sounded:  long, irregular cycles, excessively oily skin and hair, dandruff/dry scalp, acne, excessive facial hair, obesity/weight gain/carrying excessive weight around your middle, and difficulty getting pregnant.

I have always had irregular periods (when not on birth control), even in junior high and high school.  Since I started charting, all of my cycles have lasted 35-50 days until this most recent one, which lasted 33 days -- my shortest ever!  I have also always had excessively oily skin and hair.  Like, extreme grease... Even when I shower in the morning, my hair looks completely oily and disgusting again by the afternoon.  I also have to blot my face constantly throughout the day, and no cleanser, moisturizer, or powder I have tried has ever managed to cover my oil slick of a face.  Also, since coming off of the pill, I have noticed that I have horrible acne.  And not just on my face, but my chest and back also.  But perhaps the most striking symptom I noticed while reading -- and seriously, THIS was the clencher which made me seriously consider PCOS -- is that women with PCOS tend to gain weight only around their midsection (i.e. waist and hips) and have a difficult time losing this weight no matter how much they diet and exercise.  I have always only gained weight only around my middle (the zone I lovingly refer to as my "spare tire") for as long as I can remember.  I always thought this was a plus, because even if I gained a few pounds, my legs never got fat and I could usually cover up my belly chub with loose shirts. ;-)  But especially since I was pregnant, I have noticed this "spare tire" region has gotten especially large and impossible to lose, no matter how much I watch what I eat.  And obviously, I am having difficulties in getting pregnant and have already had one pregnancy loss -- two more symptoms.

After experiencing the revelation that there might actually be something wrong with me, I decided that I would call my doctor if it turned out I wasn't pregnant again this cycle.  When it became obvious yesterday that I clearly wasn't pregnant, I called my doctor and told him about my symptoms and my concerns about possible PCOS.  He agreed I am definitely showing some symptoms and wants to see me next Monday.  He asked me to bring my charts, and said he would be happy to run some tests to get to the bottom of this.

I am just so thankful my friend brought this up, or I never would have thought to ask.  I am also thankful I have a doctor who takes me seriously and is willing to hear me out.  I am still bummed that we had yet another unsuccessful cycle, but I do feel just a little bit better knowing we have a plan for moving forward.  I truly do hope there is nothing wrong with me, but if there is, I hope it is something manageable so that we can treat it and move on.