On the medical front, I'm still ridiculously confused, I'm still pondering that million dollar question, do I really have PCOS? There are cases of PCOS that go undiagnosed for years because nobody runs the right tests. In my case, I've run all of them (sometimes in triplicate) and I'm still left scratching my head. This disease is COMPLICATED!!!
My San Diego RE( Dr. G) who first remarked that my ovaries looked polycystic, does not really think that I have PCOS. He thinks my ovaries look 'multi-cystic'. Translation- I have about a gzaliion follicles in each.
My antral follicle count has consistently been in the 30s. My repeat AMH (because I never believe in just one test reading) was even higher, at 5.6 ng/ml. You can look at these results from 2 different angles- from one angle I'm just blessed with a pretty abundant ovarian reserve, above average for age 30. Look at it from another angle, and yeah, it looks like PCOS.
I've read some crazy complicated papers on how to diagnose PCOS. There are 3 big players here-
About hyperandrogenism:
I don't have high testosterone. I've tested this 6 ways to Sunday- conclusion- my testosterone is at the lowest end of the normal range.
I DO have high DHEAS (over 200 in 2 seperate tests)
The tie breaker is......hirsuteness. That is the condition where you are hairy like a man. I'm sure everybody has seen somebody suffering from a really bad case of it one time or the other and knows what I'm talking about. I'm NOT like that, not by a long shot, so if you had asked me a year ago whether I was hirsute, it would have been an absolute no-brainer to say no.
However, I recently came across this way to 'score' if you are clinically hirsute. Its called the Ferriman-Gallway score and it looks at body hair patterns not just on the face, but all over your body.
A picture speaks a 1000 words, so go here to see what it is all about.
The papers say that if you have a Ferriman-Gallway score above 6, you might be considered hirsute. If you are above 8, you most definitely ARE hirsute. I looked at my own body hair patterns and I was like gee, I might just be in the 6-8 range, or maybe even higher but its really hard to evaluate one's self. If this comes through then we can conclude, yes, I just may have PCOS.
But right now, I'm waiting to pick an insurance, and then just find a doctor who will help me determine if I qualify for hirsutism. I usually get rid of body hair on a very regular basis, now I'm forced to keep it till I see a doc. UGH.
Quite a few medical professionals (including Dr. G) have asked me: how does it matter even if I DO have the mildest form of PCOS in the world, since its clearly not affecting my ability to conceive??? Well, because even in its mildest form, it CAN potentially be deadly. It can stick a foot out and hamper fertility in MANY different ways. PCOS can not only interfere with your ability to conceive, but can mess things up well after conception- ridiculously complicated post on that will be written one day in the future.
My San Diego RE( Dr. G) who first remarked that my ovaries looked polycystic, does not really think that I have PCOS. He thinks my ovaries look 'multi-cystic'. Translation- I have about a gzaliion follicles in each.
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| Courtesy of Google Images |
I've read some crazy complicated papers on how to diagnose PCOS. There are 3 big players here-
- The ovarian parameters (high AMH and follicles) ---- big check mark here
- Ovulatory disturbances -----none. Ovulate beautifully, and in ridiculously reproducible patterns, every month.
- Hyperandrogenism (greek for too much male hormone): 3 things to check here- DHEAS/ DHEA, testosterone and physical characteristic of hirsutism. 2 out of 3 qualifies you, I think.
About hyperandrogenism:
I don't have high testosterone. I've tested this 6 ways to Sunday- conclusion- my testosterone is at the lowest end of the normal range.
I DO have high DHEAS (over 200 in 2 seperate tests)
The tie breaker is......hirsuteness. That is the condition where you are hairy like a man. I'm sure everybody has seen somebody suffering from a really bad case of it one time or the other and knows what I'm talking about. I'm NOT like that, not by a long shot, so if you had asked me a year ago whether I was hirsute, it would have been an absolute no-brainer to say no.
However, I recently came across this way to 'score' if you are clinically hirsute. Its called the Ferriman-Gallway score and it looks at body hair patterns not just on the face, but all over your body.
A picture speaks a 1000 words, so go here to see what it is all about.
The papers say that if you have a Ferriman-Gallway score above 6, you might be considered hirsute. If you are above 8, you most definitely ARE hirsute. I looked at my own body hair patterns and I was like gee, I might just be in the 6-8 range, or maybe even higher but its really hard to evaluate one's self. If this comes through then we can conclude, yes, I just may have PCOS.
But right now, I'm waiting to pick an insurance, and then just find a doctor who will help me determine if I qualify for hirsutism. I usually get rid of body hair on a very regular basis, now I'm forced to keep it till I see a doc. UGH.
Quite a few medical professionals (including Dr. G) have asked me: how does it matter even if I DO have the mildest form of PCOS in the world, since its clearly not affecting my ability to conceive??? Well, because even in its mildest form, it CAN potentially be deadly. It can stick a foot out and hamper fertility in MANY different ways. PCOS can not only interfere with your ability to conceive, but can mess things up well after conception- ridiculously complicated post on that will be written one day in the future.
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