I was diagnosed with PCOS about three years ago, and at the time, I did not have insurance and had to go to the free health clinic. The doctor that I saw didn't do much to help, and I got so frustrated that I quit even trying to get her help. I no longer had a period and just put this diagnosis out of my mind until April 2008 when I started cramping and bleeding so heavily that I almost went to the hospital. My new doctor started me on birth control, and as of yet, it has not worked. I am so frustrated because almost all of the research I have done says that with diet and exercise and weight loss, I can drastically help my PCOS. However, I have been doing intense workouts three to five times a week, completely changed my eating habits, and I've lost about 37 pounds, but my PCOS is worse! I have been menstruating since the beginning of April, and this is taking a physical and emotional toll on my life. I can't work out as much because of the severe cramping, and I have had to miss a lot of work because of exhaustion.

I have just been diagnosed with PCOS and only because I ended up in hospital with a ruptured cyst. I was in agony. My gynecologist has been very good but I wont see him again for another month, but now I'm left wondering if I have to stop trying to conceive with my husband or in what condition my body is in. Am I infertile and what are my next steps? A month feels so long away for my questions to be answered. I am only married a year and have been trying for the last 8 months. For years we prevented pregnancy and now we are trying and have been dealt this blow.

I went five months without having a period. Then I was put on metformin. It's been three months now since I was diagnosed with PCOS, and I still get painful periods, especially when I ovulate. I have excessive facial hair and patches of dark skin on my back. However, since I started metformin I have lost 18 pounds, from 218 to 200. I have completely changed my diet, and I drink a lot of purified water. Although I feel physically better, emotional I'm torn because I've been trying to conceive for two years.

I'm not a caregiver. I am dating a man who has a daughter with this. She's a wonderful girl and was diagnosed two years ago. She has multiple ovarian cysts and also a growth on her pituitary gland. She is obese and has facial hair. She was placed on Yaz and metformin, but couldn't take the metformin because of stomach problems. She recently had a scan on the growth on her pituitary gland and it's growing. I told her not to take the Yaz because of all of the bad hype. I didn't realize the significance of this diagnosis until this afternoon when I looked it up. There is lots of heart disease in her family. Her endocrinologist told her to get mammograms earlier because she could get breast cancer. She only sees this doctor once every six months and is currently not being treated. She is not so concerned about having children. She can't take the metformin. She's 22 and doesn't really realize the situation. I'm wondering what her options might be.

I am 23 years old. I have always had irregular periods and acne. When my acne became so bad and I began to bleed non-stop with heavy, prolonged periods, I started birth control pills. The pills helped my periods stay regular and my acne was very minimal. Three years later, I developed cysts on my ovaries and constant PMS symptoms. I tried every diet under the sun and exercised five days a week. No matter what I did, I kept gaining weight uncontrollably. My sex drive plummeted, and I haven't had an orgasm in years. Miserable, I went back to my doctor who tried several different birth control pills and none of them helped.

I have been diagnosed with PCOS. I was diagnosed less than a year ago. My insulin was extremely high and so was my testosterone level. I went to several doctors until I found one that could help. I was on my third month straight of having a period. When the birth control I was prescribed didn't work, I knew something else had to be done. That is when I found a doctor who started me on metformin. My period stopped, and I am now 53 pounds lighter. I no longer need the metformin because my insulin is back to normal and so are my periods. I also must add that I cut back on the sugar in my diet and started eating mostly organic food. I hope this gives someone hope and encouragement. I am no longer on meds and doing fine. The only thing I have to do now is stick to my diet. I feel I need to mention that metformin helped bring down my food cravings. I know what you are going through. It is a hard battle not many understand. My advice is to keep shopping for a doctor until you find one that can help.