Female troubles maybe TMI..

[Stayseeliz]

I will probably delete this at some point so please don't quote me but I need some help!

I'm having some issues and I just can't figure out what's going on. I've had four c-sections and a tubal with my last one. During my third section I was told that my uterus was very thin and that I had a "window" in it and not to have more kids. #4 was an oops. :) I also have PCOS and I am hypothyroid. I've been on amour thyroid for 8 years.

My youngest is almost two and I've had my cycle back for about a year. They have been pretty heavy since I got them back. Fun. Last March during O time I had a stabbing pain in the area of my right ovary. It took my breath away and I couldn't even move. It happened almost every month after that but not always during O time. In July it happened on day two of my cycle and I couldn't move without excurciating pain. I was stuck at the library with my kids. When I got home I couldn't move without screaming and DH made me go to the ER. At the ER they ruled out anything "scary" according to them with bloodwork and an ultrasound. They told me their best guess was endometriosis and to follow up with a gynecologist.

Since July I've gained about 15 lbs around my middle and my cycles have continued to be heavy. I am now having 3-4 VERY heavy days and continue spotting for almost a week. On day 8 of this cycle I still have a good bit of bright red flow and clots. It's day 10 and I'm still spotting brown. I do spot randomly during my cycle too.

My ob/gyn no longer takes my insurance. So I went to a new gyn in November and they made me try ibuprofen therapy. 600mg of ibuprofren every 4 hours from the day before your cycle starts until it's totally done. It helped with the bleeding but not the pain at all. It also made me so constipated I had to do a colon cleanse. That was a bust.

 I went to see another gyn last week since I had a VERY bad experience with the first one for many reasons. I liked the other a lot more and felt like they listened more. They did an exam and ultrasound and ruled out fibroids and cysts. He said he thought an IUD or ablation would be the best bet for me. I agreed to the ablation but after doing some research it seems like it's not right for me for many reasons. I've had c-sections, a tubal, and I'm only 36. I'm not sure that's the right fit for me. He did say that he thought it MIGHT be endo but since I don't have pain with TEA all the time that might not be it.

 I also liked the new gyn but I'm not so sure I conveyed everything I wanted him to know. I got a call about a family emergency right before I saw him so I was very distracted during the visit. I literally left there, came home and took a family member to the ER. I don't think I conveyed that the pain is my worst symptom, then the bleeding, length of cycle and weight gain. I think he just heard about the amount of bleeding. I'm going back to just sit down and talk to him and explain my concerns about the ablation.

 I'm hoping to do the laproscopic procedure to see if it's endo and if it's not to go from there. I basically want to see if there is anything seriously wrong with me and if there isn't I want to do the least invasive thing to try to lessen the symptoms.

 I'm wondering if I'm missing something though? Could this be hormonal? Thyroid? My numbers were checked for thyroid last month and they said they were fine but I wonder. I'm tired ALL THE TIME and I'm killing myself to lose weight and nothing is happening. It's so frustrating!!

 I'm very naturally minded and I'd like to do the lease harm possible. But I'm also sick of spending half my month hurting/bleeding/spotting/bloated.

 Thanks for reading. I'd love input!

[Katielady]

First of all, I'm not sure why you are planning to delete this- if it's because you're embarrassed, please don't be! There's nothing wrong with talking about your body. :)

OK, I have PCOS too and have not had all the problems you've had, but some of them. I get a stabbing pain in my ovary sometimes. I've had a lot of weight gain around my middle that I can't seem to shake even with religious low-carb diets. Very frustrating. And for me the worst is hair loss- my already fine, thin hair has become so thin that you can really see a lot of scalp in front. I had my internist run blood tests and she said everything was normal, including thyroid which is what I suspect. She advised me to use rogaine. I'm like NFW! I'm too young (and too female!) to have this bad of a thinning hair problem. I don't want to put chemicals on my head, I want to find out the underlying problem.

Anyway, my plan (and I really need to get on this) is to try to find a really good reproductive endocrinologist who understands PCOS and will treat someone who is not TTC. I figure they'll understand the nuances of the hormone systems and reproductive tract much better than an OB (who is really mostly a surgeon) or an internist (whose knowledge base is general and broad). Maybe that might work for you too? I'll report back with my progress in case I do meet with someone. Good luck!