Friday, February 10, 2012

Chocolate Chip Cookies


In the picture above the thing that looks like a chocolate chip cookie is a polycystic ovary.  This one isn't mine (I'll try and get a picture of mine) but it looks similar.  The last couple of appointments I had seen PCOS with an x marked next to it so at my last appointment I flat out asked the doctor is I had polycystic ovarian syndrome, PCOS.  He seemed kind of quiet and surprised but he told me yes.  I asked if this had anything to do with my fertility issues and he said it was likely.  Why wasn't I made aware of this earlier - it may not have changed things but I would like to know exactly what is going on with my body.

Looking up PCOS came up with lots of scary information:
  • Its actually a suite of possible causes and effects and there are different "types" of PCOS depending on what drives the issue (hormones, ovaries, both) and the effects
  • It is easier for women with PCOS to gain wait and harder for them to lose it
  • They can have anovulation (lack of ovulation) issues which leads to infertility
  • Many with PCOS have acne - that explains why my skin still acts like I am a teenager
  • Many with PCOS have male pattern hair - whatever hair I am not supposed to have will stay between my salon aesthetician and me
  • Women with PCOS have a higher rate of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, early birth and high weight babies
  • Miscarriage is reported to be higher in women with PCOS
Those last two points are terrifying.  I have had one miscarriage and it is an experience I would like to avoid in the future.  Online literature seemed to recommend metformin to help women with PCOS ovulate and reduce the chance of miscarriage.  Sounds like a miracle drug BUT (and it is one big but) people have to be ramped up to the standard dose because it is so hard on your system.  They have to monitor your kidney and liver as it can harm those systems and it does a real number on your digestive system causing both nausea and diarrhea (FUN - sarcasm... there needs to be a sarcasm font). 

I wanted to talk to my doctor about this and I'm top impatient to wait until my next scheduled appointment (12 days and counting!) so I called ARMS' nurse line and left a message basically asking if based on the fact that I have had a previous miscarriage and have PCOS if there was a reason why or why not metformin would be suggested.  I have to say that ARMS got back to me super quick.  The nurse called and got some more information from me and let me know a little more about the drug (that big BUT I talked about) and said she would speak to Dr. Moffitt.  Dr. Moffitt himself actually called me back!  He said that he had recently been to a seminar/conference about metformin and that more and more research was pointing away from metformin that it might not be the miracle drug they had first thought in terms of both ovulation and miscarriage.  He said they were fully turning away from metformin for PCOS in the UK and that here in the US they are not seeing the prevention of miscarriages through the use of metformin.  He also said that metformin for ovulation is typically only pursued when clomid doesn't work and we know that I have ovulated on clomid.  He also indicated that there would be little benefit to metformin with the super ovulation and IUI cycles that Handsome and I want to do.  So do I trust my doctor or the internet - my doctor of course.  The problem, in my opinion, with getting medical information from the internet is that many times the information is old, traditional thought while my doctor is constantly updating himself based on new data.  In addition, You never know exactly who is putting out that information and if it applies to your case.  That is the biggie - Dr. Moffitt knows MY case, what is happening with me and so I think he can make the best decision but I am glad I asked so I don't have to regret not asking later.

Well that is all for today, check out my new "Kindle Corner" section below where I talk about all the books I am reading.  I am currently on the 3rd article/essay in Women of the Cousins War - I love the information but the pure history is dry and I need to go back to fiction for a while.

"C is for cookie, that's good enough for me Oh, cookie, cookie, cookie starts with C, yeah!" 
Yeah I know its not a nursery rhyme or faerie tale but come on its Sesame Street!

Read more: SESAME STREET - C IS FOR COOKIE LYRICS http://www.metrolyrics.com/c-is-for-cookie-lyrics-sesame-street.html#ixzz1m1GZbQxq
Copied from MetroLyrics.com

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