Today I returned to Dr. K's office to get my Cycle Day 3 blood-work done. They were a bit delayed in getting me back, which was a bummer but not at all surprising given the nature of the office. My veins are awful and the poor tech had to try 3 times to get a vein that would provide enough blood for all the tests required. I'm used to this with my terrible veins, but I could tell she felt awful.
During the blood-work the tech mentioned that I am also supposed to have an ultrasound done. That was news to me, but since I was already there it wasn't a problem. J and I must not have remembered that bit of information given the enormous amount we got simultaneously.
Unfortunately, the ultrasound was of the intravaginal variety which is never fun...but even less so when on your period. Again, they need to do the ultrasound on Cycle Day 3 for a baseline.
After a bit more waiting, the ultrasound tech finally came in to start the test. It was interesting to see my uterus and ovaries, but it was not very comfortable. The tech mentioned that my follicle count looks good, which made me feel a bit of relief given the mixed bag of news yesterday provided us with.
Just a few minutes later, the tech was done and explained to me the next steps like the HSG and making sure to schedule a follow-up with Dr.K to review all the results. She then gave me another business card of the PA on staff. She recommended I call her soon because she's the PCOS expert and according to the tech it looks like I have PCOS.
I'm actually relieved by this news because for two years I've been convinced I have PCOS mainly due to the sudden weight gain of nearly 100 lbs and a few other symptoms like fatigue, hair thinning, my period being all messed up, and excess body hair to name a few. My sister has PCOS as well which increases the likelihood of me having it. Despite all these symptoms every blood test I've had has come back negative. I am so frustrated by this and by my other doctors' refusal to order additional testing like an ultrasound.
I've been miserable because I've regained so much weight that I worked hard to lose (previously I lost 150+ lbs) and every time I try to get back on the saddle so to speak, I can't seem to lose any weight. We wanted to start trying to have kids right after we were married almost two years ago, but the weight gain made us feel like it wasn't a good time.
This revelation caused me to look back at the blood-work I had done with Dr. P. According to various online medical sources, it's possible to test within the normal ranges and still have PCOS. Particularly interesting is the ratio of LH to FSH. In women with PCOS, the LH level is often two or three times the FSH level. Mine is roughly two times higher than the FSH level. If I were ovulating on CD 15, the day after the blood-work, the LH would be between 25-40 mIU/mL. Very interesting stuff!
Next Thursday I have scheduled my HSG at a local hospital. I hope we will get more answers!
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