it's always good to know

The facts.  Read here if you have PCOS, think you have PCOS, know someone with PCOS ... you get the picture!

What is PCOS??  Glad you asked.

Polycystic ovary disease

If you have polycystic ovary disease, you are likely to have some of the following symptoms:

• Abnormal, irregular, or very light or infrequent menstrual periods
• Absent periods, usually (but not always) after having one or more normal menstrual periods during puberty (secondary amenorrhea)
• Acne that gets worse
• Decreased breast size
• Development of male sex characteristics (virilization), such as increased body hair, facial hair, a deepening of the voice, male-pattern baldness, and enlargement of the clitoris
• Diabetes
• Increased hair growth; body hair may be in a male pattern
• Infertility
• Poor response to the hormone, insulin (insulin resistance), leading to a build-up of insulin in the blood
• Weight gain, or obesity

Causes

Polycystic ovary disease affects hormone cycles. Hormones help regulate the normal development of eggs in the ovaries. It is not completely understood why or how hormone cycles are interrupted, although there are several ideas.
Follicles are sacs within the ovaries that contain eggs. In polycystic ovary disease, there are many poorly developed follicles in the ovaries. The eggs in these follicles do not mature and, therefore, cannot be released from the ovaries. Instead, they form cysts in the ovary.
This can contribute to infertility. The immature follicles and the inability to release an egg (ovulate) are likely caused by low levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and higher than normal levels of male hormones (androgens) produced in the ovary.
Women are usually diagnosed when in their 20s or 30s. Women with this disorder often have a mother or sister who has symptoms similar to polycystic ovary disease.

Tests & diagnosis

During a pelvic examination, the health care provider may note an enlarged clitoris (very rare finding) and enlarged ovaries.
Tests include:

• Abdominal ultrasound
• Abdominal MRI
• Biopsy of the ovary
• Estrogen levels
• Fasting glucose and insulin levels
• FSH levels
• Laparoscopy
• LH levels
• Male hormone (testosterone) levels
• Urine 17-ketosteroids
• Vaginal ultrasound

Blood tests that may be done include:

• Pregnancy test (serum HCG)
• Prolactin levels
• Thyroid function tests

Prognosis

Women who have this condition can get pregnant with the right surgical or medical treatments. Pregnancies are usually normal.

Complications

• Increased risk of endometrial cancer
• Infertility
• Obesity-related conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes
• Possible increased risk of breast cancer

When to contact a doctor

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you have symptoms of this disorder.

**this information can be found here

new

Happy New Year!

Why is that this time of year always seems to bring about deep thoughts...for me I think it's because I can't believe another year has passed, and I tend to get caught up in the shoulds, and wish I hads.... I admit that I have a tendency to focus on what I haven't done rather than remember all the amazing, and even little, things that I have done. Every year...why am I so weird!?!?

Anyhow. So, with PCOS comes this insulin resistence that I didn't know about. In all of my reading and research it has been revealed that I am almost diabetic...with an even greater chance of actually becoming diabetic when I get pregnant! yikes! That is serious!

Psalm 119:49-50 "Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life."

So, here's to the new year...and a new lifestyle. Matt and I are praying that God will heal my body, and take away this awful affliction. Mostly, we'd like to be able to get pregnant and healthier without the use of that little bottle of fertility meds sitting on my bathroom counter... We would love for you to join with us in asking God for a full reversal of my PCOS. It happens, and since I only developed the symptoms this year there is a good chance I could rid myself of the symptoms with dietary change and some exercise!

So, my new year's resolution (the real reason for this post) is to live an intentional life and leave behind the incidental lifestyle of my past.

in·ten·tion·al // in-ten-tion --
1. Done deliberately; intended: an intentional slight.
2. A course of action that one intends to follow.
3. An aim that guides action; an objective.

in·ci·den·tal // in·ci·dent --
1. Occurring or likely to occur as an unpredictable or minor accompaniment
2. Of a minor, casual, or subordinate nature
3. A usually minor event or condition that is subordinate to another.