Hello ladies,
I started having PCOS symptoms at puberty but even with the detailed family history I gave to doctors, I was not diagnosed until age 23 when I finally decided to see an endocrinologist who specializes in PCOS. She was the second endocrinologist I saw. I also went through about four gynos who said birth control pills would solve everything and several other general practitioners. My mother was diagnosed with Stein-Leventhal in the 70s (after nearly dying from a ruptured ovary) and still not one of those doctors even thought about a connection with me. I even had one doctor tell me I couldn't have PCOS because I was not overweight.

My symptoms were varied: low blood sugar, excessive body hair, terrible and irregular periods and pms, and by the time I reached 23, slight balding. My blood sugar issues began in high school when I would feel faint every day before lunch. Then in the late afternoons, I would only want to sleep. In college it got so bad that I finally saw a doctor and was misdiagnosed with hyperglycemia instead of reactive hypoglycemia as part of PCOS.

With the wonderful endocrinologist I found, I was put on Glucophage and Aldactone. There isn't a symptom that hasn't been lessened by this drug combination. The last cure for me is going on a low-carb diet to completely regulate my blood sugar (which up until going lc still had mild swings if too many carbohydrates).

I would like to read other stories of how and when you were finally diagnosed. I'm curious because of my experience and that of my mother. Why is this disorder so neglected by doctors?