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Before anyone lectures me on this, I know that pulling out before the boy orgasms isn't an effective form of birth control, if it could be considered one at all, and is a stupid thing to do. Even though I know that, since I've started having sex when I was 15 I've been having unsafe (pull out method) sex. I'm turning 20 in a couple months. Since I've lost my virginity there has been literally only three months during which I wasn't having sex due to break-up downtimes. Otherwise it's been around everyday/every other day, and half the time being unsafe. I've never been pregnant before and (this is why I might get lectured) I don't want to be.
What I'm meaning to get at is, I'm wondering if maybe I have PCOS? There's other reasons why I think I might have it besides not having gotten pregnant from my stupidity yet.
My mind is made up that I don't ever want to birth a child. Maybe adopt one when I'm 30 or so but I'm very repulsed at the idea of becoming pregnant myself. Still, as much as I don't want kids, I find it slightly odd I haven't become unintentionally pregnant yet. (Please, please don't yell at me. I know I shouldn't be having unsafe sex if I don't want to suffer the consequences) Aside from that stuff, I also have darker/hairier than usual body hair problems- On my bum, legs, upper lip, tummy, all those embarrassing places. I had a blood test once when I was pretty sick and I found out that I have high levels of testosterone, so maybe that's it? Before I tried out birth control (which my body reacts horribly to) I often went two months at a time with no period, and it was overall very irregular. After the birth control experimentation I've been having my period semi-regularly but still skipping months every so often. I think that could be attributed to stress though. I'm also slightly overweight. I've never been able to do anything about it short of starving myself which I did do for awhile. One summer I rode my bike twenty miles everyday and ate only 800 calories. I'm 5'2 and started off at 145 pounds and made it down to 135. I have a really hard time losing weight and I'm pretty active, my bike is my only mode of transportation.
I can't afford a gynecologist unless I go begging my parents to pay for it which I don't want to have to do. I went to Planned Parenthood long ago but it was a bad experience and I'd rather not go back. Does anyone in the community have PCOS and could be maybe set me straight with information/their experience? I would be really grateful.
What I'm meaning to get at is, I'm wondering if maybe I have PCOS? There's other reasons why I think I might have it besides not having gotten pregnant from my stupidity yet.
My mind is made up that I don't ever want to birth a child. Maybe adopt one when I'm 30 or so but I'm very repulsed at the idea of becoming pregnant myself. Still, as much as I don't want kids, I find it slightly odd I haven't become unintentionally pregnant yet. (Please, please don't yell at me. I know I shouldn't be having unsafe sex if I don't want to suffer the consequences) Aside from that stuff, I also have darker/hairier than usual body hair problems- On my bum, legs, upper lip, tummy, all those embarrassing places. I had a blood test once when I was pretty sick and I found out that I have high levels of testosterone, so maybe that's it? Before I tried out birth control (which my body reacts horribly to) I often went two months at a time with no period, and it was overall very irregular. After the birth control experimentation I've been having my period semi-regularly but still skipping months every so often. I think that could be attributed to stress though. I'm also slightly overweight. I've never been able to do anything about it short of starving myself which I did do for awhile. One summer I rode my bike twenty miles everyday and ate only 800 calories. I'm 5'2 and started off at 145 pounds and made it down to 135. I have a really hard time losing weight and I'm pretty active, my bike is my only mode of transportation.
I can't afford a gynecologist unless I go begging my parents to pay for it which I don't want to have to do. I went to Planned Parenthood long ago but it was a bad experience and I'd rather not go back. Does anyone in the community have PCOS and could be maybe set me straight with information/their experience? I would be really grateful.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 06:32 am (UTC)i have it
read these for a bit more info
http://www.pcosupport.org/medical/whatis.php
http://www.pcosupport.org/support/quiz.php
no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 06:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 07:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 09:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-09 03:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-09 04:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 06:34 am (UTC)That being said, I don't really have much help for you.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 08:51 am (UTC)Although it is certainly not as reliable as hormonal birth control or some other forms of contraception, withdrawal is 73% effective (http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control/withdrawal.htm) over the course of a year with typical use and 94% effective with perfect use. That's actually better than some other types of contraceptives (i.e. spermicidal foams and cervical caps for parous women).
Still, while that isn't a high enough level of protection for many couples, and while it can be more difficult to use perfectly, VP as a community believes that withdrawal is a valid contraceptive method (http://community.livejournal.com/vaginapagina/11973497.html) when couples make an informed decision to rely on it. It sounds like you aren't comfortable with that method, so that means it may not be the right choice for you going forward, but you shouldn't feel stupid or bad that you did rely on it for so long.
So as far as withdrawal goes, not becoming pregnant while using the pull-out method really does not necessarily indicate that you are not fertile. For instance, I know that I am perfectly fertile, and I have been using the withdrawal method as my sole choice in contraception for a combined total of almost 4 years now, without a single scare.
While withdrawal has a higher failure rate than other methods, and isn't the right choice for people who aren't comfortable with that risk, it's still perfectly likely that you could use it every time you had sex for years and have it be a successful at preventing pregnancy.
However, setting that aside, it does sound like you may have some indicators for some sort of hormonal imbalance. While I will note that there's nothing unusual at all about having dark hair on your butt, legs, lip, or tummy, the irregular periods and the high testosterone level suggests there may be something else going on there.
Unfortunately, I'm no expert on PCOS, but I know many here in VP are. There's also the community
no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 10:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 11:48 am (UTC)It sounds like it would be a good idea to get things checked out in relation to possible PCOS. I believe you'll need to be seen by an endocrinologist primarily instead of a gyno, though you may have to go through your primary care doc anyway for a referral.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 12:40 pm (UTC)So I'd also get your TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) levels checked, and T3. The TSH should be no higher than 4, and preferably no higher than 2. (Citations for these available upon request.) Sadly, many labs use outdated, too-high numbers for "normal" and you can't rely on being told that; you always have to ask, "What are the numbers?"
And don't let anyone tell you that hypothyroidism is an "older woman's" problem -- I've had mine since I can remember, looking back on my symptoms. It just got worse after I had my kid.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 02:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 03:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 07:14 pm (UTC)It's hard not to share what has worked out so well for you! And someday someone will come post and say Oh! I am so glad I got my thyroid checked on the advice of a poster here! It has made my life so much better!
no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 06:06 pm (UTC)I think it's also because so few doctors test routinely, and so many labs use out-dated and overly-high values for "normal" when they do test. It drives me nuts! Why wasn't I tested routinely after I had my kid? Why did I have to ask for it specifically?? GRAR! If my mom hadn't harassed me into doing it, I might be dragging around, weighing more than my frame supports, and being more of a lazy slug than laziness alone can count for. Not to mention the brain-fog...
Grar.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 06:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 07:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-11 06:04 pm (UTC)I was horribly, horribly fatigued all the time when my thyroid was giving up the ghost. I think I've always been borderline hypo; I was around 8 when I was diagnosed, and fatigue was always with me, like a soft, black, deep abyss.
Luck!
no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 07:04 pm (UTC)My endo told me I was insulin resistance and strongly suspected PCOS. He put me on medication and recommended a dietary change--something along the lines of the South Beach diet. In the interest of not ending up a diabetic, I cut out the bread, pasta, rice, and other starchy stuff in my diet. It's been a bit of a struggle re-learning how to make food choices, but I've lost 10 pounds in just under a month and I'm not even really trying. I just eat when I'm hungry and I make sure that I'm full at the end of the meal.
I would try to get seen by a general practitioner or an endocrinologist and see if you might have insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is generally the culprit behind PCOS so if you treat the IR, you can treat the PCOS and get your weight down with one move.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-08 11:19 pm (UTC)B. Sounds like you could have PCOS. Do you get physicals with a GP? Many internal medicine or family doctors will perform gynecological services.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-09 07:10 am (UTC)It sounds like you could have PCOS. My sister who has PCOS has higher levels of testosterone, irregular periods, and difficulty losing weight. She's very fair, though, and doesn't have thicker or darker hair.
I would like to point out that eating 800 calories + biking that much could have sent your body into starvation mode. Your body was probably trying to help you out by not losing more than 10 pounds. It sounds counterintuitive but, if you're very active, you may need to eat more calories (healthy food of course) before you can lose weight. Also, depending on how long you starved yourself, it could take awhile for your metabolism to stabilize again. (I learned that one the hard way.)