In this great big world we live in, this forum just shows that women are women where ever they live. Guess my wish for the New Year would be that we could reach out to those women that have no medical services and get them the help they need.

All are from a beautiful countries. Thanks Katie & Mary for your generosity in sharing and also those website on the books. :) Yeah! I agreed that reading a lot will help us gain more knowledge. Actually, I was diagnosed with PCOS only after I had my kids (enlarged right ovary with small cysts).  My sister and my sister in law (their friends most of them) also have PCOS.

I'm O.K but just a bit tired coz my period came already on 5.12.06 and I'm working as well.  I haven't started taking those hormone pills.  I'm still not sure whether I should take or not.  I got some knowledge from my friend on some herbs which will help to balance the hormone coz it seems she's taking since her menopause 8 years ago but I haven't really find out what types of herbs.  I guess herbs will be better than the synthetic hormone.  

Christmas is up soon, didn't prepare much this year.  May thought of going out to eat - family gathering. How about you all? Maybe we could also share some recipes as well. :) My family love western food.  It is always the original better....

Hi Irene! Ditto what Katie said...except I am in the Midwest. Double Brrrr...okay, I guess Canada has had more cold weather than we have had. But, I am from Maryland origionally, so I consider anything below 40 degrees very cold...

Good recommendations on the reading suggestions from Katie. I am still leaning.

Welcome to the board!

Mary

HI again Irene!  
That was SO interesting!  I LOVE the way there are women from all over the world on here!
How are you feeling now?  Have you started taking the hormones?
I am so glad to read that you have had two kids, even with PCOS!  That's great :)
Educate yourself!  Knowledge is power!

Definitely try and find some of Christiane Northrup's books.  She has a web site at  www.drnorthrup.com  which is excellent.  I also like reading Dr Erika Schwartz  who you can find at www.drerika.com  

Lots of interesting reading on both sites.  

I am in Western Canada.... brrrrrrr......
Cheers,
Katie

Thanks RavenLady, Katie & Mary so much for your replied, info & research.  Wow! you guys really better than doctor.  I agreed that we need to take our own initiative.  I really appreciate it very much.  I began to love this forum...... :) :0

Yesterday I had some brown discharge together with mucus &  some blood and also thick yellow discharge.  Today spotting with mucus but still no period yet.  My last period was 4.11.2006.  Doc said don't worry, it will come..... :(  

Hi,

Boy, I wish I could be more help. I do recall hearing (and possibly dealing with this myself back when I was using Natural Family Planning and paying close attention to the symptoms of my cycle, that it is not uncommon to have a little bloody discharge when you ovulate.  

I know some other women on the forum have had experiences with PCOS. I am not very familiar with it.

Again, though, yes...keep researching and see what you can find out. Always good to ask questions even though it may seem overwhelming at first. Check out Dr. Christianne Northrup...at least she is a good place to start to get tons of info on women's bodies.

I am still having major cable/computer problems and cannot believe I made it on line tonight...may be out of commision for a few days, but I hope not!

Take care, Mary

Hi,

Yeah! the info really help a lot.  Thanks so much Mary & Katie.  I know most of you are from the Western Country. I really admire the way you guys share thoughts & experience with each other in this forum but I'm actually resides in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I'm a Chinese (Christian) 35 years old, married & blessed with 2 beautiful daughters (age 12 and 3 plus).  I hope that I'm no stranger in this forum. Thks :)

Mary, our whole family normally goes to Gleneagles Hospital (a private hospital, those embassy's people from various countries are also going to this hospital). I'm seeing Dr. Andy (O & G & fertility - trained in Glasglow, UK).    

Irene: hope you have found out more info. How old are you?  (sorry if I missed that)  Tell us more!!!

Mary: what happened, did you finally fry your poor old PC?? lol
Miss ya!
KT

Hi,

I have a history of prolonged period since Oct 2005 (6 days period & 3 days spotting) on a 28 to 30 day cycle. I did my repeated papsmear in June this year & it was normal coz I had ASCUS reading in Dec 2005. Doctor ordered D&C & hyperescopy but I was reluctant to go & I have cancelled it few times. I did D&C 3 years ago due to bleeding in between but the result was normal (hormonal changes). My last month's period was on 10.10.2006 & it lasted 6 days with 2 days spotting (8 days together). Then 2 days later, when I wipe with tissue after pee, it has a very thin blood discharge only once & I didn't bother.

This month, my period came earlier on the 25th day cycle. It started with some spotting on 3.11.2006 & then 4.11.2006 only my exact period & it lasted for 6 days with 2 days spotting as well. Then on the 15.11.2006, when I wipe with tissue after pee, it has a very thin blood discharge with mucus only once & then on 17.11.2006 the discharge came with a patch of blood streaked with mucus vaginal discharge. I thought its my ovulation. I went to my gynae, he did an U/S scan & checked my cervix with spectrum to see whether any cervical polyps. The U/S was normal & no cervical polyps but he found a folicle & he said its not my ovulation time yet & he said sometimes it happen with blood discharge, I didn't know what he meant. I also have PCOS (not overweight).I still have to do D&C and hyperescopy maybe next week coz i'm not well now (with bad cough & sore throat). Has anyone experience this? Could it be the sign of ovulation? TQ & appreciate it.

Hi Irene,

I was looking for your origional post to see if I could learn more about your problem/concern. I also tried to look up the name of the drug (sneaking suspicion that it was a Progestin...thinking of the "nor" as in Norplant, etc.). Anyway, I was checking into this about a half hour before Mary and Katie came to respond to you. I tell you...sometimes I think we were separated at birth!

Don't know if you will get the answers you are looking for here, but you came to a nice spot. Everyone is so willing to help one another out.

Mary (Raven)... Thanks for the vote of confidence! And, Katie...thanks for doing the research.

I will take a look at the website tomorrow. Also, Irene, if you are able to find the origional post, why don't you copy and paste to this thread, or give a quick summary. My interest in research in this area came after I had a radical hysterectomy due to an ovarian cancer diagnosis. I did not need chemo. But, the fall into surgical menopause has been a long and interesting journey. So, I have learned all that I can so that I can apply what I have learned to my own situation and then share that info with others who are in need of some answers. I am afraid that I am not as familiar with how doctors use synthetic hormones to help out with problems and/or cysts during a woman's cycle.

My research has lead me to believe that many of the problems we women suffer from have a lot to do with a defiency of the hormone progesterone. I take that now in a cream form and the dose has been increased twice in the past year. But, it has saved me from having bladder surgery, vision problems, memory problems, dizzyness, etc...

The problem arises when people mix up Progestins (synthetic) with the type I use, which is the bioidentical hormone. It is what my body produced on its own(although not often enough as I know I did not ovulate frequently over the few years prior to my surgery and it is during ovulation that progesterone is produced). It is also quite a buzz word these days with much misunderstanding and perhaps, unfortunetly, suspicion.

Try to get hold of Christiane Northrup's works. She wrote "Womens Bodies Womens Wisdom." It was info from that book that lead me to insist on further testing after my first abnormal pap smear came back when I was 45. It turned out I was one step away from having cervical cancer. Then, it was her book, "The Wisdom of Menopause" that really gave me the answers I was looking for (and also lead me to other research) so that I could deal with the difficult menopause I was enduring.

My internet connection has been acting up...but, I will try to look into the website Katie gave you.

Take care, Mary

I searched Norcutin, and it looks like it is a brand name for  Norethindrone.

Copy and paste this link for more information....

http://www.healthcomm.com/ADAM/41/092800.html#Warnings/Precautions

Norethindrone is a synthetic oral progestin (female hormone).

It is used for contraception or to treat such conditions as secondary amenorrhea, abnormal uterine bleeding, and endometriosis. As an oral contraceptive, norethindrone is available as either a single agent or in combination with an estrogen.

In medical terms, progestins diffuse freely into target cells and bind to the progesterone receptor. Target cells include the female reproductive tract, the mammary gland, the hypothalamus, and the pituitary. Once bound to the receptor, progestins slow the frequency of release of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus and blunt the pre-ovulatory LH surge.

There are side effects, which you can read about!
Best wishes....

Hi Irene,
     That is a comp;icated situation you are dealing with and I might suggest posting directly to Mary53 who has spent an exorbidant amount of time researching the subject of hormones.  See what she has to say! The other Minnesota Mary