Hormone imbalance

I am a 21 year old woman. A year ago, I suffered a miscarriage at 14 weeks of pregnancy. Afterwards, I started having panic attacks. I have always had irregular periods, very painful and sometimes making me vomit.. more when i was younger. My doctor was starting to think I wasnt ovulating, so she ordered my blood to be tested for FSH, which came back normal. Next, we are checking for progesterone. Looking around through different websites, I came across PCOS, as i read it, i have pretty well every side effect and symptom listed. I gained 40 lbs in 6 months, painful periods, very irregular, more hair then most woman on my chin and sideburns, I go to the gym, have not lost any wieght yet.. I have panic attacks, have not gotten pregnant since my miscarriage,my hair is thinning on one side of my head, I had a skin tag on my armpit; which got ripped off while shaving, I have acne that wont go away, I have been to dermotologists and their prescription creams dont stand a chance, and I keep getting these BIG pimples in my groin area, arm pit and buttox, they hurt bad.. My boyfriend said he thinks they are boils. Should I ask my doctor to check for this right away? Or do i wait until she is done all her testing?

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!
You are giving a very good description of two different problems.  One is PCOS the other is hidradenitis supperativa.  (OK in English--infection/inflammation of the sweat glands)
Diagnosis over the internet is of course, not possible, but you should ask your own doctor about these conditions.

For therapy of PCOS, Metformin is the gold standard.  That therapy alone may be enough to help you ovulate (some people also lose weight).  Or you may need something like Clomid or Femara in addition to help.  If you don't ovulate monthly, you won't have a regular cycle, and it takes a long time to get pregnant.  Oral contraceptives in combination with Spironolactone and Vaniqa can be useful for excess hair growth and acne.  But of course don't help you ovulate.

Hidradenitis can be tricky to cure/treat.  One thing I have used for my patients with mild cases, is topical Cleocin T.  For more severe cases, laser or surgery can sometimes be needed.  Unfortunately, the PCOS remedies won't help the Hidradenitis.  But losing some weight would be very good for both!

Good luck!
Dr B

[jkilpatrick]

It's crazy but I have gone through the same things as you. I had a miscarriage last July, and didn't handle that very well afterwards. I too have had irregular periods, painful cramps that make me sick to my stomach. I too have gained a lot of weight, not losing weight while going to the gym and starting diet, and i haven't been able to get pregnant in 2 years other than that miscarriage. My acne is like yours, it will not go away and i am getting boils in my pubic area as well, and I had never had that before. Let me know what you find out... I have an appointment on Monday with a gynocologist and will see if that has anything to do with any of this.