83: Understanding your PCOS diagnosis and making sure it’s been done correctly

When were you diagnosed with PCOS? Was it a few months ago? A couple of years ago? Two decades ago? Regardless of your age when you were diagnosed with PCOS, the whole situation was probably all a bit confusing. Questions, blood tests, maybe ultrasounds, explaining your symptoms a million times, hearing ‘mild’ or ‘severe’ PCOS thrown around, you hear ‘string of pearls’ being said but when it comes down to it, your doctor just tells you go on the Pill, lose weight (if they deem you overweight) and come back when you want to get pregnant. And then they kind of just leave you to it.Uhhh what?! Yeah I know how you feel. I was just as lost when I got diagnosed but I don’t want you to be!Getting a PCOS diagnosis should be a diagnosis of exclusion. This means that other possible causes for your symptoms have been ruled out. Then you should be diagnosed against the Rotterdam Criteria (of which you need at least 2 out of 3 of the hallmarks of PCOS). I’ve seen more and more women pop up in my emails and DMs saying they think they have PCOS but they aren’t sure how to go about getting diagnosed as well as women who don’t really understand their diagnosis and some who feel they don’t fit it all together.In this episode of the podcast, my lovely colleague Sophia and I chat all about getting diagnosed with PCOS. We cover everything from understanding the difference between PCOS and polycystic ovaries, what’s considered excess body hair, how to ask your doctor to test you, what mild PCOS means, if you can have two root causes or if your root cause can change, the ‘string of pearls’ analogy and so much more!  Regardless of if you’ve been diagnosed or not and where you are on your journey, this episode is a super important one to listen to. This episode is for you if:You’ve just been diagnosed with PCOSYour doctor has told you that you have ‘mild’ PCOSThe PCOS diagnosis you’ve been given doesn’t quite fit your symptomsYou suspect you may have PCOSYou don’t know your PCOS typePCOS types confuse you and you feel like you have all of themSome things we cover in this episode:The Rotterdam CriteriaWhat ‘mild’ PCOS meansHow to ask your doctor to check for PCOSUnderstanding your root cause and if you can have more than oneWhat your doctor / ultrasound tech means when they say ‘string of pearls’Hypothalamic AmenorrheaNon-congenital adrenal hyperplasia (NCAH)HypothyroidismThe problem with the medical community and its hierarchyResources and References:50: Could your thyroid function be contributing to your PCOS symptoms?57: Why PCOS may not be the only thing causing your missing periods – and how to get your periods backDo you actually have NCAH and not PCOS?My Book: Getting Pregnant with PCOSLinks to our programs:The PCOS Protocol1:1 consults with ClareEggducated

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It can be ridiculously confusing living with PCOS, you're constantly reading conflicting advice. Each week, I, Clare Goodwin, will be helping to simplify this for you by sharing with you some actionable steps to take and breaking down the latest research so you can actually understand it. I'll also share some real life stories of women who've improved their PCOS symptoms to give you that weekly boost to just keep putting one foot in front of another. If you have PCOS and you want some real talk about what to do, hit that subscribe button now.