Is Heavy Bleeding & clots a symptom?

[sdcalia]

I am 41 years old. I have had heavy periods since I was 13. Dr's have always prescribed BC as method to control. Right now I am 95% sure I have PCOS - I had one DR suggest it once, but never offered any remedy to it. For at least one week every month, my symptoms are:
Severe facial Acne & cysts (I'm 41 dang it!!)
Severe Mood swings (depression) and lethargy.
Also, since I first started getting physicals as a teenager, I have had very high cholesterol - (my DR finally prescribed me meds to control this 2 years ago.) and have suffered from high blood pressure for the last 4 years (also on meds for this) I also have weight control issues where I can over the course of a couple days gain 5 - 10 pounds, only to take a month or more to lose again; all of my extra weight is around my stomach.
I had an IUD for 5 years which required bi-annual ultrasounds - ALL of those ultrasounds came back with warnings about 4cm+ cysts on my ovaries.
So with that as a brief background, I feel that I have PCOS - but, all that I read suggests that periods are often missed - mine are quite the opposite, even on the pill - I will bleed often for 7-10 days straight with tons of blood clots accompanied by extreme cramping and bloating; my cycles range from 21 days to 31 days -I also recently had a Uterine biopsy done at Planned Parenthood (I have no insurance) to check for any abnormalitys and cancer etc, all came back negative)
so my questions are: 1.) is heavy bleeding also a symptom? and 2.) if I start your supplement program, could I possibly experience even more bleeding that what I already experience? 3.) are there tests I should request/take at Planned Parenthood prior to starting your program?
sorry for the long question - but I have 20 years of info/suffering that I am trying to cram into this one topic :)

[drshana]

I am 41 years old. I have had heavy periods since I was 13. Dr's have always prescribed BC as method to control. Right now I am 95% sure I have PCOS - I had one DR suggest it once, but never offered any remedy to it. For at least one week every month, my symptoms are:
Severe facial Acne & cysts (I'm 41 dang it!!)
Severe Mood swings (depression) and lethargy.
Also, since I first started getting physicals as a teenager, I have had very high cholesterol - (my DR finally prescribed me meds to control this 2 years ago.) and have suffered from high blood pressure for the last 4 years (also on meds for this) I also have weight control issues where I can over the course of a couple days gain 5 - 10 pounds, only to take a month or more to lose again; all of my extra weight is around my stomach.
I had an IUD for 5 years which required bi-annual ultrasounds - ALL of those ultrasounds came back with warnings about 4cm+ cysts on my ovaries.
So with that as a brief background, I feel that I have PCOS - but, all that I read suggests that periods are often missed - mine are quite the opposite, even on the pill - I will bleed often for 7-10 days straight with tons of blood clots accompanied by extreme cramping and bloating; my cycles range from 21 days to 31 days -I also recently had a Uterine biopsy done at Planned Parenthood (I have no insurance) to check for any abnormalitys and cancer etc, all came back negative)
so my questions are: 1.) is heavy bleeding also a symptom? and 2.) if I start your supplement program, could I possibly experience even more bleeding that what I already experience? 3.) are there tests I should request/take at Planned Parenthood prior to starting your program?
sorry for the long question - but I have 20 years of info/suffering that I am trying to cram into this one topic :)

Dear friend,

I am so sorry to hear about your health struggles. Many women with PCOS experience irregular periods. This includes infrequent periods, heavy periods and amenorrhea (absence of periods).

I have heard from one other customer who experienced a very heavy period after starting the Insulite PCOS System, and from one customer who had continued spotting for the first month on the System. Although I don't anticipate this, please do let us know if you experience heavier periods.

Lab testing is not mandatory for diagnosing PCOS, especially if you are experiencing so many of the symptoms. However, the following tests do give us numbers which, along with the improvement of your clinical symptoms, help us monitor your progress.

The blood tests to consider are:
- free testosterone- elevated in PCOS

- DHEA-S- often elevated in PCOS

- Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG)- usually low in PCOS

- Fasting insulin- elevated in PCOS. Some doctors may hesitate to order this test because the normal range (0-20) is so wide. However, we find that results greater than 9 indicate insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is usually the underlying cause of PCOS, as you may have read about on our site. Some doctors may also order a 2-hour post-prandial insulin test, along with a 2-hour post-prandial glucose test. For the post-prandial insulin, results over 25 or 30 may indicate insulin resistance.

- Fasting glucose or 2-hour post-prandial glucose test- elevated in PCOS. Using this information in combination with the insulin levels helps to diagnose insulin resistance. Also, women with PCOS have a higher risk of diabetes so it is important to screen for this early and often.

- LH: FSH- Some doctors may also look at the ratio between these two hormones. In PCOS, we would expect LH to be elevated in comparison to FSH.

- I would also check your cholesterol levels and liver function tests, as these can also be abnormal in PCOS (as well as in many other conditions).

I hope to hear from you again soon! Please keep in touch!