Is diabetes caused by PCOS ? Or visa-versa?

Question

I was diagnosed with PCOS in Sept 2006. The DR. did some tests and said I was insulin resistant. The Dr. put me on a birth control pill and put me on 500 mg of metformin. I am very confused because he didn't tell me that I have diabetes. I don't go to the Dr. anymore because I no longer have health insurance...and the birth control he prescibed was like $45 at walmart! I knew I needed to stay with the birth control or else my periods would get messed up again so I went to the local health dept. to get b.c. and they took my blood pressure and said it's very high! They also told me w/o doing any tests that I do have diabetes since I am taking metformin but acted like it was not relates to PCOS. PCOS NOR Diabetes run in my family. I am confused and now my blood pressure is high! It's NEVER been high and that does not run in my family either. They could not give me b.c. because of my blood pressure, now they want me to do a cholesterol test. I am confused and kinda scared! I am only 24!

Answer 1

Sometimes in women with PCOS they will also have insulin resistance (the step below full-blown Diabetes). Meaning that the PCOS is causing the insulin resistance (and for some Diabetes).

About 50% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance. Problem is with using medications like Glucophage for someone who is not actually a Diabetic and using it to treat insulin resistance a dr such as the clinic you went to think that someone has Diabetes when they don't.

What was your actual blood pressure reading? Is there a Medical School close by to where you live? If yes, I would recommend getting an opinion from them.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

I don't think one is a precursor to the other. I have been Insulin Diabetic for 19 years and have PCOS (diagnosed 10 years ago). There are several women who have PCOS who will never develop Diabetes and there are Diabetic women who don't have PCOS. Yes, they both have dealings with insulin, however there is a big difference between being Insulin RESISTANT and having your pancreas not produce any or enough Insulin.
I don't think your blood pressure had anything to do with either one. I think it was just a coincidence. And b/c pills will affect your blood pressure. I wouldn't worry about it too much as the next time your blood pressure will probably be just fine.

Answer 4

Obesity/diabetes 2 puts you at risk for PCOS. In fact high blood sugar and obesity put you at risk for a whole bunch of health problems. The root cause of both the diabetes and PCOS is poor diet and lack of exercise. Obesity-->Insulin resistance-->Estrogen dominance-->PCOS

The high blood pressure and cholesterol is all part of the same picture.

If you're without health insurance, the best health insurance is a healthy diet and exercise. Try the paleo diet. Keep your portions down. Lose weight. Take a multivitamin/multimineral.

Try to avoid going down the pharmaceutical slippery-slope entirely if you can. It is possible to sensitize yourself to insulin again (what the metformin does) using diet and exercise and wean yourself off the metformin.

Consider fasting a day/week or having only salad or green drinks and water on that day.

Check out the links below. A person without health insurance, even moreso than the rest of us, needs to learn to be their own doctor. Try to get your thyroid checked, if you can.

Good luck!

Answer 5

I know your fears and your worries, I have the same problem and was diagnosed with Diabetes in 1999, and after having 3 children, the doctor informed me that I have PCOS. This PCOS, does make your periods screwed up and birth control pills, when my doctor prescribed them for me, made me bleed for 2 weeks straight and I did not take them, and my period normalized back to 3-4 days now. I am on Metformin 500mg, and since taking this my sugar levels are lower in the times that I check it after meals and my fasting levels are still out of whack. I had problems with blood pressure at once, but not a problem now. You might want to let your doctor do the test that they need to do on you. I am on cholesterol medication. You do not need to be scared. You need to work with your doctor to take care of you. You are younger than I am, but still diabetes affects a lot of people in many different ways. You should take Metformin 30 minutes to an hour before your meals and you should try and eat 45-60mg of carbs per meal. Watch what you eat carefully. Let your doctor do an HbA1c test and see what your level is---it should be 6 or lower.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

I have been a nurse for 15 plus years and have never heard of PCOS - what does this stand for? I am confused also, and sounds like your Dr. needs to explain things so that you can understand. Sometimes they have to be made so make him/her explain exactly what you are taking and why. You are awfully young to have all of these health issues but it does happen. I don't know if you are married but the best birth control is abstinence. You can have diseases whether it runs in your family or not. Get a second opinion and don't worry about the cholsterol test. Should your cholest. be to high there is medication that can be given to lower it. But make your Dr. explain everything to you and if he/she can't do that then get another dr.

Answer 8

pcos can not cause diabetics but can cause weight gain which can cause diabetes there is a drug which pcos suffers can take to help lose weight which is used for diabetics but its not the same thing

Answer 9

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Answer 10

usually PCOS and being overweight go hand and hand so if your overweight then you have a higher chance of insulin resistance
best to try and avoid sugar, exercise and eat healthy
PCOS has nothing to do with diabetes