Is PCOS Even Real?

I went to my gynecological appointment on Wednesday. I'd had an ultrasound earlier in the day. My ovaries are fine. Squeaky clean! They're normal size (not enlarged, as often is the case with PCOS) and there are no cysts on them. My doctor's response was, "well, despite that, I still think you have PCOS." WHAT!?!

I've been reading up on PCOS, and I read an interesting point of commentary this morning in What Nurses Know...PCOS by Karen Roush. She said that elevated angrogens and insulin resistance, in the absence of any other identifiable cause, typically gets a PCOS diagnosis. How can that be when the syndrome's name is "poly-cystic." My ovaries are acystic. When I add that to the fact that I had no problems getting pregnant with either of my children, my waist is still significantly smaller than my hips (not the large waist-large hips body type common with PCOS), and a lack of male-pattern body hair, I don't see *how* I could qualify for a PCOS diagnosis.

I was prepared to hear that I had cysts on my ovaries and for that to confirm my doctors' (yes, multiple doctors) suspicions, but I'm just not able to accept that 2 symptoms means I have a disorder that we don't understand at all.

In other news, my doctor did find multiple masses in my uterus when she did the endometrial biopsy. She took samples of 2 of the masses and a sample of the endometrial lining. I'm a bit scared that I have cancer, though again, one of the primary symptoms of uterine cancer or fibroids is heavy or irregular bleeding between periods, which I don't have.

The metformin also is working. I've lost 7 pounds since I started taking it 9 days ago. Seven pounds in 9 days really seems like an unhealthy amount of weight loss, though in some ways it confirms some of the thoughts I've had about nutrition & my body. I have to think more about the connections to write something coherent, but it does make me feel better to know that despite all of my eating the "right" foods and getting more exercise that I didn't lose weight. At all. None. Nada. In fact, until 4 months ago, I was still GAINING weight, even while I was training for (and competing in!) a foot race.

So, this week is another waiting game. Let's see what the biopsy shows and then...what? Say I have PCOS even if I lack the symptoms?