"You can't have PCOS because you're slim"...or so I was told.

For anyone constantly told, "You're unlikely to have PCOS" because you don't have excess hair, you're not overweight, etc etc - get yourself checked out.

I was told I have polycystic ovaries but NOT the syndrome for years (since 2007). My periods stopped and after an ultra-sound, they said I had cysts on my ovaries. That was that, nothing explained, but told I definitely don't have the syndrome.

I'm 5' 6", I weigh about 8 1/2 stone (54kg, ish), I'm slim, toned, athletic. "No way you can have the syndrome" is the response I've been getting for, quite literally, years. I've been met with condescension from GP's who, when I've asked if that could be the problem, one even laughed and said, "No way!" We've been trying since February 2013 to conceive and throughout the various tests we've both had done, no one thought it was that. Even after my latest scan (October 2013), they STILL said I didn't have the syndrome because I wasn't presenting any of the symptoms.  

((I was even told to stop running or at least cut down drastically because that was what was causing me to not ovulate. The Consultant I saw on Friday said this was nonsense as although, yes, I'm slim, I'm not even close to dangerously so, which is when the body shuts down its mechanisms (so I've basically hacked my running down to barely anything for 4 months for absolutely no reason...grrrr!).))

I pushed and pushed and my first fertility specialist finally relented and gave me a huge set of blood tests over different days. 4 months later (due to lost results, inability to refer me to the right people...but that's a whole other story!), I finally saw a Head Consultant on Friday who said reading the blood tests to check over my hormones was like reading a story. She was incredible.

I definitely do have PCOS but a 'rarer' type referred to as Lean PCOS.  The hormones are still not working together as in 'regular' PCOS, which causes my follicles to start to develop but then not actually burst through to ovulate. HOWEVER, the WAY the hormones are behaving is different, meaning I'm not experiencing any of the most common signs of PCOS, which is generally the only things people know about.

It's a huge weight off my mind, because finally I know there is something that's causing my cycles to be off the chart, and it's meant I now have the help I've been desperate for for the last 12 months. We're in our 13th month of trying - and I'm now on Clomid. The Consultant is so positive, everything else is perfect, so I suppose I can now just relax and start to think positively. 

I guess for some women, they might be annoyed when you're told you have PCOS because you don't show the common symptoms. Others will be like me and told it's just not a possibility because of their slim weight. The thing is with PCOS, it's so wide-ranging and reaches over such a broad spectrum, but it's clear that doctors don't rule it out based solely on your weight and lack of excess hair growth! In the same respect, it's important that women don't ignore suggestions by doctors that suggest it as a possibility -the common symptoms don't HAVE to be there.

Anyway...I hope that helps someone out! Sorry it was long!

Wishing every lady on here baby-dust, especially those finding ttc a struggle.

xxx