PCOS and type 1 diabetes

[Lila]

hello! Im a 20 year old women who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in February. I have never had regular periods and since being diagnosed have had no periods so was sent for a general ultrasound and the unconfirmed diagnosis is PCOS. I've heard things around saying quite a lot of women with type 1 diabetes also have PCOS so i was just wondering if thats true and if there is any alterations in the way it's managed due to having type 1 diabetes? Also if there's just anything someone having both these conditions needs to know?
hope to find some others in the same boat!
Lila

 

[Northerner]

hello! Im a 20 year old women who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in February. I have never had regular periods and since being diagnosed have had no periods so was sent for a general ultrasound and the unconfirmed diagnosis is PCOS. I've heard things around saying quite a lot of women with type 1 diabetes also have PCOS so i was just wondering if thats true and if there is any alterations in the way it's managed due to having type 1 diabetes? Also if there's just anything someone having both these conditions needs to know?
hope to find some others in the same boat!
Lila

Hi Lila, welcome to the forum 🙂 I'm not an expert on this, I'm afraid, but I do know that we have members here who have both conditions - it's quite often found in people with Type 2 diabetes also. I think that the medication metformin is often prescribed to help with it. Hopefully, someone will be along to share their experiences before too long 🙂

How are you coping with the diabetes? What insulin are you on?, and how did you come to be diagnosed?

 

[Lila]

hello! Im coping better with the diabetes now, it almost is feeling "normal". I'm on humalog and levemir and was diagnosed when i went to the gp with all the symptoms as was in A&E a few hours later with DKA so that was an eventful day!

 

[SB2015]

welcome to the forum. I hope that you are now getting used to the new normal. There is a lot to take on at first, so be patient with yourself, and just keep asking questions and someone will come along with an idea to help you. I am afraid I a no help with your initial query as I have no idea what PCOS is.

 

[mikeyB]

Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome. Don't worry, SB, you don't know because you don't have it🙂

 

[Rosiecarmel]

@SB2015 PCOS is poly cystic ovary syndrome.

Welcome to the forum Lila!

Im 24 and also have PCOS. I was initially diagnosed type 2 later changed to slow onset type 1. Now I'm on insulin and I feel a million times better. They've kept me on the metformin though as metformin is one of the treatments for PCOS as well as another medication I can't remember the name of!

I have all the symptoms of PCOS (except insulin resistance) but a scan showed nothing. I had a hormone test that showed male testosterone so they said that's enough to confirm it.

What treatment are you on for your PCOS? I wasn't on anything until I was misdiagnosed type 2 diabetic. Then they said the metformin will help so I'm now taking it even though I'm not actually type 2!

 

[bilbie]

As has been said, there is what is called metabolic syndrome. Which are a group of diseases including NAFLD, PCOS and T2. At the heart of this is leptin resistance and insulin resistance

A significant percent of T1 have PCOS
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/39/4/639
http://www.diabetes.org/living-with...d-care/women/polycystic-ovarian-syndrome.html

I would google PCOS LCHF OR ketogenic, as it seems diet can play a huge role in controlling it.
https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=PCOS+LCHF+OR+ketogenic

including studies
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334192/

 

[Redkite]

hello! Im a 20 year old women who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in February. I have never had regular periods and since being diagnosed have had no periods so was sent for a general ultrasound and the unconfirmed diagnosis is PCOS. I've heard things around saying quite a lot of women with type 1 diabetes also have PCOS so i was just wondering if thats true and if there is any alterations in the way it's managed due to having type 1 diabetes? Also if there's just anything someone having both these conditions needs to know?
hope to find some others in the same boat!
Lila

Welcome Lila,

I am not diabetic myself, but my son is type 1 and my Mum type 2. I have an underactive thyroid (also autoimmune like type 1 diabetes), and PCOS. The different hormones in your endocrine system do interact and have an effect on each other, so that for example underactive thyroid can lead to weight gain and insulin resistance. Growth hormones produced by growing children also lead to insulin resistance. As a teenager I had very irregular periods, was told I had PCOS, then spent about 12 years on the Pill which artificially regularised things. I'd got the impression that I wouldn't be able to conceive without fertility treatment but that isn't the case, so don't worry. Oddly enough, my pregnancy hormones seemed to kickstart things so that my periods have been regular ever since. Try not to worry too much about the PCOS 🙂. The type 1 is a massive shock, but you will cope - do get a copy of the Ragnar Hanas book if it hasn't already been recommended ("Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults") - it's so so helpful.