Ignored For Years And Finally Diagnosed.

I am 26 years old and I just found out a few months ago that I have PCOS. For 2 years I was seeing a different doctor because they were the best doctor that my crappy insurance would allow me to see. For 2 years I didn't have a period and I would tell them that I was worried about it because it wasn't normal. They said it was a side effect of my birth control, which I told them I had stopped taking for 4 months each time and still no period. They ignored it and sent me on my way. I knew something wasn't right. Before those 2 years my periods had always been excruciatingly painful and sometimes irregular. But once again that was something I was told was normal.

I was lucky that I changed insurance and was able to go back to a very good OB/GYN practice. When I went in to see them in November it was because of a lump I found in my armpit (which turned out to be a very bad zit). During that visit the doctor asked me the normal questions, last period? I told him, nearly 2 years ago, some spotting from time to time, and before that my periods were always very painful. I also told him that I hadn't been taking my birth control the last few months and I still hadn't had a period. He ran some blood tests, put me on progesterone for 10 days, and had me come back to see him 3 weeks later.

After the 10 days of progesterone I finally had a period. When I went back and told him he said, "Kelly, your blood tests were mostly normal, however the fact that it took that much progesterone for you to ovulate tells me that you have something called polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS." I had no idea what that meant but I knew what was important to me was the ability to have children, so before he could start explaining it more I blurted out, "Will I be able to have children?" He looked at me and said, "Maybe, you will probably need help to do it. In the meantime I am putting you back on BCP and you need to start taking Metformin every day to keep your ovaries as healthy as possible." I just started crying. He assured me that of all fertility issues this was the most benign.

Reading all of these stories scares me because I really want kids some day. I'm in nursing school right now, had to move home to afford school, so I am in no position to have a child now. I am also angry because for several years this was going on and it was ignored. They didn't even try to do tests. Has anyone else had similar experiences? Have any of you been repeatedly ignored until finally someone bothered to look?