# IBS and polycystic ovarian syndrome



## pecan (Jan 5, 2004)

Hi everyone,I have a really important question for you all. I don't have IBS, but my sister does. We both also have another medical condition, called polycystic ovarian syndrome. I've seen many of you discussing ovarian cysts, but I haven't seen the term polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) come up. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a disorder that involves insulin resistance (similar to diabetes) and messes up your ovaries so that they can't produce hormones the way they are supposed to. This can lead to weight gain, missed or irregular periods, and infertility. Have those of you who have had ovarian cysts discussed PCOS with your doctors? Many doctors don't know about PCOS and have a hard time diagnosing it. You can treat it by taking bcp pills or insulin-sensitizing medications such as glucophage (metformin). It's a very serious problem, affecting up to 5-10% of women, but most do not know they have it.I'm wondering if anyone else has both PCOS and IBS. My sister has tried to take metformin for the PCOS, but it has given her a lot of problems with the IBS (diaharrea, constipation.) She is not currently on any medication for IBS. Does anyone have experience with taking medications for both IBS and PCOS? We need a medication that will help her IBS enough to allow her to take the metformin. Thanks everyone.


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