Posted by Ann L. on June 19, 19100 at 01:27:48:
Hello all,
I am a 35 year-old female who has had a problem with excess facial hair for almost a decade. At first it was just a very small and manageable patch underneath my chin. To my alarm it seems to be getting much worse as I get older, requiring daily (sometimes *twice* daily) plucking and shaving in order to maintain some semblance of femininity. I'm so embarrassed and disgusted by it that I feel compelled to hide my tweezers and razors from my partner.
I have also in the last two years developed bad acne on my face and neck-- charming! Ugh!
My menstrual cycles are regular. I am only about 10 lbs. overweight. Both my father and my brother had/have diabetes (my father, who suffered from adult-onset diabetes, is deceased). My question therefore is this: should I be concerned about PCOS? I have no health insurance and little money, so the requisite lab tests and doctor's visits would pose a real hardship for me.
Incidentally, when I saved enough money to consult a dermatologist about this facial hair/acne nightmare last year, he dismissed it all as "hereditary". I'm not quite sure what he meant by that remark, as my mother has never had a beard. Or acne.
My apologies for rambling... it's all very depressing to contemplate. Thanks for reading!