I saw three gynecologists over five years. All focused on my irregular cycles - 32 to 51 days - and fertility. None checked my fasting glucose. Insulin resistance barely got mentioned.
Then I saw an endocrinologist. One appointment and it clicked. Fasting glucose 118, androgens running high, insulin resistance the actual reason my cycles won’t regulate. Started metformin, and finally it feels like I’m addressing the root instead of just the symptom.
Has anyone else experienced that? Where one doctor actually looked at what was broken underneath?
Fasting glucose of 118 is actually pretty high, and I’m surprised the gynecologists didn’t catch that sooner. “Insulin resistance barely got mentioned” is what stands out to me, because because my own experience with pre-diabetes was similar - my doctor had to connect the dots between my fasting glucose and actual insulin resistance. I’d push back on the idea that it’s always an endocrinologist who catches this, though - my PCP was the one who finally ran the right tests and put me on tirzepatide.
Somewhere in the chaos of irregular cycles, I’ve been wondering if anyone checks cortisol levels alongside insulin resistance, as you mentioned “the actual reason my cycles won’t regulate”
Sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes to catch what’s been hiding in plain sight, like your endocrinologist did when they flagged insulin resistance as the root cause of your cycle issues. When you said “addressing the root instead of just the symptom” it really resonated with me, as I’ve been down a similar path with my own fasting glucose tracking. My numbers have been all over the place, but once I started on tirzepatide, I began to see a more stable trend, and it’s been eye-opening to see how closely my glucose levels are tied to my overall energy and wellbeing.