Hey everyone!! I am 22 and have had the symptoms of PCOS (irregular periods and body hair) for about 4 years. My OB/GYN has basically ignored my symptoms and put me on birth control 2 years ago to regulate my periods. I stayed on the pill off and on for the 2 years, and havent been on it for 7 months. I recently asked her during my check up why I had irregular periods without the pill and all this body hair and she told me because I probably had PCOS (she didnt even give an explanation of it). I had no idea what that was, so I did a lot of research on it and decided to go see an endocrinologist. I am now so upset that my doctor has ignored my symptoms all these years when I could have been put on some medication years ago to control the hair when it was still minimal. Now I have 4 years of more hair growing, plucking, shaving, scarring, ingrown hairs, and more. My skin is already sensitive and Ive been treating it so badly trying to get rid of all this hair. My endocrinologist was just great and I regret not seeing her earlier! I also regret not having the nerve to ask my OB/GYN earlier about the reason for irregular periods and body hair. Anyway, I am now on a medication (Prometrium) to start my period so I can begin taking what my endocriologist prescribed…birth control pills and spironolactone. I am so sick of my body hair and after reading all of the posts, I have decided to stop plucking (I didnt know it was so bad). I have really dark hair on my stomach and chest. I also have a lot of hair in the inner thigh area and bikini line. My hair grows really fast too, and even after I shave it still looks like I have hair! I have some facial hair, but not a lot…it isnt a concern for me because its so light. I am ready to get rid of my unwanted hair (stomach and chest) but I read to wait until your hormones are in balance to begin hair removal treatment. How long sould I wait after I begin my medication? I also dont know whether to go laser or electrology. My skin color is pretty light if that has anything to do with it. I also read on here that insurance may pay for it…how true is that? I just want to let everyone know that it feels so good to know there are other people I can relate to! I am so jealous of girls who are able to wear bathing suits, short shirts, shorts, and skirts, and lower cut shirts while I wear pants and am afraid to lift up my arms because my shirt may lift up and expose my hairy stomach! I want to be able to wear what I please and show my body off!! If anyone could answer my questions above I would greatly appreciate it!!!
THANKS 
You don’t really have to wait for electrolysis. The thing is, that if your hormones are not in balance, they will recruit more hair follicles to grow new hairs. But the hair that you have now, if destroyed by electrolysis, will remain that way forever!
Needless to say, I’m biased towards electrolysis, as it is the only way of permanent hair removal today.
Your gynecologist is guilty of MALPRACTICE but you can not prove it. She should have sent you to an endocrinologist a long time ago. If she had the same problem she would have gone to one. Get a new gynecologist. Your endocrinologist is treating you correctly, however, insurance companies do pay for electrology. No insurance company pays for cosmetics, however, the only cosmetic areas for hair growth are bikini line, eyebrows, and underarms.
When females grow hair on surfaces where females usually do not grow hair but males always grow hair this is NOT COSMETIC. It is called a “male pattern distribution”…it is part of a potentially serious disorder (depending on the degree of severity of your case…mild, moderate or severe). PCOS can include infertility, adult acne, hirsutism (hair), obesity (due to insulin resistance with diabetes), cessation of menses which means the patient will develop a HYPERPLASTIC ENDOMETRIUM (this is an overgrown lining of the uterus and is recognized as a precursor to cancer of the uterus unless treated). Do NOT STOP TAKING YOUR MEDICATION UNLESS YOU TELL YOUR DOC FIRST.
There is an over-riding principle in law called “industry precedent”. It means “if one company pays …they ALL HAVE TO PAY”. I have been paid many times by insurance companies and have photo copies of all the checks to prove it. The most was $4,280.00 by Tufts HMO. No lawyer was needed. These companies know no lawyer will take a case for less than $50,00.00 because they take a lot of time and our cases do not reach this level. We are a society of “screwers and screwees” (these are the legal terms) and insurance companies know how to use the system to delay and deny you your legal rights. Laws are made by lawyers, for lawyers, with no consideration for anyone else.
Some states have consumer laws that allow treble damages PLUS legal fees. This makes the companies take notice. You may have to pay for treatment but take them to court in the middle of treatment because small claims court has a limit on the amount of money you can sue for.Then you will continue treatment to get the rest of your money as you have established you have a legitimate claim. Anyone who changes companies to get paid by another company is making a big mistake as they can claim it is a preexisting condition and refuse to pay. They have access to your medical records and the doctors and treatments you had and that will destroy your chances of getting reimbursed.
Electrology is the “current standard medical practice” for this condition (remember this phrase as it is very important). Hair or HIRSUTISM is not a cosmetic problem…it is only one of a possible 10 symptoms of this condition. It is listed in all the medical texts of endocrinology and EPILATION therapy is reimbursed if the doctor prescribes it and he will do this if you ask him to write a letter that “epilation therapy is medically neccessary”. They do this all the time and the medical insurance code for this is Diagnosis (Dx 704.3) and Prescription (Rx 17380). The first is “hirsutism” and the prescription is the second, Electrolysis. These are the insurance codes used internationally and your doc has a code book to look it up to verify this. The code was invented by the WHO (World Health Organization).
You can contact me directly if you need more help at … <leftygg@verizon.net>.
Good luck .
</font><blockquote><font size=“1” face=“Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif”>quote:</font><hr /><font size=“2” face=“Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif”>Originally posted by Harvey Grove, LE, CPE:<strong>
Electrology is the “current standard medical practice” for this condition (remember this phrase as it is very important). Hair or HIRSUTISM is not a cosmetic problem…it is only one of a possible 10 symptoms of this condition. It is listed in all the medical texts of endocrinology and EPILATION therapy is reimbursed if the doctor prescribes it and he will do this if you ask him to write a letter that “epilation therapy is medically neccessary”. They do this all the time and the medical insurance code for this is Diagnosis (Dx 704.3) and Prescription (Rx 17380). </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size=“2” face=“Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif”>Dear Harvey, do you know if this law also applies to the UK?
I have not been diagnosed with Hirsutism or PCOS but when I consulted my Doctor as to the options I could take with the NHS (National Hair SErvice) he said that the NHS dont do Laser hair removal becaues it is ‘cosmetic’. I then told him that the same way that women who get implants through the NHS suffer psychologically, so do people with excess hair.
He then told me that I should just cover up and wear longer clothes, ( I already do, even in summer)
But if I could return back to his office and tell him about this law then maybe it could be the start of something, but I dont know if the law applies to the UK too.
Thanks for your help,
LadyPersia, UK.
i’m sorry to hear about your situation. i understand completely. at one point i went to my doctor about swelling in my right foot and ankle. she was on vacation so i ended up seeing a different doctor in the practice. now out of the three doctors in the practice i had been to all of them at some point during the 5 years i’d been a patient there so it was all right by me. well the other doctor thought i might have a blockage in a vein that was slowing circulation. so, he sent me to have an ultrasound done to try and find it. when the results came back i was informed that no blockage was found. a year and several visits later i asked my doctor to test me for pcos, on the recommendation of a friend who suffers from it. she opened my file and looks through it for a moment. then she looks at me and says “oh, you were already tested. you have it” i freaked out. started sobbing. it turns out right on the cover letter for the ultrasound results, fourth paragraph, second line it said “this patient has poly-cycstic ovaries.” and i was never told. my father wanted to sue. but i was 20 so it was my choice. at the time i said no because i was already so upset i didn’t want to get more involved. also i knew that it was an honest mistake. the other doctor thought i knew already, my doctor didn’t look at updates on her patients from when she was on vacation. maybe a little bit of slacking but nothing done out of ill will. now i wish i had said something. not necessarily suing but at least so they would see how much difference a year can make in treatment. anyway, i hope things are going well for you now.
kate
That is because they know that insurance only pays for Electrolysis. Insurance does not knowingly pay for LASER hair removal treatments, as they are categorized as temporary.