PCOS....

becomingmommyagain

I know some of you ladies can relate to this.  Today I took my 15 year old DD to see my RE.  She's had awful menstrual cycles for the last two+ years.  Mainly that she's on roughly a 21 day cycle with bleeding lasting 8-10 days.  Not fun for a15 year old.  Until this last week she's refused to discuss it with a doctor.  Yesterday I called my RE (whose partner is a specialist in PCOS) and they just happened to be able to get her in today.  

They've given a tentative diagnoses of PCOS based on symptoms and have ordered a ton of blood work.  They also suspect she may have fibroids and did an abdominal ultrasound (because she's 15 and not sexually active they will postpone transvaginal ultrasound until she's older or until other tests indicate it's a necessity).  They've prescribed her BCPs (skipping placebo weeks to eliminate her cycle all together) and we'll go back in 8 weeks.  They also suspect an androgen disorder due to masculine like body hair on her lower back, abdomen, and upper thighs.  They hope the BCP helps with that too, but if it's still dark and thick they'll add an androgen suppressant.

She's happy to have hope that her periods will get better or go away all together.  Her older half sister was also recently diagnosed with PCOS, so she feels better about it and at least can talk to her sister.  

Although I'm happy she'll hopefully get some relief, I'm saddened that this could cause her to have fertility issues as an adult.  I guess early diagnosis is good so it won't be a shocker for her should she have trouble.  I'm just hoping now that she doesn't develop any of the other diseases that can stem from PCOS (thyroid, diabetes, etc)

Anyone have suggestions for a teenager?

Luckyu317

No real advice, I just want to say good luck to her. I have PCOS, and I wish I had gotten things under control a lot sooner. I was 28 when I was diagnosed. I had extremely long cycles (33-40 days on ave.) and super heavy. My gyn. put me on metformin to help get it under control (we had just started ttc). She may not realize it now, but it's so important that she's starting to understand PCOS and working on getting it under control.

ForevAAROSE

I too suffered as a teen. I refused to see a doc until I was 18. I started the heavy bleeding and periods ay the age of 16. When in was 17 I moved to California for college and had no family there. I always had a 7-10 day bleeding span, very painful and super heavy! Often times I would bleed thru the pad even if I changed every half hour, it was brutal. I went to all kinds of specialists and doctors but no one in cali could figure out what was wrong (reallly?) I decided to head back home to NJ. I finally went to my moms OB, who diagnosed me with PCOS, and put me on BCP too. Honestly it was a roller coaster ride until I finally found relief at the age of 21. I bled so much, so often. BCP didn't work, it regulated my bleeding to one time a month, for 7-10 days but the bleeding & pain was just as severe. I stopped BCP after 7 months. Went back to the doc, got s procedure for the cyst on my ovaries. Still didn't help. I went to a all natural doctor in nyc, who told me to lose weight. Diet similar to a diabetic diet. Let me tell you once I made that change the following month I seen a difference. My bleeding was so much less, cramping wasnt bad. I was so freaking relieved. I found that once I started my menstrual, I would work out the first two days n it would help so much.

It sucks as a teen. I hope she gets relief soon. Gl

becomingmommyagain

Thanks for you support and well wishes!!  This is all new to us.  The hyper androgen production makes a lot of sense for my daughter and her sister.  Both girls are over 5'10" and hit a major growth spurt around 12-14.  They both experienced terrible stretch marks as a result of their rapid growth, and it was at the end of the growth spurt that they both started having issues with menstruation.  Both girls have the masculine hair growth and started shaving very early.  My DD has to shave from her ankles to her bikini line daily during the summer. Fortunately, neither has severe acne, but DDs sister has a deeper more masculine voice (she's also 6'1").

After reading about PCOS, I've learned it can be passed from mother or father.  Men with the gene will exhibit early hair loss, be taller, have excessive body hair..ie more prominent masculine features.  Their dad had thinning hair by 21, is 6'5", definitely has the more masculine body hair and body shape.  My boys are also very tall (6'1" at 17 and 5'10 at 14).  My 17 year old is actually lacking in body and facial hair, but he's still young and still growing.  

We have no PCOS or other menstrual disorders on my side of the family (we have enough other stuff going on genetically!  Poor kids!!)  

ForevAAROSE

Oh yes, the horrid hair growth. I mean really I had hair on the side of my face! I would get weekly waxes. Pcos often causes us to have testosterone. So much goin on, can't we all just be normal !

missusw218

Great move getting her treatment in her teens! I recall being 8 years old and having to bleach my upper lip! Ugh!!

I was undiagnosed PCOS until my first RE (GYNs prior to my first RE missed the diagnosis) but experience many of the same side effects. My first GYN put me on BCP at 16 "to help with acne". I stayed on BCP until my mid-20s; after I stopped, the symptoms got worse.

I would recommend buying a home waxing kit!! LOL! Mine was like $40 on Amazon, I can wax anytime I want, and it's much cheaper than going to the salon!!