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14 year old daughter diagnosed with PCOS
My daughter was diagnosed today with PCOS. She was given the chose to get on birth control or some form of estrogen. Nothing was mentioned about her insulin being checked. She also has another disorder called POTS which encompasses mitral valve prolapse and hypothyroidism. I'm not sure if there is any relation. I am just wondering if anyone can give me some advice on what kind of doctor I need to have her see, if she needs her insulin levels checked(diabetes runs in my family), if there are any other concerns I should have as far as meds., diet, lifestyle changes and infertility. Any info would be great!!
I am only 20lbs overweight and have PCOS... I also had four pregnancies before finding out I had it. Not every case is set in stone. My doctor did not do a test on me because of all my symptoms. He just automatically prescribed metformin which I refused to take since the dietician said that I can keep it under control through diet and exercise. Officially down 6lbs in one week. Very awesome. I would go to another doctor or have the GYN run the tests since he diagnosed her. I'm sure not many PEDs deal with this type of thing since it happens in teen years and usually found out at a GYN. Good luck! (I also do not have a beard. lol. Too funny).
To test for insulin resistance she will have to do a fasting glucose tolerance test, where she will be given a horrible flat lemonade type drink and they will draw blood before, 1hr post drinking and 2hrs. You don't have to be obese to have pcos and not everyone has excessive hair. Definitely get her checked by the gyno, understandable that you aren't impressed.
My daughter's Ped did bloodwork on her but said everything came back normal. He is new and I am not very crazy about him. When I took her to him after her GYN did the bloodwork and ultrasound, with results diagnosing her with PCOS he(Peds) told me that she didn't have it because she was not obese and didn't have a beard. I was frustrated being that he is not a specialists. Saying all of this, I am not sure if he even tested her for the right things. My GYN said she needed to do a fasting blood test but they didn't. What kind of tests did you have to check for insulin resistance?
I recently found out the I have PCOS... funny thing is that i've had four successful pregnancies, the last resulting in twins. After the twins my hormones went haywire and I found out about the PCOS. I suspect after my third pregnancy I had some of the symptoms too but never tied it together. Anyways... I have heard that most with PCOS end up with insulin resistance. I did. I am not taking the metformin. My dietician told me that I can keep it at bay by eating healthy and exercising. If I stay at a healthy body weight then I should be able to naturally control it. I did not want to deal with the stomach upset that comes along with metformin. The main thing to watch when you think you may have insulin resistance is your carbs. I have been eating 180g or less of carbs and I feel much better and have finally been able to lose weight again. (before I found out I had it I was doing p90x and actually gained body fat instead of losing. sooo frustrating. that's how I found out about the insulin resistance). Good luck!
You are right about finding out early.....I have been trying to convince my daughter of this:) Thank you for all of your info and I am sure I will have other ques.
Also its really good they diagnosed it early. I was 18. When diagnosed because my hospital is useless..took them so long to diagnose me so by then id gained weight but not through any fault of mine and had bad hormonal imbalances..so silver lining for you :)
I would ask your doctor to refer you to a dietician who specialises in pcos..diabetes..insulin related dietary problems..you can also find advice on pcos dietary needs on forums all over the internet..message me if you want to ask anything else I'm happy to help :)
Thank you for your response. We have an appt. with her Ped.scehduled to have her insulin checked. She has a disorder called POTS(affects her autonomic nervous system). So initially we thought the problems with her weight was associated with her thryoid but we along with her doctor have worked hard to get her leveled out. She then missed her cycle for 4 months, and complained of looking and feeling swollen. She also started noticing excess hair on her breasts and face. I took her to the Gyn. and that's when they ran tests and found the bilateral Polycystic Ovary Disorder. Her doctor wants her to start on birthcontrol and have her insulin levels checked and to watch her diet. She didn't go into great detail but by the posts I take it that diet is very important. Where would I get the info. on what my daughter should change as far as her diet?
thank you for all of your info. my daughter has been struggling for about 2 years now with POTS( disorder that effects her autonomic nervous system...in her case it affects her BP, mitral valve & thyroid along with many other things that we all take for granted) She didn't have a period for 4 months so we thought she needed to see someone. I took her to my GYN and they ran tests and did an ultrasound. They found multiple cysts in both ovaries. We also put together the excess hair on her breasts and face, trouble with loosing weight, and very light periods ( we thought it had to do with her thyroid but her doctor at UAB had worked real hard to get her level ) and now know it has to do with PCOS. Her GYN wants to put her on birthcontrol and wants her Peds. to check her insulin level. By what you wrote we need to decrease sugar and carbs. Outside of that I'm not sure if there is anything else to do. If you have anymore suggestions please feel free to share.
as far as fertility, the less weight you have on you helps with PCOS. I tried for a year, miscarried, then lost 21lbs with a low carb, no sugar diet... and got pregnant :) she's now nearly one years old and i'm 15 weeks with my second. of course I'm very luck and greatful. Some women really do struggle. . but there are meds for this, some women have to have IVF etc but that's in extreme cases. Metformin can be prescribed for fertility, regulating periods.. AND controlling weight. Any other qs and I'd be happy to help as much as I can based on my experience with this. x
I would ask to have some blood sugar tests done. I'm not diabetic but PCOS means I developed gestaitional diabetes in pregnancy and also am PRE diabetic when not pregnant. So very close to the line.
What does she suffer with? cos that effects what she should be treated with.. does she struggle with losing weight/maintaining a steady weight? excess hair? irregular periods? hormonal?
Let us know, hopefully we can help, HOWEVER, you do need to ask a consultant these questions, a real medical professional. I was seen by an endochronologist but he wasn't much help. I've found great help online and in forums really!
PCOS she should be definitely not having sugar, even consider cutting it out all together, but rule out diabetes first. Low carb diet (no white carbs as they're full of sugar and have no nutritional value) Wholemean carbohydrates only. No fizzy drinks - full of sugar.. stick to healthy vegetables, steamed / boiled meat... wholemeal carbs, and water / slightly flavoured water. just relaly limit the sugar intake as it can make us with PCOS pile on the weight. I wish i'd known it years ago and maybe I wouldn't have 4 stone to lose that isn't shifting. Good luck! but do speak to a professional .x
What does she suffer with? cos that effects what she should be treated with.. does she struggle with losing weight/maintaining a steady weight? excess hair? irregular periods? hormonal?
Let us know, hopefully we can help, HOWEVER, you do need to ask a consultant these questions, a real medical professional. I was seen by an endochronologist but he wasn't much help. I've found great help online and in forums really!
PCOS she should be definitely not having sugar, even consider cutting it out all together, but rule out diabetes first. Low carb diet (no white carbs as they're full of sugar and have no nutritional value) Wholemean carbohydrates only. No fizzy drinks - full of sugar.. stick to healthy vegetables, steamed / boiled meat... wholemeal carbs, and water / slightly flavoured water. just relaly limit the sugar intake as it can make us with PCOS pile on the weight. I wish i'd known it years ago and maybe I wouldn't have 4 stone to lose that isn't shifting. Good luck! but do speak to a professional .x
I have pcos and my mother is type 2 diabetic but I am not. BCP was prescribed for me and was helpful but we have been ttc for 10 yrs now so no Bcp for me unless I get a cyst. You might look into metformin which is a med commonly prescribed for PCOS. It's tough on the tummy but eventually you get used to it and things get better. It's essentially a hormone imbalance that causes this. Pregnancy is possible with PCOS but it may take a little longer ttc. I was treated by my GYN for PCOS and now my reproductive endocrinologist going thru ivf but for many other reasons in addition to PCOS. Limiting sugar intake helps and seeing a natural healing professional for acupuncture are things I do as well. They are very helpful suggesting supplements and more natural ways of coping with this. I know nothing about the other diagnosis your daughter has been given. There is a community on med help dedicated to pcos in case you want to check it out.
Best of luck to you and your family. If you want to message me I would be happy to share what I know.
Ginger
Best of luck to you and your family. If you want to message me I would be happy to share what I know.
Ginger
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