pcos teenager

[busybusybee]

My 16 year old daughter has pcos and the gp is suggesting the pill. Has anyone else been successfully treated with the pill and have there been any nasty side effects. Her main symptons are no periods for over a year and excess facial hair

[kittyelen]

My GP always said they thought I have PCOS but they couldn't test me for it as I was on the progesterone only pill

I would check what pill they mean as a side effect of the mini pill is periods stopping! So is she happy with no periods or would she rather not go on the pill and see if her periods appear? I thought they normally send for a scan if no periods as the next step if they haven't returned yet or did they never start?

GP also just said oh I can look into laser hair removal, I just pluck them and put up with them but she does sound more severe as mine only appeared in my 20's. I find you get fobbed off with the chin hair stuff I would say if she has no periods and no period pains then why are they suggesting the pill?

(As mini pill didn't stop my chin growth)

[radd]

busybusybee,

Ahhh, your daughter is so young to get this condition. If she were my daughter I would be looking at reasons why this is happening. It’s all very well being given a diagnosis but if the treatment is only a sticking plaster then the condition is never going to improve, reverse or even be well managed .

Given that the higher amounts of androgens can interfere with egg release and encourage ovarian cysts this is likely to interfere with your daughter's fertility. It can also encourage acne and the excess facial hair must be devastating for a young teenage girl.

Has she been referred to a specialist for further investigation? Has she had an ovarian ultra sound scan? Has she has thyroid hormones tested? Has she had adrenal hormones tested? Has she had blood glucose levels tested? Is your daughter over weight?

[Jazzw]

I would say the plus side of going on the pill is that it will preserve the rest of her eggs—if she wants to have children in the future, the constant ripening of eggs and scarring of the ovaries from PCOS will slowly get worse and could make that difficult. I don’t know for sure that I had polycystic ovaries—no one knew there even was such a thing when I was that age—but I had ridiculously irregular periods and also had facial hair which needed electrolysis to sort out so I have a feeling I probably did. I went on the pill at 18.

[Tennis_junky]

I also have pcos, excess hair growth as a teenager, spots and and terrible dysmenorrhea. I was put on buscopan 3 days before a period was due which worked really well and then dianette at 20 which gave my body a rest. The best thing I ever did was go gluten free and pay for laser hair removal. Diet is so important to balance the symptoms of PCOS and thyroid. I would do that before the pill which I don’t think I would advise again. Find the right diet and her cycle might return. Buscopan for any cramps, and the best use of my money was spent on painful laser. It really changed my whole outlook on life, wish it had been around when I was swimming 5 times a week!

[Gilbo72]

hmmm, as far as I remember I was on the pill from about 15years old because of extremely painful/heavy/erratic periods and bad spots. The GP at the time suggested going on the pill to even it all out. It took me a while to find a pill that suited me. I tried mini, progesterone only, various brands. I used to call myself a hormonal nightmare. Eventually I was prescribed and settled on Dianette, which suited me down to the ground. I believe it is used to treat bad skin and excessive hair growth, ie: as in PCOS, as it contains an oestrogen and an anti-androgen. It isn't routinely prescribed as a contraceptive... that happens to be a side effect. I was very happy on it, and as I grew older used it as a contraceptive. Fast forward 15 years, I was married and came off it. I sought help after I hadn't had a period for 18months. I wasn't bothered because I hated periods, and I thought it was probably because I was near underweight and I was used to them being erratic pre Dianette. Anyhow, I went along to get it checked out, expecting them to say I was underweight, I went for various tests and scans and was very surprised when they said I had PCOS. So it made sense why the Dianette suited me. They told me to always eat well, and exercise regularly and treated me with a week of Clomid, my periods reappeared and I promptly got pregnant! That was 18 years ago. About 8 years ago, I went for another scan for some reason and mentioned I had PCOS, the scan came back clear and said there was no sign of PCOS. But, alas, I still think of myself as a hormonal disaster, this time in the thyroid department!

I would say for me, Dianette helped enormously with my skin and periods, which is so important at that age. I was not aware at that point I had PCOS although I most probably did. As JazzW said above, it would give your daughter a break. When I needed to get pregnant I did quite easily, with the necessary help. I would just ask the question about long term etc....

[Bellaowl]

I was diagnosed with Pcos at 16 in 1965 and was put on the pill- can’t remember what type now.In those days it was not that sophisticated. I would strongly advise seeing an endocrinologist who specialises in pcos.

I was put on spirinolactone to control hursutism-excess hair. It worked very well.

My adopted daughter uses laser treatment to remove the hair but says it’s painful.

It’s important to get ultrasound but endo can organise it.

It’s also important to know that pcos can also cause problems after menopause- it’s a lifetime diagnosis.

She also needs to know if this is being caused by a prolactinoma which may not be obvious for a few yrs.

I hope that helps and I hope treatment has moved on from where I was at 16yrs.

It is not just about getting pregnant and maintaining that.

Bella

[CaptainBeOS]

pcos-centre.com/treating-pc...

My wife has this. I don't have a specific comment about the pill, but one of the standard treatments is metformin, which can help with the insulin resistance, weight gain, energy levels and later on fertility..

My wife took a very high dose and has now come off it. Metformin has one often overlooked side effect that your daughter should imprint in her memory for later on in life.... It causes B12 levels to plummet.

What this means is frequent monitoring and B12 injections. My wife learned about this side effect after we had our 3 children. Low B12 during pregnancy is strongly linked to Autism.

[lauraleeds666]

I was diagnosed with PCOS aged 24 in 2006. They didn't look for PCOS at first because I didn't show typical signs of it - I wasn't obese, didn't have acne or excessive hair. I didn't have a period for 18 months though. My periods as a teenager were horrendous - 2 to 3 days in bed in agony every month, fainting, blood loss so heavy I became anaemic. I was started on the pill aged 15 because of this by a GP. It suited me for about five years but then I started having problems and came off it. When I was in my late 20s, I met a wonderful female doctor who said the best thing for me would be Cerazette pill. This is a progesterone only pill that stops periods altogether for most women who take it. It's also a hybrid 'mini pill' which means you can take it in a 12 hour window rather than the usual 3 hour window of a standard mini pill (if using it for contraception). I've been on Cerazette continuously for about 12 years now. I love it. Not having to worry about a monster period and all the pain, stress and blood every month is amazing