Dd fed up with being fobbed off with period problems

[FlyingMonkeys]

First time poster so not sure if I should post in a different thread but here goes... Dd 19 has been recently diagnosed with PCOS. She's been placed on 3 different contraceptive pills since 16. None have combated the breakthrough bleeding, which averages 3wks on maybe 2 days off. She was given a six mth script for tranexamic acid which also didn't work. She's overweight but otherwise healthy. No anemia although constantly knackered. It's really getting the poor kid down & seems to trigger massive mood swings on a near daily basis (I don't blame her!). We're both sick to the back teeth after yet another GP appointment that frankly felt like she was fobbed off again. I know it's never a 'one size fits all fix' with issues like this. But she's really at the end of her tether. Any suggestions from anyone whose experienced similar? Mainly what's worked that she can suggest to GP. Thanks in advance

I am a long time sufferer with varying severity of symptoms over the last 25 years.

I am much better when following a low carb high protein high fat diet. This combats the insulin resistance that exacerbates the symptoms.

Is this something your DD could look at trying?

I never found any of the pills terribly helpful but mefenamic acid helped with the pain somewhat.

I also feel better when I’m taking folic acid and vitamin D but that might just be me.

Agree with everything merry said, I'm 30 and have been fobbed off re pcos at basically every appointment, what helps me is vitamin d also, I drink a spearmint tea everyday with myo-inositol in to help with facial hair, eating well, low carbs as merry said and trying to keep a good weight and trying to exercise every day even if it's only a walk really helps me.

So many people become asymptotic when they maintain a healthy weight with controlled blood sugars. I’ve not succeeded myself but it’s the plan still!

Thanks ladies. I'll definitely recommend the LCHF diet. She does have an appointment scheduled by the GP to meet a dietician.

Not to drip feed - by 'overweight' she's possibly 5/6st over for her BMI. Also lives with her DP for the past 12mths so I can't impact on her diet other than suggestions really. She does love to cook from scratch. But they are reliant on takeaways far more than is really good for either of them (her DP is in an active outdoorsy job so doesn't have a weight issue).

I've previously taken her to my gym but she lost interest. And have a spin bike I've offered to lend her. Even 10min in front of the telly is a good start. Just seems a vicious circle at the minute! The PCOS/bleeding leads to even more apathy in a 'what's the point?' type way for her....

Would definetly recommend she works on weight but obviously that's got to come from her, when I was at my heaviest my pcos symptoms seem to really flair up (4 stone over weight) my facial and body hair was awful, I was constantly bleeding, tired, crampy, exhausted, hair falling out now I'm back at the weight I should be they have reduced a lot (not disappeared) but a vast improvement, pcos is like a garden! You need to tend to it overtime, lifestyle change rather then quick fixes help!

Take the dietician’s advice with a pinch of salt. Many (not all) are very behind with their recommendations for a ‘healthy’ diet still recommending low fat and higher carb diets which are not optimal for PCOS sufferers.

I’d suggest looking at the Diet Doctor website which promotes a healthy ketogenic diet which would be ideal for your DD to try.

I’m about to have a baby and I’m obese but I stuck to a reasonably low carb diet and put on less than a stone in total compared with 3.5 stone in my first pregnancy.

I’ll be heading on to LCHF as soon as I’ve recovered from my surgery.

I had extremely heavy and painful periods for years. Went under all sorts of tests and scans to be told it was just my weight.

I then lost 7 stones and they were still the same so nothing to do with my weight.

However when I was getting my first scan with DD fibroids showed up. So I now think it was that.

The issue re the contraceptive pills is that they do totally different things in different people. I'm on cerazette (the generic version but same drug) and it totally stops my periods. For other people it makes them 10 times worse.

It sounds like the GP is working their way through the standard things that they can offer. If your DD feels like that's not helping then I'd honestly push for a gynaecology referral, especially since she has the diagnosis now. It might be that something like a copper coil (whatever the one without hormones is called) or another medication might be helpful but a gynaecologist will have a way better idea than a GP in terms of things that can be used when you've tried all the usual ones. (Not knocking GPs at all by the way. Just you can't expect them to know everything about every speciality.)

Thanks for all the advice - passed it onto DD. Think she's mainly relieved as well as a bit crestfallen to have a diagnosis. However at least it gives her a starting point for researching tips & advice like these for how to best manage her condition.