DD won't come to doctor - think she may have poly cystic ovaries?

[Brush122]

Everything points to PCOS. DD is 15 and apart from the very first 2 or 3 periods she had when she started at 13 her cycles have been long, anything up to 40 days. She also has bad acne on her face and chest. The biggest issue though is her weight and I'm afraid she's g to end up diabetic. She's an adult size 16 at 5'2 and appears to be gaining weight still. I've also noticed she's quite hairy on her lower back and she also has thickened skin over her elbows etc.
She's always out and about with friends, eats a normal diet as far as I can see (eats standard home cooked food with us) I can't say she's snacking all day - no different to DS who is as thin as a rake.
She takes very little food to lunch in school (cheese and crackers and some fruit) whilst her friends can eat all sorts and be a size 6 etc.
She's down about it but absolutely refuses to come to the GP.
Is this something that can be fixed by diet or will the GP prescribe medication? I'm not sure she'll be told to go away and lose weight etc or if it is pcos it's something that's managed with medication?
Any advice would be gratefu recieved

PCOS can be managed with diet, I manage mine that way and as a result have never gone on medication (though there is lots available). I saw a natural health therapist after I was first diagnosed who prescribed me supplements (magnesium, fish oils - not cod liver oil but the pure fish oil - and Agnus castus as far as I can remember). Alongside this I ate a diet low in carbs and high in protein. When eating carbs they should be whole grain. It's about your insulin response. You can turn PCOS around. I hope your daughter improves. Maybe if she won't see a doctor she'd consider the natural health therapist? Have a google of Marilyn Glenville clinics.

PCOS is a very individualistic disorder that affects each woman with it very differently so what is a problem for one person does not affect another. Also not all women with PCOS are insulin resistant.

There is no one therapy or treatment that will completely rid a person of PCOS but it can be managed to an extent. Some people follow a low GI/GL eating plan and this can be more sustainable to use longer term than low carb. Maintaining the correct weight range can improve symptoms.

Would she be willing to look at Verity's website; this is specifically for women and younger girls with PCOS. It has lots of useful information on it. Their website is www.verity-pcos.org.uk/

Educating yourselves about this could and will be helpful in the long run as well as knowledge is power. It can also help with regards to treatment decisions.

PCOS doesn't make you eat the same as your friends & get fat while they stay skinny. PCOS has other effects on mood & appetite & blood sugar, that makes you want to eat more than if you didn't have it and the eating more is what leads to weight differences.

I appreciate that's hard (unfair compared to women without PCOS) to counter, but the body responds the same to calories as anyone else, so a lot of the strategy to keep weight down comes down to behaviour.

She won't do anything different if she doesn't buy the diagnosis & believe the treatment could help. Those are angles to work on: what does she have to lose by finding out if she has the diagnosis & trying the treatment? Could you bribe her with a treat (say cinema trip or nice makeup?) simply to let them test her for the PCOS?