teenager dd irregular periods.

[crkm]

dd is 16 and she has had periods for nearly 4 years. her cycle is a nightmare - anything between 17 and 70 days. i really thought that it would be settled to a regular pattern by now. She has put on weight and doesnt seem to be as feminine as she was. The other thing that seems strange is that she never uses deoderant but has no 'BO' odour at all. I don't think she swets at all. was thinking of having a chat with gp about it. Have not mentioned this to dd as she is rather sensitive about the weight issue. any one had a similar issue with a teenage dd?

I haven't, but I agree she might need referring to an endocrinologist- it's worth looking into, definitely.

I had this as a teenager - my Mum ignored it pretty much saying everything would settle down. By the time I was 20 and sexually active i was literally getting through tons of pregnancy tests as my period would just get later and later - in those days it was easier to get a test done by the pharmacist and one day he kindly suggested I see a doctor ....at which point i discovered I had polycystic ovaries and must have had them since early teens. Does DD have issues with facial hair? This can be an early indicator. Polycystic ovaries aren't the end of the world but they can interfere with fertility (mine didn't thankfully...)

I agree with thritysomething, could be PCOS. Although, mine did interfere with fertility.

If it is PCOS. DO NOT put her on the pill. It will make periods more regular, however, just 'masks' the symtpoms and the condition itself gets worse.

Good luck.

That did occur to me too. At least you are getting it looked at though- much better than hoping for the best and ignoring it.

Weight gain and irregular periods are quite strong indicators for PCOS (which I have). The weight thing is especially annoying as PCOS is less symptomatic if you can keep the weight down, but it's really hard to stop it from creeping up. If she does get a PCOS diagnosis then Colette Harris has some good books about coping with it, and lots and lots of walking will help with the weight.

crkm

I would also be thinking along the lines of PCOS here; one in five women have signs of polycystic ovaries. PCOS is a very individualistic disorder and affects each woman with it very differently.

I would ask GP for a referral to a gynae and or endocrinologist for her to be further evaluated, this is not something that is going to go away of its own accord. This is not a problem also for a GP to be messing around with, it needs proper and careful management.

thanks for all the messages. I did think of pcos but as there is no facial hair i was not too sure. i will deffinately take her to the gp. thank you all.

crkm, you do not necessarily have to have facial hair to have pcos. I would ask gp to refer your dd to a gynaecologist. They can do us of pelvis to check on dd's ovaries.