Delicate Situation ! My 16 year old daughter's clothes are too tight because of weight gain.

[cherryberrybaby]

Delicate situation: My 16 year old daughter's clothes are too tight because of weight gain.

This is a problem that seems simple but is very complicated. The seemingly obvious thing is to get her new clothes. It's not that simple.

As a middle-aged woman, last year I got angry at my loving husband when he told me I needed new clothes because of my weight gain. It hurt me as a grown woman to hear that from a man I've been married to for over 20 years. Imagine how a teenage girl would feel.

I want to help her but I'm afraid I may make her feel worse.

It's probably PCOS then. It's treatable with metformin and possibly also with GLP1 drugs. Diet and exercise will keep it manageable. Why don't you start with getting some tests for you and both your daughters.

You or her could have PCOS - if you have:

1. Lots of small follicles (technically 12 but something around that is likely fine) spotted by transvaginal ultrasound and/or
2. Cycles of irregular periods, short periods, missed periods, and/or
3. Certain hormones at higher than normal levels (androgens, like testosterone, and androstenedione and a higher luteinizing hormone (LH) to follicle-stimulating hormone ratio (FSH)

You need 2/3 to get a PCOS diagnosis. So the bloods and a pelvic + transvaginal ultrasound are used to see if you have PCOS. If you only have 1 then you don't meet the diagnostic criteria, but it doesn't mean medical help can't be used

Do you have irregular periods? Does DD?

Blood test wise I'd probably ask your GP to do:

1. Total testosterone.
2. Sex Hormone Binding Globulin.
3. Free Androgen index.
4. Fasting glucose + insulin.
5. Lipid panel (cholesterol, triglycerides).
6. Vitamin D. 7. Thyroid panel (TSH, free T4). 8. Hirtuism blood panel as well - especially if you have excessive hair growth.

Definitely bring up the excessive hair - and the locations of that. There are creams and meds you can try for that.

I would think about trying the pill or the mirena (it is localised so helps with side effects), but either is good, you can go through pros/cons with your GP. It's for the hormones but also for uterine protection especially as with PCOS it can be a 2-5 x higher risk of uterine cancer, so you I'd also look into that.

Also try tranexamic acid if you have heavy periods as it can massively reduce bleeding.
Try and see if your GP surgery has anyone with a special interest in women's health or endocrinology.

Then once your results for bloods come back - depending on what they show, ask your GP about trying metaformin and/or orlistat as well. Definitely book a GP appointment as soon as.