PCOS teenager

[Starynightskyblackforest]

I would be grateful for advice on treatments for PCOS for my teenage daughter who is 14.5. Have anyone got experience with myo inositol? Or would folid acid help? Yasmin ?

All except root burdock extract amazon, i get root burdock extract from eBay

Would you mind sending me the link for the root burdock extract? Is it tablets or liquid?

Thanks again

https://ebay.us/m/VAhxWg
these are the exact ones i get, i think they are delivered from another country but I’ve ordered 3 times and it always comes within around 2ish weeks

Thank you

I have PCOS, I don't thing awareness was really there when I was a teen but the symptoms definitely were! I started the pill around 15 I think? So not much older than your daughter.

Initially microgynon, and then tried various others. They all helped with the periods (to the extent that any bleed fell in line with the break so it was predictable, which made a huge difference to my quality of life) but did little for any of my other symptoms. I used to take oral medication for my acne (I can't remember the name but I remember they were yellow and red capsules!) and a medicated topical cream. I started Metformin somewhere around 18/19 I think from memory, although I may have been nearer early 20s, I initially had NHS investigations in the form of bloods and ultrasound, and then when I started work and had private healthcare I saw gynae and endocrinology (I can't remember which was first!) and I'm not 100% sure where in that process we started Metformin!

When I saw gynaecology we swapped the pill for an iud which was a game changer for me, but I certainly wouldn't entertain that in a teen (and I don't even know if they would do it)

We stopped the acne medication somewhere around 18 when it stopped being quite so intense (although they let me keep the cream for a while longer). I still got the odd flair up but by my early-mid 20s my skin had completely cleared up, and now I'm pushing mid 30s and all my friends are contemplating Botox and my skin looks the best it ever has, apparently common in those who had particularly oily/acne prone skin growing up so please reassure her that there is the odd silver lining and that she really is in the thick of it currently.

Having my first child really helped my symptoms (it took a year to conceive), they asked me to stop my Metformin at around 12 weeks and I didn't restart it after she was born as I didn't need it. DS was conceived 2 years later on the first month of trying, but symptoms did come back with a vengeance after he was born unfortunately. I had to wait for my IUD as I was breastfeeding, so tried to manage with various pills and none of them helped, so I don't think the pill is necessarily ways a cure all but it's worth trying. I went back onto Metformin last year and I still maintain for me, it is the most effective treatment I have tried (combined with the IUD which allows for period control but "natural" hormonal fluctuation which suits me better as never found a pill that didn't have side effects, it was just a balance of side effects Vs symptoms.

I did try inositol when TTC #1 and didn't think it made much difference to my symptoms, but reading these replies maybe I didn't keep it up long enough (and I did eventually fall pregnant, so maybe it did help 🤷🏼‍♀️)

If you are considering a pill, if you haven't already I would ask them to test her hormone levels via blood test before you start. It forms one of the diagnostic criteria (in my experience they wanted biochemical hyperandrogenism rather than characteristic) and then we had difficulty confirming the diagnosis because by the time the GP did it I was already on the pill and then was told the tests wouldn't be accurate because of the pill, and in conjunction we lost the "irregular period" criteria too because they were being regulated by the pill and they couldn't guarantee it wasn't just irregular because of age and may have settled down if I stopped taking the pill!

ETA for hair growth, I have yet to find anything that makes any substantial difference. Depending on where it is, your best bet is to identify a manageable hair removal routine and stick to it, the idea of "the more you remove the more you grow" is a myth I think. Laser and IPL help extend results, although my laser lady told me that for those with PCOS particularly on androgenous hair growth areas, there's no guarantee it will be permanent, but she finds her PCOS clients are happy to do a yearly top up if needed if it means they don't have to remove all year round, but again she's probably too young for that but something to maybe reassure her is in the wings for when she's older if it's a symptom that bothers her

Thank you. It seems you have had quite a journey with this.

Thank you all.

I have to admit that she has not officially been diagnosed, I did ask for blood tests including folid acid and they came normal but not sure if they fully tested her for PCOS.

What tests do they have to do exactly ? Dr doesn’t seen very keen and said irregular periods are normal at her age, sometimes they can be quite painful the first day for a few hours.

The other symptoms is the back acne, her face acne seems a bit more under control with the creams atm.

She had a course of doxycycline which helped a year ago, thinking to do another course.

She is slim, not super hairy but started getting pubic hair before 10, which the dr said it was also normal. I do feel she has a hormonal imbalance.

I am not sure about starting the myo inositol yet; doing a bit more research on it.

I think diet does help and she knows dairy doesn’t help, but she is still young and growing and slim so don’t want to make her obsessed with it at the moment.

Your DD will need to meet 2 out of 3 from the Rotterdam criteria to diagnosed with PCOS.
I would seek a formal diagnosis before taking any supplements, cutting things from her diet and considering the pill.

Thank you. This is good advice; I think we will start with the diet and considering the pill until she is diagnosed. Will check what the Rotterdam criteria is

We would need to have at least 2 of irregular/absent periods, cysts visible on ultrasound, and clinical or biochemical hyperandrogenism - this means either visible signs such as excessive hair growth, acne, or male pattern baldness etc, or biochemical signs would be elevated androgens on blood tests eg testosterone.

From what you've said, I'm not sure I would be leaping straight to PCOS and like a pp said I would be hesitant to start adding supplements/cutting things out for what may be normal physiological puberty. Spots are common, as are irregular periods and I don't think it's uncommon for them to be painful when they start, obviously if the pain is severe, or if it was lasting days, that might be different, but you say you feel it's likely she's got an imbalance, but if she's in puberty that's quite likely while things settle, it doesn't mean anything is wrong per se. Pubic hair at 10 also is normal and doesn't equate to PCOS necessarily.

What age did she start her periods? What sort of cycle does she have in terms of irregularity, are they absent/long cycles, or shorter? Are the periods long/heavy?

@QwickwitWe’ve been told by a the GP that dd 14 is too young to be tested for PCOS and not to worry about that until she wants to conceive one day! Having had fertility issues myself due to PCOS I’m very aware of getting a diagnosis and treatment for her in the future if she has inherited it from me. She’s recently started Dianette for her acne after working her way through the various NHS treatments available over the last 2 years. The Dermatologist said it would also help her excess hair growth, which I seem to remember did for me when I was on it many years ago.

Apparently diagnosis is irrelevant at dd’s age, but I felt the GP we saw was just kicking the can down the road. She’s also struggling with her weight and for over 2 years since starting her periods she was having v short cycles lasting 2 weeks at first, then gradually increased in days to 21-23 day cycles. Her period only lasted 5 days max so I’m not sure she was ovulating tbh?