PCOS and weight gain in 18YO daughter

[Nedsatomicdustbin]

Just looking for advice.

18YO daughter has been diagnosed with PCOS. Tests showed slightly raised testosterone levels.

Dr put her on Yasmin and she’s been taking it for 9 weeks. It’s sorted out the slight acne and periods are regular. However the weight gain is really getting her down, it’s been gradually going up since we first suspected something was wrong last summer. She’s always been a small athletic build, size 6 and just over 5ft. But she’s gradually putting on weight and it’s really affecting her confidence.

She has a great diet. High protein/fats/fibre and low in carbs/sugar. Not much UPF at all. Obviously has the odd treat but 90% of the time she appears to be following a PCOS friendly diet. She plays sport competitively so exercises regularly. Can’t think of anything she could do better.

Is This it? Is she just destined to get fatter and fatter? What can we ask the doctor for? Is there actually anything they can do? It’s so upsetting to see her confidence gradually disappearing.

No she doesn’t have to get fatter and fatter but in order not to she will have adjust her calorie intake. I wish someone had just given me a shake and made me face the fact that a healthy diet for me isn’t going to look like a healthy diet for others. The bottom line is if you are gaining weight you need to put less in.

After years of being fat due to PCOS I stumbled on keto and lost four stone in as many months. I wish somebody had told me that it was the most suitable diet for somebody with that condition. This was 25 years ago and I can’t remember exactly why it works so well; I think it’s something to do with the fact that it keeps insulin low which prevents fat storage.

I have PCOS. One issue is carbs. Gotta keep them low & eat more protein. I still struggle with my weight but manage to keep it under control.

Echoing what PPs have said, carbs are an issue with women who have PCOS. Make sure she is eating high protein and healthy fats at every meal and plenty of water. The order in which you eat your foods also matters, veggies first, then protein and lastly a small amount of carbs. Make sure her fibre intake is high enough and perhaps encourage resistance training to increase both her fitness and muscle which helps with not only aesthetics but is actually changing her body composition so she burns more calories at rest.

Sometimes doing too much exercise can stress your body too - cortisol is one of the hormones implicated in pcos since it impacts metabolism. Also things like life/work stress and not getting enough sleep. The impact of poor sleep on both insulin and cortisol is high. If she's 18 her life might be going through a lot of change right now?

I would recommend reading something like Clare Goodwin's "Getting Pregnant with PCOS" (ignore the title, it's excellent about discussing the interplay of hormones and how lifestyle relates to this) and maybe try to find somebody who specialises in it. You probably won't get much good advice online or from GPs since most don't really have the first clue about what it even is.

You should see her GP and get some advice from them, it's good to follow-up anyways. I'd also get some bloods done as it can reveal more. Plus it's good she now has regulated periods (preventing the risk of endometrial hyperplasia), and the acne as well, on the whole that is good.

Blood test wise I'd probably ask for:
• Total testosterone
• Sex Hormone Binding Globulin
• Free Androgen index
• Fasting glucose + insulin
• Lipid panel (cholesterol, triglycerides)
• Thyroid panel (TSH, free T4)

From there depending on the results, look into starting metformin or orlistat. They help with blood pressure, cholesterol etc and can prevent the impacts of insulin resistance.

Thanks for all of your advice. I’m going to get her to contact the GP again and be a bit pushy.

there’s definitely gut issues going on as she’s got a real problem with burping and quite a bit of bloating.