Re: I'm worried because im so young...
From: Olivia (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Fri, 5 Apr 2002 21:22:38 -0600 (CST)
Dear Sally,
Thank you for replying to my question. You actually helped a lot, in
reference to your suggestion about asking my doctor to see if i had been
tested for any thyroid problems, as far as he told me yes i have,
everything else seems to be normal. my problem comes from my aunt, who
has had the same problems since she was young but since she lived in
cuba from when she was a baby until recently, it was never classified as
a disease. her doctors told her, as many told me, that it was very
regular for girls to miss their periods every once in a while so it
never worried me. i've done some research on my own about PCOS because
i always get a certain feeling that doctors are never 100% truthful when
it comes to talking with their patients. i've decided to start a diet
tomorrow, and exercise as much as i can, i realize is going to be hard
because i am teenager and i obviously love to munch on junk food which
are very high in carbos but im willing to work on my ability to just say
no, im not very strong willed when it comes to situations like this and
i sometimes blame myself for not controlling my mouth when i could. but
im going to try my best. i have one more question, from the research
i've done i've only seen a few side effects to PCOS and one of them is
the excess of hair. i am hairy but not to extremes like i've read on
some other cases but my curiousity is that my family seems to be a
"hairy" people meaning that my cousins etc, are hairy but just in their
hair for example we all have lots of hair in our heads (making no sense
right) but not anywehre else at least not abnormal what does that mean.
and also what are other symptoms of PCOS? thank you very much for your
support.
--
olivia
At Fri, 5 Apr 2002, Sally wrote:
>
>Dear Olivia,
>
>It is good that you are diagnosed so early. If you can have a good
>doctor to work with you it is entirely possible that you can avoid many
>of the symptoms and negative effects of polycystic.
>
>PCOS does not mean that you cannot have children. It may be a little
>more difficult, or you may have no problem. PCOS often means reduced
>fertility but that is not infertility for the majority of us.
>Particularly nowadays, we have treatment that is in most cases very
>effective in enabling women with PCOS to have children.
>
>What you need to do is get yourself as informed as possible about this
>condition so that you can make sure you get the treatment you need.
>
>Many doctors are still not aware of the latest treatments for PCOS which
>have only become more common in the last few years. The best treatment
>for PCOS is an insulin sensitising drug called Metformin or glucophage.
>This drug is normally used to treat diabetes, but has also been found to
>be very useful for treatment of PCOS, though this is not its officially
>approved use at the moment.
>
>BCP can be useful, but should not be the only treatment. If your doctor
>is not also treating you with metformin, you need to research and
>request him/her to try it (it may help if you compile your research and
>present it to him/her). If he/she refuses (and cannot give you a good
>reason that you can agree with - you being young is not a good reason)
>perhaps you would need to consider seeing a different doctor.
>
>Exercise (as vigorous as you can manage) would also be helpful.
>
>Diet is very important. It is important to cut out as much refined
>sugars and refined carbohydrates (ie any type of sugars or high sugar
>food, white bread, candy, potatoe chips, pasta, fruit juice) from your
>diet as possible. This is called a low carbohydrate diet and is quite
>the opposite to that which most of us try (high carbohydrate and low
>fat). At your age it is probably best not to try something too strict.
>But a diet approach like the Zone or Sugar Busters would be worth
>considering. There is plenty of information on the net about low carb
>diets, so you can do some research and see what you think you can live
>with easily.
>
>Please know that your weight is not your fault! It is due to the PCOS.
>Your doctor saying your weight is the reason for you having irregular
>cycles is not correct. You have PCOS which gives you irregular cycles
>and makes you gain weight. However, losing weight may assist in getting
>more regular cycles becuase weight loss reduces insulin resistance which
>is apparently the cause of the irregular cycles. (Hope I made sense
>there) And having PCOS can mean that losing weight also takes heaps of
>effort.
>
>Also know that being really skinny is not so important - so don't try to
>starve yourself to lose weight - that will just slow down your
>metabolism, may affect your growth, and definitely will affect your
>mental ability. You need to be healthy first and foremost. A healthy
>woman does have curves!
>
>By the way, did your doctor check you for thyroid function. Was it
>normal? Some women with PCOS also have thyroid problems, so it is
>important that you be screened for that as well.
>
>Please post whatever questions you have here. This is not the end of
>the road, it is a new beginning! Because once you know what you have
>then you can find ways to manage and live with it.
>
>Best wishes
>
>--
>Sally
>
>At Thu, 4 Apr 2002, Olivia wrote:
>>
>>I'm 16 years old and i was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome
>>about 5 months ago. I was told that i would have a hard time having
>>children, that is if i'm able to have any at all and i'm extremely
>>worried. i am recently taking birth control pills which im afraid that
>>if i stop taking in the future will have side effects and will not allow
>>me to become pregnant. i was told by mu doctor to go on a diet because
>>that is a big part of not having my menstrual cycles regularly but i
>>have not been successful. i've looked for diets but they havent worked.
>>my main concern is my future, i would like to have children and to live
>>a normal life, my question is, is there any diet that you would
>>recommend that might work and how will birth control pills affect me in
>>the future? thank you
>>sincerely
>>olivia
>
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