Re: pcos
From: tera (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Thu, 18 Apr 2002 12:52:57 -0500 (CDT)
Hi!
Jodi gave you lots of good info. I want to echo many of the things she
said because I do not want you to think that they were just one person's
opinion. And I want to let you know that I'm proud of you.
I was first showing symptoms of PCOS when I was sixteen and my doctors
blew off all of my symptoms (not much was known about PCOS at that time
either) and my mother who puts her full trust in doctors did nothing to
help me. So, I'm proud of you for being proactive with your child's
health. Like the others have said, DO YOUR RESEARCH and only trust the
LATEST research.
Many doctors don't know about PCOS at all. It looks like your child's
doctor does but like Jodi mentioned, he/she may not be up on the latest
techniques in treating the disease. Like she said, find a good
reproductive endocrinologist. Many of us who post to this forum have
had the most success seeing one. They make their living treating and
diagnosing conditions that effect fertility. I'm guessing your daughter
is not trying to become pregnant but that doesn't matter. A good
reproductive endo will be more apt to be up on the latest treatments
including the use of a low carb diet and exercise, birth control methods
suitable for PCOS, anti-androgen meds such as Spironolactone and others
to help control excess facial and body hair and most importantly the use
of Metformin or Glucophage (essentailly diabetic meds) that help control
insulin resistance. Like Jodi said, steer clear of doctors who tell
your daughter that her weight is the cause of her problems or doctors
that "treat" PCOS with the pill alone or want to perform "old fashioned"
surgeries like ovarian drilling.
What can you do right now? Low carb. Get a good low carb book like The
Zone or Sugarbusters. Not only will it radically help your daughter's
syndrome and be good for her but it would be good for your whole family
as well. Also, low carbing will help to keep her weight down and will
reduce her chances of developing type 2 diabetes, high lipid levels and
heart disease down the line -- something I wish I would have done from
the start!! Low carbing will help your daughter and the rest of your
household use insulin correctly. The latest research has shown that
insulin resistance is a main factor in PCOS and many ladies on this
forum have had outstanding results getting their insulin under control
by using Metformin or Glucophage and/or low carbing.
Belle, who posts on this forum almost everyday has a teenage daughter
with PCOS and also has PCOS herself. Perhaps you could post some
questions addressed for her and you guys could hook up and exchange info
and ideas. Take care! God bless, Tera
At Thu, 18 Apr 2002, jodi wrote:
>
>One thing you should definitely do is read. Read read read read read.
>Go to Amazon and do a search on PCOS - 3 books will pop up. The
>Thatcher and the Harris ones are excellent. (Harris' mainly because it
>gives you a feeling that you CAN take control of this, not because I
>agree 100% with all she says... Thatcher's because it provides a great
>overview on causes, complications, treatments, etc... from a doctor...
>which makes this a pretty good book to show to your doctor, if need
>be...)
>
>You can also find tons of stuff on line, as I'm sure. In some ways
>online stuff is good, it's kept up to date... in some ways it's bad,
>since anyone can put anything on line. Always check the source and the
>date. ANything you find about PCOS that is more than 5 years old I
>would take with a grain of salt. I have read books from the mid-90s
>that mentioned PCOS and said the only treatments were anti-androgens and
>BCPS. Not true any more!!!!!!!!!!! It wasn't even true then, but the
>newer treatments hadn't really cought on yet.
>
>As for seeing another doctor or specialist, it depends. What kind of
>doctor diagnosed your daughter, based on what symptoms, what tests, and
>how is your daughter being treated? It is MARVELOUS that your daughter
>was diagnosed young. Many, many of us had to wait until our twenties to
>find out what was wrong.
>
>If the doc is going to go ahead and try insulin sensitizers, I'd say
>there's no need to look further. Ifg you have been told nothing can be
>done, or that bith control pills are the only option, or that she'll
>outgrow it, or that PCOS is not that big a deal... look further. In
>all probability, your best bet is likely an endocrinologist. PCOS is
>often mistakenly thought to be a gynecological problem but it is really
>an endocrine problem that presents with some gynecological symptoms,
>such as missed periods. Think of it as an allergy to something or other
>that presents itself as a skin rash or hives. You're better off with an
>allergist, not a dermatoligst, right? Find someone who will check her
>hormone levels, specifically her total and free testosterone and her
>LH:FSH ratio... her insulin levels, either a fasting insulin:glucose
>ratio or a insulin-glucose tolerence test... find someone who is
>treating PCOS with insulin meds. Call and ask when you are making
>appointments - Do you treat polycystic ovarian syndrome using insulin
>sensitizers? If the answer is No, or if the answer is "What is
>polycystic ovarian syndrome?" then avoid that doctor. Keep in mind that
>your goal her is not to find a doc who will for sure put your daughter
>on insulin meds - rather you want to make sure you are seeing a doc who
>understands PCOS and is up on the latest and best treatment and will
>therefore hopefully give your daughter the best treatment for her. It's
>sometimes possible to find a gynecologist or family practitioner who
>will treat PCOS... but most of us have better luck with
>endocrinologists.
>
>Good luck!
>
>- jodi
>
>PS - you might want to search specifically for info on PCOS, metformin,
>and adolescent or pediatric patients. I know I saw one study once that
>said the disorder could be significantly reversed if treated young with
>metformin...
>
>At Thu, 18 Apr 2002, mom wrote:
>>
>>I'm a concerned mom who's daughter (16) has just be diagnosed with PCOS.
>>I've been doing some reading on the web on this syndrome and getting
>>mixed info, also from her health care provider. Where do we go from
>>here? What kind of treatement is required for preventative measures so
>>she doesn't develop other complications? What kind of specialist should
>>we be seeing, if any? HELP!!! I'm not even sure what questions to ask...
--
Tera
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