Menstruation irregularity in overweight DD - please advise.

amother

Apricot

Sun, Sep 02 2018, 3:49 pm

DD is 13 and quite overweight. She has had her period since she was ten. She is concerned that it's been six weeks since her last period. It has been fairly regular I'd say but not sure if it's been clockwork. DD has gained more weight over the summer.
I told her she's still growing and not to be too concerned at this stage since she is nowhere near having children. She should be on the lookout for her period, but it might not be so regular yet since she is so young yet.
At what stage do I take her to a doctor, and if so, which kind, her pediatrician is a male doctor, not sure how many gynecologist that specialize in kids are in my area.
Because of the weight gain I'm a bit concerned about pcos - although I don't know much about the condition and may be completely off track.
Would love advice for moms who have BTDT.

shabbatiscoming

Sun, Sep 02 2018, 4:00 pm

If you dont want to take your daughter to a gynecologist (not sure why not) then take her to an endocrinologist, they deal with hormones, and could probably help you figure things out.

I never got a regular period and was diagnosed at 18 with pcos. I would say at 13 she has a lot of time to figure this all out, but if you or she are concerned, I would go to a endo.

amother

Apricot

Sun, Sep 02 2018, 4:09 pm

shabbatiscoming wrote:

I didn't realize you can take young girls to a regular gynocologist.
I told her she shouldn't be concerned now since having children is so far down the road for her.
I just would like to know when we should start adressing this issue (actually when to suspect tbis even is an issue) and if there is any benefit in starting young. I don't want to make her crazy or worry about her fertility at this age.
And she knows she needs to lose weight, another doctor telling her that won't help at this stage, just frustrate her.

shabbatiscoming

Sun, Sep 02 2018, 4:13 pm

amother wrote:

Is it HER who is thinkling about her fertility at this age or is it YOU? OP, I think you should let your daughter be a while. I mean, one missed period at this age probably means nothing. But again, if you are concerned, take her to an endocrinologist. They deal with anything hormone related.
Also, about taking such a young girl to a gyn, why not? Im just not getting what the issue is.

amother

Apricot

Sun, Sep 02 2018, 4:21 pm

shabbatiscoming wrote:

She was very very concerned. I calmed her down and told her not to worry it's perfectly fine.
But figured it's worth checking on imamother if I'm being responsible and it is perfectly fine. I figured this is where I can get real information from actual people who have been in this situation.
Turns out my intuition was on the mark and this is something to keep tabs on but not to worry about for many years to come.
I never said I wouldn't take her to my gynocologist just it hadn't occurred to me. I should probably bring it up next time I see her.

amother

Pumpkin

Sun, Sep 02 2018, 5:24 pm

amother wrote:

I actually took her to an endocrinologist a couple years ago because of her weight and early development. Would this be something she could have seen then (at age 11)?

PCOS usually requires confirmation via transvaginal ultrasound which would be inappropriate for a preteen - but it may be suspected with an overweight girl with irregular menstration, and higher than normal androgen excess (as noted on blood tests).

Again - nothing to do now, other than adapt to a diet that does well with PCOS.

Don’t talk to her about potential future fertility problems. She doesn’t need to hear that now (and she may not actually have any).

I was told as s teen - not everyone has 28-32 day cycles. The end.

amother

Maroon

Sun, Sep 02 2018, 5:37 pm

amother wrote:

Why is that innapropriate? I had one done as a preteen because I had bad ovulation pain. I'ma also chassidish and used tampons and had a hard time with relations and his fitting in me after my chasuna.

amother

Tangerine

Sun, Sep 02 2018, 6:16 pm

For what it's worth, I had VERY irregular periods when I was young, and I wasn't overweight. My cycle evened out as I got older, and I am now very regular. She's too young for you (or her) to worry, unless there are other factors not mentioned, OP. That said, there is no harm in going to a GYN if it will make you and/or her feel more at ease.

amother

Pumpkin

Sun, Sep 02 2018, 6:25 pm

amother wrote:

It’s inappropriate as a diagnostic test for PCOS at a young age because the resulting diagnosis doesn’t require medical attention. It’s not a comfortable test.

A girl complaining of pain - different story.

Nothing to do with religion.

amother

Sapphire

Sun, Sep 02 2018, 6:46 pm

amother wrote:

Not understanding this reasoning. Why should you not take steps to fix your health at a young age? Why is pain the only thing that’s worth treating? PCOS also can cause acne, facial hair growth, hair loss, weight gain, insulin resistance, type II diabetes... I definitely think it’s worth it to get checked out and make some dietary changes early on to try to reverse it.

amother

Amber

Sun, Sep 02 2018, 7:03 pm

I actually disagree with a lot of posters. Based on my experience and my friends and sisters, if her being overweight is not due to any overeating or....then yes she may have pcos so I do think it makes sense to treat it now , and my friends sister was overweight and took metformin (and bc is also given sometimes). It helped her lose weight and when she got married she had kids right away...

Her sister who had pcos but was not overweight, never took metformin or...and is having infertility. (But if ur daughter does have pcos she should not worry about infertility bec its treatable"" and I know ppl with pcos who took meds(not ivf) and had kids.(some didnt have any problem having kids even with pcos but of course a person should do hishtadlus...)))

So pcos will cause different things and some ppl have infertility, some have pcos with no infertility. Some have regular periods but have body or facial hair in abnormal places. Some are thin with irregular periods, and some have severe acne. So too, with the treatments. Some take metformin and it works. Sometimes metformin doesnt work. Sometimes low carb high protein /fiber diet works instead. Others may need fertility meds together with diet. The ppl I know who have pcos all have different symptoms.

But, some gyns dont know much about it in terms of being able to really treat it properly. The doctors who specialize in this are endocrinologists. Like others said the dr may want to do the trans vag ultrasound to see the ovaries and will probably do a lot of blood tests to see if hormones are out of range...

Anyway, I think its better to treat this early but others here seem to disagree. Obviously u will make the decision.

amother

Cerise

Sun, Sep 02 2018, 8:31 pm

irregular periods at age 13 is normal. That being said, with weight issues, it can't hurt to be evaluated by an endocrinologist to rule out PCOS, hypothyroidism, and other endocrine issues that can cause weight gain and irregular cycles. Unless there's a family history of PCOS, it's best not to assume that PCOS is the culprit.

It's definitely best to start with your pediatrician for a referral to an endocrinologist, thyroid bloodwork etc.

FYI, transv@g1n@l ultrasounds are not the only way to see the ovaries. When I was a teenager I had a transabdominal ultrasound which revealed my ovaries were classic for pcos. After that ultrasound, my pediatrician sent me to an endocrinologist who did blood work to confirm pcos. No gyno appointment needed.

When I went to a gyno after I was married, they didn't know what to do with me, and said that my endocrinologist should be managing the PCOS, and that if I needed help with fertility issues, I should see a reproductive endocrinologist for clomid or something else. I don't think seeing a gyno would be helpful for a 13 year old who is not sezually active, especially if PCOS is a potential concern and has not been ruled out yet, and given that irregular cycles are normal at age 13. Of course if you have any reason to suspect your daughter is trying to tell you something, ask your pediatrician to order a pregnancy test along with the other blood work.

PCOS treatments are a whole other ballgame. some docs say that birth control cures pcos. In my opinion and experience it does not - simply masks the symptoms, and for some can cause more weight gain, which makes PCOS worse once going off birth control. Cutting carbs and sugars (talking to a nutritionist or endocrinologist before starting this with a teen is critical!!!) helped me more than any medications ever did.

amother

Pumpkin

Sun, Sep 02 2018, 8:33 pm

amother wrote:

You can’t fix PCOS. You can manage it, by diet changes. Metformin may help symptoms.

You don’t need a 100% diagnosis to put an overweight teen in a PCOS diet. It doesn’t need to be calorie restricted.