Menstruation irregularity in overweight DD - please advise.

oneofakind

Sun, Sep 02 2018, 9:12 pm

I am quite thin. Had abnormal periods and no fertility issues. Became very regular at perimenopause. I have a niece average/slightly overweight. Got her period 4 times a year very heavily. Went to a gynecologist. Abdominal ultrasound, blood work. Not PCOS. No treatment. Took a year to get pregnant first kid (she didn't realize she was pregnant until her 4th month and her parents were getting all worried already) and the rest of the kids are coming along one after the other.

Ruchel

Mon, Sep 03 2018, 12:08 pm

At that age it's normal to not be regular. In summer it's notorious also. heck 2 weeks late happens even to adults, I had this while away. You can be irregular and get pregnant easy, you can be regular and c'v need more time. I would have been terrorized of anything "in" as a kid (13 is just turning into a teen!) and even much later. I'd do any other testing before that

amother

Crimson

Mon, Sep 03 2018, 8:00 pm

One missed period is nothing to be remotely concerned about, especially at a time when. She is off schedule (summer).

FYI, weight gain can cause some of the same symptoms of pcos without actually being pcos.

amother

Teal

Mon, Sep 03 2018, 9:43 pm

Menstrual irregularities the first two years after the onset of menstruation are typically chalked up to being a variant of normal, however after that, there could be an underlying gynecological issue such as PCOS as many hav mentioned. I think a pediatric endocrinologist is the best bet at this point. An abdominal ultrasound can be done instead of a trans vaginal one. An endocrinologist May be more comfortable with prescribing metformin, if needed, than a regular GYN. Metformin alone may help to regulate her cycle as well as help with weight loss. The best thing she can do is try to lose weight and follow a PCOS type diet. Good luck.

amother

Crimson

Tue, Sep 04 2018, 1:12 am

Omg, there is a ridiculous amount of hyperbole on this thread. The kid is 13 and 2 weeks late for her period. How do you get from there to pcos and gynecologist visits?? I just don't get it.

Rappel

Tue, Sep 04 2018, 2:19 am

amother wrote:

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.

Comments:

I had mine diagnosed by a frum OBGYN when I was a teen. To avoid a vaginal ultrasound, they had me drink a lot of water (so my bladder was full and easy to see past), and then did an ultrasound on my lower belly to image the cysts.

The doctor put me on birth control, and gave me the shpiel - pre-diabetes, food, exercise - but I had a very intense high school schedule and wasnt interested in adjusting my lifestyle. I never had a follow-up appointment (mistake)!

I took it as normal that I was always pimply, felt vaguely fatigued, got my period maybe 3 times a year (it would just disappear in winter, and I'd get a double whammy in the summer when I was -shocking, I know - exercising and having fun), and had to eat less than 500 calories a day in order to lose any weight.

In seminary, though, I took up running 3 times a week to burn off tension, I was walking everywhere to save bus money, I drank a ton of water, ditched eating bread, and ate a ton of vegetables and fruits. Voila! I looked great, pimples were gone, period per month, and I had tons of energy and Verve.

College... It tapered off. I don't know why I didn't put two and two together, but I didnt. I was also starving then because I couldn't afford food, rent and tuition, so I prioritized, and it meant I was eating small amounts lentils, vegetables, rice, beans, and the occasional egg. I probably didn't break 500 calories on a daily basis, though I sure tried. I felt awful, and gained weight quickly. I wasnt walking more than 3-5 kilometers on average daily. I had an ultrasound while at uni when I needed to renew my BC prescription, and they couldn't find any cysts, while the US during my teen years had shown dozens. Did they disappear during seminary? There's no way to know.

I then made aliyah, and I took up running again. Still starving, but my workplace gave us lunches, so that helped on the food front. My condition improved. I went hiking/traveling a lot. my acne disappeared. I was working very hard, but I had energy.

I got married. Hubby was gluten free and dairy free at the time, so even though we had an abundance of food I mainly prepared whole grains and vegetables. We also lacked a refrigerator for a few months while hubby was in the army, so our diets became very veggie heavy, since that was what I could carry on my back up the mountain (no car), and that's what wouldn't spoil. I was walking kilometers each day. I looked fabulous.

Marriage also gave me a direction for my hormones, and I went off the pill for the first time in years. My body relaxed once it didn't have all that hormonal tension, and I got pregnant right away. No cysts to be found.

I now have two kids. I still don't get my period every month (my cycle is MUCH longer - like once every 2-3 months), but so long as I stay focused on fun exercise, I'm not worried about my gynecological health at this point. I feel feminine, strong, and I would say I'm cured, or at least managing my PCOS welL.

Sorry for the lengthy speech, but I wanted to put up these notes so that people who are experiencing PCOS can reference my experience of what works well - and what doesn't - when managing PCOS. Posted under my username so people can PM me as needed.

Behatzlacha!

Last edited by Rappel on Tue, Sep 04 2018, 3:09 pm; edited 1 time in total

Rappel

Tue, Sep 04 2018, 5:09 am

Please let me clarify: I didn't post that for hugs. I posted it to make one point: I think LOTS of exercise and fruits and veggies helped my PCOS. Beyond giving me a period, I don't think the BC did much. However, I have no medical research to back to my claims - only my own experiences.

Hopefully other people going through PCOS can draw conclusions from my experiences

amother

Olive

Tue, Sep 04 2018, 10:57 am

Rappel wrote:

Diet and exercise is most important, but BC can prevent too much estrogen (common in pcos to have high estrogen) which increases the risk for endometrial cancer later.

Rappel

Tue, Sep 04 2018, 3:05 pm

Thanks Olive. Smile

I didn't know that