My 15 year old daughter has undergone extensive hormonal testing for hirsutism which began about a year ago. Her DHEA and 17 OH pregnenalone were very elevated but testosterone was in the high range of normal. She has very irregular periods. Her main concern is acne on her face, which is not horrible but bad enough, and hasn't responded to antibiotics. The pediatric endocrinologist diagnosed her with idiopathic hirsutism as the ultrasound of her ovaries was normal. She is very active and not overweight. The doctor prescribed spironolactone and Lo/ovral bcp (which I have read on several web sites is not a good bcp for androgen excess.) My main concern is her future fertility and what we can do to help her avoid problems as much as possible. Any advice or suggestions or experiences would be most appreciated...I am wearing myself out researching these issues! Thank you.
You came to the right place for information! And good for you in being so proactive in your daughters early dx and treatment. I took lo/ovral a few months ago. It didn't really help with any of my symptoms. I don't have too much advice except try to keep her hormones regulated. What was the case in the testosterone level? Sometimes even the high range of normal for testosterone is high. Also, not everyone w/ pcos has cysts on their ovaries. I'm not sure what all can be done meds wise for someone so young, but keeping active should help.
__________________ Starlite
Me-28, DH-29 DD 1, born Sept 17th, 2007 DD 2, born June 9th, 2009
Can't wait to start WW again and loose the other 15lbs I gained with the last pregnancy and the 30lbs I still needed to lose with the first one.
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My 15 year old daughter was just dx a few weeks back with PCOS. She was dx only by high testosterone levels and absent periods. Her ultrasound showed no cysts either. By the symptoms your daughter is having it is very possible that your daughter also has this. I understand your concern about your daughters future I have the same concerns. Only advice I can give you is to learn as much as possible about PCOS and find a Dr that is knowlegeable about it. Good luck to you and your daughter!
Canadian mom,
Can I ask what treatments you are following for your daughter? I have found a lot of people who have benefited from Metformin on the forum, but I don't know if that would be appropriate for my daughter... We are seeing a reproductive endocrinologist in 2 weeks and I pray we get some hopeful, helpful advice.
I would just like to say thank you for being so pro active. PCOS is said to be geneticly linked and im CONVINCED that my 13 year old cousin has it, however i have tired many times to get my aunt to read the info, but she wont. I dont want to scare her, but i know that if she starts treatment now that she cant delay a lot of what has happend to me and some of the other girls on this website... thank you for being so wonderufl and good luck
__________________
Mandie
Surprise BFP on 4/4
TEAM GREEN
Dx with GD 9/10
Induction Date: 12/7
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Hi Abigail'smom
At this time we have not yet started any treatment. We are also waiting to see an Endo to discuss treatment options. Our GP thought a birth control pill would probably be best at this age but we are waiting to get Endo's suggestions. Metformin does seem to be helping many woman here but I too am not sure if it would be for my daughter right now. My daughter has not been tested for insulin resistance yet but I will be requesting that it be done. It seems from reading on here that a low carb diet and excercise is very important. All so very confusing and frightening! Hope all goes well for your daughter at Endo's! Let me know how it goes.
Cathy
Kat
Thanks for the links! I ran the search and now have lots of reading to do
i just wanted to say you are an awesome mom for looking out for you daughter's future.
i was a skinny kid....i always weighed what was "normal" for my height. but i never had my period....well maybe 2-3 times a year. finally after highschool, i went on BCP and i think that was the worst thing for me. because after i went off it to try to have a baby, i didn't have a period for 7 months. and after that it was only provera and fertility drugs that would bring on af. the only thing that was wrong hormone wise, was my testosterone was way over normal.
after about 3 years of trying to have a baby w/all the drugs and procedures i could handle....we decided to take a break so i could lose some weight and get healthy. because after all those drugs, i had gained about 30 pounds and was not happy w/my life.
so i did low carb.....not "no" carb....just ate really healthy. only had whole grains, vegies, lots of protein (meat, cheese, yogurt, etc), some fruit....and stayed away from sugar, enriched flour, white rice, white potatoes, etc. And low and behold, i lost weight, my cycles improved to almost regular (which I had NEVER experienced in my life), my testosterone level got into the very normal range, and my acne, hairloss decreased.
i also exercised quite regularly and after i bumped it up to about 45-60 minutes a day, i got a big fat surprise one morning. I had actually gotten pg, although it ended w/a m/c. but because of diet and exercise, my PCOS improved dramatically and w/out any drugs!!!
i hope you can find what works for your daughter and i wish you both luck.
__________________
ME~31 DH~35 TTC~6 years 2 Angel babies~ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
10/26/2007...Septum Resection Surgery for septated uterus
Praying this will be our answer!!
BFP on 6/13/2008!!
7/8/2008 U/S~Heart rate=144bpm!!
My 15 year old daughter has undergone extensive hormonal testing for hirsutism which began about a year ago. Her DHEA and 17 OH pregnenalone were very elevated but testosterone was in the high range of normal. She has very irregular periods. Her main concern is acne on her face, which is not horrible but bad enough, and hasn't responded to antibiotics. The pediatric endocrinologist diagnosed her with idiopathic hirsutism as the ultrasound of her ovaries was normal. She is very active and not overweight. The doctor prescribed spironolactone and Lo/ovral bcp (which I have read on several web sites is not a good bcp for androgen excess.) My main concern is her future fertility and what we can do to help her avoid problems as much as possible. Any advice or suggestions or experiences would be most appreciated...I am wearing myself out researching these issues! Thank you.
Do be careful about the birth control pills -- they tend to result in the body's own production of estrogen shutting down, so when she comes off the bcp she may have no natural estrogen production at all.
You don't say how severe her hirsutism is, but if it's anything to compare with, I was shaving my moustache every day by the time I was 15. And my breasts didn't develop either and my periods were irregular and infrequent. But I went on to have a family without any artificial intervention, so for me at least the answer was simply a razor.
First of all, thanks for the replies. Thank you, Kat for the links to all the research.
In response to the question regarding hirsutism, she has hair along the jaw line, a little on the neck and some on the sternum and around her bellybutton. She shaves it about every other day. We just started laser treatments which helped decrease it by 50% after 1 treatment, but I know if the hormones are not controlled, it will keep coming back. I am definitely not thrilled with her being on birth control pills (she is definitely not sexually active.) I would much rather see her ovulating regularly on her own. I am hoping this will be temporary, to level out the hormones and help with the acne and hair growth. Also I have read that spironolactone can frequently cause irregular bleeding if birth control pills aren't used. I am also hoping that as she gets older, perhaps her cycles will regulate, as I don't remember having regular cycles until age 17 or so. I am not opposed to natural remedies, and we tried some type of hormone regulating herbs for 2 months without success. My focus now is getting rid of the acne and hair so she can feel like the beautiful young woman she is. We are definitely going to limit the carbs, and I plan to do some more reading this weekend on low carb diets. I definitely will ask the reproductive endo. about possible insulin problems. Thanks again.
I was 15 when I was diagnosed with PCOS. I had been to several doctors and had various tests done and in the end they said I have PCOS, prescribed bcp's and suggested a good electrolysist. And for years, that's all that was said. The excessive hair continued to spread and the weight continued to pile on. However, when I was in college, I went on a diet which was similiar to the low carb diets of today. I lost 50 pounds and for a few years, it seemed to help with the hair situation.
A few years later I got married and we were ready to start a family. I still didn't know much about PCOS but I knew infertility was going to be an issue. I went off the bcp's for a year and only had one menstrual cycle during that time. My doctor prescribed clomid and I was very surprised that it had worked by the 3rd month and 9 months later, we had a boy.
I stayed off the bcp's because we wanted more children and my body went nuts, I gained more weight and had even more hair (which I didn't think was possible). We started ttc #2 a year later. Unfortunately this one was more of a challenge, and it took 3 years and stronger fertility medicine to get pregnant. But son #2 was finally born.
At this point, I was in my early 30's and wanted to get to the bottom of this PCOS. I found a doctor who specialized in PCOS and he prescribed spironolactone along with the bcp's. That really helped with the hair. Within a couple years I was able to stop going to electrolysis and there has been a huge improvement in other areas that weren't being treated. I'm now 39 and I still take both medications.
Sorry to babble so much, but hopefully it will help to know that your daughter isn't alone and this site is a wonderful place for support and information. My suggestion would be to find the best PCOS doctor/endocrinologist in your area and discuss all the medications, diets, etc.
Good Luck,
Denise
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Get Dr. Elizabeth Vliet's new book: The Savvy Woman's Guide to PCOS. Dr. Vliet is by far one of the best hormonal docs in the US...www.herplace.com. She has written several other books on hormones.
Getting the right birth control pill is very important for acne, mood, cholesterol, etc. My PCOS started when I was 12, thin, and active. At least that's when my horrible mood problems started. The acne began at 10 and got progressively worse, despite 3 courses of Accutane (after trying antibiotics and topicals). Spironolactone is the ONLY thing that has helped my acne. I also use stridex pads for sensitive skin to get rid of surface bacteria.
Dr. Vliet says the best pills for PCOS are Yasmin, Modicon, Ovcon-35, Ortho-Cyclen, and Diane-35 because they have the best estrogen-progestin ratio that helps reduce acne, hair growth, mood symptoms and weight gain of PCOS.
Avoid pills with "tri" in the name - I know some women on here are on those, but they make many women very depressed and moody as the hormone levels fluctuate during the month. Also avoid brands with "Lo" in the title. Your daughter needs sufficient estrodial (the healthy estrogen) for optimal mood and health (and to prevent acne).
Did the doctor test her estrodial levels? They should be tested on Day 1-3 of her cycle and again on day 20-22 (Day 1 is the first day of bleeding). Day 1-3 draw should be around 90, and day 20-22 draw should be around 200-300 pg/ml. If her estrodial is low, then the effects of high DHEA, testosterone and other androgens are "unmasked," causing acne and hair.
__________________ Had hysterectomy with ovaries removed Feb. 6, 2006 because of severe mood problems suffered for 15 years from PCOS. I'm 27 & was in law school until last December. Elizabeth Vliet is my doctor; get her books for great info on PCOS and effects of hormones on the whole body, including moods. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
With regard to Lo-Ovral, I am rather surprised the Dr. prescribed it to a young woman with possible PCOS. Lo-Ovral contains a progestin that can aggravate acne, and androgen problems. I took it for a month back before I found Dr. Vliet's books and learned how important it is to choose the right bcp. Many doctors presribe triphasic pills to women with PCOS and do not realize the effects these combinations have on womens hormone levels and moods throughout the cycle. I think it is wise to research the pills and know what you are taking.
I have had concerns over the blood clots risk and feel that women should be on something to thin the blood naturally, such as Vitamin E. Doctors seem to make lightly of the clotting issue, but I think it is as real to me, or anyone else regardless of age.
A note for Lily here, I am with you as far as the emotional/school struggles. I had to drop out of school too, because of the hormone instability. Hang in there and good for you for reading Dr. Vliet's books. Aren't they great???
First of all, thanks for the replies. Thank you, Kat for the links to all the research.
In response to the question regarding hirsutism, she has hair along the jaw line, a little on the neck and some on the sternum and around her bellybutton. She shaves it about every other day. We just started laser treatments which helped decrease it by 50% after 1 treatment, but I know if the hormones are not controlled, it will keep coming back. I am definitely not thrilled with her being on birth control pills (she is definitely not sexually active.) I would much rather see her ovulating regularly on her own. I am hoping this will be temporary, to level out the hormones and help with the acne and hair growth. Also I have read that spironolactone can frequently cause irregular bleeding if birth control pills aren't used. I am also hoping that as she gets older, perhaps her cycles will regulate, as I don't remember having regular cycles until age 17 or so. I am not opposed to natural remedies, and we tried some type of hormone regulating herbs for 2 months without success. My focus now is getting rid of the acne and hair so she can feel like the beautiful young woman she is. We are definitely going to limit the carbs, and I plan to do some more reading this weekend on low carb diets. I definitely will ask the reproductive endo. about possible insulin problems. Thanks again.
Having been through it all myself as a teenager, I know that there are many things I'd do differently a second time round. However, I'd say that I'd put the hirsutism problem to the bottom of the list. Hair on the sternum and navel isn't going to be seen anyway -- and can be easily dealt with on the occasions where it might be seen. After all, most girls are going to be shaving their legs and nowadays most girls remove their pubic hair either entirely or at least in part. The obvious problem area is her jawline and to a lesser extent her neck and once you accept the concept, shaving's no big deal, especially with a good-quality men's electric razor.
I know I have posted a lot here! but I wanted to mention that Spironolactone does indeed cause breakthrough bleeding. I have only been on it since early February and have had two periods this month alone. I take 100 mg a day, and will likely need to either take bcp or go off the spiro and find an alternative. It is important to get electrolyte levels checked regularly with spiro, as it causes the body to retain potassium. You shouldn't eat high potassium foods with it either. No bananas, etc. I read on some websites that Diane 35 can cause blood clots, so I apologize if I came across as promoting it in an earlier post. I just want your dear daughter to be healthy. I am searching myself and it is frustrating at times. I wish there were some better ways to control PCOS without resorting to certain pharmaceuticals.
I too, have to shave and I use Bic Soliel shavers. They are disposable, but work great. They are triple bladed. I also use Shaving Cream made by Mary Kay and I really like it as it isn't messy like other shave gels. As for skin issues, I use a lotion called Cetaphil Lotion and it is awesome! I also use Olay Sensitive Skin soap for cleansing.
15 year old possible PCOS? 
Spironolactone Issues 
