abigail'smom

After numerous blood tests, the reproductive endocrinologist feels my daughter probably has early/mild PCOS. She has acne, hair growth on her face and chest, and irregular cycles (4-5 a year.) She is very physically fit. Laser treatments have helped the hair by at least 50% already after 2 sessions. Her acne is improved since starting spironolactone and Yasmin but not gone (it's been about 4 weeks.) After reading a few of the recommended books, it appears there are those who feel bcp's with spironolactone are the best treatment and others who feel metformin is the answer ( her fasting glucose/insulin were reported to us as normal.)

My main concerns are clearing the acne and hair and preserving her future fertility/ovulation. Any thoughts as to what seems to be the best long-term solutions would be appreciated. We are trying to follow a lower carb diet, but wasn't sure where to get the best IR diet plan.

Thanks.

Adoption Momma

It sounds like you are on the right course. It's important she has regular monthly cycles and she will have that with the BCP. Choosing the right foods and keeping a healthy lifestyle will help her into adulthood. If the acne isn't clearing up as much as she would like, she might try a topical creme such as benzoyl peroxide. I use this and if I use it consistently, my face is very clear.

Once she becomes an adult and wants to TTC, the doctor can give her meds to take to bring on her monthly once she gets off BCP.

Kudos to you mom for taking an active role in your DD's life. You have probably saved her years of heartache and misery.

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mj_romo

There are so many differing opinions out there, but I'll throw mine in as well.

My former dr treated with BCP and spironolactone for about 10 years. Sure, it controlled the hair growth and AF arrived every month, but can I get pregnant now? No. Getting off BCP threw my body into such flux that I developed hypothyroid and put on a ton of weight despite eating healthy and exercising regularly.

My current dr believes that BCP is potentially one of the worst treatments for PCOS because of the long term side effects. She's a strong proponent of regulating through diet, exercise and natural herbal treatment whenever possible. Her philosophy is to find a way to cure the syndrome, not to treat the symptoms, which is what BCP and spironolactone do.

I - and many others here - have had great success with natural treatment: vitex (sometimes combined with herbs such as dong quai or black cohosh) work to keep our cycles regular. Saw palmetto is excellent for preventing excess hair growth. Maca promotes thyroid/metabolism function, which generally helps the PCOS since it's an endocrine disorder. Maca has also been shown to help eliminate acne problems. There are several threads on these herbs in the Alternative Remedies forum.

Additionally, charting my cycles (which may be strange to ask a teenage girl to do, but could be worth it in the long run) has taught me so much more about my body and how it reacts to different foods/drugs/herbs/exercise and has been invaluable.

Watching sugar intake and monitoring food is also a great idea (have your DD keep a food journal for a couple of weeks and see a nutritionist for an evaluation), as is doing exercise.

Of course, this is all just my opinion. Everyone has to find the right treatment for them. I just wish I'd discovered all of this information years ago instead of trusting that my dr was right and that BCP would take care of everything. I really feel that if I'd learned about natural treatment and started natural treatment several years ago that I might have a baby now, and not be playing the TTC game.

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