LadyBlue's thread about childhood weight gain made me wonder something else. How many of you cysters went through puberty earlier than normal? I was wondering if this is a common trait for women with PCOS. I started developing breasts when I was seven (I remember another girl in my first grade class telling me I had big boobs) and got my first AF at 10.
Early puberty is so rotten. It's not fair and can even be traumatizing to have to worry about whether you'll be able to play kickball or hopscotch without your pad leaking. It was even worse for me because I have always had very heavy periods and severe cramps and there were a lot of days when I missed school just because my period had started. You're not emotionally ready to handle that kind of stuff at that age. I felt like a complete FREAK!
(I still have emotional "baggage" from childhood, can you tell? :p )
And on top of that we have a higher risk for breast cancer. Yeesh.
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I got my period at 9! And already had pretty big knockers, the boys liked it, but I felt weird and out of place. I felt like I was much older than I really was
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Oh my goodness, I feel for you Ladies. I cant imagine going through that stuff at 9 or 10. I was 13 when I started. I dont remember my periods being that bad. They were probably heavier than they are now, but I didnt have the severe cramps and really heavy flow. My Daughter will be 13 in August and she hasnt started her period yet.
I believe early onset puberty to be a future predictor of PCOS. I read an article many years ago that discussed this in detail. I started my period at age 9 and had pubic hair at age 7. Yes, a full bush in secong grade. My breasts never have been big, but mine starting developing early as well. Early onset puberty can be disasterous for a young girl. I was hanging out with high school boys at age 9 and lying about my age. It seemed fun at the time, but definately not a healthy behavior!
An anatomy professor told me that when ALL of the following 3 things are present AT ONE TIME menstruation will soon start (whether it's true or not I do not know, but it rang true for me
1. 95 pounds or greater
2. BMI 25 or greater
3.48 inches tall or greater
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This thread poses an interesting question. I had long wondered if I had a hormonal imbalance, WAY before the PCOS stuff started. I recall my mother being concerned that I had pubic hair at age 5. Not quite a "full bush" like Mandi, but definite hair. I started wearing a bra at 8, although my breasts didn't fully develop until I started my period at 13, which is normal for women in my family. At that time I also developed a moustache, which is normal for men in my family.
But that pubic hair thing always had me wondering....hmmm..
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oh, I totally hear all of your stories. . .I was 7 when I started getting breast buds, 8 when I had a full bush of pubic hair, and 9 when I got AF. Just as well, I was a C cup at age 10, and a D cup at age 12. In third grade, the boys used to snap my bra straps, and the teacher took me aside and told me that I was too young to wear a bra and that I was encouraging unwanted attention. Also, at summer camp, when we used to change after swimming, the other girls used to make fun of me for being so hairy (even as early as third grade). And as for AF, Mom was a little concerned that I was so young, so she took me to the pediatrician for a checkup. The pediatrician then laughed and said, "you can't have your period! You're only 9! I didn't get mine till I was 15!" Still haunts me even to this day.
the teacher took me aside and told me that I was too young to wear a bra and that I was encouraging unwanted attention.
Way to go, Teach, for finding a way to make a poor kid feel even MORE self-conscious. That blows.
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I was 12, I think. Six grade when I got my first period. Then were normal bleed, but I got sick the first few days everytime. I started to develope breasts in 3rd grade, so about 9. Most of the girls I knew didn't get any until 5th or 6th. My breasts were nothing more than fried eggs, as well called them, until I was in 5th grade. Then they were an A-B. In 8th grade I was at a C. I kinda wish I had just stopped growing then. I was still a size 13 and a C cup was perfect. But of course I didn't. My sister, 14, was 12 when she started her first. My other sister is 12 now and has not started.
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I remember the third period I ever had, when I was ten. I had the flu at the same time, HORRIBLE cramps, and every time I coughed I needed a new pad. I thought I was going to die.
I always thought AF started when a girl reaches 100 pounds or so. I think that's what I weighed at the time. (And thats also why my skinny friends didn't have to deal with it until eighth grade! Grr!)
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I believe there was a poll a while back about this...you might do a search on something like 'when you started your period'. I think the majority started around a 'normal' time. But there were quite a few who started early. I remember I was the first in my class to *need* a bra - but no the first to have one. I also started my period at 9 - 1 month shy of 10. Don't remember when the pubes came in tho...
I had to get a bra in 4th grade. Period the beginning of 5th grade. I remember being so embarrassed, terrified that someone would find out. When they did "the talk" at school in 5th grade and the girls were freaking out over how gross periods were, I wanted to crawl in a hole and die. By 7th grad I was a VERY Full C cup and a D shortly after. In junior high our polyester basketball uniforms were very clingy. I remember coming home from school crying because I was so embarrassed to wear them. I was not fat, just very atheletic and muscular, and Very chesty. Puberty was a horrifying experience... and the book that my mom gave me when I started my period didn't cut it. ... And I will never forget that she made me have a bra fitting with a sales lady at Sears at 9 yrs old!!!
i'm new to this site, but not new to pcos...although, it's just a self-diagnosis, i'm 100% convinced i have it and have a gyn appt. on june 2nd....hopefully he knows more than my last doc *fingers crossed*
anyway, early puberty can be a b****! i went from a "training" bra straight to a C! by the time i was in 5th grade, i had noticeably bigger boobs than my teacher. i don't know which one of us got made fun of the most...
here's my story in a nutshell.....
........first AF at 12, pretty regular for a year, then gone....all together just gone...for like 5 years until i was 18 when i was put on birth control pills, then it came back, very light and only for 2 days max. i'm now 21 and just in july i took myself off the pill and they're gone again...i was always told, "lose some weight honey and your period will come back" easier said than done. i would excercise and try some new diet and i would seem to gain weight....very discouraging. my aunt was diagnosed with pcos a few years ago and is convinced i have it so i just started doing my own research. i feel like the poster child for it....absent AF, dark patches of skin on back of neck, armpits and inside thighs, skin tags, and my favorite, the facial hair....i swear if the bearded lady dies, i'd be a shoe in....
sorry for the legthy post, i just need to vent. my last dr ran some blood work years ago but nothing was found...don't think she checked hormone levels....i've been so depressed and moody...i'd appreciate ANY imput on this that i can get...do you think i have pcos????? thanks!
Wow, I didn't realize we all had this in common. I would like to give a big shout out to Shannon Wright. She was the girl in 4th grade who told me ~ in reading class ~ that I needed to start wearing a bra. Thanks Shannon. I will never ever forget you. I got af in the 6th grade. Very first one of my all my girlfriends. I remember having to hang my legs over the side of the pool at a swimming party b/c I had af and couldn't get in. My mom never discussed tampons and I didn't discover them til high school. I had the biggest boobs in drill team and like pink76 I was always very self conscious and embarrased at practice b/c our shirts were clingy and short so when I raised my arms my boobs would almost pop out. I was on bc pills in the 7th grade for irregualar cycles and my mom made me swear I wouldn't tell any boys so they would want to go out with me for sex. I had super heavy cycles and was always scared to stand up after 55 min of class b/c several times I couldn't make it to the girls bathroom without having an overflow accident ~ this was before pads with wings and before I discovered those tampons. It wasn't til high school and I started talking to my girlfriends and my bc pills were switched and thank goodness my flow got a lot lighter that I realized everyone didn't have the same kind of super heavy cycle. It was definitely a traumitizing time for a young girl. I hope Shannon is at our 20 year high school reunion so we can chat!!!
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Early puberty? 
Yes, a full bush in secong grade. My breasts never have been big, but mine starting developing early as well. Early onset puberty can be disasterous for a young girl. I was hanging out with high school boys at age 9 and lying about my age. It seemed fun at the time, but definately not a healthy behavior!
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