I have a 15 year old friend who i believe may have PCOS but has just been to her doctor and told that theres nothing wrong and just to take some pain killers and antibiotics and i'm worried that the doctor doesnt really know what they're talking about.
Some background. About a year ago she collapsed with extreme pain where her ovaries are, she was taken into hospital and diagnosed with having cysts in her ovaries. They kept her in the hospital for 2 weeks for observation and monitered the swelling, saying that if the swelling went down she'd be ok. It did and they sent her home and have put her on antibiotics which she has now been on for the past year i believe. Everything seems to of been fine until about 3 months ago when she stopped having her period, at around the same time the pains started up again, not as bad as last time but still pretty bad. She has also put on a lot of weight over the past year no matter what she does. She's had very bad headaches just above her eyes at the front of her head constantly, gets dizzy ocationally and has had more spots than usual the past few months. A couple of weeks ago she thought that she had her period but it turned out only to be a small amount of blood.
I convinced her to go to the doctors today and the doctor told her that there is no chance that she could have PCOS because teenagers do not get it. She said that missing her period for a month or two here or there was perfectly normal for a teenager and that her cysts were probably coming back from a year ago and would she like to be prescribed some more antibiotics as there was nothing that she could really do.
I've got no medical training whatsoever but to me it sounds like not a very good doctor. My friend seems to have a lot of the symptoms of PCOS although she has not had any extra hair growth which seems fairly common.
Does anyone know if the doctor is right? Are there any other types of cysts that are treated by antibiotics? Is there anything more my friend can do?
Hi, you are such a nice friend to be worried about her because it sounds like your friend is having some serious problems. First, I would recommend telling your friend that she needs to get a referral for an endocrinologist. These doctors treat people with hormonal problems and will be able to best treat your friend. I got PCOS when I was 12 after having no problems before. Back in the day, no one sent me to anyone and I have suffered for it. I was diagnosed at 20. I am sorry to say this but your friend's doctor has not kept up with his/her education and is very wrong about no one can get this as a teenager. Just read the stories on this site. Furthermore, the problem here is that your friend could have something much more serious than PCOS, because PCOS can resemble a lot of other disorders that require immediate attention. Please tell your friend to get her hormones looked at because they can be a window to what's going on in her body. Having spots in her eyes is very alarming and she may need an MRI. I really hope your friend goes to an endocrinologist, and if there is no one around, she needs to see an gynecologist(she should really see both doctors.) Anyways good luck and let us know how this turns out!!!
I agree. She should see another doc. I have never heard of any antibiotic being given for cysts! Anyone else hear of that one before?
I have heard that docs cannot test a pre-pubescent girl for PCOS, but it doesn't mean she doesn't have it, much less a teen girl who has already had her period. I didn't skip periods as a teen, and still had PCOS. She should get a second opinion.
Friend with possible PCOS 
