KatCarney

Expert: Polly McDonald
Date: 1/13/2005
Subject: PCOS, hypothyroid et al

Question
My 17 year old daughter has been diagnosed with PCOS - a year ago. She is now showing sypomtoms of hypothyroidism - TSH of 4.28. In addition she suffers from terrible headaches, was daignosed as having Psuedotumor Cerebri which was later amended to chronic migraines. |She is borderline inuslin resistant as well. She is 45 pounds overweight and can't, obviously, lose weight. She is currently being treated with Diane birth control pills and Topomitrate for the headaches. She is also very low on B12 despite her love of meat. Her MRI and CT scan all came back as normal. I am at my wits end. I feel as if this is all related in some way and we have been unable to find the underlying cause. We are seeing a great Endo... and he is the only doctor - of many she has seen - who has not told her to just lose weight. Do you know of any disorder that we may be missing that is the underlying cause of all this? Thanks for your help.

Ossie


Answer
Ossie,

I can feel your frustration as I was reading your letter. I don't blame you one bit. Hopefully, what I have to tell you will help alleviate any confusion you have.

PCOS and Hypothyroidism are two very symptomatic conditions that alter major systems in the body. Birth control pills are not likely to assist her with the symptoms of PCOS but it will possibly correct any irregularities in her period should she have any. Metformin (aka Glucophage) is the BEST known treatment for women with PCOS. Ask your endo about it. It is a drug for type two diabetics, but many doctors use it off-label for PCOS. It will almost immediately assist her insulin resistance as that is what the drug was originally created for. Ask about the extended-release version. IF YOUR DOCTOR SAYS NO...ask why. If the only reason is because of off-label use, that is NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

She also needs to be taking a multi-vitamin every single day. That will help her with any vitamin deficiencies she might have. Is she on an eating program like Atkins? Studies show that women with insulin resistance lose weight on Atkins or other low-carb diets. Either way, she needs to stay away from heavy carbs if she has PCOS or Hypo, or in her case, both conditions. No pasta, no white flour products, no sugar. Lots of lean meats, veggies, and whole grains with occassional berries will be a very effective way of eating for her. I recommend following "Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution" and following the book to a T.

Is she taking any meds for her hypo? Synthroid, Levothyroxine, etc? At 4.28 she is no longer in the AACE's realm of "normal"--she is above it. She needs to be around .9-1.9 to really see optimal weight loss with a proper eating program and exercise. The AACE's (American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists)guidelines for a normal TSH are .9-3.3.

Both of these conditions cause a huge upheaval in the body. Hormones that regulate all aspects of metabolism, absorption, insulin production, ovulation--they all get and give mixed signals. I am not a doctor, but from everything you've said, I truly believe once you get her PCOS symptoms under control (losing weight will help tremendously) and getting her thyroid corrected, you will see her go right back to normal--no headaches, no fatigue, cycles will be fine, etc...and she might even be able to get off Metformin if your doctor decides to put her on it.

For more info about PCOS, I would try http://www.soulcysters.com and you will find lots of women who also suffer from PCOS that have found relief in changes of meds, diet and exercise. It is a great group.

I wish you all the best, Ossie. I know how frustrating this is, but there is a solution and it is not an impossible one by any means! Good luck to you and your daughter. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Sincerely,

Polly McDonald
Admin/Owner
http://www.mylittlebean.com
TTC, Pregnancy, and Babies

About Polly: http://www.allexperts.com/redir.cgi?m=1&expID=62463

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