<p>Stay away from soy. Studies are beginning to show that soy really alters women’s hormones.</p>
<p>Do the doctors feel the amount of hair is unusual? I have a daughter with extremely fair skin and very dark hair so unfortunately even normal hair is very noticeable.</p>
<p>My friend’s daughter, who struggles with her weight and has excessive facial hair has also gone through the same medical frustrations as you. They have been removing the facial hair with lasers and it has helped a great deal. I suspect the child has PCOS but hasn’t hit whatever thresholds needed to have a definitive diagnosis.</p>
<p>If you decide to go laser hair removal route, be aware that it only works on coarse black hair. It does not work on fine and light hair, and might even increase amount of hair your daughter has. I would only recommend laser hair removal for legs, bikini line and underarms. For all other hair, especially facial, I recommend electrolysis. </p>
<p>Also, there are various lasers and then there are IPL machines that providers use for “laser” hair removal. I highly recommend Cynosure Elite laser, which works on both dark and light skin and is not very painful.</p>
<p>Is there an age that is too young for laser hair removal, do you think?</p>
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<p>Many providers limit the age to 16 years old and older, regardless of parent’s consent. </p>
<p>I personally think that it depends on the extent of the problem.</p>
<p>@lastminutemom
I started getting laser hair removal at 13</p>
<p>From what I am reading online about PCOS, if there is suspicion of it then after blood work the next step is to have an ultrasound to look at the ovaries. It might not hurt to press for this despite “normal” blood levels. In my experience any menstruating young woman can have cysts. (I am not a doc, just an old woman w/ lots of woman friends and family who have had many variations of “normal” that needed attention!)</p>
<p>Thanks. My daughter is so self conscious but not quite conscientious enough to regularly remember to shave. (She is getting better.)</p>
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<p>Do you have some references? I haven’t read anything to indicate that soy negatively impacts women’s health.</p>
<p>Soy can mimic estrogen, You can look at the pcos patient forums and see an ongoing discussion. </p>
<p>It’s considered safe, but there’s been some thinking too much can contribute to breast cancer and etc. Oddly, some feel stored fat also mimics estrogen, leading to all sorts of issues in diabetics who are overweight. (Google is a wonder.)</p>
<p>Are any males in the house taking testosterone supplements or gel treatments? Accidental or incidental exposure to testosterone medications can cause unusual hairiness and acne in women and girls. Anabolic steroids ( which are testosterone derivatives) that weightlifters and other athletes often use can cause this too.</p>
<p>[Soy</a> and the Thyroid: A Look at the Controversy Over Soy and Thyroid Health](<a href=“http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/soy.htm]Soy”>Controversy Over Soy and Thyroid Health)</p>
<p>Here’s a compilation of research and thyroid problems just for starters.</p>
<p>As I said earlier, the jury is out on soy.</p>
<p>My daughter has severe PCOS and I am pretty well read on many of the issues</p>
<p>^ I would defer to an invested family member, but PCO might be one of those things that diagnosing doesn’t lead to significantly improved outcomes. Some advances in fertility though.</p>
<p>"Management
Lifestyle modifications are considered first-line treatment for women with PCOS. Such changes include the following[22, 8] :</p>
<p>Diet
Exercise
Weight loss"</p>
<p>Too late to edit. Doesn’t easily lead to improved outcomes.</p>