<p>Are any of you or your daughters dealing with poly cystic ovary syndrome? I have a suspicion that my daughter has it and apparently it is genetic passed through the male side. My H’s sister and her daughters tested positive for it and are on medications. </p>
<p>D is in school OOS which makes it impossible to get her to a doctor so now I have to make a plan to get her in as soon as she gets home. I’m just wondering if anyone has experience with this issue.</p>
<p>The genetics of PCOS are not clearly known. It appears in clusters in families which suggests a genetic component, but the disease occurrence is not in a strictly mendelian pattern the way say blue eyes or blood types are. </p>
<p>It’s probably not true that it is inherited solely from the male side. The only genes that would fit that pattern are the very few that are carried on the Y-chromosome. And, being female, your daughter does not have a Y chromosome. The more likely answer is that the genetic component of PCOS can be inherited from either or both sides.</p>
<p>Both my sister and I have PCOS. Our paternal grandmother had it as well. </p>
<p>I’ve been on birth control since my early teens to deal with it. I recently got Implanon and no cysts since.</p>
<p>coureur, after doing a little research online about PCOS, I did read that it can be passed down from both sides.</p>
<p>romani, I pm’d you.</p>
<p>My D got knocked for a loop with PCOS. We diagnosed her after seeing something on this sight (CC) back in 2005-2006.</p>
<p>It has been a lousy ride ( her levels of testosterone were so high that the endocrinologist kept having the test redone thinking it was wrong).</p>
<p>She has been on metformin for years now and it has helped but it is a constant struggle.</p>
<p>These are the symptoms: uncontrolled weight gain, growth of facial and body hair, thinning of hair on the head, acne, skin tags, depression, anxiety, ovarian cysts, loss of period, possible infertility. These are horrible things to happen to a young woman during her early 20"s.</p>
<p>NOT EVERYONE GETS ALL OF THESE AND TO THE SAME EXTENT></p>
<p>It was much better when we figured out what was wrong.</p>
<p>We traced it back to through her grandfathers family.</p>
<p>Daughter has learned to deal with it. She has managed to still get her period because of the metformin and will hopefully be able to have kids.</p>
<p>I dont say that to scare you… just to help anyone reading about this.</p>
<p>My daughter was just diagnosed with PCOS by an endocronologist. I thought it wise for her to see an ob/gyn to get the diagnosis confirmed. It seems like the ob/gyn would see something on her ovaries using ultra sound. Is that possible? </p>
<p>She has very very slight hair thinning, loss of her periods and no other typical symptoms. She was seeing an endocronologist because she was having many stress fractures while showing normal great bone density. Currently, she is taking metformin but she may change back to birth control. </p>
<p>I would love to hear about how others have managed.</p>
<p>sax, I’m sorry this has been difficult for your D. My SIL and her two Ds were dianosed with it and that’s why I am so quick to suspect it. Both of the Ds are on meds (bc and spironlactone) and are healthy, active and happy. </p>
<p>We are just starting down the road towards some kind of diagnosis. There’s a lot to learn.</p>
<p>This is actually a really interesting thread. I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 14 or 15 and have been on birth control ever since. I have had a lot of these symptoms but no one ever mentioned to me that they could be the result PCOS. I’ve had anxiety, depression, acne, etc but I only thought the cysts were related to PCOS. Wow…</p>
<p>PCOS is strongly associated with insulin resistance and [metabolic</a> syndrome](]<a href=“http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004546/]metabolic”>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004546/) - a group of problems (obesity, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, and perhaps certain types of cancer) that all share insulin resistance and the resulting increase in insulin production as a common theme.</p>
<p>The most most obvious place to start with PCOS is improving insulin sensistivity and lowering insulin levels. Taking metaformin is one approach, but there are three even more basic steps that anyone can do.</p>
<p>a) Cut sugar, especially stop drinking sugar (soda, fruit juice, etc.). Robert Lustig and others believe that the chronic overconsumption of sugar is the underlying cause of insulin resistance (obviously with a genetic predisposition).</p>
<p>b) Cut refined carbohydrate consumption and, when you eat carbohydrates, eat them with fiber so the absorption is slowed. Grains, pastas, breads, rice, potatoes, and so forth are the foods that produce a spike in blood glucose, triggering an insulin release. In people who are insulin resistant and eat a lot of carbohydrates, this results in prolonged periods of elevated insulin. This elevated insulin seems to be a primary factor in PCOS.</p>
<p>c) Exercise is known to directly increase insulin sensitivy – especially short duration high insensity exercise such as strength training or sprint intervals.</p>
<p>Regarding metabolism and PCOS:</p>
<p>My daughter had mono with an extremely high temperature for over 3 weeks. She was actually rushed to the hospital when neither the Dr nor the ambulance crew could get a blood pressure reading. She seriously did not eat for 3 weeks and would only drink water. </p>
<p>She did not lose 1 pound. </p>
<p>She eats very little and easily gains weight. So the next time you see a heavy set woman give her a break. She might eat much less than you and exercise more just to keep her weight gain to a minimum.</p>
<p>Yup! D1 was diagnosed about 5 years ago after gaining a significant amount of weight in a short time, combined with an increasingly erratic cycle after 2 years of clockwork cycles. Her testosterone level was through the roof. She/we were very lucky as PCOS can go undiagnosed for a while; I pushed our pediatrician on it because I knew exactly what D1 ate (heavy on veggies compared to my all chocolate, all the time D2) and there was no reason she should have gained 30 pounds.</p>
<p>She’s been on birth control pills since then along with spirolactone. Last year she had a scare with her A1C level being pretty high; PCOS and Syndrome X are very closely tied.</p>
<p>What type of doctor makes the diagnosis of PCOS?</p>
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<p>Yep. I find it very interesting that people have no trouble attributing genes, hormones, or “metabolism” to people who can eat like a pig, not exercise, and remain thin, but absolutely REFUSE to acknowledge those factors with people who are heavy. Oh no, they are “making excuses” and just need to stop stuffing their face and get off the couch.</p>
<p>I was diagnosed with PCOS in December 2011 by an RN at the GYN office. I did some blood work with an endocrinologist who saw the insulin resistance and then said talk to the GYN office. </p>
<p>All through high school my period was super erratic and there was never a sign when it would come. I gained a lot of weight suddenly and had trouble getting it off. Eventually my mom decided we needed to figure out what was going on which lead to PCOS and insulin resistance. </p>
<p>I got put on birth control to regulate my period and I currently take Metformin to help with the weight loss and deal with the insulin resistance. I had some rough spots with my depression where I went off all my meds so I am now back to a pretty good level. </p>
<p>Because I moved in this process I know go to a specialty witinh a reproductive medical unit who specifically deals with PCOS. I see him about every 3 months to see how things are progressing. He gave me a lot to read about the condition and showed a lot of websites that would be helpful in the process.</p>
<p>Our pediatrician made the diagnosis & that’s who D1 continues to see, since she works with her patients through college & my girls love her.</p>
<p>mdem, are you off meds right now and just being monitored?</p>
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<p>interesteddad, its so interesting that you mention that exercise can increase insulin sensitivity. D is an athlete and participates in weight training. That will be something I will definitely ask the doctor.</p>
<p>My mother, sister, and I all have PCOS. I take Metformin and am (slowly) working on losing the weight that piled on like magic after I had my 3rd child.</p>
<p>My PCOS was not problematic in my teens and 20s - I just had a few mild symptoms and only suspected that I might have it. In my 30s, all hell broke loose. I don’t know if it was being older or somehow related to my last pregnancy or something else entirely. I finally saw a doctor and got diagnosed.</p>
<p>One of the frustrating things is that it affects individuals so differently, which can make diagnosis difficult if the doctor isn’t up on PCOS. My sister’s PCOS manifests in completely different ways than mine.</p>
<p>I have PCOS I wasn’t diagnosed until I had three miscarriages in my 30’s and my doctor couldn’t figure out why. Luckily the infertility doctor was able to figure it out and we now have 3 sons.</p>
<p>My older daughter has PCOS, but it’s hard to know what symptoms come from that and not from her hypothyroid (also has endometriosis, glaucoma, asthma, excema, and sleep apnea - she’s a walking disaster… who is a 2 hour plane ride from the nearest hospital no less).</p>
<p>She just managed to lose 20 pounds, and her doctor is trying to reduce her metaformin. Her diet is mostly proteins and she lives in subzero temps for five months out of the year, so she’s burning a lot of calories these days. She has to bake her own bread if she wants a sandwich, so that tends to keep the carbs down. And it’s way too expensive to ship in sodas and juices. I guess the middle of nowhere is a good place to live for dieters.</p>
<p>The only time she struggled with depression/anxiety was when she was on preventive meds for migraines. That stopped when she decided the migraines were better than the side effects from the meds.</p>
<p>Don’t know if she will ever be able to have a child, because in addition to the other two gyno problems and the thryoid, the poor kid has a divided uterus. On the other hand, the way her bad luck runs, maybe she’ll end up with twins conceived a couple of months apart!</p>
<p>KKmama: your poor D. I often feel that way about my D1, she’s gotten all the genetic short straws. </p>
<p>One of my most vivid parenting memories was the doctor telling us when D1 was 15 that we needed to treat the PCOS right away “to preserve her future fertility.” Took my breath away.</p>