Polycycstic Ovarian Sydrome????

I sincerly feel for you, I can only imagine what you must be going through in trying to make a decision on whether or not to tell your daughter. Honestly thought, your daughter is the one experiencing symptoms that are not normal for girls her age. Speaking from experience about having issues & then finally being diagnosed with something, there is a sense of relief that comes with a diagnosis. You realize that it's not just your body being strange, but something causing your body to be strange. At least if you inform her of the condition she can become educated and help make informed decisions about her own body. I mean she is going to have to learn how to deal with this on her own at some point in time.
Good luck with everything, I wish you and your daughter the best.

I have PCOS and I know what you are going through. I had PCOS when I was your daughters age and nobody told me, I had to find out on my own when I was in my mid twenties. I don't want to tell you what to do, but I would let her know what it is and let her know that it is treatable. There are women out there that have had children and have PCOS, I have talked to them, it is just harder. But please don't put her on birth control pills they will may the PCOS worse than it is.

Hi M.,

I too have PCOS. I was diagnosed around 21 and have been on the Pill and Metformin since (I'm 30 now). For me it has kind of been a non-event once I was diagnosed and started being treated. Once I knew what I had I was able to focus on managing it. It was kind of relieving to me knowing.

I was able to get pregnant (with twins) without any issues and everything is good. I still am conscious of it and take steps to manage the associated risks (diet and exercise).

I wish you the best.

M., I have raised 7 children. They are all adults now with the youngest being 19. This may be hard but at 16 they are not children anymore. I would tell her the truth in love. Make sure you have all the facts and possibly with the Dr. if that makes you and hubby more comfortable. She may have questions the Dr. can answer that you wouldn't be able to. This is a very good time for you and your husband to help her with grown up issues and how to handle them. I would make sure you are not emotional and weepy during this time as you need to be a strenght for her. You don't need to tell her every little detail at this point but be honest. If she is anything like my kids she will need to know you are going to be honest with her at all times. I needed my kids to trust me and be honest with me and they would always bring up that I needed to respond to them in the same way. Teenages think they are already grownup. This will help her to adulthood at least from my experience.
On a different note my children had friends in teenage years that had this with no major side effects. Two of my daughters friends had this condition and were on birth control and it helped greatly.
I hope this helps.
Love,
P.

I too have a daughter with hormonal imbalance, though not the one that your daughter has. Since you are aware of her condition at an early age she has a better chance of taking care of her health properly to avoid some of the conditions associated with the imbalance. In any case she may never develop some of the conditions associated with the disease. Deal with each symptom as it arises, teach her how to eat and excercise properly. As with most conditions it's easier to take preventative health measures than to wait until it's a problem and try to correct it. Everyone is at risk for the conditions associated with the disease with or without PCOS. Fortunately there are treatments that can help with most of the associated health issues. Good Luck!

I think as her mother YOU know how mature she is and how much of the information she can take. Especially about the weight gain and Diabetes, I think she should be informed because these things can be detrimental to her health and she should take steps to prevent these aspects of the syndrome.

Try to buffer it by also telling her the truth , that PCOS can be very mild and that none of or just a few of the conditions can develop. Most of the conditions can also be treated ( like facial hair , acne ). Depression and anxiety are part in parcl of being a teenager. If she already has a therapist discuss how to approach the subject with your daughter , give her information on the disease if she is not familiar , and set boundries with the therapist on what you

If her depression is caused by PCOS the therapist can treat it appropriately. Try to have a positive attitude. Feeling bad about ones situation is a step on a downward spiral of depression , and being depressed exacerbates any medical condition.

Take proactive steps with your daughter like exercise to prevent weight gain and a good diet to prevent heart disease and Diabetes. It will be good for both of you !

Good luck and God Bless
J.

Please tell your daughter what she is dealiing with! At sixteen girls are very smart and she has the right to understand why she is feeling the way she is. She may fear that she has cancer or some other bad thing wrong as she must be very aware of her symptoms! If you calmly explain what it is, she will feel better and trust you more. You don't have to tell her all the bad possibilities, but just explain how it relates to what is happening right now to her.
She has the right to know and will not respect you if she finds out you are hiding this information from her.