Just Diagnosed.... Help =(

[grl__xposed]

Hi everyone. Im 16 years old. and I just got diagnosed with PCOS. I knew something was wrong with my periods. So I checked it out and I definitely have PCOS. So, tell me.. Is this as bad as I think it is? Sometimes I read around the forums and some people make such a big deal out of it. I dont know, you tell me. Its not life threatening right? And I was just wondering, would PCOS lead to depression? Please reply and help me out. Thanks fellow PCOS buddieees haha.

[kaylafgr]

it depend some people have bad days and thats when they write on it just to vent so it tottaly depends on you, it effects you everyday but u take the occasional bady days wit good days. pcos can lead to depression. the side effects of having pcos like diabetes and depression can be life threating but it doesnt write of your life. hope this helps
kayla
xxx

[sammyk]

im not sure how it leades to depression but i know its not life threatening and its getting morea nd more common... but im 16 too and just got diagnosed today so im so glad someone else is out there my age!

[blindedbyurlite]

i've read on some websites that depression can be a symptom, but i'm not sure

[wildflower]

Depression can be a symptom and I believe it is related to the imbalance of hormones caused by PCOS and IR. It can also severly effect your self-esteem due to some of the symptoms - hirsutism, loss of hair, acne, etc. PCOS varies from person to person. Not everyone has all of the symptoms, that is why it is a syndrome and not classified as a disease. I personally believe that PCOS is caused by IR and should be treated as a pre-diabetic condition and that the sooner you treat it, the better the outcome and your symptoms will be. It is a life-long illness that will need to be managed, but it is possible to manage it and lead a fairly normal life. Finding out as teens can truly help you make an impact on your health and prevent your symptoms from becoming worse. You have a great advantage that I hope you all take advantage of!!

And as far as people who post...you're right, they post when they are upset and need to vent...but there are certainly good days! For me, those far outweight the bad and I try to focus on those!! :D

[fairyXbec]

I was just recently diagnosed and have taken it pretty badly. The idea of being 18 and told that you may have excess hair, depression and infertility shocks you! It isnt what I wanna hear.

The care and medication you get is really good and can help you onto have a family in some cases and a normal life! Take it easy!

Much Love X Bec X

[esarah]

Wildflower is right that the imbalance of hormones can cause lots of problems for those of us with PCOS. Along with Diabetes and Depression, there are side effect like high cholesterol, heart disease and infertility. Heart Disease is very serious. It is important to eat healthy foods and exercise and stay on medications your doctor may give you to help treat PCOS. If you do these things the risk of having complications tdue to hormone imbalance are much less.

[invaderzim]

hi grl__xposed,

I was diagnosed when I was a year older than you are now (currently 21).

Definitely get yourself checked for insulin resistance. I thought I was having problems with depression/mood swings until I got on meds for insulin resistance and I got better right away. A note - insulin resistance is not full blown diabetes and is reversible, but your doctor may say something like "well your sugar levels are a little high but in the normal range". I was told that for years. You want to get a glucose tolerance test if the urine test comes out funky.

Otherwise you need to make sure that you stay on top of diet and exercise. I know it's hard when your in high school because everyone eats like crap all the time, but it really makes the difference with your health.

Since I have a history of infertility on top of my pcos diagnosis, I started preparing myself that I may have to go the adoption route whenever I want children, but there is no reason to think that you can't live a healthy life and have children of your own in the future.

You just need to take care of yourself and be vigilant on keeping up on regular doctors appointments - make sure your not insulin resistant first!

Send me a private message if you have any questions or just want to talk!

Anna

[sweetsunshine72]

Looking back, I probably had PCOS symptoms since puberty. I am hypoglycemic (get low blood sugar if I don't take care of myself), which is usually caused by IR, and I had SEVERE depression when I was young. At the time, I thought I was just "lazy" and "no-good". My family didn't help much as they pretty much agreed. What I didn't realize until I discovered I was IR and started treating my hypoglycemia was that my mood was DEFINATELY related to my blood sugar!!!

Now, when I get depressed or really upset, I have my DH and my son trained to get me something to eat!!! LOL The hard part is that I don't always recognize when I have low blood sugar, partly because I lived with it for so long and thought it was "just me".

Now, I eat 3 main meals, and 2 or 3 healthy snacks every day, I try to eat low-carb/good-carb, and I take both Metformin and Cinnamon, along with Chromium and Fish Oil. I am FINALLY!!! starting to lose weight!!! :D :D :D I am also feeling SOOOO much better, and I am hoping that I will become a Mommy again soon!!

With PCOS, you can manage it, but you need to start early (your age is in your favour with this one!), and where everyone else can get away with chowing down on Big Macs and Fries, you will need to have a healthy salad with chicken breast. It doesn't mean that you will never have a Big Mac, but it means that it needs to be a treat rather than a daily occurance.

Good luck, and HTH!!! 8)