“How is PCOD detected?”
My daughter is 14 years old and has very irregular periods. The doctor says it could be PCOD. How is the diagnosis confirmed? What is used to test?
2 Answers
PCOS – Polycystic ovary syndrome cannot be diagnosed until 2-3 years after a girl’s first menstrual cycle because it can take up to two years for the menstrual cycle to become regular. PCOS is treated with birth control pills (oral contraceptives), insulin-sensitizing medicines, metformin, and antiandrogens. PCOS is usually diagnosed at any age after puberty (between 15-44 years-old). You are born with polycystic ovaries (PCOS), but symptoms often start during puberty although for some people this can be later. Common symptoms are irregular periods or no period at all, difficulty in getting pregnant, excessive hair growth (face, chest, back, buttocks), weight gain, thinning hair or hair loss in the head, and oily skin and acne. There is up to seventy percent of daughters of women with PCOS/PCOD (polycystic ovary syndrome/polycystic ovary disease) also develop it. It is not unusual for a 13-year adolescent to have PCOS symptoms, but not enough to make the diagnosis. Your 14-year-old daughter is in the border line age that PCOS can be diagnosed. However, with some reservation. An Consider an ultrasound scan for definitive diagnosis. Thank you.
They need to look at her ovaries. This can be done by ultrasound. Sometimes a biopsy is needed. Other things may need to be known such, as when did your daughter start her periods? Have they ever been regular? Is she small for her age? Is she considered obese? Personally, I think the doctor is a bit quick on the draw to think about this based on what I know from you.
RB Thomas, MD
RB Thomas, MD
