irregular cycle

[mum]

I need some help. Dd 15 has been diagnosed with incomplete periods-bleeding comes in bits and pieces because hormones not at levels consistent enough to sustain any sort of cycle. Has breakouts on face. Body weight is low, hgb is 10. Tried bc pills but terrible and didn't help cycle. Any natural help out there? Herbs, supplements, anything. Can't seem to get hgb up and can't find reason for it's low-ness. has had endless bloodwork done. I don't know where to turn next. This has gone on 2 years. 

Any advice appreciated!

[Tsuga]

Some girls don't start until 16. While unusual, it's not pathological. Same with breakouts--though I'm all for acne medication if it's leaving scars. Any reason you're concerned about this? Did the doctor say anything?

[Katy]

How low is her body weight?  80 pounds or 120?  Body fat percentage?

[Momof3littles]

Has she had extensive bloodwork to check for thyroid issues and PCOS?  Those are two major culprits in cycle issues.  I can tell you that I had irreg cycles in high school, and it was chalked up to the mileage I put in as a long distance runner.  I never had bad acne, just some typical teenage breakouts, and didn't have a lot of external symptoms.  I was never overweight and weighed under 100 lbs all through high school.  I was put on BCP when I was about 14 to help my irreg cycles, as going more than three months without a period is thought to increase the risk of endometrial cancer. 

 

10 years later I went off BCP to try to conceive, and had NO cycles at all really.  Long story short, I was diagnosed with PCOS, but I had an OB/gyn tell me there was no way I had it since I was not overweight and didn't have a lot of acne or hair.  He had done some bloodwork, but not everything he should have checked.  An ultrasound showed increased volume in my ovaries, but he still said no way.  I ended up self referring to an RE, because I suspected I might really have PCOS despite his reassurances.

PCOS and thyroid have health implications beyond periods and fertility, so I would want to make sure those issues were not being missed.  PCOS increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, endometrial cancer, hypertension, etc. for example  I went through infertility treatments to conceive my first, but metformin (insulin sensitizing drug that helps many women with PCOS) and low carbing lead to conceiving baby #2 and #3 without issue.  Had I been properly diagnosed as a teen, it might have saved me some heartache.

 

I would consider seeing a gyn who will do blood testing and an ultrasound to check for PCOS and thyroid issues.  Even then, IME, many gyns often miss PCOS in women who don't have a lot of external symptoms.  The symptoms of PCOS are very mix and match, so you don't need to be overweight, hairy, and have acne to have PCOS, but lots of doctors were taught that way years ago.

[kbutton]

Has she had extensive bloodwork to check for thyroid issues and PCOS?  Those are two major culprits in cycle issues.  I can tell you that I had irreg cycles in high school, and it was chalked up to the mileage I put in as a long distance runner.  I never had bad acne, just some typical teenage breakouts, and didn't have a lot of external symptoms.  I was never overweight and weighed under 100 lbs all through high school.  I was put on BCP when I was about 14 to help my irreg cycles, as going more than three months without a period is thought to increase the risk of endometrial cancer. 

 

10 years later I went off BCP to try to conceive, and had NO cycles at all really.  Long story short, I was diagnosed with PCOS, but I had an OB/gyn tell me there was no way I had it since I was not overweight and didn't have a lot of acne or hair.  He had done some bloodwork, but not everything he should have checked.  An ultrasound showed increased volume in my ovaries, but he still said no way.  I ended up self referring to an RE, because I suspected I might really have PCOS despite his reassurances.

PCOS and thyroid have health implications beyond periods and fertility, so I would want to make sure those issues were not being missed.  PCOS increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, endometrial cancer, hypertension, etc. for example  I went through infertility treatments to conceive my first, but metformin (insulin sensitizing drug that helps many women with PCOS) and low carbing lead to conceiving baby #2 and #3 without issue.  Had I been properly diagnosed as a teen, it might have saved me some heartache.

 

I would consider seeing a gyn who will do blood testing and an ultrasound to check for PCOS and thyroid issues.  Even then, IME, many gyns often miss PCOS in women who don't have a lot of external symptoms.  The symptoms of PCOS are very mix and match, so you don't need to be overweight, hairy, and have acne to have PCOS, but lots of doctors were taught that way years ago.

 

:iagree:  Almost everyone i know who has PCOS was completely dismissed during their teenage years or college years. Then, it often took a lot of time figuring in out when they were trying to conceive. Skinny girls--it's not even on most doc's radar. I armchair-diagnosed a fabulously healthy and in shape friend's PCOS after casually browsing a medical journal that featured an article about PCOS--her doc had never bothered to consider it even though she confessed later that the lab work had been staring her right in the face for YEARS. You might have better luck with an endo or reproductive endo than a gyn. Also, it seems like the women I know with PCOS have other endocrine issues, so it's not just about fertility as others have said.

 

Best wishes.

[displace]

Also consider if she's a competitive athlete or works out a lot which can alter cycles. I wouldn't suggest supplements except iron. Her problems with her cycle can be symptoms of other underlying things (thyroid, diet, exercise, puberty, etc).