Puberty itself can be difficult for any teen girl - navigating changing relationships with their girls, boyfriends, classes and body changes. But, coupled with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) the adolescent years can be even harder.
READ: PCOS & Social Anxiety: How to Rock Confidence & Drop The Worry!
PCOS is a common endocrine disorder affecting many young African-American women. My daughter was diagnosed with PCOS when she was 15 years old. It was tough, as her body was already going through so many changes. "One of the most important ways to help young women with PCOS is to understand the symptoms that can come along with his condition and the emotional toll that it can take," Dr. Jennifer Caudle, Family Physician and Assistant Professor at Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, tells BlackDoctor.org.
Dr. Caudle adds, "Women may experience pelvic pain, excess hair growth on the face or chest, thinning hair and skin changes among other symptoms. Furthermore, women with PCOS are at a higher risk for diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. This may be overwhelming and frightening to some young women."
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PCOS is tricky to diagnose because it’s not always evident and symptoms vary depending on the woman.
According to the PCOS Foundation, studies have found that if a mother has PCOS, there is a 50% chance that her daughter will have PCOS.
Embarrassment about weight gain and facial hair can be overwhelming. As the mother of a daughter who has PCOS, I understand this firsthand. There is no cure for PCOS. If your daughter has received a PCOS diagnosis, there are ways you can support her and help her cope with this condition.
READ: Chrisette Michele Opens Up About Living With PCOS
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Board certified OB/GYNs and the twin experts behind Twin Doctors TV, Jamil and Idries Abdur-Rahman, offer a few tips to help you support your daughter in managing PCOS:
1. Remind her she isn't alone. "PCOS is extremely common with some sources sighting a prevalence as high as 12 percent. Understanding that you are not alone or just some strange anomaly is important for anybody, but it is especially important for teens who already have an uncertain as of yet developed sense of self," explains Dr. Idries.
Dr. Jamil also points out that young women can also be reminded that some pretty famous celebrities she may look up to, like Chrisette Michele, also suffer from PCOS and are managing it successfully.
2. Encourage healthy habits. "PCOS can be a blessing in disguise. While this sounds odd on its face, the reality is that successful treatment of PCOS requires people to make healthy lifestyle changes," says Dr. Jamil. Both doctors encourage women with PCOS to:
- exercise more
- limit their intake of fried or fatty foods
- limit their intake of sugar
- limit their intake of processed foods
- eat more fruits, veggies, lean meats and whole grains
Dr. Jamil explains, "These healthy lifestyle changes will ultimately benefit them in both the short and the long run and will potentially lower their risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high cholesterol and certain cancers in the future."
3. Educate her that PCOS is treatable. Dr. Idries believes this is of paramount importance because it gives her hope, which is necessary to make some of the recommended lifestyle changes. In addition to lifestyle changes, many of the common symptoms/side effects of PCOS (like acne, abnormal hair growth, pelvic pain, irregular menses) can be treated with the proper use of birth control pills, antibiotics and other medications.
It has been four years since my daughter found out she was diagnosed with PCOS. Since her diagnosis, she has become knowledgeable about managing PCOS. It was tough when she didn’t know why certain changes were happening to her body. However, once she became more informed about PCOS, compliant in her medication, and ate healthier she learned it was something she could, in fact, manage.
If you are a mother of a daughter who suffers from PCOS, be supportive. Help her understand how she can manage PCOS. Speak with her primary care physician about PCOS or have your daughter tested if you suspect she has symptoms that indicate she could have this disease. And most importantly, help her know that she will be ok. PCOS is not the end of her journey especially if she takes control of understanding how to manage it to live a happier and healthier life.
