Mothers and daughters with PCOS
Annette_906
Posts: 44 Member
Hi Everyone
I'm wondering if there are any mothers out there with PCOS with daughters that also have it. I've read it's hereditary. My own mother was just recently diagnosed with PCOS, however, I was diagnosed first and noticed that we shared a lot of the same problems/issues, so I urged her to get tested.
I have two daughters of my own and I'm praying that neither one of them has this. My mom and I were both lucky enough to have children without help but she has had 2 heart attacks by the age of 46 and we both have other symptoms. I'm hoping like some other health problems, each new generation will be less likely to inherit this.
Thanks!
I'm wondering if there are any mothers out there with PCOS with daughters that also have it. I've read it's hereditary. My own mother was just recently diagnosed with PCOS, however, I was diagnosed first and noticed that we shared a lot of the same problems/issues, so I urged her to get tested.
I have two daughters of my own and I'm praying that neither one of them has this. My mom and I were both lucky enough to have children without help but she has had 2 heart attacks by the age of 46 and we both have other symptoms. I'm hoping like some other health problems, each new generation will be less likely to inherit this.
Thanks!
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I have it and so does my daughter, we've both been dx. However my sister doesnt have it.
But my mother has a HUGE (male pattern baldness, stomach fat, hard to lose weight, weird hair growth on her face, hormonal issues at an early age, uterine cancer at 36, etc) amount of symptoms but because she has no uterus they wont test her for it.
My grandmother had cysts on her ovaries, enough they removed one when she was in her 20's and she had trouble getting pregnant even tho she wasnt overweight. But no dx on PCOS there either.
It'd be nice if each generation was less likely to inherit but the is rarely how things work. I have a friend who has PCOS as does her daughter, but her sisters dont have it and neither does her mother. At least being aware of it will help to make sure your daughters get an early dx and you can help them get the right meds/suppliments/diet/etc so they wont have the weight or hormonal issues or at least not be as bad.0 -
My mother very likely has it, and my aunt, and their mother. My daughter will be 15 this year, and remains moderately problem free, though I can't be sure as she has chosen to no longer live with me. She had early indicators, but she and her dad deny further symptoms. My grandmother died recently (over a year ago, I guess not that recently), but suffered many PCOS conditions during her lifetime. My aunt has been hypothyroid and had joint issues for some time, but only recently got diabetes added to the list. My mother has full blown diabetes, full blow multi-faceted autoimmune, had to have a hysterectomy due to massive female complications and all sorts of craziness.
I would guide your own children to a naturally lower carb lifestyle, and maybe they can avoid the worst of all this, should they inherit it...0 -
My GP just told me that it was not hereditary. And she kind of said it with a shrug so I have a feeling that, much like cancer, there are all kinds, some hereditary, some not. I thought my mom had it, I swear she told me she had trouble with cycles growing up but now she says no. She did have cysts, but nothing else. I don't have cysts, but have most everything else. Same family, different flavor I guess.0
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I agree with @KnitOrMiss on the diet. I think a large part of our problems were that our bodies predisposed us to having issues when eating in line with the USDA. If you can head that stuff off at the pass, before it causes issue, then your daughters stand a much better chance at not having issues in the future.
Also, like @Alliwan mentioned, genetics don't really work that way, where a given generation is less likely to have inherited a given thing, especially in situations like PCOS, where the genes that predispose us to these issues are many and scattered all over our DNA. Even in simple A/b inheritance, gene reduction only happens on a macro level. If PCOS were a simple inheritance trait, then you, as someone with it, are just as likely to pass it on to your daughter as your mother was to pass it to you (and possibly even more likely, if your mother was just a carrier).1 -
Hi , I have it, my daughter has it and my mom has it. My doc told me it was hereditary and would typically manifest around 19-22age range. My daughter and I have only been diagnosed with pcos since March.0
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typically manifest around 19-22age range.
I wonder how accurate that is? I was dx around 12 after 2 years of heavy, painful, overflowing, long periods and monthly cysts rupture that required an ER visit each time to make sure they were water filled and not my appendix or pus filled. My daughter has had symptoms since she hit puberty also, at age 10, but wasnt dx until age 13 after a PMDD dx. Most of the women I know who have it have had symptoms since they hit puberty, if not earlier, even if they werent dx until later.0 -
Alliwan- That's a valid question. I don't really know. It made sense to me at the time because that's when I first became very aware of irregular periods (19) and my daughter first noticed around 21. That's also around the time the rapid weight gain came. And then the facial hair. And other stuff. In retrospect I can see what I would consider early symptoms or warning signs much earlier.
Is there a relation between pmdd and pcos? I read somewhere that early onset menses was common with pcos too.0 -
typically manifest around 19-22age range.
I wonder how accurate that is? I was dx around 12 after 2 years of heavy, painful, overflowing, long periods and monthly cysts rupture that required an ER visit each time to make sure they were water filled and not my appendix or pus filled. My daughter has had symptoms since she hit puberty also, at age 10, but wasnt dx until age 13 after a PMDD dx. Most of the women I know who have it have had symptoms since they hit puberty, if not earlier, even if they werent dx until later.
I was 10 or 11 when I first started having symptoms and diagnosed at 12. I think it depends entirely when the girl goes through puberty, and their weight at the time.
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leahraskie wrote: »typically manifest around 19-22age range.
I wonder how accurate that is? I was dx around 12 after 2 years of heavy, painful, overflowing, long periods and monthly cysts rupture that required an ER visit each time to make sure they were water filled and not my appendix or pus filled. My daughter has had symptoms since she hit puberty also, at age 10, but wasnt dx until age 13 after a PMDD dx. Most of the women I know who have it have had symptoms since they hit puberty, if not earlier, even if they werent dx until later.
I was 10 or 11 when I first started having symptoms and diagnosed at 12. I think it depends entirely when the girl goes through puberty, and their weight at the time.
All of this. I was 9 when I started, had massive problems before 13. I was put on BCP to manage cycles at 16. Didn't get diagnosed until almost 35. Daughter started at age 10.5 or so, and had severe PMDD... That's why I have my ex and his GF monitoring my daughter closely. I have no idea as to my mother's symptom onset, or my aunt's, but my grandmother, well, they didn't really monitor these things back in pre-Chernobyl Russia, and/or Pre-WWII Germany/Poland...so she didn't get diagnosed until she was in the states quite a while.0 -
leahraskie wrote: »typically manifest around 19-22age range.
I wonder how accurate that is? I was dx around 12 after 2 years of heavy, painful, overflowing, long periods and monthly cysts rupture that required an ER visit each time to make sure they were water filled and not my appendix or pus filled. My daughter has had symptoms since she hit puberty also, at age 10, but wasnt dx until age 13 after a PMDD dx. Most of the women I know who have it have had symptoms since they hit puberty, if not earlier, even if they werent dx until later.
I was 10 or 11 when I first started having symptoms and diagnosed at 12. I think it depends entirely when the girl goes through puberty, and their weight at the time.
I also dont know how much it has to do with weight at that time either. I cant think of one person I know in real life who has it, and Ive met quite a few, who was overweight before dx, but most gained weight after being put on BCP for it. My daughter has had symptoms for 8 years now and she's normal weight still but how many carbs she has has a direct affect on the quality of her period. I was normal weight when I was dx but quickly gained AFTER the starting BCP.
It doesnt seem to be one standard really, can be thin or overweight, can be dx fairly early or years after your symptoms start, altho @KnitOrMiss's daughter has PMDD also but so far I havent found any studies showing a comorbid or correlation between PMDD and PCOS.0 -
leahraskie wrote: »typically manifest around 19-22age range.
I wonder how accurate that is? I was dx around 12 after 2 years of heavy, painful, overflowing, long periods and monthly cysts rupture that required an ER visit each time to make sure they were water filled and not my appendix or pus filled. My daughter has had symptoms since she hit puberty also, at age 10, but wasnt dx until age 13 after a PMDD dx. Most of the women I know who have it have had symptoms since they hit puberty, if not earlier, even if they werent dx until later.
I was 10 or 11 when I first started having symptoms and diagnosed at 12. I think it depends entirely when the girl goes through puberty, and their weight at the time.
I also dont know how much it has to do with weight at that time either. I cant think of one person I know in real life who has it, and Ive met quite a few, who was overweight before dx, but most gained weight after being put on BCP for it. My daughter has had symptoms for 8 years now and she's normal weight still but how many carbs she has has a direct affect on the quality of her period. I was normal weight when I was dx but quickly gained AFTER the starting BCP.
It doesnt seem to be one standard really, can be thin or overweight, can be dx fairly early or years after your symptoms start, altho @KnitOrMiss's daughter has PMDD also but so far I havent found any studies showing a comorbid or correlation between PMDD and PCOS.
And my daughter is skinny as a damned rail. She's about 5'3" tall and like maybe 105. Her weight hasn't changed much since she hit that height 3-4 years ago. She'll be 15 this year and still has clothes she wears from 3-4 years ago. I think she got that from the recessive German traits on my side, and the dominant stuff on her dad's side. The German on my side means she could stay that way - but her dad's side, once they hit 20 or so, they explode with weight, but she has a great head on her shoulders and is aware of all of these risks and keeps them in mind as she grows up...0 -
There's nothing concrete connecting PMDD and PCOS (in part because there's not much science around either to begin with), but given the response both have to the Yaz family of birth controls, I suspect there is some crossover/similarities. I suspect it's more that PCOS is being mistaken for PMDD more than just about anything else. I wouldn't be surprised if they get put onto a "spectrum" in the future, though.
My hypothesis is that PMDD is a more mild form of estrogen dominance, given the similarities between PCOS with estrogen dominance and PMDD. Since the Yaz family of birth controls are progesterone-based, it brings things back into balance.0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »There's nothing concrete connecting PMDD and PCOS (in part because there's not much science around either to begin with), but given the response both have to the Yaz family of birth controls, I suspect there is some crossover/similarities. I suspect it's more that PCOS is being mistaken for PMDD more than just about anything else. I wouldn't be surprised if they get put onto a "spectrum" in the future, though.
My hypothesis is that PMDD is a more mild form of estrogen dominance, given the similarities between PCOS with estrogen dominance and PMDD. Since the Yaz family of birth controls are progesterone-based, it brings things back into balance.
But there were so many more terrifying possible side effects of Yaz when my doc went to put me on it. I actually picked up a Rx I never used because I read the literature!0 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »Dragonwolf wrote: »There's nothing concrete connecting PMDD and PCOS (in part because there's not much science around either to begin with), but given the response both have to the Yaz family of birth controls, I suspect there is some crossover/similarities. I suspect it's more that PCOS is being mistaken for PMDD more than just about anything else. I wouldn't be surprised if they get put onto a "spectrum" in the future, though.
My hypothesis is that PMDD is a more mild form of estrogen dominance, given the similarities between PCOS with estrogen dominance and PMDD. Since the Yaz family of birth controls are progesterone-based, it brings things back into balance.
But there were so many more terrifying possible side effects of Yaz when my doc went to put me on it. I actually picked up a Rx I never used because I read the literature!
There are nasty side effects for all of them. Yaz might be off the market now (I don't know), but there are a number of cousin ones (yasmin. Beyaz, etc) which I think have better side effects.
What I'd be interested to see is if women with PCOS have the same risk of side effects.0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »KnitOrMiss wrote: »Dragonwolf wrote: »There's nothing concrete connecting PMDD and PCOS (in part because there's not much science around either to begin with), but given the response both have to the Yaz family of birth controls, I suspect there is some crossover/similarities. I suspect it's more that PCOS is being mistaken for PMDD more than just about anything else. I wouldn't be surprised if they get put onto a "spectrum" in the future, though.
My hypothesis is that PMDD is a more mild form of estrogen dominance, given the similarities between PCOS with estrogen dominance and PMDD. Since the Yaz family of birth controls are progesterone-based, it brings things back into balance.
But there were so many more terrifying possible side effects of Yaz when my doc went to put me on it. I actually picked up a Rx I never used because I read the literature!
There are nasty side effects for all of them. Yaz might be off the market now (I don't know), but there are a number of cousin ones (yasmin. Beyaz, etc) which I think have better side effects.
What I'd be interested to see is if women with PCOS have the same risk of side effects.
I used to be massively estrogen dominant (had no measurable progesterone), but since my hormones have leveled out, I do better on a regular pill. I wonder why!0 -
Thank you everyone for all the responses!
I started my period when I was 11 and went on the pill at 14 (not for any health reasons). I always had a regular period but at times they were painful and the older I got, the worse they got. I was about 103 lbs until I was about 18 and then the weight started to creep up. I thought it was just my body changing and the poor food decisions I was making....but it did always bother me that I would eat the same foods as my friends and they all stayed about the same, weight wise. I did notice that in old pics of my mom and my aunt that they both started to put on lots of weight around 18 yrs old. I went from about 103 to 160 in 6 yrs!! PCOS was first mentioned when I had to have dermoid cysts removed from both ovaries when I was 24, but it was only a thought. My dr somewhat mentioned it but made it seem like it only affected fertility and since I was having regular periods, I never gave PCOS a second thought. Move ahead 10 yrs and at 34 I definitely have more symptoms and was officially diagnosed at 33 when my period didn't show up for almost 6 months! After being diagnosed I started reading everything I could find on PCOS and now I realize that my PCOS probably started to kick in at 18. I badgered my mom to get checked out and she did and was recently diagnosed, I talked to my aunt about it but she refuses to consider it. She was recently diagnosed with a thyroid issue, and when I told her that they can go hand in hand, she still wasn't interested. Diabetes runs in my family and my mother had two heart attacks by age 46....we have very different lifestyles (she is a smoker) but I'm positive PCOS played a part! I will definitely be paying attention when my girls go through puberty and I will help them the best I can about making better food choices. I currently do not eat dairy and am doing the low carb high fat lifestyle. So far I feel great and plan on eating this way for now on. However, my periods have been weird since having my second daughter 5 months ago. I went back on a pill and I started having heavy periods every 2 weeks for almost 2 months! I stopped taking them, plus the pill makes me a bit crazy and ragey!! But since going off the pill almost a month ago or longer, I have not gotten a period (I am no longer able to breastfeed - which may also be because of PCOS!)
I can only hope that neither of my girls have PCOS, but if they do, I will be there to support them and understand what they will be dealing with!0 -
My mother had it and my sister and I both have it. It SUCKS!0
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My mother and her mother both had it - not sure before that but on my grandfather's side they only had one child back in the 1920s so I might have been hit with it from all sides!?
My aunt does not have it though. I guess we're the lucky ones.
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My mom doesn't have it (that I know of) though she did have problems leading to a complete hysterectomy in her 40s and she has a few of the symptoms. I have one sister with PCOS though and one with endometriosis so we all have issues!0
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Re age of Dx ... I didn't start my period until I was almost 15 (my mom had started at 10) and it was always very irregular. I also had the random hair growth in certain places. I got tested for PCOS when I was in college and it was negative. (I wish I remembered more details; I know they did blood work and an ultrasound of my ovaries.)
However, when I went to a gyn for my pre-TTC visit at age 31, he did a u/s and said my ovaries had a "PCOS-like appearance." At that point I'd charted my cycle for 13 months (using FAM to avoid and then I also used it to TTC after that visit). In that time, I'd only ovulated 4 times (I had about 9 cycles but many were anovulatory).0 -
There is a test drs may be able to perform to tell if your daughter is at risk for PCOS. I copied this from www.pcosdiva.com from an expert interview with Dr. Felice Gersh in CA:
"Young girls born to PCOS moms have about a 50% chance of developing PCOS themselves. Given those odds, it is really imperative for us to diagnose, with some reasonable probability, which of those daughters will and which won’t have to deal with PCOS. And there are ways to reasonably identify young girls as having a high predilection to develop PCOS.
From a physical point of view, here are the suspicious symptoms. If a very young girl, from approximately age 4 to 12 years of age, has an unusual amount of waist and belly fat, yet she eats quite well… that is a powerful clue. Estrogen regulates where fat is deposited and how it functions, so young girls destined to get PCOS may be showing signs of abnormal fat deposition and already have difficulty maintaining a healthy weight, well before puberty sets in.
There is also a blood test which has good predictability for detecting PCOS prone girls and which can be administered as early as age 6 to make a likely diagnosis! This test is called Adiponectin. I order it through the Cleveland HeartLab, a very prestigious cardiovascular laboratory, affiliated with the renowned Cleveland Clinic. Adiponectin is a type of hormone made by adipose (fat) tissue, called an Adipokine. Adiponectin is an extremely important and vital hormone to prevent inflammation, insulin resistance, and obesity. It is involved in managing how fat tissue functions, the level of inflammation in the body, how energy is produced and stored, and the transport of glucose from the blood into cells, impacting insulin resistance. Estrogen controls the production of Adiponectin. In girls prone to develop PCOS, the Adiponectin levels will be unusually low.
The finding of low Adiponectin levels raises a big red flag that the girl is at high risk to develop PCOS. The potential for Adiponectin to be used as an early screening tool means that girls at high risk to develop PCOS can be identified as young as age 6! Once identified, proactive therapies can be initiated to lower the chance of PCOS becoming severe. Lifestyle changes involving diet, sleep, stress, exercise, and nutrition can all be implemented to greatly soften the blow to health which occurs with the passage through puberty."0 -
There is a test drs may be able to perform to tell if your daughter is at risk for PCOS. I copied this from www.pcosdiva.com from an expert interview with Dr. Felice Gersh in CA:
"Young girls born to PCOS moms have about a 50% chance of developing PCOS themselves. Given those odds, it is really imperative for us to diagnose, with some reasonable probability, which of those daughters will and which won’t have to deal with PCOS. And there are ways to reasonably identify young girls as having a high predilection to develop PCOS.
From a physical point of view, here are the suspicious symptoms. If a very young girl, from approximately age 4 to 12 years of age, has an unusual amount of waist and belly fat, yet she eats quite well… that is a powerful clue. Estrogen regulates where fat is deposited and how it functions, so young girls destined to get PCOS may be showing signs of abnormal fat deposition and already have difficulty maintaining a healthy weight, well before puberty sets in.
There is also a blood test which has good predictability for detecting PCOS prone girls and which can be administered as early as age 6 to make a likely diagnosis! This test is called Adiponectin. I order it through the Cleveland HeartLab, a very prestigious cardiovascular laboratory, affiliated with the renowned Cleveland Clinic. Adiponectin is a type of hormone made by adipose (fat) tissue, called an Adipokine. Adiponectin is an extremely important and vital hormone to prevent inflammation, insulin resistance, and obesity. It is involved in managing how fat tissue functions, the level of inflammation in the body, how energy is produced and stored, and the transport of glucose from the blood into cells, impacting insulin resistance. Estrogen controls the production of Adiponectin. In girls prone to develop PCOS, the Adiponectin levels will be unusually low.
The finding of low Adiponectin levels raises a big red flag that the girl is at high risk to develop PCOS. The potential for Adiponectin to be used as an early screening tool means that girls at high risk to develop PCOS can be identified as young as age 6! Once identified, proactive therapies can be initiated to lower the chance of PCOS becoming severe. Lifestyle changes involving diet, sleep, stress, exercise, and nutrition can all be implemented to greatly soften the blow to health which occurs with the passage through puberty."
@Stacicali Was there any information about how it can identify "Skinny PCOS?" My daughter is about my height (5'4" tall) and weighs maybe 100-110, is 15 years old, etc. She obviously does not have excess fat anywhere and definitely does not have the adolescent fat I did from 6-12 and beyond years old... But she has most of the extremes in mood, the weird reactions to things, and all of that...0 -
@KnitOrMiss - the owner of the website www.pcosdiva.com (go to menu in upper left corner and click on expert interviews) has done several interviews with Dr. Gersh. I listened to a (free) podcast that has not been transcribed yet called "Reduce Inflammation and Your PCOS Symptoms." Dr. Gersh mentions identifying PCOS girls and early intervention towards the last 10 minutes, but I'm so sorry. I don't remember what exactly she said since I don't have a daughter. I do remember her talking about interventions with diet.
My personal experience if it helps: I'm a "lean" aka normal weight cyster whose mom was undiagnosed PCOS until post-menopause when she was obese because of it. I started my period early (9) -early or late menses is a PCOS risk clue from what I've read. I had horrible heavy, irregular periods (scant, irregular periods are also a clue) and terrible, oily, acne-prone skin. When the Gyns did ultrasounds, I had the stereotypical Polycystic ovaries, but they refused to diagnose (and treat) me because I wasn't overweight and didn't have facial hair. When I was in my early twenties, I stopped having periods. My primary care tested me for early menopause and finally sent me to a decent endocrinologist who diagnosed me. I started Metformin and restarted my periods. I've always had anxiety issues probably due to my high normal testosterone.
I hope your little girl has escaped this. Please listen to the Dr.Gersh interviews for more clues. She is big on controlling inflammation through diet and probiotics - both of which would probably be safe for your daughter. Keep us posted.0 -
My sister and I both have it, my mother does not. My mother has suspected it, but never had a diagnosis. But my aunt and grandmother has it.0
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