PCOS, emotions and stress

Binkie1955

My daughter (20) was recently diagnosed with PCOS. she's on initial hormone therapy (which I don't understand too well) for this. my wife and I have noticed some emotional swings. any insights on PCOS and emotions and stress or books we might read to educate on this. we have a few books but they seem to be on PCOS and diet rather than emotions per se. thanks.

ldrosophila

do you know the name of the medication she is on?

Also kudos to you Dad for being so involved in the health of your daughter! My father never knew anything about me, and I dont think he even knows what PCOS is and that I have it. Just so impressed...what a great father. Might be all the emotional support she needs there a supportive and loving father.

L2HS

When I was first diagnosed with PCOS, I was placed on progesterone. I had terrible mood swings. It became so bad that I called to have a conference with my doctor. Proceeded to have a break down in the doctor's office. He immediately took me off of the medication and placed me on low dose estrogen instead. No mood swings since much to my husband's relief. I would take a look into what medication she is taking. Hope this helps.

wowgirl30

With PCOS her hormones are out of balance (hence the therapy). Hormones have a huge effect on mood and overall well being. Getting used to the treatment and her body trying to stabilize itself can be a bit rocky on emotions. PCOS has other physical symptoms that are hard on a girl - I feel overwhelmed at times by my thinned hair, acne, the hair on my face and elsewhere it shouldn't be. It all takes a toll and I know how I felt at 20 facing all these things on top of the medical side of PCOS. Best bet? Keep a close tab on any extremes or concerning behaviors as it may indicate that the dosage/type of meds she is given is not right (unfortunately sometimes it is trial and error that the correct ones can be found that meet an individuals needs). Before I got treatment for PCOS I dealt with severe depression and after being placed on meds I often found that I had a quick temper or got weepy for no reason. Its not like I didn't notice - it freaked me out as much or more than it did my family. After getting on low dose birth control things evened out nicely and I felt like myself again. I have to keep taking my meds on a schedule to help it stay that way. Understand that this is a medical issue, and she needs to work closely with her doctor. You can suggest she keep a journal to track moods so she has something to show her doctor or even just to vent frustrations in. Other that that? Just keep loving her and letting her know you care. Having your support is a huge help to her already

miranda_mom

I just wanted to say you're an amazing dad and your daughter is lucky to have you.

CharRicho

My doctor put me on Yasmin (a birth control pill that has extra testosterone-lowering effects) when I was first diagnosed, and the first 3 months on that pill were awful for me. Some days I was so depressed I did not want to get out of bed, I was SO tired and I felt nauseous at times. After the first 3 months, my hormones must have leveled out, or my body became used to it or something because I was MUCH much better.

That being said I did suffer from bouts of depression throughout the time I was on that pill, and really low sex drive (something you might not mind if that happened to your daughter lol) both of which can happen with increase in progesterone (kinda like the first few months of being pregnant).

I'm not sure about books, but all I can say is that just try your best to be supportive and understanding as it's first of all difficult to learn something like that about yourself (it will be a lifelong battle for her) and then have your hormones go all wacky due to the treatment as well. Hopefully this will level out soon, and if not, hopefully her doctor will switch it up because it doesn't have to be like that permanently!

And like everyone said, you are an awesome dad. Good for you for being so involved!

kenzietate

When I first started on birth control for my hormone therapy I basically went through puberty again. I was at college and everyone around me knew to stay away from me on certain days. I had horrible mood swings, my temper would flair at nothing (very unusual for me!), I was extremely impatient, then I would go through the sadness phase and being upset at myself for being mean to people. Luckily I had some great friends in college who are still my friends even years later lol. It sucks. I'm very glad that you are asking about this. Patience is the biggest thing. She doesn't mean any of the things she says but can't necessarily control them. The biggest thing that helped me was still being around people who understood and didn't get angry back at me!

Hormones suck when out of balance and sometimes even worse when getting back into balance. You are a great dad for trying to help!

Binkie1955

thanks so much. keep the counsel coming. My wife is reading these as well and we are following up with an endocrinologist who specializes in PCOS. any books anyone likes that we should be reading?? really appreciate the support.

mikajao

I can honestly say, in the past, I have been on Birth control and the hormones made me loopy.


I also have mood swings if I don't watch my diet. From low blood sugar.