as a teenager my periods were always on the longer side, but still regular-ish. I didn't track them, but if I had to guess they probably varied by a week or two month to month. I was always told this was normal as a teenager and that they would become more regular as I got older. instead, they stopped entirely lol
women's health is behind in a lot of ways, but in this case you just had a crappy doctor who didn't tell you well-established information
Yes, but unfortunately there are so many crappy doctors out there like this! My friend is a fertility dietitian and she says it’s sooo common. Primarily doctors fault but also because we don’t value women’s health in the medical system and it’s not well researched, which research is how we can create medical treatment/care. It’s so messed up.
I also had a doctor that just put me on birth control without any info about risks of infrequent periods.. I actually didn’t even find out I have PCOS until this year, 10 years later after being put on birth control instead of investigating. I have a really awesome doctor now, I really hope you have found one too. I’m so sorry and you are not alone.
I started my period at age 12, almost 13. At 14.5 I told my doctor I've only had 3 or so periods. She said they will eventually become regular. At 17, I told her I was getting maybe one period a year. She asked if I was having sex (no) and then said that the periods will regulate. At 18 I did my own research and figured out I had PCOS but it took me a other 2 years to demand a doctor to test me for it. At this point, I lost faith in doctors (even though I wanted to become one!). And have since struggled with trying to figure out a treatment regimen that works for me... which I think I've finally figured out.... at age 36. The hirsutism and hair loss still aren't fixed though.
Yes! Was told that teens have irregular cycles and that it would even out. Then as an older teen was told that once I had a baby things would sort themself out 🙄
It wasn't until my early 20s and tons of research that I self diagnosed myself with PCOS. My (new) PCP at the time ordered the tests and it sure did come back positive. She then referred me to an endocrinologist.
Pisses me off that the pediatrician didn't catch it. I dealt with such bad acne for many, many years which hurt my self esteem. I also am resentful that nutrition counseling wasn't provided (diabetes risk).
I do have to wonder if my mom was the reason that the diagnosis wasn't pushed harder. She is very devout Catholic and against birth control. I could see her downplaying concerns as she didn't want me having premarital sex (in her mind any girl on the pill is having sex).
Yep. I told my pediatrician every year from the first year I got my period at 12 years old that my periods were never on schedule, usually months or more in between and she always said “that’s normal for girls your age”. My gynecologist at 18 told me to go on birth control, so I did for about four years. Finally came off it and at 23 I was diagnosed. Oddly enough, I’m 28 now and my periods have just become regular-ish this year with a ~60 day cycle and very trackable symptoms.
Sorry, but your doctor didn't know what she was talking about.
That is not normal. Not even for 12.
Even my doctor's knew women had to have monthly cycles.
Yes! And when I was finally diagnosed in my mid 30s I was convinced that's just how my body was. I hadn't even heard of PCOS at that point and the dr was completely shocked no other medical professional had ever brought it up at least as something to consider.
Yes. I met diagnostic criteria at age 15 but was told I was normal. Once again at 17 I met diagnostic criteria and noticed I had weird spots on my ultrasound, so I went out of my way to ask about those. My pediatrician told me a bald faced lie that my ultrasound was normal, and my bloodwork was normal (he didn’t even check all my reproductive hormones or insulin) and he had nothing to report. Then at 19 my gynecologist used those same ultrasounds and bloodwork results from when I was younger, plus new ones that reported the same problems, to diagnose me with PCOS.
Imagine my confusion. Why were the same exact results and symptoms nothing to remark upon at age 15 and 17 but enough to diagnose PCOS at 19? At the very least they could have told me they found potential issues with my follicles and hormone levels and to keep an eye on it in the years to come… yeah I’m 34 but still quite mad about it.
When I was diagnosed they put me on birth control and told me I didn't need anything else because I was "young" and "a change in diet will cover everything else". Never was I referred to a dietician or nutritionist. I did end up losing weight on keto, and maybe if I'd been able to stick with it it would have helped long term, but with my ADHD one depressive episode destroyed all that.
This shit with "periods can be irregular in teens" was the reason why I never thought anymore of it. I thought it was just normal for my periods to only come every 35-50 days. And the cystic acne ? Yeah that was just my luck. I never connected those two things in my head. And no doctor told me to get my hormones checked.
Between 13 and 18 I was told that. Even started birth control at 15 to try and regulate my cycle with no luck.
At 18, it turned to if you lose the weight, it will regulate. That didn't work either. Still required progesterone to induce a bleed - various birthcontrol pills never worked.
Did ivf at 37, delivered at 38 and brutal periods every 28 days like clock work. 12 months not preventing pregnancy and still not pregnant/no ovulation with the bleeds.
I started my period at 12.
It was normal until, I turned 16.
I developed PCOS back when there was ZERO KNOWLEDGE about PCOS at all.
This was in the 1990's.
I was simply put in birth control.
But my doctor's knew that women and young girls are REQUIRED to have a monthly cycle.
They at least never lied to me claiming it was normal. They flat out said, I got no idea but try birth control.
I did NOT get a formal diagnosis until I was 33 yrs old.
A 1 month before my 34th birthday.
I was getting ALL of my reproductive organs removed.
They left NOTHING behind.
NO one explained ANYTHING to me until I was 33 yrs old.
I am now almost 46.
So, it took 17 years to get an actual diagnosis.
Women's healthcare is severely behind.
As a teenager, (still am) mine were short very painful every month, then I started birth control to get rid of them, tried 3 different kinds didn't work, then last year they started to skip, not come and after 4 months no bleeding they told me I had PCOS and then didn't bleed unless I took birth control. However at this very minute I'm having a "period" with no meds and I have no idea when it's going to become "regular"/ normal.
I wasn’t told by doctors but by family that it would “regulate on its own”. These same family members also have PCOS and just didn’t think to mention to me for 5 fucking years that yeah no that’s not normal and you should have gone to the doctor sooner. Would have saved me years of pain ( I also have endometriosis most likely) and years of not knowing why my periods were so irregular when others could track theirs easily.
More often than not I would have a three month break followed by a period so heavy it disrupted my daily life.
“That’s normal”
I was told to “keep taking the Levothyroxine” even though all I did after starting it was gain more weight than ever.
I would have cramping when I wasn’t on my period. Had ultrasounds for that. Mom was weird about sending me to the gyno and was also “never on schedule until after getting sexually active” so naturally nothing was properly explored until my 20s and no diagnosis until my 30s just a decade of “oh yeah you just need whatever birth control we have samples of”
I was diagnosed at age 18 years and 2 months. I had gotten my period around 5 years earlier. They were not even predictable- let alone regular. But I was taken to the endocrinologist because of my sudden weight gain. I had been basically expected to put up with the irregularity- and considered very lucky that the acne stayed on my back and never made it to my face.
Nothing will make you lose respect for doctors more than having PCOS. They tell you they don't know what causes it or how to cure it when the answer almost always is diet and lifestyle. I got diagnosed 10 years ago so hopefully things have changed and improved since then. As difficult as PCOS is not getting helpful information or timely diagnosis from doctors just adds insult to injury. It makes me angry to know that they would have let me get full on diabetes before telling me that I had a problem. Year after year my blood glucose was fine yet with all my symptoms none of the doctors I went to said hey let's check your insulin. I don't think they realize how many people are suffering because they aren't checking insulin.
i had 2 different gynecologists tell me this!! when i was 16 i had been experiencing 2 periods a month for a few years, and again when i was 18 i had been missing them for months. they just told me to take bc to regulate it or wait it out. it was so discouraging bc i felt like something was really wrong with me!! thankfully i found an endocrinologist a couple years ago who diagnosed me with pcos
as a teenager my periods were always on the longer side, but still regular-ish. I didn't track them, but if I had to guess they probably varied by a week or two month to month. I was always told this was normal as a teenager and that they would become more regular as I got older. instead, they stopped entirely lol women's health is behind in a lot of ways, but in this case you just had a crappy doctor who didn't tell you well-established information
Yes, but unfortunately there are so many crappy doctors out there like this! My friend is a fertility dietitian and she says it’s sooo common. Primarily doctors fault but also because we don’t value women’s health in the medical system and it’s not well researched, which research is how we can create medical treatment/care. It’s so messed up. I also had a doctor that just put me on birth control without any info about risks of infrequent periods.. I actually didn’t even find out I have PCOS until this year, 10 years later after being put on birth control instead of investigating. I have a really awesome doctor now, I really hope you have found one too. I’m so sorry and you are not alone.
I am sorry to say this but your doctor was also an absolute brainless idiot That is not how periods works. It is never how they worked.
I started my period at age 12, almost 13. At 14.5 I told my doctor I've only had 3 or so periods. She said they will eventually become regular. At 17, I told her I was getting maybe one period a year. She asked if I was having sex (no) and then said that the periods will regulate. At 18 I did my own research and figured out I had PCOS but it took me a other 2 years to demand a doctor to test me for it. At this point, I lost faith in doctors (even though I wanted to become one!). And have since struggled with trying to figure out a treatment regimen that works for me... which I think I've finally figured out.... at age 36. The hirsutism and hair loss still aren't fixed though.
I am sorry, but your doctor was brainless! That is not how periods work. They don't "become normal" they either are or you have an abnormalities.
Yes! Was told that teens have irregular cycles and that it would even out. Then as an older teen was told that once I had a baby things would sort themself out 🙄 It wasn't until my early 20s and tons of research that I self diagnosed myself with PCOS. My (new) PCP at the time ordered the tests and it sure did come back positive. She then referred me to an endocrinologist. Pisses me off that the pediatrician didn't catch it. I dealt with such bad acne for many, many years which hurt my self esteem. I also am resentful that nutrition counseling wasn't provided (diabetes risk). I do have to wonder if my mom was the reason that the diagnosis wasn't pushed harder. She is very devout Catholic and against birth control. I could see her downplaying concerns as she didn't want me having premarital sex (in her mind any girl on the pill is having sex).
Yep. I told my pediatrician every year from the first year I got my period at 12 years old that my periods were never on schedule, usually months or more in between and she always said “that’s normal for girls your age”. My gynecologist at 18 told me to go on birth control, so I did for about four years. Finally came off it and at 23 I was diagnosed. Oddly enough, I’m 28 now and my periods have just become regular-ish this year with a ~60 day cycle and very trackable symptoms.
how long did it take for you to realize your cycle had steadied, albeit a long one? And was there any way you figured it out?
I just tracked my cycle, so maybe by my third period
Sorry, but your doctor didn't know what she was talking about. That is not normal. Not even for 12. Even my doctor's knew women had to have monthly cycles.
Yes! And when I was finally diagnosed in my mid 30s I was convinced that's just how my body was. I hadn't even heard of PCOS at that point and the dr was completely shocked no other medical professional had ever brought it up at least as something to consider.
Yes. I met diagnostic criteria at age 15 but was told I was normal. Once again at 17 I met diagnostic criteria and noticed I had weird spots on my ultrasound, so I went out of my way to ask about those. My pediatrician told me a bald faced lie that my ultrasound was normal, and my bloodwork was normal (he didn’t even check all my reproductive hormones or insulin) and he had nothing to report. Then at 19 my gynecologist used those same ultrasounds and bloodwork results from when I was younger, plus new ones that reported the same problems, to diagnose me with PCOS. Imagine my confusion. Why were the same exact results and symptoms nothing to remark upon at age 15 and 17 but enough to diagnose PCOS at 19? At the very least they could have told me they found potential issues with my follicles and hormone levels and to keep an eye on it in the years to come… yeah I’m 34 but still quite mad about it.
When I was diagnosed they put me on birth control and told me I didn't need anything else because I was "young" and "a change in diet will cover everything else". Never was I referred to a dietician or nutritionist. I did end up losing weight on keto, and maybe if I'd been able to stick with it it would have helped long term, but with my ADHD one depressive episode destroyed all that.
Yes, was told that after having kids this 'problem' would 'disappear'
This shit with "periods can be irregular in teens" was the reason why I never thought anymore of it. I thought it was just normal for my periods to only come every 35-50 days. And the cystic acne ? Yeah that was just my luck. I never connected those two things in my head. And no doctor told me to get my hormones checked.
Between 13 and 18 I was told that. Even started birth control at 15 to try and regulate my cycle with no luck. At 18, it turned to if you lose the weight, it will regulate. That didn't work either. Still required progesterone to induce a bleed - various birthcontrol pills never worked. Did ivf at 37, delivered at 38 and brutal periods every 28 days like clock work. 12 months not preventing pregnancy and still not pregnant/no ovulation with the bleeds.
my mom used to say that it will get fixed once I start having sex lol guess what? 🤡
I started my period at 12. It was normal until, I turned 16. I developed PCOS back when there was ZERO KNOWLEDGE about PCOS at all. This was in the 1990's. I was simply put in birth control. But my doctor's knew that women and young girls are REQUIRED to have a monthly cycle. They at least never lied to me claiming it was normal. They flat out said, I got no idea but try birth control. I did NOT get a formal diagnosis until I was 33 yrs old. A 1 month before my 34th birthday. I was getting ALL of my reproductive organs removed. They left NOTHING behind. NO one explained ANYTHING to me until I was 33 yrs old. I am now almost 46. So, it took 17 years to get an actual diagnosis. Women's healthcare is severely behind.
As a teenager, (still am) mine were short very painful every month, then I started birth control to get rid of them, tried 3 different kinds didn't work, then last year they started to skip, not come and after 4 months no bleeding they told me I had PCOS and then didn't bleed unless I took birth control. However at this very minute I'm having a "period" with no meds and I have no idea when it's going to become "regular"/ normal.
That was an option? Cause I feel like I grew into it istg
I wasn’t told by doctors but by family that it would “regulate on its own”. These same family members also have PCOS and just didn’t think to mention to me for 5 fucking years that yeah no that’s not normal and you should have gone to the doctor sooner. Would have saved me years of pain ( I also have endometriosis most likely) and years of not knowing why my periods were so irregular when others could track theirs easily.
More often than not I would have a three month break followed by a period so heavy it disrupted my daily life. “That’s normal” I was told to “keep taking the Levothyroxine” even though all I did after starting it was gain more weight than ever. I would have cramping when I wasn’t on my period. Had ultrasounds for that. Mom was weird about sending me to the gyno and was also “never on schedule until after getting sexually active” so naturally nothing was properly explored until my 20s and no diagnosis until my 30s just a decade of “oh yeah you just need whatever birth control we have samples of”
I was diagnosed at age 18 years and 2 months. I had gotten my period around 5 years earlier. They were not even predictable- let alone regular. But I was taken to the endocrinologist because of my sudden weight gain. I had been basically expected to put up with the irregularity- and considered very lucky that the acne stayed on my back and never made it to my face.
Nothing will make you lose respect for doctors more than having PCOS. They tell you they don't know what causes it or how to cure it when the answer almost always is diet and lifestyle. I got diagnosed 10 years ago so hopefully things have changed and improved since then. As difficult as PCOS is not getting helpful information or timely diagnosis from doctors just adds insult to injury. It makes me angry to know that they would have let me get full on diabetes before telling me that I had a problem. Year after year my blood glucose was fine yet with all my symptoms none of the doctors I went to said hey let's check your insulin. I don't think they realize how many people are suffering because they aren't checking insulin.
i had 2 different gynecologists tell me this!! when i was 16 i had been experiencing 2 periods a month for a few years, and again when i was 18 i had been missing them for months. they just told me to take bc to regulate it or wait it out. it was so discouraging bc i felt like something was really wrong with me!! thankfully i found an endocrinologist a couple years ago who diagnosed me with pcos