It is not common that a prepubescent female would be diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome.In most situations, girls who have not yet had their first menstrual period (also known as menarche), do not experience the symptoms typical of PCOS such as:
irregular periods
abnormal hair growth
elevated androgen levels
However, there are circumstances where a young girl would go through puberty much earlier than normal.
This is known as precocious puberty and is usually diagnosed when a child enters puberty before the age of 8 for girls and the age of 9 for boys.
One study published in Fertility and Sterility in January of 2009, looked at the prevalence of PCOS in young women who had undergone precocious puberty. Researchers found that women with precocious puberty are “prone to developing PCOS”.
A PCOS diagnosis is less common in adolescents since irregular menstrual cycles due to fluctuating hormones can happen for some time. However, it is very much possible for PCOS to become symptomatic during adolescence since at least 5% of reproductive-age women are affected by chronic hyperandrogenism (too many hormones) and oligo-anovulation (infrequent, irregular or absent ovulation).
Some common signs of PCOS include:
Irregular periods, or too frequent, close together periods, or the absence of periods
Excess hair on your face or other parts of your body, referred to as hirsutism (her-suit-is-em)
Acne on the face and body
Obesity, weight gain or trouble losing weight (or all three at once)
Patches of dark skin (particularly on the back of your neck), this condition is called acanthosis nigricans.
Research suggests that PCOS may run in families.
It may also be related to the production of too much insulin in the body, which signals the ovaries to release extra male hormones (androgens).