1WAY's picture
1WAY
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Serious question

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I'm going to start by saying I'm a male, and I'm already uncomfortable posting anything in the female section. Also, I'm hoping this is the correct place to post this. This isn't steroid related, but I cannot imagine a better place to get an answer for this question so I'm hoping you ladies can help me out here. Here goes:

So it literally runs in my family to have a large, athletic frame. It also runs in my family to be very hairy. Personally, I'm extremely hairy and I hate it, but I'm a guy so it's whatever. However, I have a younger sister. She also is very athletic. She's about 5'8" and has been doing phenomenal in track as a thrower. She's 15 years old, in 9th grade, and won districts in shot put by a landslide. She's not heavy, just somewhat large framed but muscular. I'm guessing she weighs 160 or so, but probably around 15 percent bodyfat. She looks like if she started doing CrossFit she would have a similar frame and build as Brooke Wells. Unfortunately she's very self conscious of her physique and feels she looks like a man because she's in school with a bunch of small "normal" sized girls. And she says she's also very hairy. Because of this she had our mother take her to the doctor to see what her testosterone levels are. The results said her test levels are 47ng/dL (free test was 8.5 pg/ml) and estrogen was 141.8pg/ml. The doctor said the highest test levels for a 15 year old female should be less than 33 (and highest free test should be 3.9), and the doc said since her level is so high she will likely develop ovarian cancer, not be able to have children, and/or develop PCOS. So.....what do you guys think? Have any of you ever had serum tests done at a young age? Anyone with similar "problems" as a teenager? Is this even a problem? The doctor recommended putting her on birth control or something else to "help" reduce test levels. I'm just afraid she's too self conscious and is worrying about something that every teenage girl probably worries about, and as a result is going to be put on a drug to reduce her test levels, potentially raise estrogen and cause her to be lethargic and gain some weight, all the while loosing strength and not doing as well as an athlete. All because she thinks she's too hairy....c'mon ladies, tell me what's going on here. Is it true that these levels are too high for her? Is she going to develop problems from a test levels of 47?

kodiakGRRL's picture

I can tell you that the doctor is going to cover his ass and he's going to list the things that 'could' go wrong .... I know being a teenager sucks and when you look different it sucks too. I am a lot older now and I would tell your sister to do what she loves to do and if being an athlete is something that she loves she would embrace what comes with it ..... as for the hair ... that's why god invented Nair, shaving cream, razor blades, and when's she's older electrolysis. I can't say I had serum tests when I was her age mostly because it wasn't done unless there was a 'problem' .... I am a big fan of if it ain't broke then don't fix it, and while I believe general practitioners have a place in medicine my personal belief is that if they aren't an expert in the endocrine system then they should be making referrals instead of prescribing hormones. keep in mind that those levels the doc is suggesting are averages and that people can do and will function just fine outside of those averages. I hope your sister figures this out and does what she loves doing, learns that fitting in is all a bunch of bullshit and that she works at becoming the best self she can be

1WAY's picture

I feel the exact same way as you. Thanks for your input, honestly I appreciate it.

kodiakGRRL's picture

anytime