Would it be possible for a young girl who has had type 1 diabetes for approximately four years to develop PCOS that could complicate control (insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, ruptured ovarian cysts, etc.? Her mother has gynecologic issues, and her father has premature male pattern baldness.

There is theoretically no reason why someone can’t have both classical type 1 diabetes caused by the pancreas failing and making too little insulin in addition to problems responding normally to insulin (insulin resistance) associated with features seen in type 2 diabetes, the metabolic syndrome, or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. The person could be resistant to either insulin made by their own pancreas or insulin injected in a syringe.

Some of these individuals might benefit from both classical treatment of type 1 diabetes with injected insulin and treatment with oral hypoglycemic agents used to treat type 2 diabetes/metabolic syndrome/polycystic ovary syndrome. These oral medications, such as metformin, help insulin work better whether it is their own insulin or injected insulin.

TGL