My 19-yr-old daughter had a physical today and one of the questions the doctor asked her was, "Have you ever had trouble growing your leg hair?" We are all baffled as to the reason for such a question! Does anyone out there know why a doc would ask this? We're dying of curiosity!!
2006-12-26 11:39:08 · 24 answers · asked by wise-woman 2 in Health ➔ Women's Health
She is really healthy- it was a routine physical. The doctor was a woman, not a man.
2006-12-26 11:57:27 · update #1
Ah! Trouble growing leg hair is a *classic* symptom of low thyroid hormone levels, which often goes underdiagnosed in women. Low thyroid is also a very common contidion in women.
More than likely, your doctor was just checking for sypmtoms of hormone imbalances, as there are several that can cause abnormal hair growth - but low thyroid in particular causes difficulty growing leg hair.
2006-12-26 19:52:46 · answer #1 · answered by The Sarah Fish 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Your hair, skin, and nails are all made out of the same fibrous protein:keratin. Maybe the doctor was trying to find out if she had a nutrient deficiency. Away doctors tell if a patient is not eating properly is the little white marks that show up on fingernails. It signals a lack of certain vitamins and nutrients. Maybe it's the same story with body hair growth.
2006-12-26 11:44:29 · answer #2 · answered by §чﺀﺀчβчﻯ†a 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Huh. My doctor never asked me that...
It might have to do with her skin. Not being able to grow hair on the legs, armpits and other regions could be a sign of a skin disorder. It may have been his/her way of asking to see if there could be any skin disorders.
Another thing could be checking on your daughter's development. The bane of all girls who've gone through puberty is getting hair down there and on their legs, so it could have been a way of asking if she's got hair in all those embarrassing places without actually asking about the embarrassing places.
But other than that...I have no idea!
2006-12-26 11:43:30 · answer #3 · answered by Ai-chan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unless you ask him you may never find out. That is a weird question to ask. Especially to ask a 19 year old who i assume has been shaving her legs of a while is very odd. Unless he is thinking there is something wrong with her growing her leg hair. I think it is time to change Dr. You may want to notify the AMA. This is not a normal exam to do on a young lady. I'd be leery of this Dr. there's no telling what intentions he may have had. Hope this helps lots of luck.
2006-12-26 13:07:03 · answer #4 · answered by jmc 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If a woman has a lot of leg hair it means your estrogen is not getting around the fat cells and that the testosterone is more dominant and usually occurs when a woman is heavy set. it also makes it harder to be pregnant so maybe the doctor might think she has too much estrogen? just a thought . the doctor mentioned something about this to me at my last appointment
2006-12-26 11:43:12 · answer #5 · answered by undercovernudist 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A hormone-related question.
Leg hair growth is caused by testosterone. Low testosterone / high estrogen levels lead to many girls having no leg hair at all. Generally considered an advantage as it's an indication of femininity.
2006-12-26 13:19:34 · answer #6 · answered by Feinschmecker 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that is really strange. you should call the doctor back and ask why he/she asked that. based on the docs answer you should then decide if you ever want to go back to them again.
that's wierd!!! it would be one thing if hair on the head wasn't growing...but leg hair?!? some people just don't have a lot of leg hair, so i am not sure why they would ask that question and base any diagnosis on it.
if the doc doesn't give you a good answer on this one report them to the medical board or whatever there is for that in your area.
2006-12-26 11:42:07 · answer #7 · answered by curious_One 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It could be related to hormonal function - lack of leg hair might indicate some kind of hormonal dysfunction. At least, that's my guess. If you really want to know, ask the doctor!
2006-12-26 11:41:49 · answer #8 · answered by Paul H 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
properly, this hairless section, could be a hormonal imbalance. inspite of the actual shown fact that, in some situations the friction the pants you positioned on against your legs chafe your legs somewhat and reasons hair to fall out... wish this replaced into of help!
2016-10-06 01:27:42 · answer #9 · answered by hobin 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Umm, I think he might ask about it to see at what time her body started hitting puberty, since the leg skin starts to darken. She might not be completely finished yet and he was just trying to map it out or something?
2006-12-26 11:41:31 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋