thirty_three

hi, i'm new here and was just recently diagnosed with pcos. i was prescribed apri (the generic of desogen) and have been on it for a week now. my doctor told me that it should help with the male-pattern hair growth i have (facial, abdomen, etc.). i'm not expecting any sort of immediate results or anything, but i was just wondering if anyone has had any sort of luck with birth control in reducing/getting rid of hair problems. i noticed all the threads focused on getting rid of unwanted hair and it made me a little less optimistic that BC would help.

SashaMcGuire

Hi,

I can tell you my experience anyway. I had hair on my abdomen as a young teenager and started noticing facial & chest hair in my late teens. I went on birth control pills in my early twenties. It wasn't until I had electrolysis in my late twenties that I got rid of the abdomen hair (for good). The facial hair etc. stayed away as long as I was on the BCP. I went off BCP to have my kids (2) and each time I would have regrowth of the facial hair and a few strays on my chest would come back. I'm now in my forties and didn't want to be on BCP because of the cardiovascular risks. I had begun having significant regrowth on my face and hair loss on my scalp (great!). I started spironolactone (an anti androgen) and I've had laser on my face as well. I'm having quite good results with this combo in fighting the facial hair. I've read on these posts that many see reduced hair growth with the spiro alone. Maybe worth talking to your doctor. It sounds like it is a pretty standard drug for fighting hirsutism. Bottom line is my experience with BCP was that they didn't help make the hair that I had go away but as long as I was taking them I wouldn't have any new growth. Good luck and keep plugging away until you find something that works for you.

funkydiva77

I was on Diane 35 for bout 7mths but stopped because of serious side effects. BCP definately helps but it doesnt stop it completely. I realise now that it was working a little because when I was taking it I had thick dark hair growing on just one breast but when I stopped BCPs I had several more appear and the same amount appeared on the other breast, so I know BCP definately helps. Arrrgh makes your lip hair come back thicker and longer too :rollmyeyes:

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joyblack

It will probably help as long as you keep taking it. One negative effect, however, is that with many women the body detects the rising levels of estrogen and reduces what natural estrogen is actually produced and then when you come off the bcp the body may be slow to increase natural estrogen production or may not restart natural estrogen production at all. You have "male-pattern" hair growth at the moment and that is probably what is natural for you (and for many others of us). That is partly because of fetal exposure to testosterone which has sensitized your body to respond to testosterone in the same way as males do, and partly because of a current testosterone to estrogen balance which is nearer that typical of males than that typical of females. Shifting the balance towards that which is typical of females will help the problem, but only temporarily. The natural tendency towards the male-type balance that's normal for your own body will always be there but can be counteracted by bcps or other drugs which will alter the balance as long as you take them.