BCP Causing PCOS??

emerson · 05-24-2006, 10:06 PM

I had regular periods all my life. At 17 I went on the pill which I have been on up until March of this year. I just didn't like taking them. Since I have been off the pill, I havn't gotten a period, so I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with PCOS ( vis ultrasound and hormone levels). My question is...Can being on the pill for so long could have caused it?? No one in my family has ever had it and I am wondering where it came from?

gerberas · 05-24-2006, 10:20 PM

hi emerson,
The same thing happened to me too, though i was on BCP for just 9 months ( started it just after i got married) I had regular periods before tht and not a single one after stopping BCP.
The gyn told me tht the BCP was actually helping me all the time and that i must have had PCOS before the pill too.
I am never going to take BCP again though, coz i think it screwed my system up real bad.

Cameryn · 05-24-2006, 11:14 PM

Same story here--longterm bcp use, but the symptoms of PCOS began to show after about 8 years on the pill for me. I truly believe they've kept my symptoms in check, as I have far fewer symptoms than most women here. My doctor actually increased the dosage in my bcp since we're child-free by choice and therefore ttc isn't an issue. I'll probably be on them til menopause. They didn't cause your PCOS, though, since they're used to manage it in women not trying to conceive.

Alliance · 05-25-2006, 04:08 AM

BCP don't cause PCOS..but being on it helps..but once you're off your symptoms usually come back worst than ever.

SurrenderedCyster · 05-25-2006, 07:23 AM

I remember going throught this when I was diagnosed back in 1997, but hadn't been officially diagnosed--I should have listened to that obgyn.
Anyway, the pill actually puts are ovaries into a dead mode doesn't it? (not sure cuz I can't take the lil suckers) I know that when I did go off them, PCOS popped up--but I highly doubt the bc pill was the cause.
You talk about your periods being normal all your life-mine were too-no pain-every 28 days-no cramps, but I was also actively in track, tennis, volleytball and tons of other sports, when I stopped all that, gained the poundage, went on the pill-then off the pill, all my crap started, so I guess it's all releated somehow. Frustrating.

violamarie · 05-25-2006, 10:51 PM

Same thing happened to me. I never missed periods in my teens, little to no acne, always very thin. Went on the pill for 2 years when I got married, then stopped. Periods stopped, acne started. For the next year, I had only 4 AFs, and 2 of them were induced with progesterone. Finally I was Dx with PCOS. I am still suspicious of BCP since no one in my family has fertilty probs, PCOS, diabetes, etc. Where did this come from? I know they say BCP help, but is it possible that they trigger the disorder in some of us who were maybe just born with a predisposition to it?

guineapig · 05-26-2006, 06:38 AM

I will go to my grave believing depo caused my PCOS. I didn't have one symptom until then, and it started at 21, many years after AF started. The progestin in the pill (and in huge quantities in the depo) is always synthetic and has been known to worsen IR from small to large degrees...IR certainly can cause PCOS. So I think it's feasible that the pill can cause, or at least worsen, PCOS. Especially if we are "predisposed."

locagirl · 05-26-2006, 06:45 AM

I dunno - I think PCOS does take a while to show in some people, as I was diagnosed (though not properly as I was showing no ovarian cysts at that point) with no other problems except hirsutism in my late teens and I'd never taken the BCP until after my testosterone imbalance had already kicked off - my periods have always been regular (I recently went off the BCP so the doc would 'see what happened' and it's still spot on 28 days and wasn't painful or anything).

michellec · 05-26-2006, 07:08 AM

hey everyone,

I only lasted 29 days on the pill - I hated it so much! I went on it about a month after we got married. It made my everyday PCOS symptoms a lot worse while being on it - fatigue in particular was so bad, I almost couldn't work and I was only working part time. Also, I normally get a mid-cycle estrogen rise but no ovulation, and irregular, but monthly periods - after the pill, even though it was only 29 days worth, I had four months of no mid-cycle estrogen rises (no temp rises) and just two periods. The first time I ever had a 40 day cycle (the longest I have had) was straight after the pill, and then it happened again in the fourth cycle off the pill. Now all of my cycles tend to be longer as well - higher 30's rather than low-mid 30's that they were before BCP.

One thing is for sure, I'm never touching those horrible little pills again!!!!

Fynralyl · 05-26-2006, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cameryn

I'll probably be on them til menopause.

Sorry to hijack the thread ladies, but I saw several of you posting statements similar to the one above and thought you might want to see this atricle:

Study Links Estrogen, Breast Cancer Risk

I posted it a few weeks ago, but I think it's very important for women on this board to be aware of, since BCP are commonly prescribed to "treat" PCOS.

While I was irregular before I went on BCPs, my cycles were much worse since coming off of them a year and a half ago. I don't know that they neccesarily caused my symptoms to worsen, but masking the symptoms (they don't actually "treat" anything, just cover them up) certainly didn't help in my case.

Personally, I think the risk is far too high to balance the benefits of being on BCP. Especially if it's an "all my life, through menopause" kinda thing. In the link above I make reference to my mother's experience with breast cancer and we believe that her being on BCP through menopause to treat undiagnosed PCOS symptoms was her trigger.

Swingin' Cyster · 05-26-2006, 05:32 PM

I am one of the anti-BCP people. I think it's a terrible drug that just masks symptoms and could probably cause PCOS. Think about it - PCOS the ovary releases egg which gets trapped on ovary and forms cyst, BCP prevents ovulation. Sound pretty similar - like taking BCP too long and PCOS can develop. Now I got PCOS all on my own and tried BCP twice but it just made ALL my problems worse. Check out these links for more information:
http://ccli.org/nfp/contraception/pill.php
http://www.omsoul.com/contraception-problems.php
~Kara

SurrenderedCyster · 05-26-2006, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fynralyl

Study Links Estrogen, Breast Cancer Risk

Thanks so much for posting this link, it is very good to know.
I long for the day when I can finally find au natural things that work for my symptoms that I personally suffer from all ths PCOS syndrome.

Again, thanks.

Jill Ann · 05-26-2006, 07:55 PM

You guys, I really recommend reading the book "What Your Dr. May Not Tell You About Premenopause....Balance Your Hormones from Ages 30 to 50" by Dr. Lee. I had to get past the idea that, at age 36, I am in Premenopause, but it does start in the 30's!!!

This book is Very eye opening....he is very against BCP because they do screw up our regular hormone levels, which will then cause a whole chain of other problems (including just about every PCOS symptom there is).

He also talks about how things like diet, environmental toxins, lack of exercize, and stress send our hormone levels out of whack and cause all of those horrible symptoms (just like PCOS symptoms).

violamarie · 05-26-2006, 10:10 PM

I'm glad they are others out there who have their suspicions. I'm sure the pill is fine for most people, but for those of us who have a certain gene buried somewhere... maybe the interference with our system is just enough to kick it off. I guess we'll never know for sure. But I for one feel a lot more comfortable with the Metformin route. At least I feel that that gets more at the root of the problem.

Alliance · 05-27-2006, 04:41 AM

Okay once again BCP does not make you have PCOS...but they do aggarvate the symptoms and makes them worst.