Been on the pill for 9 yrs...how (physically) can I have PCOS?

tess987 · 07-29-2005, 05:39 PM

Hi Cysters,

This may be an incrediblly obvious question, and if it is, please justs chalk it up to it being Friday and my brain shut off...

I am now 27, and have been on BCPs of one kind or another since I was 18. I was first diagnosed with PCOS about 3 years ago when my OBGYN saw cysts on my ovaries.

The thing that I am wondering though is...if, at the time of diagnosis, I had been on the pill for over 6 years, and therefore wasn't ovulating for 6 years, how could I have the cysts around my ovaries?

My dr. told me that we develop the cysts when an egg fails to leave with our AF, and then adheres to the outside of our ovary. But I wasn't producing eggs since I was about 18...so how is this possible?

anyone have any thoughts on this?

lissadell · 07-29-2005, 06:23 PM

BCPs don't cure PCOS, they only help manage the symptoms (for some of us. I know some cysters don't really get much help from some BCPs). It's possible you may have had the cysts since before you were on BCPs (BCPs can help shrink them or get rid of them, but may not get rid of them entirely).

Actually, I don't think it's really correct to base a diagnosis of PCOS on an u/s showing ovarian cysts done while you're on BCPs. You can have cysts on your ovaries and not have PCOS, or have PCOS but not cysts on your ovaries. What you really need is bloodwork to assess your androgens (testosterone and DHEAS levels) when you're not on BCPs (b/c BCPs will definitely skew the results).