Doctor said Nuvaring wouldn't work for PCOS, is this true for my other soulcysters?

Trickster_Leecha · 10-28-2009, 12:17 AM

I am in the process of trying to get onto birth control because my spiroloctane hasn't been very helpful with hair issues or acne, so I am willing to now try BC because I never had issues with it in the past (DH is worried that it will affect my fertility even more down the line and also change my "body chemistry" but anything has to be better than being more manly in aspects than him).

My question for you ladies is, does the Nuvaring help you with your PCOS related issues? I.E. Cysts, hair, acne, etc.

My doctor stated that she felt the Nuvaring was not a high enough dose of estrogen to help counteract the excessive testosterone in women with PCOS, so I wanted to come to my fellow ladies for real answers.

Side note, did any of you have adverse reactions to it, such as weight gain (it is suppose to help that not happen, at least from what i remember), increased cramping, cystic acne, etc.

Thanks for all of your comments in advance, I know I can turn to my soul cysters!

GovtProf · 11-01-2009, 12:49 PM

I was on nuvaring for two years and loved it! It did help with my "outward" signs of PCOS. I stopped nuvaring because it was too expensive and an now on the generic for ortho-tri-cyclen lo. I did have weight gain with the nuvaring, but, I gain weight anytime I am on birth control.

buggeek · 11-02-2009, 02:50 AM

I've only been on NuvaRing two weeks. My DR recommended it before I was diagnosed because I asked about the arm implant and she said THAT wouldn't help me any because you eventually stop having periods on it. Since my diagnosis I've been attempting to get back in touch with my Dr but she has yet to return my calls. So far, my acne has been a little better than it was when I was off BC completely. It is not as deep or painful as it was during the non-hormone weeks. However, it is definitely still there. It's too soon to tell whether I've gained any weight on it.

However, I love NuvaRing so far. Mostly I like not having to remember to take a pill, but it never slips and I completely forget its there. If you find anything more out about it, I'd love to know. I'll definitely ask my Dr whether it will be helpful for treating PCOS if I can ever get in touch with her!

sue_trask · 11-02-2009, 04:27 AM

i was on it until it effected the headaches i started to get. they werent from the bcp at all. found out later its due to fibro but a another story lol .

it help my pcos and its wierd they said that. at the time, the doc at the pcos clinic i go to, said they used it for pcos and found it worked the great for pcos.

i loved it. i would use it again if it didnt effect my headaches. other then that i had no sysptoms of anything

July · 11-02-2009, 08:30 AM

Well, maybe its' because I have low estrogen, but my acne started to play up after I switched from microgynon to nuvaring. It wasn't too bad, but it was worse than before because I didn't have acne when on microgynon. On the other hand, when I later went back on microgynon I still had the acne, so it could be that it was a total coincidence that I got acne after switching anticonception. I would just try it if I were you! Do you really need a prescription for it? Good luck!

yuki.yummy · 11-03-2009, 07:12 PM

No bcp "helps" PCOS, just regulates periods and relieves some signs of high androgen levels. In some cases (like mine) the only reason is to regulate periods since the only ones I can tolerate are ones with high androgen levels. The Nuva Ring has high androgen level, which some people find exacerbates symptoms like oily skin, acne, and hair growth (I am on Loesrtin, the highest androgen pill, I have not experienced this, so its not set in stone that it will happen) Not having periods, even skipping a few, puts you at an exponentially higher risk for reproductive cancers because all of that lining builds up. Just regulating periods can be a MAJOR benefit.

As for helping the root cause of PCOS, that is Metformin's job. This reduces your insulin resistance and helps you lose abdominal fat... the main causes of PCOS.

sue_trask · 11-03-2009, 07:40 PM

met dont help pcos. atleast in my case it doesnt. im not the only one that met doesnt work with. met isnt the wonder drug everyone says it is. it did nothing for me. i got nothing benfit from it and wont go back on it

yuki.yummy · 11-03-2009, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sue_trask

met dont help pcos.

I had loads of benefit from mine! I have lost so much weight from my stomach that I have never been able to before and my insulin and DHEA levels have decreased dramatically. My GYN told me that the root cause of PCOS is IR, which causes, is caused by, and exacerbated by stomach fat, which causes, is caused by, and exacerbated by excess androgens like testosterone and DHEA(PCOS)
So you can see the never ending chain reaction circle here. Met is made to lower insulin in insulin resistant and type 2 diabetic people and helps you lose loads of weight. So by losing the IR and the fat, you break that snowballing circle, therefore eliminating the root causes of PCOS.

sue_trask · 11-03-2009, 10:06 PM

cause of pcos? the reason i have pcos so bad is due to genes. i got pcos cause i inherent it from both sides. met isnt the be all and end all meds. never was and never will be. there for some meds wont work for all ppl. just how it is with every illiness there is.

yuki.yummy · 11-04-2009, 08:08 PM

k. Now let us get back to the topic, shall we?