Going off the pill?

sashimi · 04-25-2005, 07:09 PM

Hey,

I was wondering if anyone has any advice for me. I'm 23 and I was diagnosed a couple years ago, but am only really learning about PCOS now.

I was on Diane35 for a couple of years, and I went off it in December because of the concerns regarding long-term use (insulin, blots clots, etc.)

Anyway, I've been kind of surprised by the results. While the hairiness has increased

, my last four periods have appeared like clockwork. I *never* had periods more frequently than once every two or three months, so this is really weird. Has anyone had the same thing happen? Did it last, or did they eventually go away?

Also, I've been trying to lose weight for a few years, but only half-heartedly, as I'm still in (the upper end of) the "healthy" range and it's not a huge concern. In the past it hasn't been successful, but since I went off the pill I've lost over 15 pounds in four months without any real increase in effort. Did anyone have this happen to them? It's great, but seems kind of odd.

Any idea what could cause this and whether the two could be related?

Thanks!
Andrea

toriamae · 04-26-2005, 06:30 PM

My experience, when I went off yasmin, was that the periods did eventually go away. At first I was fine (for a few months) but then I started going to longer and longer cycles, till finally I was 90 days without AF and had to get provera. However, I was also gaining weight during this time, so that might also have something to do with it.
I find I just feel better when I am on yasmin then off.

HTH.

Tori

Fleegle4 · 05-08-2005, 08:05 PM

In my case, I was put on the pill twice by my gyno. The first time was when I was diagnosed with PCOS in 1999. I had no idea about PCOS -- I just finally decided to see the doctor about not having had a period in quite some time. (Not having a period is one of those things that mentally I knew was a bad thing, but did I really miss it....?). I had always been regular in my teen years and early 20s, but in my late 20s I had gotten irregular. I had also gained 90 pounds (I'm still convinced that going on inhaled steroids jumpstarted my PCOS) at about the same time. When she did some bloodtests and diagnosed the PCOS, I did some research and I realized that all kinds of health problems I had been having were all interrelated and part of the lovely mess that is PCOS. What I did do was turn to a rigorous low-carb diet, which I had read was helpful, and the pill. I had to try a couple, but settled on LoOvral (no breakthrough bleeding)

After about 8 months, I had lost 70 pounds, putting me within the "normal" weight for my height, and I hated the way I felt on the pill, so I decided to go off them and see what happened. I was completely regular for ages, until I decided to be over-zealous in dieting and lose another 40 pounds, putting me underweight for my height. My periods stopped again, so I went back to the doctor and back on LoOvral. I also got sent to a place where I could not eat very low-carb, and I put on 50 pounds in three months (and that's WITH lots of exercise). However, I decided to chuck the pills again to see what happened as I was back in "normal" range for me, and I was back to being regular like clockwork.

Recently, I went back to the doctor to go on the pill for actual birth control, so we'll see how this goes. I'm switching pills -- LoOvral had no breakthrough bleeding, but it also lead to no libido. Ovcon was a problem with breakthrough bleeding, so now I'm about to start Yasmin.

To make this long story short, yes the pill has been known to jumpstart normal menstrual cycles. Have you made other changes at the same time to address some of the underlying problems of PCOS -- have you changed your diet, gone on metformin, lost weight? In my case, my PCOS only manifests at extremes, but if I don't feed my body sugars and starches and keep my weight normal, my cycles are completely regular.