If you have PCOS?? Yes definatly.
If you have PCOS, your androgens ie your free testosterone is probably higher than it normally would be if you didn't have it.
eg mine is 14 where normal would be 1 to 8. This is usually caused by SHBG being low. Its complicated so I won't go into it any more than that.
SO to work on reducing the Free Testosterone, would be to work on reducing insulin resistance so I would reccommend the following: Its what I have just started doing. I'm 175ibs at 5 foot 8 and want to be down to 60kgs 135LBs or 65kgs if I can't get to 60kgs :0)
a) losing weight even if you are only a little over weight (my current goal but easier said than done hey, i work full time and always feel so mentall tired and drained afte work even though I've been sitting on at my desk the whole day)
b) Low GI foods and exercising alot.
C) Taking Metformin
Spiro is good for lowering T in general, but cant' be TTC or not on pill to take this.
Yasmin is good but my Endo said Yasmin or the pill in general can make IR worse so she did not want to put me on that at the moment. Just met combinded with weightloss and exercise.
If you have PCOS?? Yes definatly.
If you have PCOS, your androgens ie your free testosterone is probably higher than it normally would be if you didn't have it.
SO to work on reducing the Free Testosterone, would be to work on reducing insulin resistance so I would reccommend the following:
b) Low GI foods and exercising alot.
C) Taking Metformin
I have traditional PCOS (anovulatory, increased androgens, no insulin resistance)
I still experienced elevated Androgens and hair loss. Metformin does lower my Testosterone a bit, but my body also needed an anti-androgen (Flutamide) to work on the DHT. My hair loss stopped after 20+ years.
I am amazed that I had to suffer for so long. Please ask for labs to check your androgen levels. There is no need to suffer with all the new info out there for our doctors.
__________________ Allison
I have to exercise in the morning, before my brain figures out what the hell I am actually doing To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. . Traditional PCOS - Anovulatory, increased androgens, no insulin resistance
Medications and Supps listed on my profile.
hi there... im kinda new to this site so im not sure if you will even get this. i have been struggling with hair loss for the past 6 months or so. it is actually coming out in clumps in the shower. you can imagine that im a little freaked out by this. my doctor recently put me on flutamide 125mg twice a day. its an anti-prostate cancer drug, but its supposed to block the androgens in my system. i have only been on it for about a week and i haven't seen any real change. i am also taking fortamet(metformin) 500mg once at night. along with loestrin. but if you find anything that works let me know. good luck to you!! take care
Jaime[/b]
Who is your dr? Just curious!!!! Let me tell you he put you on exactly what you should be on. You have to remember that it will take some time to see a difference. One or two weeks is not enough just stick with it and you will see great results. Are you insulin resistant?
Loestrin - is a pill with high androgens to my knowledge and is the worse one you could prescribe to someone with PCOS.
Plus taking the pill can make Insulin Resistance worse according to my Endo.
That is why she has only put me on Met.
Flutatmide and Spiro sound great but not for people having babies in the near future and you have to be on the pill while taking those (if of childbearing age).
I had used HF37 and Viviscal in combination to regrow my hairline and temples but I stopped and about a year or so later due to my hormones getting worse it fell back out. I am going to start that again.
Also my mom some years ago went bald on her crown for no reason and it really affected her and I did a search and found Thymuskin. She used it for 4 months and stopped. Her hair never fell out again and is healthy to this day. So since I am related to her and it worked for her I am thinking maybe it will work for my body too so I am thinking about giving that a try in addition to the HF37, Viviscal and getting weight and hormones under control.
__________________ DX with PCOS in 1999
IR in 2003
Menstral stopped in 2003
Ovarian cyst/mass 5cm 2007
Menstral restored 11/30/07
Meds currently taking:
Metformin 2000
NAC
Need to lose 116 pounds
Currently weigh 266
Getting body ready to start TTC Devember 2009
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my doctor is michael fox in jacksonville florida...he is at memorial medical center. thank you both for replying!! i love this site. i was just a little worried about the flutamide. does anyone know if it could possibly cause birth defects later on down the road?? and as far as the loestrin... i was previously on yaz (which i thought was causing the hair loss) so i switched. what would you all recommend as a birth control?
Sarrah is right about the loestrin. High androgenic activity. The Yaz was probably causing a change in your hormone levels. BC pills are tricky. Some studies say that they cause insulin resistance to become worse, while others suggest they are the first line of treatment because they raise estrogen and SHBG thus lowering free testosterone.
There seems to be a new consensus with some endocrinologists. No BC pills, metformin and some sort of antiandrogen. You do not have to be on the pill with antiandrogens. You just have to be responsible and not get pregnant. There are other forms of birth control that are not hormonally based. If you want to get pregnant in the future it seems the general consensus it to be off any anitandrogen 6 months before trying to conceive.
Yazmin, Yaz, and Orthotricyclyn do not have any androgenic activity. Are you insulin resistant?
Yes i am insulin resistant. I am wondering why my doctor wouldn't have warned me about the loestrin. He has put me on the flutamide which i supposed to help with hair loss. I was previously on Yaz... and I thought that was making the hair loss worse. It's just so frustrating!!! They told me I have to be on BC with the flutamide. I have an appointment tomorrow.. and you can be sure that I will be asking about what you have told me. Thank you so much!! Jaime
If I were you I would look up the studies on loestrin and take it to your Dr. Remember that any change in your hormones wether it be from BC pills, metformin, losing weight etc. can cause an increase in hair shedding. The first endocrinologist I went to insisted I be on birthcontrol pills or get surgically sterilized before he would prescribe an antiandrogen. I took great offence to this because I an responsible enough not to get pregnant and he disagreed. Im not at all saying to not be on BC's. Its your choice, just do alittle research and find whats right for you. My thought for myself was that it increases IR, one of the things they suspect could cause PCOS, so I wanted to try other avenues first. Not saying I wouldnt try it in the future.
I've been losing my hair for the past 20 years & of course have been looking for a solution all these years. I moved back to Hawaii after 2 1/2 years in Colorado & a friend noticed my thinning hair & bought a shampoo & conditioner for me last Friday. I've been using it for the past 4 days & my hair loss has diminished 90%. Some people have re-grown their hair - I hope that will happen to me, however I would be very happy to keep the hair I arleady have.
Tried many products over the years, using Avacor for the past 6 months & none of these have helped at all. The shampoo & conditioner have done more for me in one day than all the other products I have tried over the years. The good news is that it is available @ your local store for about $10.00 for both the shampoo & conditioner - it's like a miracle that this product is so inexpensive & available everywhere. Just need to know which one to buy.
I've been losing my hair for the past 20 years & of course have been looking for a solution all these years. I moved back to Hawaii after 2 1/2 years in Colorado & a friend noticed my thinning hair & bought a shampoo & conditioner for me last Friday. I've been using it for the past 4 days & my hair loss has diminished 90%. Some people have re-grown their hair - I hope that will happen to me, however I would be very happy to keep the hair I arleady have.
Tried many products over the years, using Avacor for the past 6 months & none of these have helped at all. The shampoo & conditioner have done more for me in one day than all the other products I have tried over the years. The good news is that it is available @ your local store for about $10.00 for both the shampoo & conditioner - it's like a miracle that this product is so inexpensive & available everywhere. Just need to know which one to buy.
hair loss 
Hair loss 
