Should i go on BCPs?please help

[Jess83]

Hi girls,im a bit confused and worried. i was just diagnosed (for sure) with pcos yesterday when i went to my 1st gynaecol. (thats fine, i was prepared for it thanks to looking up this site a few weeks ago!)
Anyway, my Gyn just said to plan my family early, which is fine, but in the meantime she suggested using a BCP..Aside from contraceptive qualities (which, frankly, i prob dont need/want!) why would BCP be a good treatment for pcos? isnt it just masking the problem? Isnt pcos degenerative?
Ive been on the pill (on and off) for about 5 years now- i originally went on it because of dysfunctional and excessive bleeding and also for contraception.
I have had one proper period since march and one not-so-proper old-blood period. I am a little underweight at the moment and have some slight acne. I have no pain in ovaries or anything like that. I am in a longterm stable relationship and all i am concerned about is having children in the near future.
Id like to hear your opinion Should i just go on the pill or leave it a month or two to see how my periods are? what would you do?
Feel free to ask me any further questions if it will help..
Thanks so much.

[RunnerDuck]

Well I can't pass up a chance to help another duck out...

I just answered a question sort of like this in the BCP forum. Here's a link, rather than cross-posting...

http://www.soulcysters.net/showthread.php?t=127569

In a nutshell... there are definate benefits. I used to be very anti-BCP but I have kind of changed my tune to seeing they do they have a real and beneficial place in treating PCOS. Ideally you would be able to really attack the PCOS at its root, which is thought to be insulin resistance... and this can be done through diet, exercise, lifestyle, and/or insulin altering medications (metformin, avandia, actos)... but that doesn't always work. Sometimes you will get partial results but not complete results. In my case metformin seemed to work for a while... and then it stopped. Now I am trying Avandia. Meanwhile my PCOS symptoms continue... so I do think BCP can be a good thing to control symptoms if other means alone aren't working. But I don't think you should JUST take BCPs. You should take BCPs AND also address the insulin issues (and you can have insulin issues even without being overweight, apparently...)...

Has your doctor given you any other options for treating the PCOS? You may need to see an endocrinologist or reproductive endocrinologist to get better answers.

[Mya]

i was on bcp for years and wasn't until i came off of them that i started having problems and was finally dx with PCO.... i was gaining weight steady through highschool - college,, was getting facial hair.... but the doc seems to brush if off, maybe since my periods were normal.... well when i stopped bcp i did not get a period for 8 months which prompted all the tests,,, i guess when you take bc it makes you ovulate and gives you a period,, basically keeps your ovaries clear of cysts.... i have 8 months of cysts in my ovaries, from not getting my period,,, so i am back on bcp for 6 month,, the gyno said that each month some cysts will flush out with my period,,, so i will see in september if this has worked....

[sunnyam]

Little Duck,

I too, like Mya, was on BC pills for many years and also was dx after coming off them. I was originally put on BC pills at about 14 for irregular af.(once a year) I will have to say that with the bc pills I became regualar but it does mask the fact that you do have PCOS however that is not necessarily a bad thing. If you are not interested in getting pg right now then I would suggest you stay on. I noticed that after I stopped bc pills I have gained excess weight and my hair growth is really terrible. Basically with out the bc pills my hormones are really messed up. However, if you are wanting to concv. soon then I would suggest that you stay off them and speak to your doctor about possibly sorting out your PCOS and helping to get you pg. (ie Metformin, Provera or Clomid etc.) I have been on Metformin for about 7 months now and have just started provera followed by clomid so fingers crossed I will have my miracle then go back on bc pills if I am still not sorted out afterwards. Hope this helps a little.

[alex]

I do well on BCPs, but I also use them for contraception. If you want to try for a baby quite soon - which you suggest you do - there might not be much point? I take Dianette (or Diane-35, as it's called in the States) which helps a lot of people with their skin and excess hair, but it takes a few months at least to have an effect.

I agree with RunnerDuck that you can take BCPs AS WELL as addressing the other issues.

I also realise that there are possible side-effects. Nevertheless this is the case with most medication, and certainly other medication used for PCOS, like Metformin, can have nasty side effects. You have to weigh up whether the benefits are greater, that's all.

Best wishes,
Alex

[Jess83]

wow, thanks you guys for all your help and advice.! one question..is it possible to get preg on provera alone?

[RunnerDuck]

I do know one woman who used provera to kickstart her cycle and she ovulated the next cycle and got preg - but she had thyroid issues causing her infertility, not PCOS. So it can work, but I don't know how often and how well it works with PCOS.

[*Patricia*]

I was put on bcp right after I was dx with PCOS. That same appt. my dr. gave them to me. Before I was dx with PCOS, I always thought I always pulled a muscle in my stomach area. It seemed like all the time. Once I got on bcp it went away. They have helped a great deal for me. I had MANY cysts on both of my ovaries and she wanted to get rid of them right away. After being on bcp for 2 months they were gone.