Anyone heard of or have had high testosterone WHILE on birth control pills? I've been on for 3 years and mine is still a lil high...(and most people on BCP's have very low testosterone...wtf???)
I still have high testosterone also... and I am on Met and BCP! I am a thin cyster (109 at 5 foot 3) so maybe that has something to do with it? My first blood draw not on anything was 112 and the BCP plus Met only brought me down to about 95. So it made some progress but really not that different-- still really high.
__________________ Thin Cyster Age: 25 BMI:19 Not TTC
PhD Student in Social, Ethical, Political, and Cultural Thought at Virginia Tech. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Well I was on Tri-sprintec, now I'm on Sprintec. I tried Yaz once and BAD mistake(mood swings, acne, cramps, horrible acid reflux/stomach ulcer)...
Mine : No clue what it was before BCP's...but about 3 months ago it was 49 and now it's 42 and my endo said she wants female under 40...so I'm just slightly high...hope she gives me something as I still have a few problems with acne and hair growth/loss...
I've read on a website or two that BCP's can reduce testosterone by 50%, but for some women, this may not be enough. That's why Spiro may be prescribed along with BCP's (and should be anyway because it may cause birth defects) because it further decreases testosterone.
According to the book Hormonal Balance v2 by Dr Scott Issacs there are some BCP that are better for PCOS than others. This is mainly due to the type of progestins in the pills. Some progestins actually increase androgenic activity. He recommends BPC that have either drospirenone, desogestrel, or norgestimate as the progestin included in the pill as these have the least amount of androgenic activity. This includes Yasmin, Yaz, Apri, Desogen, Orthocept, Ortho-Cyclin, and Ortho Tri-Cyclen. Yasmin is also supposed to raise potassium which also helps insulin resistence. The progestins levonorgestrel, norgestrel, and norethindrone all have high androgenic activity and cause side effects including acne, bloating, weight gain, and insuline resistance. Do you know what type of progestin is in your BCP? That could be part of the reason for the still elevated Testosterone. This book also outlines different BCP and which type is used in each brand. My doc is changing my BCP next week and I am going to ask to be put on one of these.
__________________ Me: 26; DH: 31
Married June 2007 New Orleans
PCOS Dx April 2009
Metformin 500mg 2x per day
Sprintec
Atenolol 25mg week before period (migraine prevention)
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Mine are Sprintec, which has norgestimate. And before that I was on Tri-Sprintec so...(generic versions of OrthoCyclen and Orthotricyclen). I've really enjoyed them. No weight gain, no side effects. A little bit clearer skin but not much, and lighter periods. But unfortunately with the Sprintec...my level is still 42-49. (And I tried Yaz with HORRIBLE side effects so that's out).
I just really want to give spiro a try. I have an appointment with my endo to talk about "Alternatives" I'm not sure what that means. I think she wants to switch my BC which I would be soooo pissed at. She doesn't understand that after being on BCP for 3 years...I am NOW sprouting hairs out of my chin, neck and chest...and that's just on top of my moustache, back, cheeks which started at puberty.
If she says no to spiro I think I might cry. I just want to feel like a female for once...I've always felt like this weird In-Between Creature...
Testosterone 
