You're welcome for the info. If the doc said your insulin levels were fine (and presumably your blood glucose levels are too) the ask him how on earth Metformin will balance out your hormones?
Metformin works by:
Increasing insulin sensitivity at a cellular level, especially enhancing peripheral glucose uptake (ie in your extremities).
Suppressing the production of glucose by your liver by more than 1/3.
Activating a liver enzyme called AMP-activated protein kinase which is very import in the insulin signalling process, the metabolism of glucose and fats as well as balancing the energy in your body.
Decreasing the absorption of glucose from the gastrointestinal tract.
Increasing fatty acid oxidation.
So if you ARE diagnosed properly with insulin resistance, high blood sugar levels etc then it can help, but otherwise, I would be very sceptical.
Hope this helps you.
PS if there is a legitimate reason why Metformin will help you, then cinnamon, gymnema sylvestre (another herb) or an Ayurvedic formulation called Hyponidd will do pretty much the same thing.
Oh my gosh! I thank you so much for the reply and for helping to clear this up. Seems as if you know A LOT MORE than my endo. I guess my endo thinks that since my androgens are so high, it may be due to an insulin sensitivity, and therefore causing my hormones to go wacky? Sorry, if that makes no sense, but that is how I interpreted her reasoning. If you dont mind, can I keep asking you questions? If it's better to pm specifically about my own case (high androgens causing hair loss), let me know. I just want to try to be able to balance these hormones so my hair can stop fallling out so much. I'm only on spiro now. I have refused to go on BCP, though as more and more hair falls, I am getting desperate.
I've started a new thread just for you and this problem so we can chat about it. If you're comfortable with it, I think it's better that it remain in the open forum so that if other women have a similar problem they can read about it too. Of course it is up to you.
I have the same problem...I have to shave/ tweeze daily...but when I had my testosterone levals checked they were on the high end of normal. I have been on Birth control pills for like 15 years and the three times I went off of them the hair on my face got worse and I started getting cystic acne...so I went back on them to control all that. If we are taking BC pills when we get a testosterone test could that alter the outcome of the test results?? Because isn't BC pills estrogen???
Ive taken the Spiro before and did well. I have a full beard and facial hair just like a man would too!!!
When I was on the med I noticed it was slowing down the growth (still there, but not having to shave ever single day) So I got up a bright idea of doing a experient lol (The things I do to entertain myself lol)
I went thru the pain of getting waxed lol. U know how they joke, no pain no gain... It did work great. It took a few weeks to get the second growth in (You'll have to do it a couple times since your hair grows in different stages)
But after about 3 times plus takin the spiro I watched my complete beard and all facial hair stop for 6 months straight !!!! Not bad at all for having to do the every day 5 oclock shadow shave lol
ONLY down fall was youll have to stay on the spiro and on top of the hair (DONT SHAVE once u wax) for it to work. I messed up thinking since it hadnt grown back that it wouldnt... It did lol ahhhh. I could kick my self in the u know what for stopping the spiro.
Im attempting the experiment again to see if I can get it to stop Ü
youll have to stay on the spiro and on top of the hair (DONT SHAVE once u wax) for it to work. I messed up thinking since it hadnt grown back that it wouldnt... It did lol ahhhh.
For you, the normal state of affairs is to have male-type beard growth. Drop the spiro and the beard comes back. As it might well if your estrogen levels drop or your testosterone levels rise. Just think of the spiro as an alternative to having to shave every day or twice a day or whatever.
All kinda depends on which kinda your on. Here's a web page with a few different types.
Some ppl dont need the "birth" prevention part, some used it for regulating periods, etc.
Ok so my test came back that my testosterone level is ok, I have come off of my birth control because it makes me feel like crap and now my hair is growing everywhere! Face, lips, chin, cheeks, and chest! My money spent on lazer treatments has been waisted because now its back got any suggestions?
Ok so my test came back that my testosterone level is ok, I have come off of my birth control because it makes me feel like crap and now my hair is growing everywhere! Face, lips, chin, cheeks, and chest! My money spent on lazer treatments has been waisted because now its back got any suggestions?
LOL. I just came off the bc too last week. OMG I felt like crap, was sleeping 20 + hours. It was horrible lol
Do they have you on spironolactone by chance? Ive never had anything done other then waxes or shaving with a razor. But so far its doing great. I've waxed two times now and nothings growing back !!! I did notice what was there was losing pigment (it was very very light colored or blonde) It was still very course and thick. But compaired to being thick and black it was a shocker lol.
Ok so my test came back that my testosterone level is ok, I have come off of my birth control because it makes me feel like crap and now my hair is growing everywhere! Face, lips, chin, cheeks, and chest! My money spent on lazer treatments has been waisted because now its back got any suggestions?
Did you come off bcp AFTER you had your hormone balance checked? If you've just come off bcp your hormone balance will have changed again and your free testosterone excess will be considerable.
Clearly your skin has been sensitized so that it can respond to testosterone, like all males can though only some females can. You're in a situation now in which it appears the balance of testosterone to estrogen (it's not just absolute levels that count, but relative levels) has swung in favor of testosterone so you're getting the "male-type" hair growth on face, upper lip, chin, cheeks chest etc. The only way you'll really keep the male-type growth under control is by not only getting all your hormones into the female range but keeping them there.
For you, it's natural to have male-type growth -- as, for that matter, it is for me. The way I look at it, it's far less trouble to shave than it is to try to keep my hormones in the normal female range. Besides which I rather like some of the effects of high testosterone -- like the sex drive.
Ok so my test came back that my testosterone level is ok, I have come off of my birth control because it makes me feel like crap and now my hair is growing everywhere! Face, lips, chin, cheeks, and chest! My money spent on lazer treatments has been waisted because now its back got any suggestions?
Hi! I've been on several b/c's. Some made me feel horrible and some I could'nt even tell i was taking. If you talk to your dr about the unpleasant symptoms, a good doctor, will be able to work with you to find the right b/c.
I also have normal testosterone, but very sensitive to what I have. The only thing that has worked for me in the past has been b/c and spiro combo, which I am not taking at the moment and getting hairer by the minute.
__________________ Thin cyster bmi 19 2007-vu=1 ovary 2x the other=Dx Idiopathic Hursutism
2001-Dx PCOS b/c bad acne/AF irreg=given spiro&bcp
normal androgens/hormones/^cortisol?
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Little drops of water..Make the mighty ocean-Julia Abigail Carney
...All blood test came back normal and my sonohistogram showed that one ovary was twice the size of the other one but no cyst. He said that it was fine and that he was going to prescribe me metformin because he said that he thought that i had pcos based on my symptoms. ie: facial hair, weight gain...i guess. and did nothing and said nothing about the lactation. By the way I noticed that you said you also have facial hair and recommened saw palmetto.
Bfh,
I feel like I'm reading my story w/o the met..
Hormone levels normal,
glucose normal
Sonogram showed no cysts, but one was twice the size as the other, but my dr. was not concerned with investigating this further and just put me on b/c for my hirsutism.
I've also had high prolactin levels in the past, but an MRI ruled out a pituitary adenoma. Can an MRI miss a pa? I've heard of a cone down MRI or maybe my dr. didn't know what he was talkin bout.
I share your frustration....i'd like to try saw palmetto too but thought it was more for hair loss than excess hair? Anyway, that's my babble...
__________________ Thin cyster bmi 19 2007-vu=1 ovary 2x the other=Dx Idiopathic Hursutism
2001-Dx PCOS b/c bad acne/AF irreg=given spiro&bcp
normal androgens/hormones/^cortisol?
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Little drops of water..Make the mighty ocean-Julia Abigail Carney
Hi! I've been on several b/c's. Some made me feel horrible and some I could'nt even tell i was taking. If you talk to your dr about the unpleasant symptoms, a good doctor, will be able to work with you to find the right b/c.
I also have normal testosterone, but very sensitive to what I have. The only thing that has worked for me in the past has been b/c and spiro combo, which I am not taking at the moment and getting hairer by the minute.
Let's start at the beginning. You have normal testosterone but are very sensitive to what you have. That means you must have very probably had exposure to high levels of testosterone in your first three months of fetal life. How do the lengths of your ring fingers compare to the length of your index fingers (that's something that's also affected by high exposure to testosterone in early fetal life and an easy indicator of information that would otherwise be difficult to check)? If that's the case, you've got male-type sensitivity to testosterone. It's extrememly common to have some degree of male-type sensitization -- but actual hair growth in later life depends on exposure to testosterone in later life. However if you're developing male-type growth with only normal female levels of testosterone then your sensitivity must be very high.
Finding a BCP which agrees with you and has the desired anti-androgenic effect isn't always easy. And when one comes off the BCP the body may not kick in with its own natural estrogens again (it'll probably have shut down production when the high levels of estrogen from the BCP were detected) so one may end up worse off than before. For myself the easiest answer is just to treat the hair as "natural for me", shave my face and hide the rest.
Saw Palmetto is definitely indicated for hair growth as well. Basically both problems stem from the same cause: too much dehydrotestosterone (DHT) at the follicle. With head hair, it causes it to thin and eventually fall out. With dormant body hair follicles it causes them to wake up and go to town. Saw Palmetto blocks the conversion of testosterone into DHT.
__________________ Great info on PCOS plus the cheapest DCI I've been able to find: To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
So what works? 
got any suggestions?
