Great info. Thanks! I was wondering why I had extra hair growing on my face. I have always had hairy arms etc. but just recently had it on my chin and test were all normal. Very interesting. Thanks again.
I'm sorry you have to go through this too. I think PCOS is one of the most unpleasant diseases a woman can get, as it makes you feel 'unfeminine' in so many ways - weight, hair loss, hair growth, body odour.
Anyway ... I would suggest that there is no point in taking Metformin without good cause. Did your blood sugar or insulin levels come back as elevated? If so, then you could look at taking some of the following to help control your sugar levels as that is what Metformin does.
Chromium and B Vitamins also support sugar metabolism.
But most importantly you need to find a doctor who will help you to identify the cause of the problem as until you do that, you are just guessing with treatment, either medical or natural.
Since I last posted, I have been taking the Metformin and it has not helped at all. All of my hormone and blood sugar levels are all normal and were normal before taking metformin. My facial hair seems to be getting worse even still.
I will look into taking vitex. My doctor only seems interested in getting me pregnant and not in taking care of the facial hair and also I have lactation problems. Well, I discovered through testing that I can't get pregnant because not only do I have problems but my husband has abnormally low sperm count and out of the sperm he does have only 2% are normal, so needless to say we won't be having children. We can't afford ivf. So I wanted to at least get my facial hair problem under control. But can't seem to find any doctors willing to help with that.
I'm thinking of stopping taking the metformin. My acne has gotten terrible since taking it, and I sleep 11hrs a night since taking it and still feel tired. With dark circles under eyes. I think it's doing more harm than good.
I can't keep calling you that it sounds horrible! What else can I call you ?
It seems really hard to get medical help for PCOS, especially if you aren't TTC. It seems they have such a limited repertoire of treatments ... metformin for sugar, the pill for hormones. Just lose some weight and you'll be fine. My symptoms have gotten worse since I've put on weight, but THEY STARTED FIRST. That's why I put on weight. The doc's just don't seem to get it, sometimes. Anyway, sorry to whinge, I'm supposed to be helping you here
Saw Palmetto (serenoa repens) has been shown to have antiandrogenic effects. (Testosterone lowering). It acts in a similar way to the male pattern hair loss drug propecia by blocking the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, which when it interacts with testosterone in the body turns it into the far more potent form, DHT - dihydrotestosterone. It also blocks the receptor sites on your cell membranes that allow the absorption of DHT.
It's the testosterone that causes all that horrible hair (I probably have more than you, I have TONNES. I actually shave before going out at the moment) so if you take Saw Palmetto it may lessen it. You will need to give it time to work though ... hormonal hair won't go away overnight. You probably wouldn't even notice anything for 6 weeks due to the cycle of hair growth.
I agree with you about the Metformin and had similar problems. And I don't understand why you would take it if all your blood results came back OK. Actually, how did they diagnose you with PCOS? If you don't mind my asking. I am an ex-nurse and naturopath, though I don't practise anymore.
I went to my family dr. to complain about the fact that i have such a bad problem w/ facial hair and that my obgyn said that i probably had pcos but didn't do any test or suggest anything for me to do about it and that I had told him about my breast lactating (now 6yrs) and all he did was take a sample of what was coming out and the test results came back normal. (someone called me latter to say that it was normal, what ever that means, cause i didn't think it was normal to lactate for no reason.) Anyway, my family dr. said that it wasn't normal and that i needed to find out what was going on. so he wanted to refer me to a specialist to find out what was wrong, but he couldn't find anyone to see me. The receptionist at the family dr. office called me and said that she couldn't find anyone that would see me for that problem, so I looked on-line and found a specialist in Houston, TX that has this web site that says he speciallizes in PCOS. So I called my family dr. told them about it and they got me set up with them.
I know this is long (sorry).
When i went to see the specialist he had blood test done and a sonohistogram of my ovaries. 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. He also wanted to start ivf stuff. but I let him know that I can't afford it and that I just wanted to get the facial hair under control and he keeps telling me to keep thinking about ivf and that he could try other options to get me pregnant and things like that. So I've been discouraged about finding out what is really wrong. Cause I WONDER too if it's really pcos.
By the way I noticed that you said you also have facial hair and recommened saw palmetto. Have you tried taking it?? If so, how has if worked for you? I was scared to take it because i read the bottle and it said NOT intended for use by women. So I wasn't sure if it has to be a certain kind.
I now have dark black hair all over my chin under my chin and growing towards my side burns, two up high on my cheek, one on my sholder, and one on the back of one of my upper arm. I actually had one grow out the bottom of my big toe. But only once. I pulled it and it never grew back. And i've been lactating for 6 years. BUT I have managed to loose weight. I was 242 in Dec. of 2004 and now I'm 181. so that's good.
Anyway thanks for letting me vent. Sorry again for such a long post.
Ah, I didn't even put it together about the different levels of testosterone adding more hair.
I was diagnosed in late 2007 and have been in denial. I came off bc, went on metformin. My hair FELL OUT!!!!!!!!! So I totally stopped taking everything. Now, I have not had a period since June 2008 and I have gained serious weight (was 175, now 220) and I have way more body hair.
I'm so glad to have found this board to help me face reality, find support from fellow cysters AND take control of my PCOS!
Thankfully too, I have a very supportive boyfriend! :-)
Ah, I didn't even put it together about the different levels of testosterone adding more hair.
I was diagnosed in late 2007 and have been in denial. I came off bc, went on metformin. My hair FELL OUT!!!!!!!!! So I totally stopped taking everything. Now, I have not had a period since June 2008 and I have gained serious weight (was 175, now 220) and I have way more body hair.
I'm so glad to have found this board to help me face reality, find support from fellow cysters AND take control of my PCOS!
Thankfully too, I have a very supportive boyfriend! :-)
I wanted to jump in and say that Met kinda made my hair thin and shed more, but taking a multi loaded with B-vitamins stopped the problem. That might've helped while you are on Met, but since you're not taking it right now...well it still while help to take a multi.
Studies have recommended between 1 and 6 grams of cinnamon per day to lower blood sugar levels and reduce insulin resistance. How much you need to take will vary from person to person. I would recommend starting with 1 g and working your way up until you find what works. You should feel an increase in your energy levels when you are on teh right amount. If you are taking too much, it is possible that you may start to feel symptoms of hypoglycaemia (sweating, light-headedness, nausea, drowsiness). It is important that you get proper cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum or Cinnamomum verum). Quite commonly Cassia is sold as Cinnamon for food spicing, as it has a similar flavour. If you buy cinnamon sticks, true cinnamon is quite delicate and papery, whereas casssia looks like a much thicker roll of bark. True cinnamon will also taste much sweeter than Cassia. I purchased mine through Druera - it was quite cheap. They have capsules or powder. I did find that the powder had a few grains of sand in it. Not much, but my partner won't eat anything I cook with it, as he's a giant fusspot.
I'm really sorry, I thought I had replied to you about this, in fact I remember typing some of the message, but the browser must have crashed or something when I submitted it.
The galactorrhoea (milk discharging from the nipples) is likely related to an excess of the hormone prolactin. Your Drs need to find out why you are producing too much prolactin. It would seem prudent to rule out a prolactinoma (it's a generally benign tumour that pumps out prolactin). They also need to find out why one of your ovaries is enlarged, but NOT cysstic. This is very unusual. It may be necessary to do a biopsy, but I think you need to know the answer.
My computer is unbearably slow tonight for some stupid reason, it's taken me an hour to get this reply out to you. I will try again tomorrow with more information, but I wanted you to know that you need to get these particdular symptoms looked at as I am not certain that you have the right diagnosis and if not, you need to get the right one.
Thanks so much about the info on cinnamon. I'm looking at alternatives to Met. The doc said my insulin levels are fine but Met will even out hormones. I've refused to go on BCPs so I was afraid Met was the only other way to go. I am also on spiro. I just want to balance out these hormones so my hair will stop falling out and not just treat the symptoms.
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.
