[cardsfan2009]

Well, I have IR and PCOS and I am on 1000 mg ER metformin and sprintec birth control.

My gyno started me on beyaz, but I started have my period continuously, for over 5 weeks, so she changed my bcp to sprintec and told me to do a birth control taper, because I didnt have enough estrogen. She told me to take 3 pills for 3 days, 2 pills for 3 days, and then go on normally with the pack. This stopped my period for over 3 weeks, but it just came back---2 weeks too soon!!

The birth control has cleared my skin and stopped any excess hair that I had....but I'm just not sure if constantly bleeding is worth it.

Are any of you managing PCOS without bcp?

[dragonlady1978]

I am.

There are several meds that specifically control the hair growth if that is what you're after. I have chosen to do this without any of that just because I already take so much medication for my herniated disc.

Sounds like you are having problems similar to mine maybe? There is more than one type of pcos and the symptoms can vary person-to-person. Most people stop having periods altogether, or only rarely...ergo the infertility. I'm a bigtime bleeder.

Sometimes I'd go 2 weeks between cycles, sometimes 12 weeks. I'd have horrible cramping and bled like a stuck pig for a minimum of 10 days, so sometimes I'd only have a few days between bleeding episodes. One hormone my doc had me try to regulate the bleeding instead had me bleeding for over 2 months straight. I got so tired of being tired and weak and depressed all the time.

I just had endometrial ablation (novasure) done in February and although it hasn't been long since I'm SO glad I did it. It doesn't do a darn thing for the PCOS, but it stops the bleeding completely for most people. It's only a viable option if you don't plan on trying to get preggies in the future though.

The only thing I take for my PCOS is a cinnamon supplement, I honestly believe it is helpful in controlling the IR. I don't have difficulty losing weight if I stay on a reasonable plan. This time around I've lost 27 pounds in 10 weeks. Now just to stick with it, because I still gain unbelievably fast if I don't eat right. I've been offered metformin many times but I've never even tried it. My other meds already cause me some gastro issues and heard too many metformin horror stories, I'd only revisit that in the future if I couldn't budge the pounds on my own.

For the excess hair growth I'm just dealing with tweezers. I invested in a really good pair of slant-tips, disinfect them regularly, and grasp as close to the skin as possible to avoid any irritation or the telltale bumpies (lol, I hate that plucked chicken look). I'd rather spend 10 minutes a day with a mirror than take on a whole 'nother slew of unknown side effects for something that may or may not work for me.

My hormones still test way out of whack of course so my way isn't exactly the perfect solution but for now I'm dealing. Leaving those options open in the future but for now I'm willing to trade off for not having the added expenses and possible problems that come with more pills.

The good news is that it IS true that the less overweight you are, the better your symptoms get. The excess weight worsens the hormonal imbalances so it's a vicious cycle-but one that CAN get better once you get to a normal weight.

I was down to 140 pounds about 2-3 years ago and it was a world of different.

[4star]

All the BCPs I have ever tried left me opposite the cycle schedule. Instead of 1 week on and 3 weeks off, I'd go 3 weeks on and 1 week off. I never did find one that "fit". Now I am just outside the age range to use them. Oh well, one less med to take.

If I only had back all of the money I spent on meds that were useless to me......

[Rana]

I'm not taking BCP, but I'm also doing the food/exercise regime to balance our the IR and wacky hormones.

I think as you lose weight the symptoms do get better (they have for me), but it means sticking to a plan that works for you (and you have to find the plan that does).

I agree that your BCP isn't working for you. Keep trying with your doc and see if you can get to see a reproductive endocrinologist (if you're not already) to see if they can maybe better help you.

Good luck.

[astrophe]

I think I'm a bit confused understanding the post. My apologies in advance!

I've never cycled pills like that. Was it just to start the pack?

But I did find Sprintec (the generic) was not as smooth as Orthocyclen (name brand). My doc thinks perhaps the generics don't have a strict a quality control and I'm sensitive to that or something.

Of course, not all combo pill formulas are the same, some have higher/lower estrogen. Maybe you need a higher one if you need the estrogen all the time and not just to start the pack?

GL!
A.