PCOS/Insulin Resistance SupportSupport for us with any of the following: Insulin Resistance, Syndrome X, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or other endocrine disorders.
Hi everyone, I am new to this site and have been diagnosed with PCOS, hirsuitism, and insulin resistance. I have been reading alot on this forum that many of you are being treated for PCOS with birth control pills. Has it worked for you? Did anyone have bad side effects from birth control pills?
I had a horrible experience with birthcontrol pills, and looking back, I am CONVINCED it actually CAUSED me to develop PCOS, so I refuse to go on them now. I am not trying to be rude or say anyone is doing anything wrong, if the BCP works for you, then great, but I will tell you of my horrible experience and anyone out there please let me know if you ever heard of this before.
I am 28 now, but when I was 23, my gyno put me on orthotricyclin without doing any tests or anything, to "help" my PMS symptoms. In 3 weeks on the pill, I gained 20 pounds. It was not because of increased food intake. After 6 months I begged my Gyno to take me off of them, even though she did not think the pill was causing the weight gain.
After six months on the pill, this is what happened to me - I went from being 150 pounds to 200, had hideous unnatural stretch marks everywhere on my belly that literally developed overnight, more facial and body hair, and my PMS was worse, blood clotting periods, everything was worse! My boobs grew from a D to a DDD/E during that time. Only now 5 years later after different doctors gave me different diagnoses, I find that I have PCOS, and I connected all those symptoms to when I was on the pill. Its so obvious to me that this is what caused it.
So I am so confused that a doctor would want to put me on the pill considering the weight I gained from it alone. Last summer I had a breast reduction because I couldnt take the weight of my breasts anymore.
Has anyone else suffered the same? What if the BCP actually caused PCOS for some of us? After 5 years of doctors doing nothing for me, and actually ending up worse off than if I left well enough alone, I am totally disillusioned with conventional medicine.
Now I am with a holistic doctor that has done many tests and she seems to think natural progesterone will help my PCOS better than any metformin or BCP would. I will post updates and let you know how it goes.
I've had the same thing happen to me, more or less.
I beleive I saw it mentioned somewhere that the hormones in the pill can (in some individuals- but not all) aggrivate insulin resistance in people who already have it, or "trigger" if off in people who are genetically predispositioned to it. Then once you have the weight gain, all the extra fat begins the self-sustaining downward spiral of insulin resistance in full force... If I can find the article I will respost with a link to it.
I gained 50lbs after taking the pill for 3 months (it was a low-dose pill too!), I stopped cold turkey despite the advice of my doctors who were concerned about my heavy/painful/long periods keeping me perpetually anemic. Anyway this 50lb weight gain from the pill is what marked the beginning of my unsuccessful battle with my weight, and eventual diagnosis of borderline insulin resistance. At first I was tempted to think it was all at the fault of the pill, but I had not considered that I probably had insulin resistance since I hit puberty. But since my weight was in control back then I wouldn't have noticed.
Unfortunately condoms and IUD's are the only alternatives. While the pill will help control the bleeding and regulate our cycle, if all it does is aggrivate the insulin resistance and make us gain even more weight then what is the point in taking them? It would be like shooting yourself in the foot! I feel I am MUCH better off just not taking the pill at all- especially since weight-loss is imperative to kicking this insulin resitance!
If you are anemic and have heavy/painful periods with insulin resistance (like me), then your only option is condoms. If you don't have a problem with heavy bleeding and anemia, then an IUD (the ones without the hormone release) would probably be your best option.
Well, I just broke down and went running to my OBGYN for BC pills. I had 4 exceptionally bad periods in a row, lots of pain (more than usual) and basically bed-ridden for days with the heavy bleeding and gigantic clots that have been my "norm" since puberty.
This past weekend was SOOO nice!!! I had thought the worst of my period was over... I all wanted was to go outside for a nice walk.. and then just as I was about to get dressed and ready, I had a horrible wave of intense pain, cramps and bleeding.
It had been 11 years since I last took the pill, and I am not eager to start taking them again... I asked about yasmin and I am willing to give it a try because I am so tired of these periods ruining the quality of my life
If I start to gain weight on them I am going to stop using them, at which point I think I'm just destined to suffer anyway... Yasmin is supposed to ease hirutism, which I also have... So I am hoping this pill works for me and doesn't interfear with my weight loss...
PCOS people who take BCP need to take monophasic pills and not triphasic.
(Ex: Orthocylcen and not Orthotricyclen.)
We respond better to the steady dose rather than the changing one. I can't remember the long explanation the doc gave me, but I can certainly remember how horrible I felt on tri's!
That explains a thing or two. The pill I was first placed on (that caused me to gain 50lbs in 3 months) was triphasil (triphasic no doubt), which uses Levonorgestrel- one of the progestins know to have more side effects than the others (especially with IR)... Lucky me, I was 17 at the time and my body was wrecked as a result...
OK, had a lot of breakthrough bleeding (more like having a month-long, light period) during the first couple of months on Yasmin as my body got used to the hormones in the pill.
Still no weight gain after 3 months of Yasmin! I hit a 3 week weight loss plateu a few weeks ago, and I was wondering if the pill was throwing a wrench into my dieting machine. But the weight started going down again recently, so I attribute it to the normal ups and downs of dieting.
I've been taking Yasmin for almost 2 months along with Fortamet (brand name Metformin) and am still losing weight. I have not had any of the side effects that I got while taking Ortho-tricyclen years ago. If I ever decide to use birth control pills as a birth control method, I will use Yasmin. (I am taking them for the pcos per RE/fertility doc instruction to lose weight before getting pregnant)
I'm living in the UK and was taking a pill called Dianette. I think it might not be available in the U.S. My American friend here also has PCOS and is taking Yasmin, says it's been a lifesaver. I'm coming off Dianette now because I've read a lot saying it shouldn't be taken long term, and I've been on nearly 2 years. It gets prescribed a lot for PCOS over here because it has anti-androgen properties, so it gets rid of excess hair and acne. I have to say, it certainly does work. I came off for 9 months once, and I noticed right away that my acne flared up again, and I was sure I was getting hairier.
You can take it, sure, but it's only masking the symptoms of PCOS. I'm dreading the acne and hair again, but hoping that losing the weight will take care of those symptoms, as well as helping me to ovulate semi-normally.
I am currently taking Loestrin BCP and 1500mg Met. I used to have cystic acne, but I think the bcps helped. I just started taking Met 1 week ago and it made my period come on a little earlier than normal. Usually my cycles are 30-35 days, but this time it was 25. So for me I think bcps and Met are helping with my symptoms. Have a great day!
My GYN put me on BCPs at least two years ago to try to stop the painful cysts I was getting on my right ovary. I can't remember what he prescribed initially. After a few months I asked to try Yasmin and have been taking it ever since.
When I am on BCPs I get migraines at the end of each cycle. I also felt like I was continuing to get cysts. One of his nurses suggested that I take only the active pills. My body will generally have a cycle every 3 or 4 months now. If for some reason it doesn't, I have to take a week off so that it can. This has been a huge blessing for me! Now, I rarely get migraines and think the cysts are under control. (If I cycle of the pills for a week, I do get a monster migraine but at least that's not happening every 3 -4 wks!)
The Yasmin have been the least problematic BCPs that I have ever taken. I did not gain and have managed to lose weight while taking them.
I also gained weight while on BC. I was on the lowest does pill you could be on at the time, and I went from 135 to 190 in 9 months. I did not know at the time that I had PCOD, but I am also sure that is what caused.
I went on BC because i just had a baby about 4 previously and I had lost all of the weight by the time she was 2 months old. My GYNO took me off the pill because of the weight gain, and also because the entire time that I was on it, my cervix was inflamed, meaning that sexual activity could not happen because I was in too much pain.
From then on, it has been horrible. I am now 196 which is not bad considering my daughter is almost 7. But I have not tried BC since then. I am really leary about trying it again because I am afraid of having the same reaction. I have two children, but we would like another, just not right now. Maybe in like 1 year or so.
I also had a horrible experience with my first go-round on BCPs. I had a ruptured cyst on '00 at age 18 and was put on Orthotricyclen- and then I was on my period for over a month! I was also inching my way towards 210 and unable to lose weight. I was put back on them in '04 (a monophasic, Desogen) and lost 80 pounds.
You don't get PCOS from pills..the ones you took may have aggravated the PCOS symptoms but PCOS is genetic.
There are hundreds of pills that PCOS people can take you just have to find the right one.
On that note..I have not found the one for me yet and to behonest..I don't care anymore. While I'm on the pill..the excess estrogen gave me 3 fibroids and fibrocystic breasts and much more. While I'm off the pill, I have a swollen belly and cysts. I can't win for losing. I think since I'm 43 years old..that it is time for a hysterectomy. I also have endometriosis.
all of our bodies are different and will react differently to each medication. I was placed on yasmin and it SCREWED me up. I thought I was going to turn homicidal, I was acting like a freak and I had NO SEX DRIVE, like 'never touch me' sex drive.
I'm now on spiro and bc pills and doing much better, the spiro is a mild diuretic and I haven't noticed anything but weight loss thus far.
An awesome forum that might have more info that you are looking for is: http://www.soulcysters.com (or net, I can't remember) It is super for information regarding PCOS Good Luck finding what works for you!
PCOS and birth control pill?
Anyway this 50lb weight gain from the pill is what marked the beginning of my unsuccessful battle with my weight, and eventual diagnosis of borderline insulin resistance. At first I was tempted to think it was all at the fault of the pill, but I had not considered that I probably had insulin resistance since I hit puberty. But since my weight was in control back then I wouldn't have noticed.
I hit a 3 week weight loss plateu a few weeks ago, and I was wondering if the pill was throwing a wrench into my dieting machine. But the weight started going down again recently, so I attribute it to the normal ups and downs of dieting.
Good Luck finding what works for you!