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PCOS and the pill...long

k&a521k&a521
in Infertility

Hi ladies,

I have been lurking on this board for a while, but this is my first post.  I'm seeking some advice from other ladies with experience with PCOS.  Sorry in advance- this is long!

 I was dx with PCOS last fall- I have a lot of the classic symptoms (easy weight gain, can't lose weight for anything, acne, past history of irregular periods, etc etc).  At the same time, I was having a lot of issues with the pill...mainly, major mood swings that were causing a lot of problems.  I discussed w/ my doctor and she suggested to start trying to lose weight to help get the horomones under control.

 I went off BCP in Nov '10.  To make a long story short, 2 weeks ago I ended up having a laparoscopy to remove to cysts that had grown out of control.  One had hemorrhaged and was causing internal bleeding.  My doc immediately demanded I go back on BCP, despite having been on 4 different types in the past year and hating all of them. BCP has caused a lot of problems for me and I do not want to be on it.  My doc has made it seem like I have no alternative- its either BCP or painful cysts every cycle.

 While we are not actively TTC, DH and I made a decision to do NFP last year and I really want to stick with that decision, but my doctor is not giving me an option.  I know this may not be the right board for this, so I apologize in advance, but I figured other women with PCOS may be able to find this here.

 I need advice- anyone have PCOS that has trouble with the pill?  I've read a little about Metformin, but I just wanted to know what other ladies have experienced/ other alternatives I could take. 

 Thanks so much in advance.

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Re: PCOS and the pill...long

  • meg_koolemeg_koole

    I don't know that painful out of control cysts are the norm for PCOS?

    Anyone else want to pipe in if they had that issue, but I wonder if it isn't something else in addition to the PCOS causing you issues?

    I wish you lots of luck!

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  • Mrs.SlickMrs.Slick member

    I also have PCOS with a lot of the textbook symptoms but I have not had a painful cyst in years. Did your doctor mention anything else? Perhaps after the cysts have gone down in size you can come off bcp again? My treatments for PCOS are strict diet, exercise and metformin even though I am not insulin resistant. It has helped some with my symptoms but they haven't completely gone away. 

    Also are you with an obgyn or a RE? Good luck! You might also get answers on the  Trouble TTC board.

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  • MarriedinCaliMarriedinCali
    imageMrs.Slick:

    I also have PCOS with a lot of the textbook symptoms but I have not had a painful cyst in years. Did your doctor mention anything else? Perhaps after the cysts have gone down in size you can come off bcp again? My treatments for PCOS are strict diet, exercise and metformin even though I am not insulin resistant. It has helped some with my symptoms but they haven't completely gone away. 

    Also are you with an obgyn or a RE? Good luck! You might also get answers on the  Trouble TTC board.

    This.

    I was on BCP for quite a while for my PCOS, but I found that it was making me crazy and I was like a raging lunatic or a sobbing pile of nothing randomly throughout the month. I stopped BCPs. I have always had difficulty with the cysts, painful ruptures, etc... but never the hemorrhaging you mentioned- just slight bleeding but nothing terrible.

    I was on metformin alone for about a year and it helped a little, but I found the best thing for me was to work on an appropriate diet (I love Body for Life- NOT Body for Life for Women AND New Rules of Lifting for Women) and exercise combined with the Met. I have been BCP-free for a few years now, and my head doesn't spin around like in the movie the exorcist... unfortunately I am on Megace now, and I've noticed an upswing in my mood swings- poor DH, lol.

    But like PP said, I would definitely consult a RE if you haven't already. GL!!

    Don't worry about tomorrow. After all, today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday. Take each day as it comes...one at a time. Midnight Baking Adventures Blog
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  • k&a521k&a521

    Thanks so much for the advice.  I have been using an obgyn, but I'm going to start looking into a RE.  The issue is still relatively new for me- I knew about the PCOS, but I wasn't aware of the major issues with the cysts until they did the lap two weeks ago. 

    I've definitely been working on diet and exercise, but of course, losing any weight is extremely difficult. I've been on everything from South Beach to Michael Thurmond's 6 week body makeover.  I have a follow up for the lap next week- so I'm going to bring up the issue of BC again and see what we can do.  Hopefully DH doesn't check me into the psych ward in the meantime for being such a crazy person :)

     GL to you ladies and thanks again.

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