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Is there any reason I should be taking birth control?

Posted , 3 users are following.

nuuuuwas
nuuuuwas

I recently found out I had PCOS, so I was prescribed birth control. But I need to think about why I'm taking this drug. I can't think of any reason I should be using it - if there's no reason, then I should stop taking it. I'm not experiencing any symptoms of excess androgen beside amenorrhea. So the only thing the birth control does is give me periods. That is a bad thing. Are there any other long-term effects of hormone imbalance that I should be worried about?

1 like, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • nuuuuwas
    nuuuuwas

    Posted

    oop, was just asking about this elsewhere and someone told me buildup of uterine lining may lead to heart problems or endometrial cancer. so that's a first reason i got, can't figure out how to edit my post so i'll post if any more come along!
  • masha17
    masha17 nuuuuwas

    Posted

    I'm not a doctor, I'm just a fellow PCOS sufferer. I don't know how this syndrome manifests itself in your case. I've struggled with hirsutism, weight gain/water retention (I also have a Hashimoto's thyroiditis), hairloss... but my hormone levels have always been normal and I've always had regular periods. My right ovary is more affected and my left ovulates.

    Having given you a short overview of my state, now I can say that I have always firmly refused to be put on birth control to deal with my PCOS even though every single doctor (from GPs, gynaecologists to endocrinlogists) has suggested it - until I went to a yearly gyneco. check-up few weeks ago.

    I deal with it by watching my diet (I went from a classis western omnivore to a vegan, and now eat mostly raw with a lot of fresh homemade juices) and exercising.

    I've seen immense improvement, not on all fronts, but on most. I guess it takes time for symptomes like hirsutism to lessen.

    The last gynecologist I've seen was the first one to actually tell me that what I'm doing is the only thing that can be done as PCOS is more of a life-style disease. You can cover up the symptomes with a pill sometimes, but it's just temporarely dealing with the problem, not healing it.

    The key could be keeping the insuline always in balance which means avoiding eating not just sugar and sweets but anything that will make the insuline spike. Unfortunately, our diets are all about all kinds of sugars (breads, pasta, cakes, rice, potatoes, juices -even 100% no sugar added ones...). 

    Taking birth control won't lessen the risk of developing insulin resistence which some of the PCOS sufferes get. 

    Birth control offers many liberties and I'm not against it. I just think that it is not a cure for PCOS. Birth control can provoke additional weight gain (which promotes insuline resistance) and put you at risk of cardio-vascular disease (which women with PCOS already have).

    I'd go for a second opinion. Talk yo my doctor. Explain my worries. If there's no immediate danger (I don't know what it could be), I'd try a lifestyle change.

    Good luck! 

  • Chris-J
    Chris-J nuuuuwas

    Posted

    Sadly, this is the medics 'first' trial point for PCOS........treating the symptoms, rather than the cause.

    Might be a good idea to get a referral to a gynae who specilaises in PCOS.

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