Should I Stop Taking Birth Control Pill To Check For Symptoms Of Pcos?
I’m 26 and have been taking the birth control pill (in one form or another) for 10 years, I still have oily skin and acne and my doctor mentioned the possibility of Polycystic Ovaries Syndrome, but said that any other symptoms would be masked by my taking the pill. I’m not planning to have children any time soon, but am concerned about having a health problem I don’t know about – can anyone advise me if it’s worth coming off the pill to check this out?
The irony of this question is that one of the best treaments for PCOS is birth control- especially birth controls containing cyproterone acetate (usually called dianette or diane). If you are not experiencing abnormal periods, hirsutism (nasty hair growth), or insulin resistance and are not concerned with becoming pregnant (as some women become infertile- usually due to irregular or no menstration) then you are treating the condition as well as you can. If you do have it, there is no cure, only treatment, so you are treating it anyway. There is no use messing with your hormones just to test a hypothesis. Talk to your doctor some more. He can probably check for higher amounts of male hormones like testosterone or if you are overweight, he can check for irregular insulin levels.
Birth control pills actually worsen PCOS, insulin resistance and hormone irregularities. If you believe you have PCOS you should be tested. Check to see if you any any of the signs of PCOS, if so I would stop BCP’s and get tested immediately: http://pcosinfo.com/blog/must-read/http://pcosinfo.com/blog/tests-performed…
I’m 26 and I JUST got diagnosed with PCOS !!! (literally two days ago!).
I had acne and irregular periods from age 15 -18. Then, at age 18 my doctor put me on the pill – which regulated my periods and helped my acne a bit.
I went off the pill at age 26, because like you, I want to start a family soon and check that I am fertile.
Now, at least I KNOW that I have PCOS because now I can seek fertility treatment and hopefully get pregnant..
If you have PCOS, it’s best to know about it so that you HAVE TIME to try for a baby before you get to your 30s.
It was scary to find out that I have it and there have been a lot of tears! BUT, it’s also a relief to find out what my problem is and IT EXPLAINS so many things that I have worried about since puberty.
My diagnosis involved simple blood test to check hormone levels (I have high testosterone) and an ultrasound to look at cycts on ovaries.