Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Birth Control for PCOS?!

DH and I went to the RE today for a follow-up on his MRI. They tested his Cortisol and some kind of progesterone, they were all normal. They tried to test his growth hormone level, but Ques.t Di.agnostics ran the wrong test. The doctor doesn’t think the tumor is anything to worry about. I don’t know that I agree. Is it normal to have a growth on a pituitary gland and it affect NOTHING?!?!

The good news with him is that the HCG and Femara are increasing his testosterone levels to where they should be, which is hopefully helping his fertility. We still haven’t done a semen analysis, so we don’t know for sure. He’s scared and embarrassed, I think.

Ok, now on to me. The doctor was asking how we wanted to proceed with treatment. I asked him how much more weight he thought I should lose before we started getting serious. We are actively trying right now, but with no meds for me (just the good ol’ fashion way…SEX).

He told me with no “treatment” I have a 50% chance of miscarrying if I got pregnancy right now!! WTF?! Does PCOS really screw up your system that bad? I asked him what the “treatment” was and his said “ovulation drugs and other things to get your hormones right where they need to be to achieve pregnancy”. I was devastated by that.

Then to add more salt to the wound, he wants to put me on Birth Control. Why you ask…well let me tell you. He wants me on birth control anytime we’re not active trying to conceive because it’s better for my health. He said PCOS wreaks havoc on your endocrine/metabolic systems and untreated PCOS can cause heart disease, high cholesterol, etc. He wants me on birth control until I go through menopause!!! I was like…uh NO! Then he tried to argue with me and my DH, even going so far as to put it for “off label use” or to rename it. I tired to explain it to him, but all he threw back was “I treat a lot of catholics and some are on birth control pills”. Oh. What. Ever.

DH and I are going to an infertility group here in Jacksonville tonight. It may be time to move on to NAPRO. For the first time my husband is on board with it.

God bless my husband and his hope. He said this in the car leaving the doctor, “Beth, we’ll get pregnant without him, by ourselves.” I wish I could believe that.

6 comments:

  1. You need a new doctor, who respects your faith, first off...

    When I was single (and not having sex), my doctor prescribed the pill as treatment for my PCOS. Since I was 100% not taking it for BC, I went ahead and took it... until I realized it was wreaking havoc in my body.

    Next I went to a NFP-only doctor who helped me get straightened out with other medication (spironolactone and Metformin). I got back on Metformin after my first child, when I was trying to get pregnant a 2nd time. Ovulation drugs like Femara or Clomid can also help with the ovulation. Good luck!!!

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  2. Hi, I discovered your blog via Leila. I have PCOS and I have to throw my two cents in. I have read that untreated PCOS does have a very high rate of miscarriage, mostly because women with PCOS do not have enough progesterone to keep a pregnancy going in the early stages.

    I was on BCP all through high school and college because of PCOS. It did NOTHING to treat my disease, and if anything, it led me to do immoral things. Now I am 27 and have type II diabetes because no one told me about cutting carbs, etc. Just "take this pill and you'll have normal periods". What a crock.

    I went off the pill at 22 and at 24 was diagnosed with type II. I was put on Metformin for that, and it has helped my PCOS tremendously. I lost about 15 pounds, and that also helped.

    I miscarried my first baby in 2009, but I have a healthy two month old girl now. All because I switched to Napro. All we used to conceive was metformin, and progesterone supplements from peak+6 through the first trimester.

    Please get away from this doctor who wants you to go on HBC. Not only is is immoral, its totally useless.

    God Bless!

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  3. Agreed. Go to a Napro doc, there are ways to FIX PCOS that don't involve the pill and are okay with church teaching. These methods are WAY better on your body too. With all my problems they said my ovaries looked polycystic too, so they fixed them in surgery and now it won't be a problem for me.

    Ditch this doc fast. Please, please please look for a Napro doc in your area. Do it now. I wasted a year with a bad doc who caused more harm than good, and now I can't get that year back. Go to www.fertilitycare.org and then click Find a Medical Consultant, on the left side.

    You shouldn't have to deal with a doc who makes you uncomfortable and who does not respect your wishes. There are better ways!!

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  4. First of all I go to PPVI in Omaha - great doctors there of course! - when I was concerned that I'd miscarry if I got pregnant before I was able to have surgery (I just had my second surgery a couple of months ago to do an ovarian wedge for PCOS) the doctor was NOT concerned - she even talked about putting me on C.lomid if I couldn't have the surgery (long story dealing with insurance ;))... I don't think a napro doc would put someone on Cl.omid to help achieve a pregnancy if she thought the patient couldn't carry a baby. So don't worry - you can carry a baby with PCOS. A couple friends of mine and my sister have been told they have PCOS and both have delivered healthy babies! I wonder where your doctor got that 50% number????!
    Second - birth control is horrible crud! I was put on it after my first surgery and I'm so mad I let them do that to me. Glad you're standing your ground - and I agree that you should find a new doctor :)

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  5. I believe it! My hubs used to say that too and I never believed him - even though I wanted to. Turns out, he was right (for once, hehehehehe).

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  6. Yup, same thing the Drs did to me when I was 19 years old. Except they didn't have to explain anything, because I was "just a kid" who wouldn't understand anyway, so I was told, "you have lots of tiny, benign cysts on your ovaries... take the pill for 6 months to regulate your periods." And of course when 6 months didn't work, only made things worse, it was ok, take it indefinately.

    I could have written the first part of Sarah's comment.

    GO NAPRO, BABY!!!!!!!

    I have a mean case of PCOS, mean I tell ya, and I am miraculously ovulating on my own unmedicated AND producing great progesterone levels on my own now, thanks to NaPro.

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