Polycystic Ovary Syndrome-PCOS?

I'm 18 years old and I was just diagnosed with PCOS..I'm not overweight at all (I'm actually underweight)..my doctor prescribed me some Birth Control pills (Ortho Tri-Cyclen).. I was wondering about all the effects of both PCOS and the Ortho Tri-Cyclen..or generally any information and experiences..Thanks!

Also..how will it affect my period?..I have had regular periods for a while now but about a year ago I had missed it for 6 months..so how often will I have my period?

I've been diagnosed with PCOS for a while now...I'm 25 and have had trouble with it on and off...the most important thing you can do is keep your weight in check, exercise and Birth Control...Women with this, have a higher risk of getting Diabetes, Heart Disease and having problems with conception...Keep up with the Birth Control if you can (I had to stop it because it made me too lethargic)

Keeping your hormones in check will help from cysts forming and keep your periods regular and normal...The effects I've found and read about have been...irregular periods, missed periods, no periods, weight gain/weight loss, acne problems, thinning hair, grow extra body hair, dark patches of skin on the face/groin...I added a link to a helpful page.


*Addition* As for what it will do for your periods, its very hard to tell what exactly will be "normal" for you...In my experience without proper exercise, keeping body weight down, using birth control, it could be anything from every month, to longer than normal periods, (I've had a period last a whole month before), shorter than normal periods (like a few days), periods that just come and go as they please (like a period one month, not another period for 6 months like you were saying) or have major spotting all the time (which I've had also)...the best suggestions I could give to anyone with PCOS would be to exercise, keep the weight down and keep up with birth control.

Birth Control has side effects that they like to "warn" you about, like spotting, blood clot, stroke, smoking increases these risks, but you're so very young and its very rare...being older taking BC its more typical to see side effects and problems (but still thats even rare)...this I've noticed with being on Birth Control, fatigue, lethargy, decreased sex drive (which is what ultimately made me stop my pills), but the good side, shorter (mine were on average 4 days) periods, and steady periods. I never missed a period on birth control, and virtually had no cramps whatsoever. Also I never noticed very heavy periods or loosing a lot of blood.

I'd play around with what makes you feel good, what makes you happy and what helps...what worked for me (exercise, diet, keeping my weight down, and BC to start) may not work for you...Hope you're doing good!

Symptoms include: Excess Hair, Deeper Voice (In most cases), Extra Weight Gain, Rapid Hair Growth, Abnormal Height (In most cases), Higher Testosterone Levels, Abnormal Periods, Infertility (But that depends), Larger Breasts (In most cases), And Harder To Lose Weight (In most cases).

There is no cure found yet. (I'm sure they have it thought, and just don't want to give it to us.)

Risks: Not able to conceive a child when your older.

Everything else: It's not fun to have it. People sometimes make fun of you because of facial hair for a woman or because your taller than guys. They just don't understand. And women are more likely to get P.C.O.S. than a guy is.

Children in the future: It's a lower chance unfortunately to have a child. But it still is possible to have one.

As for the birth control, your starting with the same one I did. It might be to high if it's your first time on the pill. The BC is only to regulate your hormones and your period. You have more male hormones than female ones. That's the only reason they gave them to you. But as for risks with the pill, it's nothing really. Your doctor wouldn't have prescribed them to you if you have genetics with a bad heart. But then, everyone is different. When I was on that high dose, I had my excess hair come off. (Not the hair on my head.) If you get headaches from the pills, go back to where you got them from and get a lower dose. It's not good to get headaches from them. If you do, it's to many hormones at once.

Most people don't understand what you mean by more hormones or why you have this here or that there. Or even why your taller. It's something that you have to ignore people with. You have to hang out with people who won't make fun of you because of what's on the outside, only the people who like you because of who you are. There WILL be people out there looking for you imperfections, and will constantly harp on you for having those kinds of issues. I strongly recommend being careful on who you tell about having PCOS. Some people might take it the wrong way and start calling you a guy or a trans. Please be very careful. Only tell those your trust.

Feel free to e-mail me if you have any more questions or concerns about Polysystic Ovarian Syndrome.

Hope this helps. ^_^