Re: Yasmin or diet change/ other alternative therapies?
From: Victoria (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Mon, 20 Jan 2003 17:01:56 -0500
I think we tried the lead in's from anonymous people then the ads right behind it on the endometriosis forum. Now that that has
stopped, it has started over here on the PCOS forums. How interesting ...
First, Yasmin does tend to have properties to help because it contains a derivative of Spironolactone, for hair problems. Birth
control pills are different for different women, especially with a different progesterone type in the pill. You would be on the
mark for eating style and exercise changes.
If you want to look at something that has been proven to work, try Metformin. You can check out the archives here and on the
other PCOS lists. Its the medication that most women look towards, as it tends to help with insulin resistance, the core problem
of PCOS for many women. It may help if you have NIDDM in the family. You could try non tested herbal products or check in the
archives for them, including effectiveness. Unless they treat insulin resistance and I haven't seen that in the book that's
touted on them, I'm not sure whether or not the end result wouldn't be the same as the BCP. Dr. Sam of this list has not
recommended the creams and you can see the information I have below on them.
--
Victoria
http://nichollsvi.tripod.com
Before you consider trying the progesterone creams, I made an investigation into them into a webpage:
(http://nichollsvi.tripod.com/p_cream.html). The issues I mainly deal with are:
1) the FDA (regulatory body in America) and its legal stance on the products being in violation of current laws.
2) the lack of facts or science (validity) behind the product/theories behind it taken from doctor comments, Medline, and other
reliable medical science sites. There is no evidence to support that it is anything other than a placebo.
3) Other information, including a promotion from a heavily promoted website, where you become an 'associate' of, earning $ on
books to 'get the most' out of progesterone creams (Letter I, #2).
Always do thorough medical based research on anything you take that is given a reputation to alleviate, cure, treat or deal with
a specific problem or problems. It may be in violation of the law, or there might be no evidence to support it.
www.quackwatch.com, http://www.quackfiles.com, http://quackbusters.quackfiles.com are good places to start to review all sorts
of questionable health products and practices.
Victoria
From: anonymous@obgyn.net (anonymous)
Hi folks,
I was recently told I may have PCOS. My symptoms are annoying, but not
as severe as some I see described here (i.e I get a period, but my
cycle's about 40 days long; I've got acne; my hair's falling out; I get
mood swings; & suddenly I've got fuzz growing on my face, tho. I've
never had it before.) I'm not overweight, I eat a reasonably healthy
diet, and I try to exercise regularly. There's a pretty strong history
of Type II Diabetes in my family, but I recently had bloodwork done and
my insulin levels came back within the normal range. my FSH/LH ratios
were off, tho.
My doctor has told me to go on Yasmin. I haven't been on OC since I was
in college (about 15 years ago), when I took ortho-tricyclen. I had a
bad reaction to that, and am feeling reluctant to hop on this bandwagon
(--esp. when I read about side effects!) I've read that OC doesn't
really "treat" the problem, it just masks symptoms, and then symptoms
come back with a vengence if you try to go off the pill.
So--here's my question: has anyone had success with diet/ exercise/
herbs alone? What about using "Natural Progesterone" cream? Is OC really
the way to go for treating moderate symptoms?
Thanks for any insight you can share!
![[ PCOS Discussion Forums ]](../../images/pcos_at_obgyn.gif)