Re: PCOS, BCP and Hair Lose -> Doctor's Please
From: anonymous (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Tue, 29 Apr 2003 21:54:17 -0500 (CDT)
You did not mention WHAT NAME or TYPE of bcp you were taking. Some
bcp's are bad for PCOS and some are much better. Some can cause more
hair loss. Some can stop it.
For me, Demulen stopped my hairloss somewhat. Demulen is a bcp. But
what really stopped the hair loss completely after that was glucophage,
otherwise known as the generic brand Metformin. Glucophage controls
things like insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a common cause of
pcos.
Yes, it's also true that DHEA and cortisol (made by the adrenal glands)
can be pcos culprits as well.
Go to an Endocrinologist. A good highly recommended one. And get
THOROUGH THOROUGH testing for every possible problem. PCOS is one of
those complicated diseases that have many different causes and symptoms
and remedies, and not every women is the same.
At Tue, 29 Apr 2003, Emmie wrote:
>
>After years of extremely irregular periods, bouts of acne, and cysts on
>my ovaries, I have finally been diagnosed with PCOS. I have been taking
>BCP's for the last 4 years to regulate my period since I have so few (2
>times a year) However even though I have had symptoms of PCOS all my
>life, only since I've begun taking the BCP's have I noticed alot of hair
>lose, as this has been going on for the last 4yrs I am in fear that I
>will eventually be completely bald, if not for a thick head of hair,
>pre-bcp's, I would surely already be bald.
>I've done research and have found that androgen's, in particular DHEA,
>may be a common culprit. I am frustrated and scared, I've asked my
>doctor if the BCP's were the reason for the lose, but she says no, so my
>questions were:
>
>1. Can taking BCP bring about hair loss in a woman with PCOS?
>2. If so, can discontinuing use of BCP's stop the hair lose?
>3. If no, is there anything that can possibly be done to stop the hair
>loss? ie. medication, shampoo's, natural remedies(vitamin's or herb's
>like saw palmetto and the like)
>
>Please help, I am only 26yrs and looking in the mirror to see scalp and
>nothing but scalp is terrifying, any help would be appreciated.
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