WOMENS-HEALTH Messages for January, 1998: Re: Polycystic Ovaries and Orthocyclin

Re: Polycystic Ovaries and Orthocyclin

From: Anonymous (anonymous@obgyn.net(Anonymous))
Sun, 25 Jan 1998 18:03:40 -0600 (CST)

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At Tue, 16 Dec 1997, R.Daniel Braun, MD FACOG wrote: >
>At Tue, 16 Dec 1997, Michele wrote:
>>
>>I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovaries via ultrasound (general and
>>transvaginal) and I am currently taking orthocyclin, due to a 10 month
>>lack of menstruation. I am now experiencing high blood pressure ,which
>>I have never had before starting the pill over a year ago, so we are
>>attributing it to the pill. I am 30 years old and I am not interested
>>in getting pregnant at this time. My concern is, if I have to go off of
>>the Orthocyclin to regulate my BP, what is my next step ? I have tried
>>other pills which did not work to regulate my cycle and have always gone
>>back to the orthocyclin.
>>
>>--
>>MGlassman,D.C.
>>
>Michelle,
>The major health threat of Polcystic ovaries (PCO) is that since you are
>not ovulating, you make no progesterone. Thus your endometrium (the
>uterine lining) is exposed to unopposed estrogen. Estrogen causes the
>endometrium to grow and grow and grow. If this is allowed to continue
>unchecked, the endometrium will become hyperplastic (overgrown) and may
>even become malignant.
>This is easily prevented by taking some progesterone. This can be done
>in many ways. The easiest and cheapest is to take any brand of oral
>contraceptive. They all contain a progestational agent and this is what
>is needed to oppose the effect of the estrogen. The next way is to take
>oral provera for 10 days every month. This will work to oppose the
>estrogen, but if you should happen to unexpectedly ovulate one month (it
>does happen), the provera will not prevent pregnancy. Another way of
>doing it would be the Depo-provera shot, but that usually causes
>irregular bleeding and most women with PCO are sick of that.
>The portion of the OCP that is associated with hypertension is the
>estrogen which you really don't need.
>I hope this helps. Please talk to your Doctor about what to do in your
>specific situyation.
>
>--
>R.Daniel Braun, MD
>
> "Heisenberg might have slept here"
> Unknown or Indecisve
>

-- Thanks to Dr. Braun for presenting a summary of the risks associated with PCO. It has been very hard for me to understand the actual health risks of PCO, since I find that most doctors which I have encountered are most interested in treating it so the increased hair growth which I experience is eliminated. To me there is no health risk in hair growth, but it does seem more intuitive that having a bunch of extra stuff inside you might become cancerous.

Anyway, I also have a question. Dr. Braun, you said that most women are "sick of" the side effects of depro-provera. My doctors keep telling me that it is also a higher risk treatment than oral contraceptives. Is that so ?

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