What about the Pill for PCOS?
If you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), you may have been prescribed birth control pills and told that they will "regulate" your hormones and menstrual cycle. It is common practice among conventional medical practitioners to hand out the Pill as if it is a cure-all for hormone imbalances like those that occur in PCOS.
While patients are often told that the Pill is "regulating" their menstrual cycle, this is not quite true, as there is suppression of the hormonal processes and signaling that drives the menstrual cycle.
The powerful synthetic hormones in birth control pills essentially shut down the function of the ovaries; ovulation and and ovarian hormone production are suppressed.
If you are on a 28 day birth control regimen that includes 7 days of "sugar pills", you may experience withdrawal bleeding during some of those 7 days. This is not true menstrual bleeding as no ovulation occurs and thus there is no build-up of the lining of the uterus (the body's preparation for pregnancy) while on birth control pills.
Patients may see some relief of symptoms while on birth control pills but they don't "fix" the underlying issues that cause PCOS.
Birth control pills can cause other issues as well.
Some women have trouble re-starting their cycle after stopping their birth control pills.
Use of the Pill has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and depression.
There are better options for treating PCOS than birth control pills.
A longer-lasting and deeper healing will result from a comprehensive approach to PCOS. This includes a very thorough assessment of your medical history and labs and an individualized treatment plan that addresses the fundamental drivers of PCOS like inflammation, insulin resistance, and exposure to environmental toxins.