PCOS and stopping the pill

[egglette]

Hi all - anyone here with PCOS struggled or struggling with the effects of being off the pill?

I was put on the pill in my teens after being diagnosed with PCOS from bloods and an ultrasound. Main symptoms were irregular periods, acne, anxiety and a bit of hair loss. Pill saw to all of those perfectly with no issues for over a decade.

Came off earlier this year to start TTC for the first time and all the old issues are back with a vengeance. My skin is appalling (dry, oily and acne all at once), hair coming out in clumps each day, and struggling with dramatic shifts in mood.

I think it's getting to me bit more now that I've just had two really long cycles and it's really hard to tell if I'm even ovulating. I know it's really early days, but struggling with the idea that it may well be a long road ahead, and in the meantime the symptoms are presumably here to stay.

Has it settled for anyone? to all.

Using the pill with PCOS merely masked the symptoms of the underlying problem. No one treatment or therapy completely eradicates PCOS. When I came off the pill all the symptoms of PCOS

I had before returned.

You may need some medical help in order to conceive but there are treatments available. As you already have a PCOS diagnosis I would start the process of getting referred to a NHS subfertility unit sooner rather than later via your GP.

Would also suggest you look at Verity's website on PCOS; link here:-
www.verity-pcos.org.uk/. Knowledge too here is power and the more you can educate yourself about PCOS the better. Would not use OPKs or temp charting methods; both are problematic to use when PCOS is present.

Thank you, @AttilaTheMeerkat, really appreciate that. I hope things have been ok for you in spite of the PCOS.

Regarding the subfertility referral, I spoke to my GP recently and they said to try for a year and then get in touch even bearing in mind the PCOS. Is there any chance of being referred sooner than that? I'm a bit concerned that the information might be all already available from the bloods and ultrasound, and trying without any medical intervention for a year will not get us anywhere. The GP didn't/couldn't read the old results.

I went back after 6 months of ttc and asked for a referral at that time as I was having no periods at all. An initial appointment for me arrived 7 months later.