Any other PCOSers?!

I lost both my ovaries to PCOS.

I have PCOS. Metformin seems to be working for me, finally. I was diagnosed at the age of 19 with both prediabetes and PCOS. I was put on Metformin, Yasmin (birth control), and spironolactone (100 mg). Also I went through two courses of Accutane for my severe acne.

Over the past ten years I've tried going off Yasmin to see if I would have periods, but they never started. Finally this last October I started weaning off spironolactone. I finished in February, and then took my last birth control pill at the beginning of March. Of course I had the expected withdrawal bleed (i.e. fake period) right after, but then at the beginning of April I had a real period!

During my current cycle I used those LH urine tests (in normal cycles LH is low most of the month, but spikes 24-48 hours prior to ovulation). I passed day 14 of my cycle without a positive test and was beginning to feel sad, but then it happened on day 19! I'm expecting a period this Friday. It's very surreal. When I was diagnosed I had gone a year without a period. Now it appears I'm having normal cycles and might even be ovulating, though it's a bit early to say. It'll be easier to tell once my fiance and I get married and start trying.

I would suggest seeing a fertility specialist if your doctor isn't prescribing Metformin. My cousin went a year without conceiving and her endocrinologist just told her to diet and exercise. Finally she saw a fertility specialist and was put on Metformin. She got pregnant within two months. The odd thing is that I was seeing the exact same endocrinologist. I think he discriminated against her because she's overweight. I was underweight when diagnosed, so he made the assumption that I needed medicine and my cousin just needed to lose weight.

Given that you have prediabetes, I'm surprised you're not on Metformin already. It treats both problems (PCOS and prediabetes) because insulin resistance is involved in both. As my doctor explained, treating PCOS with Metformin is like treating the cause, while birth control just shuts down the ovaries and spironolactone (an androgen blocker) just covers up the symptoms caused by too much androgen (such as acne and hirsutism). Metformin helps normalize blood sugar, insulin, androgen, estrogen, and LH/FSH levels.

Regarding weight and birth control, I appear to be reacting opposite how you reacted. My weight has been fairly stable on Yasmin. I quit it 2 months ago, and in the past week I've gained 4 lbs. Before that, I gained 5 lbs while weaning off spironolactone, which wasn't surprising given that spironolactone also acts as a diuretic. I'm thinking I'm suffering from PMS, and that I've forgotten what that's like due to not having a natural period in 10 years, but I'm using MyFitnessPal to figure out what my metabolism is doing. Of course, if my weight is constantly fluctuating due to water weight, that's going to be impossible to do, unless I just weigh myself once a month during a specified day of my cycle. Maybe day 5 of my period or something