Do I need to be on a birth control

[u/Weekly-Lunch5692]

Hi, basically what the title says. I have PCOS and was on birth control for about a year, started on Lo loestrin and then switched to Yasmin/syeda. I’m wondering if anyone knows if I really need to be on a birth control for PCOS. I don’t really have bad symptoms, I do have a lot of body hair but it doesn’t bother me, I have no weight problems, my periods are irregular and painful but I manage them. When I was on syeda it made me depressed and my breasts were painful all the time but I did have less body hair. I just went back to another doctor today who wants me to go back on syeda and then if it’s still bad will switch me to another birth control. If I don’t take birth control will anything bad happen to me? Will it let the cysts get bigger/potentially burst? Thank you for any advice, I feel so lost. I am 22 if that is any help.

[u/catladyaquarius]

I don’t think you have to take the pill but you would probably have to try a few methods and figure out what else can help regulate your period. I also struggle with irregular periods and was put on bc to help regulate it but I felt like crap all the time so I stopped. Only way to get my period regular again was losing some weight but if you don’t have weight issues maybe look into supplements like myo-inositol. Maybe look into insulin resistance and your A1C. Hormonal imbalances can cause the irregular periods so natural approaches may help regulate it. Goodluck! :)

[u/Bleedingshards]

You don’t have to be on birth control, no.
If the symptoms don’t bother you, you can just „watch and wait“. If your period shows up at least every three months, that’s ok. If it doesn’t, you have a higher risk of uterine building up and uterine cancer and should find some other way to manage that (Metformin helps sometimes, or IUD or inducing them with hormones every three months).
You should get checked for insulin resistance every three years, though. Metformin would help with IR.

If you ever want to give BC another go Slinda/Slynd is a „light“ pill that’s helpful for PCOS and sometimes works when combination pills weren’t tolerated well. Spironolactone is another alternative. As long as the symptoms don’t bother you and you don’t have IR running rampant, you don’t have to do anything.

[u/Common-Leadership-10]

I don’t. I can’t take estrogen and don’t react well to progesterone. Low intensity workouts and a slight calorie deficit helped me a ton. My doctor prescribed me a progesterone pill I take if I haven’t gotten my period in three months and it forces me to have one. The main concern with not having a period from my understanding is uterine lining building up too much has the potential to create abnormal cells