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Fertility / Infertility (Expert Forum)
Absent periods and facial hair
Questions in the Fertility/Infertility forum are answered by doctors affiliated with USF Health. Topics covered include fertility or infertility issues, egg quality, fertility drugs and side effects, fertility tests, genetic testing, in-vitro fertilization (IVF), ovulation, relationship issues, risk factors, sperm count/quality, and surgery.
Absent periods and facial hair
by itsjustme2528, Oct 22, 2007 12:00AM
Hello I am 26 I have had one child. I have a period every 3 to 6 months. I started getting facial hair shortly after having my daughter. I also suffer form acne. Is this a hormonal inbalance? What can I do for it? I am afraid to get on Medication for fear it will mess my system up more. My friend has the same problem they told her she produced to much testosterone and got on medication and now has alot of facial hair. Are there any natural ways to bring those levels down? I want to have another child.
Doctor's Answer
by Forum-M.D.-SP, Nov 12, 2007 12:00AM
Dear itsjustme2528-
This could be a hormonal imbalance. The only way to find out is to see your doctor to be tested. The most common cause of this is a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This is very common - up to 10% of all reproductive age women have PCOS. The diagnosis is made from examination to see the extent of excess hair growth, an ultrasound of the ovaries, and blood tests to look at various hormones including testosterone. If you are overweight, which is pretty common with this condition, then weight loss (does not need to be much, often just 5%-10% does the trick) often helps normalize periods. If weight loss does not work, or you are unable to lose weight, or are not overweight, then you will probably need medication.
Regarding your concern that medication will mess your system up more, this is not the case. The irregular periods are not due to medication, and are neither made worse nor cured by medication. However, many years of irregular periods means that you are not ovulating regularly. When that occurs, your ovaries makes estrogen, but not progesterone. Unopposed estrogen, which is what happens when women do not ovulate, can over time increase the risk of cancer of the uterus, or of suddenly starting to hemorrhage. Therefore, if you are not ovulating regularly and hence are not producing enough progesterone, you need to take medicine that will provide you with progesterone. Which medication to choose depends on your current wishes. For example, if you want to have a baby, you should take a fertility pill, since this will cause you to ovulate. Once you ovulate, your ovaries will make progesterone. On the other hand, if you do not want to be pregnant but want treatment for the acne and hair growth, the birth control pill is a great choice. It has a progesterone in it and so will protect the uterus from cancer. At the same time, since the birth control pill works by shutting off the signal to your ovaries from your brain, the ovaries will stop making testosterone and your acne and rate of hair growth will hopefully improve.
This is a common problem, for which I would recommend seeing your ObGyn or a Reproductive Endocrinologist to help decide which approach is best for you.
This could be a hormonal imbalance. The only way to find out is to see your doctor to be tested. The most common cause of this is a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This is very common - up to 10% of all reproductive age women have PCOS. The diagnosis is made from examination to see the extent of excess hair growth, an ultrasound of the ovaries, and blood tests to look at various hormones including testosterone. If you are overweight, which is pretty common with this condition, then weight loss (does not need to be much, often just 5%-10% does the trick) often helps normalize periods. If weight loss does not work, or you are unable to lose weight, or are not overweight, then you will probably need medication.
Regarding your concern that medication will mess your system up more, this is not the case. The irregular periods are not due to medication, and are neither made worse nor cured by medication. However, many years of irregular periods means that you are not ovulating regularly. When that occurs, your ovaries makes estrogen, but not progesterone. Unopposed estrogen, which is what happens when women do not ovulate, can over time increase the risk of cancer of the uterus, or of suddenly starting to hemorrhage. Therefore, if you are not ovulating regularly and hence are not producing enough progesterone, you need to take medicine that will provide you with progesterone. Which medication to choose depends on your current wishes. For example, if you want to have a baby, you should take a fertility pill, since this will cause you to ovulate. Once you ovulate, your ovaries will make progesterone. On the other hand, if you do not want to be pregnant but want treatment for the acne and hair growth, the birth control pill is a great choice. It has a progesterone in it and so will protect the uterus from cancer. At the same time, since the birth control pill works by shutting off the signal to your ovaries from your brain, the ovaries will stop making testosterone and your acne and rate of hair growth will hopefully improve.
This is a common problem, for which I would recommend seeing your ObGyn or a Reproductive Endocrinologist to help decide which approach is best for you.
PCOS and Hypothyroidism sometimes go hand-in-hand, so your doctor should check thyroid levels and antibodies as well. In my opinion, you should ask your gyn about this, or you could see an endocrinologist as well.
For lots more advice (and support if you are dx'ed or have questions), try this site:
www.soulcysters.net