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Confused and Worried, Advice Please!

I am 22 years old. I have always had irregular and intense (severe cramps, bleeding, mood swings) periods. I have tried several types of birth control to help with this and of course they do regulate the periods, but they are never less intense and the other side effects of the pill (nausea, weight gain, constant mood swings) are always so severe that I honestly would rather just have the irregular periods.

Ever since my last try with the pill a year and a half ago(it was called Sronyx and I was on it for 3 months), which made me gain ten pounds and gave the the worst mood swings and nausea of any pill (it was supposed to be the lowest dose of hormones), my periods have been even more irregular, sometimes with only two weeks between them, sometimes almost two months. I have also continued to gain weight despite working out more than I ever have before and becoming a vegetarian and watching what I eat constantly. I carry the weight around my waist, something that was not so pronounced before Sronyx.

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603463 tn?1220626855
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi!
First of all, many people do really well with Yaz, so don';t believe all you read. I DONT think it will be the solution for you though!  If you have tried several pills, it will very likely be just one more!
If you were my patient, I would give you a trial of monthly progesterone tablets.  I prescribe them for 5 days at the beginning or end of the month.  I like to use natural progesterone because it has fewer side effects.
The progesterone induces a period.  The first two or three would be the "whoppers" that you are used to, but after awhile, they should settle down.
I DO think you have PCOS.  If you wanted to do hormone tests, I would suggest LH,FSH,prolactin, and thyroid, as well as a progesterone level.
Women with PCOS CAN AND DO get pregnant, and the progesterone won 't provide birth control, so you should really use something for that too if you don't want a baby right now!
Good luck!
Dr B
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Avatar universal
Also, I sometimes experience a dull pain in my lower abdomen, and pressure in the right side of my lower abdomen during intercourse.
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Avatar universal
(continued)
I have done some research on the internet and these symptoms correlate with a hormonal imbalance of some sort or even PCOS, though I don't have the random hair growth. I have been to a gynecologist and all he wants to do is put me on the pill, which I explained makes me miserable in a way that these irregular periods alone cannot. He refuses to test for a hormonal imbalance, saying that it's impossible to measure since women's hormones fluctuate so much throughout their cycle. I went for a pelvic ultrasound a week or so ago and still have yet to get the results. My PAP was normal. I know while I am there to get my results he is going to try to get me to take YAZ, which he suggested when I got my PAP exam (I researched YAZ and found some horror stories!!) or some sort of IUD...I don't know how to feel about that either. Should I listen to my instincts and avoid birth control? It seems to me it's just a band-aid and not a real solution to a problem. If I do have PCOS, are there other alternatives besides taking birth control? Please give me some guidance.

Thanks.
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