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Contraceptive pill and acne
For four years now, I have been using the contraceptive pill, Dianette. Prior to this, I suffered from acne. I want to stop taking the pill but am worried the acne may return. I don’t think I have PCOS since I do not suffer from hirsutism or weight gain. How can I address this hormone imbalance?
The problem with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is that not every woman who has it has the exact same symptoms. Excess facial hair, fertility problems and unexplained weight gain are tell-tale signs in some sufferers but others may have very few and very minor symptoms.
The acne you had before taking Dianette, which is an anti-androgen drug, is a sign of the body producing too much testosterone so it is possible you have a very mild form of PCOS. An ultrasound scan of the ovaries can confirm this. What you need, if you want to stop the acne coming back, is a herbal alternative that will do the same job.
I have been searching, with no luck, for a specific PCOS remedy ever since I started writing this column five years ago and not least because I also suffer mildly from this condition. The best I can suggest at this stage is saw palmetto which, more usually, we recommend to help manage prostate problems.
Nobody really knows how saw palmetto works with the sex hormones to stop the conversion of testosterone to a more potent form called dihydrotestosterone which can trigger the acne but one theory is that it disables an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase which is key to this process. What we do know is that saw palmetto is relatively free from unwanted side-effects. In a three year study, only 34 of 435 people taking this herb complained of mild gastrointestinal disturbances.