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Types of Birth Control for PCOS

According to the Center for Young Women's Health, polycystic ovary syndrome is a medical condition that occurs in women with an imbalance of certain hormones. Typical symptoms of PCOS include irregular or absent menstrual periods, excess hair growth on the face and body, acne and weight gain. There is no cure for PCOS, but certain birth control methods are often prescribed to treat the symptoms of PCOS, including birth control pills, the birth control patch and the birth control vaginal ring.

  1. Symptoms and Causes

    • As the Mayo Clinic explains, a normal menstrual cycle is regulated by hormones released by a woman's pituitary gland and ovaries. In women with PCOS, the pituitary gland often secretes higher than normal levels of the luteinizing hormone. This disrupts the normal functioning of the menstrual cycle and leads to irregular periods. Women with PCOS also have ovaries that produce higher than normal amounts of the androgen testosterone, a male sex hormone. Elevated levels of testosterone can cause acne and hair growth on the face and body.

    How Birth Control Can Help

    • Hormonal birth control regulates a woman's hormone levels to prevent pregnancy. Because PCOS is the result of a hormonal imbalance, certain methods of birth control can reduce the symptoms of PCOS by eliminating the hormonal imbalance. According to the Mayo Clinic, birth control methods used to treat PCOS contain both estrogen and progesterone. These birth control methods can regulate menstrual bleeding, reduce acne and hair growth by decreasing the production of testosterone and lower the risk for endometrial cancer. As the National Women's Health Information Center points out, these symptoms will return if the use of birth control is discontinued.

    Combination Birth Control Pills

    • Combination birth control pills, which are pills that contain both estrogen and progestin, are commonly prescribed to treat PCOS symptoms. According to Planned Parenthood, birth control pills must be taken every day, preferably at the same time each day. For the first 21 days of your cycle, you take an active pill each day. Depending on whether your pills come in a pack of 21 or 28, during the last seven days of your cycle you either take a reminder pill each day (for a pack of 28 pills) or no pills at all (for a pack of 21 pills). After the seven days have passed, you start a new pack of pills.

    The Patch

    • As the American College for Obstetricians and Gynecologists states, the birth control patch is a small patch that releases estrogen and progestin into the bloodstream when worn on the skin. Since it contains both estrogen and progestin, the patch can be used to treat PCOS. The patch is worn for a week at a time for the first three weeks; during the fourth week, no patch is worn and menstrual bleeding occurs. After seven days, a new patch is applied to begin the next cycle.

    The Vaginal Ring

    • The vaginal ring is another option for treatment of PCOS. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the birth control vaginal ring is a small plastic ring that releases estrogen and progestin when placed in the upper vagina. The ring is left in place for 21 days, then removed for seven days, during which bleeding occurs. After the seven days are up, a new ring is inserted into the vagina.

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