Women who have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) tend to suffer from:
- irregular menses
- acne
- hirsutism (abnormal male hair distribution)
- anovulation (which is associated with infertility)
- and overweight issues.
It is important to remember that not all PCOS patients have all these symptoms. Most have some of these and to various degrees. Those that have infertility issues will not require birth control pills for obvious reasons.
As for those who do ovulate and wish to have the option of family planning, then the oral contraceptives of choice would be those that contain progesterone, drospirenone as these hormones have anti-testosterone properties that can address the issues of contraception, menstrual regulation and treats acne (women will experience better skin complexion).
Drospirenone also acts as a mild diuretic and so prevents water retention and weight gain. The 2 oral contraceptives of choice in this case which contains drospirenone are Yasmin and Yaz (they also contain the oestrogen Ethinyl estradiol, which is why they belong to the combined oral contraceptive family).
