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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Taking Marvelon To Regulate Periods, PCOS. Can Birth Control Pills Be Avoided?

Hello! I am from Toronto, Canada...my 17 yr old daughter was prescribed Marvelon to regulate her periods. They told me she has mild PCOS because she has 2 symtoms or more (irregular period and some facial hair growth) rest of the tests were good including ovaries....When filling the prescription, I noticed,at home that she was given Apri...I ve been reading horror stories online regarding depression , weight gain etc!...I am so confused as what to do for her...she is not sexually active so she doesnt need it for birth control....I was against her taking pills for her period....now after reading about Apri, I am even more worried!! Should I insist they give us the Marvelon as dr s prescription?......She is already struggling with weight and I don t want her to gain anymore due to the pill!! And she is a very happy giddy person, and I don t want her to become depressed!! Should she just live with this mild PCOS and not risk getting all those other symptoms from the pill? I don t whats worse, the PCOS issues or birth control pill side effects!
Mon, 20 Jul 2015
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OBGYN,  's  Response
Every patient reacts to different brands of OCP's (birth control pills) differently. Marvelon is just another name for combination of ethinyl estradiol and desogestrel in the exact same dose as Apri- which are all generics for the branded (US) pill called Desogen. These two different brands of pills have he exact same active ingredients and are allowed to be substituted for each other in US pharmacies, so they are considered essentially the same medication. There is no way to know if your daughter will have side effects from this brand of pill or any other until she tries it. Birth control pills lower the levels of circulating testosterone in women which helps with symptoms of hair growth, acne and irregular periods. All birth control pills can cause the side effects of bloating, spotting, headaches and mood changes and these usually disappear within three months of use. There is no medical need for your daughter to take the pill at all if her symptoms are mild, and weight loss of as little as 20 percent of her body weight may help resume normal ovulation and her periods may get better on their own. If you are apprehensive specifically about Marvelon, i'm sure your daughter's physician would choose another pill for her to try. I hope this is helpful and good luck.
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Taking Marvelon To Regulate Periods, PCOS. Can Birth Control Pills Be Avoided?

Every patient reacts to different brands of OCP s (birth control pills) differently. Marvelon is just another name for combination of ethinyl estradiol and desogestrel in the exact same dose as Apri- which are all generics for the branded (US) pill called Desogen. These two different brands of pills have he exact same active ingredients and are allowed to be substituted for each other in US pharmacies, so they are considered essentially the same medication. There is no way to know if your daughter will have side effects from this brand of pill or any other until she tries it. Birth control pills lower the levels of circulating testosterone in women which helps with symptoms of hair growth, acne and irregular periods. All birth control pills can cause the side effects of bloating, spotting, headaches and mood changes and these usually disappear within three months of use. There is no medical need for your daughter to take the pill at all if her symptoms are mild, and weight loss of as little as 20 percent of her body weight may help resume normal ovulation and her periods may get better on their own. If you are apprehensive specifically about Marvelon, i m sure your daughter s physician would choose another pill for her to try. I hope this is helpful and good luck.