I saw this on the internet about using birth control pills for an ovarian cyst:

Hormonal contraception has many health benefits for women, but treatment of ovarian cysts is not one of them. Although birth control pills are commonly prescribed for this reason, they do nothing except make the patient and her doctor feel better because, well, they are doing/prescribing something. According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) Practice Bulletin on the Noncontraceptive Uses of Hormonal Contraceptives, “Combined oral contraceptives should not be used to treat existing functional ovarian cysts.”

The erroneous theory behind hormonal contraception preventing ovarian cysts probably originates from the way the pill works: the hormones in the pill suppress hormones in the brain, which then prevents ovulation. However, the ovaries aren’t always fully suppressed by the pill. Furthermore, studies have not shown any difference in the rate of detection of ovarian cysts in women on birth control pills (level II-2 evidence, Holt et al 1992). Unfortunately, many still believe the pill works for ovarian cysts so I’m not surprised that Ms. Fluke received this misinformation.

Ms. Fluke also writes that her friend who lost her ovary was suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). PCOS doesn’t typically produce large cysts, meaning the kind of cyst that would result in the loss of an ovary. Birth control pills are also not the “treatment” for PCOS. According to the ACOG Practice Bulletin on PCOS, the combined oral contraceptive is primarily used to treat irregular menstrual bleeding and excess facial hair growth that some women with PCOS experience.

While I have not had the chance to review the medical record of Ms. Fluke’s friend, the assertion that an ovary could be saved by the pill is simply not supported by the current medical evidence.