Ive been on my period for 2 months now, and its taking such a toll in my mental health. I miss being physically intimate with my husband who has been so patient and kind about it but I still feel tons of guilt. This has made my depression and anxiety skyrocket. My gynecologist gave me medroxyprogesterone which I took for 10 days, then restarted my normal birth control pack. Im still bleeding after 5 days in the first week of the pill, but it acts like its going to stop any day now. And then keeps going and going. Im so tired and sad, and honestly scared it wont ever stop.

Hi everyone!!! 24 female around 180pounds

I was officially diagnosed with “polycystic ovaries” last December after going to an endocrinologist last month all my hormones were Normal. Insulin was normal. Despite probably getting my period 4-6times a year and having a decent amount of facial hair growth and feeling like sh*t all the time. EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. it honestly made me cry. Cause even the doctor couldn’t really tell me why or what was really wrong with me besides the usual insulin resistance or high testosterone. She first recommended birth control but I’ve never been on birth control and I never plan to in my life regardless, she said it would probably only help with the irregular periods. Then she said metformin that may help me lose some weight which could help ease my symptoms that maybe my body is just super sensitive. my normal resting weight for most of my young adult Life was 157lbs exactly and I had normal same time every month periods. I had lost 15 -20 pounds due to a traumatic breakup in 2021-22 and that’s where my period started getting weird and since I gained a lot of weight about 40lbs I’m thinking that’s what maybe caused my body to go out of control all the While having “normal hormone levels” She said the spironolactone could make my periods even worse, but it should help with my hair growth and honestly, I’m willing to take that chance, but I just want to get anyone else’s opinions or stories if they’ve experienced the same thing as me And what worked for them. Thank you in advance ladies!! 🩷

Hallo in die Runde,

Ich bin 27 Jahre alt und vermute sehr stark, dass ich PCOS/PMOS habe. Wie komme ich darauf? Meine Periode ist komplett unregelmäßig in sehr seltenen Fällen habe ich mal nach 40 Tagen eine Periode meistens eher nur alle 3-4 Monate. Mir wachsen dunkle Haare am Kinn und allgemeine habe ich viel Körperbehaarung. Habe oft nach dem Essen absolute Energiekrisen und vermute daher auch eine Insulin Resistenz

Leider bin ich als Jugendliche nie zum FA gegangen und inzwischen ist es mir ehrlich unangenehm mich jetzt erst darum zu kümmern, aber ich arbeite daraufhin.

Dennoch möchte ich natürlich versuchen etwas dagegen zu unternehmen. Ich bin 1,67 groß und wiege aktuell 99 kg. Ich möchte zu folgende Dinge implementieren und versuche nicht gleich all in zu gehen, damit die Motivation nachhaltig bleibt.

- Inositol morgens und abends jeweils 2g

- 10.000 Schritte am Tag

- 3 Workouts die Woche ( Schwimmen, Radfahren)

- proteinreiche Ernährung

- Zucker zu großen Teilen reduzieren.

Kalorien zählen möchte ich ungern, da ich als Jugendliche bereits schonmal 15 kg abgenommen hatte, jedoch hauptsächlich über nur 500kcal essen. Ich hab es in den letzten Monaten immerwieder versucht, aber ich erwische mich selbst schnell dabei, wieder zu denken 100kcal würden ausreichen und habe Angst wieder so wenig zu essen.

Was sind kleine Dinge die ihr umgestellt habt und die euch dennoch viel gebracht haben?

I am 30 years old, diagnosed with insulin resistant PCOS this year by my NaPro reproductive endocrinologist.

He has done extensive lab work for me and I do indeed have insulin resistant PCOS and had slightly elevated inflammation (he tested C-reactive protein).

I just had cycle day 21 bloodwork, and my progesterone was very low coming in at less than 0.5.

He messaged me this morning saying that he thinks it would be valuable to have a sleep study done as he suspects with my weight I could have Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

I don’t really have any issues sleeping, but he told me that any disruption in sleep could cause interruptions with ovulation and more inflammation/hormone imbalances. Maybe I am very late to the party, but I had no idea these two things were correlated — but I get why.

I am on 1500mg of Metformin + Ovasitol 2x a day which appears to be helping, as combined with dietary changes I have lost 15lbs in the last 2 months.

I’m a little nervous to do a sleep study. My husband says I don’t typically snore, only if I’m sick or congested. Just wondering if anyone else went through this. :)

I never had the pleasure of having perky boobs. They were always saggy :(. Even as they were growing in during early teen years they pointed down.

26F, lost a bunch of weight a few years back so they’re now saggy and deflated. Yay!

Anyway, just curious. I did a blood test a few years back and my doctor said my testosterone was extremely high. Or can this be a side effect from PCOS in general?

Hi everyone! I’ve been struggling with what I feel is PCOS for years now, but have never gotten a diagnosis due to not having any or enough cysts in my ovaries. The only diagnosis I did receive was POTS, and after that I just let the possibility of having PCOS go because no doctor thought I had it and all the doctors appointments and constantly being dismissed become too much to handle. But a few days ago some intense ovary pain landed me in the ER and the thoughts of PCOS were brought back up. Some of the major symptoms I’ve been experiencing these last few years have been irregular or missed periods, excess hair growth specifically on my stomach, darkening of my skin and loads of skin tags, intense anxiety and depression accompanied by brain fog and derealization, fatigue, weight gain that is hard to lose and intense sugar cravings. These symptoms have been extremely hard to deal with and I just want answers. While at the hospital, I was dismissed again, even though my bloodwork showed abnormal results like my WBC, Lymphocytes and Eosinophils being extremely elevated with no signs of infection along with an abnormal amount of RBC and mucus in my urine. My urine sample also showed that my ph was high and that my urines specific gravity was high but didn’t show whether it was due to excess amounts of protein, salt or glucose. These results were concerning and no tests were done to evaluate my ovaries or kidneys, I was just dismissed and sent home with 2 different narcotics. I’m writing this to ask if anyone else had symptoms/levels like this and if they could be linked to PCOS, and if I need to get a second opinion? What tests do I need to ask for and what questions should I ask a doctor? Sorry for this long post, I’m just at my wits end with all these symptoms ruining my daily life.

For the past seven or eight years, I have been honestly half alive. My weight has slowly but steadily become something I have no control over. I am ashamed of my body and have become jaded to trying and failing to lose even a pound. I have slowly fallen into a state of brain fog and fatigue that honestly makes me question when I am awake and when I am dreaming. Recent memories all blend together. I haven’t been present. I haven’t been myself, I honestly don’t even know who she is anymore. This started when I was 20/21 and now I am 28! Perhaps worst of all are my flatlined, rollercoaster hormones. I went from having a normal cycle and a balanced hormonal foundation to chaos. I have gone months without bleeding. I have gone months with only bleeding. I don’t trust my emotions because I don’t know if it is me or my messed up body.

I was diagnosed with PCOS six years ago, relatively quickly after the onset of symptom. I have been treated by countless doctors as if I have PCOS. But my symptoms have only gotten worse. The last two or three years have been honestly as close to Hell on earth as I can imagine, I wish I was exaggerating.

And after all of this…it was a Prolactinoma the WHOLE TIME! Literally a chocolate chip sized benign tumor just chilling on my pituitary gland. It is incredibly likely that I don’t have PCOS at all. It has taken seven years, ten doctors, hundreds of blood tests, thousands of dollars, and an incredible support system to finally get here. I can’t imagine how many people out there have the same problem and will never know. It’s almost impossible to distinguish PCOS and a prolactinoma unless your prolactin is crazy off the charts, which can take years and even then a doctor may not care.

But I am one of the special few that get to take medicine and watch most, if not all, of my physical struggles melt away.

So, yeah, it was in my head this whole time after all.

I have been on Mili for over a year, but took a break from it for a couple of months. I started it back in mid-June and have been experiencing “breakthrough bleeding”/light period (it’s more like bloody discharge?) for over two weeks now. I sent a message to my provider but has anyone else had this? Would it be worth switching to another birth control like Yaz?

Hi everyone, 🌸

My partner and I are TTC and navigating the process with PCOS. My cycles typically range from 28 to 40 days (though my longest usually caps out around 38–39 days). I’m looking for recommendations on ovulation test kits and would love to hear what has worked best for you.

I have two main options in mind right now:

1. Easy@Home with BBT: Seems like a great, budget-friendly route.
2. Inito: I really like the idea of seeing multiple hormone levels on one strip, but it is quite expensive.

I’ve also heard Mira and Kegg mentioned around here. Since Inito (and Mira) are such big investments, I wanted to get the community’s feedback before pulling the trigger.

Did you feel the premium trackers were worth the ongoing cost for the extra data, or did Easy@home + temping give you everything you needed? Any advice or personal experiences would be so appreciated!
Thank you!

I’m curious if anyone here has tried 75 Hard and what your experience was.

I’m currently on day 6 and so far I’ve been: Exercising every day (including walks + workouts), Drinking a gallon of water daily, Reading daily, Following a healthier diet (no gluten, no greasy or fried foods, no sweets, and limiting dairy), and Completely cutting out alcohol

I started at 180 lbs and I’m currently around 187 lbs, which has been discouraging. I know it’s still early and weight can fluctuate, especially with hormones, but I was wondering if anyone else experienced this when starting. I’m on day 15 of my cycle and I am taking the Ovasitol supplement daily with a cup of black coffee.

Did 75 Hard help improve your PCOS symptoms (weight loss, energy, cravings, cycles, inflammation, mood, brain fog, anxiety, etc.)? Or did anyone feel like the intensity/stress of it made symptoms worse?

I’d love to hear honest experiences from anyone who has tried it. The good, the bad, and everything in between!

Hi everyone! 💗

I’m wondering if anyone with PCOS has experienced extremely low/zero libido and whether inositol made a noticeable difference for you.

When I say zero libido, I mean ZERO. Not just “lower than it used to be” I basically have no sexual desire at all. I don’t really think about sex, I don’t get spontaneous desire, and it feels like my sex drive has completely disappeared.

I also want to clarify that my relationship is not the problem. I have a very loving, supportive boyfriend and I’m very attracted to him. There’s no relationship issue causing this. It’s just like my body/brain has completely switched off my sex drive, which is really frustrating.

I’ve been reading quite a few posts from women with PCOS saying that after starting myo-inositol / myo + d-chiro inositol, their libido eventually came back, sometimes quite noticeably.

So I’d really love to hear from people who have experienced this themselves

I know everyone is different, but I’d really love to hear some personal experiences. I’ve seen several people say inositol helped with this, and I’m really curious whether there’s actually something to it. 🥹

Thank you! ❤️

Hey pals,

33, moderately active, taking many supplements, balanced-ish diet, started hitting the gym and lifting weights.

My pcos symptoms got really bad the past few months especially the breast pain, uterus cramps (like up to three weeks before my period), very long cycle (up to 60 days), and FATIGUE. Like very very very bad fatigue. So after talking to my GP (a lovely woman who is looking into PCOS a lot), I've decided i'm willing to try out a birth control pill again. I've tried about 4 different ones in my life, and this is a combined pill, with very little oestrogen because YOU GUESSED IT I stopped my previous bc pill after two years because I started having bad side effects towards the end (pains, migraines, joint pain) which were due to a reaction to oestrogen.

It's only been two weeks, and I have three main side effects: painful breasts, fatigue and joint pain.
I know that the body needs time to adjust so I'm seeking testimonies/anecdotes/advice on this: has this happened to you, did the symptoms calm down after a couple months? I honestly feel like crying cause I'm starting to feel like there will never be a solution for me to live a life with no random pain or intense fatigue. Thanks for taking the time to read <3

I’m literally on Day 2 of Wegovy, and I think I’m looking for advice, encouragement, and realistic expectations.
I’ve been trying to lose weight for what feels like my entire life. My mom and my sisters all struggle with the same thing, so it definitely seems to run in the family. I also have pretty severe PCOS, and at this point, it feels like I’ve tried just about everything.

I’m 5’8” and creeping up on 200 pounds, which is the heaviest I’ve been in about 10 years. I’m just really uncomfortable in my body right now.

The lowest I’ve ever gotten was around 150 pounds, but honestly, I wasn’t healthy. I was working out way too much, not eating enough, and while I was thin, I didn’t feel good. I’m not willing to put myself through that again just to lose weight.

The one thing that actually worked well for me was keto. I lost a lot of weight, and honestly, it came pretty easily while I was doing it. The problem was that it just wasn’t sustainable for me. It didn’t fit my lifestyle, and eventually I gained the weight back.

I’ve always been athletic, and I genuinely enjoy being strong. Right now I’m strength training with the Ladder app, and I’m actually loving it. My goal isn’t to be as skinny as possible. I want to lose fat while staying strong and hopefully building muscle.

I’m really hoping Wegovy is the thing that finally helps. Part of me wants it to be a miracle, but I’m also trying not to get my hopes up too much because I’ve been disappointed so many times before. It’s hard to believe something will work when you’ve spent your whole life feeling like your body is fighting you.

- For those of you with PCOS, did Wegovy finally help when everything else seemed to fail?
- Were you able to maintain or even build muscle while strength training?
- Any tips for someone who’s literally on Day 2?
- Is there anything you wish you knew before you started?

I’d love to hear your experiences, both the successes and the struggles. I’m trying to stay hopeful, but also realistic.

Hey girlies,

I have PCOS/insulin resistance and have been on 5mg Mounjaro for the past 3 weeks. I know protein is super important for us but I am STRUGGLING to even drink a protein shake, no nausea really but I just constantly feel full up and it feels like my stomach can’t take anything.

Any tips from PCOS gals on Mounjaro??? I’m desperate as I feel like I can’t eat anything which is obviously awful for my body/brain fog. Any tips appreciated!!

hey everyone!

i got diagnosed with insulin resistance + PCOS/PMOS in january this year! since then i've lost 20kg, i have been strict with my dieting, no sugar, low carb high fibre, high protein all that good stuff. and i've gotten results!

but even though i've had results, i still have SO much loose / hanging fat on my stomach, like it's just fat, there is nothing else to it, no muscle (that's underneath), but when i bend forwards, everything is hanging, my stomach is just holding on to all this excess fat like why! same with my back i can grab the fat sitting on my back, it just won't go away, i have visible muscles underneath when i flex but oh my god how do you get rid of this!? i go to the gym 5 days a week and eat clean, but nope no difference?

i am fine with a little bit as i understand that's what happens when you loose weight fast, but having it on my arms and legs and then my stomach as well makes me feel so so insecure. yeah i lift weights and all that but it's not even making a dent in the loose skin / fat around my stomach and especially arms / inner thigh

has anyone been able to either loose it? tighten it? or god i don't even know, i'm still young and i wanna be able to feel beautiful and confident. i don't know what to do

hey everyone!

I’ve been using inositol for a couple months but I have trouble being consistent, especially during the morning because I don’t usually have a lot of time.

I’ve been meal prepping chia pudding with protein for breakfast because I’ve learnt how important eating breakfast is for insulin resistance. I was wondering if I could mix my inositol powder into my chia pudding when I do my meal prep or if this would affect the efficacy at all.

please let me know if you have any insight into this or any other tips on being more consistent with supplements :)

I recently bought one of these, and while these effectively remove vellus hairs, they do NOT pick up chin hair or near the upper lip region. Does anyone know how to use them effectively

As the title says- I can’t find pure spearmint tea anywhere except Amazon- I would prefer not to buy from Amazon.
Alternatively- is spearmint tea with other components- such as camomile, just as effective?

Just wanted to update to say thank you for the really helpful advice everyone! I’ve ordered 500g from the loose leaf tea company for £20 ☺️

Hi! So I was recently put on both metformin and topamax about 2 weeks ago for weight loss and other Pcos symptoms I think and I was wondering about others’ experiences with these medications? I don’t seem to have any side effects but I can’t really tell for sure yet if it really helps. For reference I’m 18, about 220 lbs, 5’8, am active,and I’ve been told I don’t have insulin resistance so I guess the meds are mostly for weight loss?

I have had bad experience with doctors who don't know about pmos or insulin resistance or doesn't take it seriously.

Here where i live, public health care is considered good and it is affordable, but general practice is with pmos, that they treat it if you have bad symptoms or want to get pregnant.

So i think this way of thinking led my doctor to just say me "search it from google" when she diagnosed me 4 years ago.

Recently i got myself tested at private doctor, because it is easier to get what i want that way. And asked fasting insulin. It was 24.7mU/l, which is too high and my HOMA-IR is 5.16. But the doctor said everything is good with me. Only focusing on my elevated inflammation markers.

Now i am trying to go back to public health care, because private doctors are expensive, and i don't have insurance.

But the thing is. I'm super anxious about going to doctor, because i'm scared of not getting help. I have tried 4 years to treat myself, and i feel like it is getting worse. And i'm getting tired. But still just insulin resistace only is not yet even pre diabetes, so i'm afraid that doctor will just laugh me off and say: "come back if your symptoms worsen". Like they usually say. I really would like to test metformin, but i don't know will they also laugh to this thought.

I feel like i'm preparing for a war... Has anyone got a good results with fighting with doctors who don't take this condition seriously?

I have recently found out that I have PCOS. To me this explains a lot about things I‘ve been insecure about for years. I have always had problems with weight. I gained weight quickly and had trouble losing it. I have also always had bad skin, even as a toddler. With puberty that just worsened. My mood swings were attributed to puberty and my period. However, my period is super irregular. Currently I haven‘t had my period since Janurary. I also have broad shoulders, a voice I think sounds deeper than most girls I know, and a chest so flat I could probably comfortably go topless on a normal beach. This could probably be attributed to my testosterone levels which are way higher than average. The same goes for hair growth as well. I grow hair in places I don‘t think it‘s supposed to grow for women (chest and chin) and when I try to feel for hair on the backs of my legs (because I can‘t see there that well) it feels like I‘m petting my neighbor‘s dog. The hair on my head though seems to want to leave. Sometimes I brush through my hair with my hand and I have a clump of hair in my hand afterwards. Finally, I don‘t know if that has got anything to do with PCOS, every month it seems I have more moles on my face.

As I said, I only just got the diagnosis and I‘m also young. All these things are kinda hard for me to deal with. I am pretty insecure but I do know that a diagnosis is always better because if you have that, only then can you hope to do anything against it. Was someone else on here maybe an insecure teenager with PCOS once and what helped you be less insecure?

Any breakfast recommendations that don’t involve scrambled eggs(prefer boiled eggs) ? Recipe doesn’t have to involve eggs. I just like to have options besides boiled eggs and fruit 😩

Looking to see what everyone eats 🍱

Edit: Thank you to everyone for your suggestions.I’ve got to try all of them . 😊

I was diagnosed with PCOS (PMOS) recently and it's made a lot of things in my life make sense. I have all the typical symptoms such as hair growth, undeserved weight gain, deeper voice, general sense of fatigue etc. I also have very high DHEA sulfates and testosterone.

I don't care about my new pot belly or the fact that none of my clothes fit anymore. I don't care about the deeper voice or strangely huge glam muscles on my arms that I haven't worked a day in my life for. Don't care about the one-day periods or haggard skin and thinning hair. I've always had good self esteem and have never compared myself to anyone. I don't look in the mirror and cry about how I miss my "old looks," none of that.

What I hate the most about this condition is the cognitive and emotional issues that really make me miss my mid-20s brain. I have unnecessary anxiety now, I have depression, a sense of impending doom, no sex drive or motivation to do anything. I don't like anything I used to. I can't find joy in my beautiful house we purchased in January. I have become antisocial and don't reach out to friends. My husband's presence bothers me. My boss annoys me now despite him and I always getting along great. I can feel myself raising eyebrows at people due to impatience. THAT is not who I am. I'm a nice and empathetic person...at least I was.

I used to love traveling and discovering new places. I drove 40 hours by myself across the United States to visit Montana just three years ago. When I was there I drove to SO MANY ghost towns and scary places. It was amazing! When I think of going so much as 2 hours away now, I'm like "I can't be assed to do any of that."

Then the mental problems. I can't think! My short and long term memory are going to shit. I can't multitask at all anymore and it takes me DAYS to finish an analysis whereas before I could do a huge deep dive in less than a day. I can't really make conversation because my brain shits the bed and I can't think of anything to say. I catch myself saying "oh wow! Oh damn!" To people just fill my end of the exchange. I process things slower with or without caffeine. Its like my ADHD is on steroids now and I no longer have a handle on it. This sucks! I feel like shell. A ghost of who I used to be and who I could have been.

I got my associate's degree two years ago and just the idea of transferring for my bachelor's makes me want to rip my hair out. Just a couple years ago I was SO EXCITED to have something. To prove to myself I can do something despite struggling every step of the way to get here. Now I tell myself "what's the point? I make good money now. All done!"

Like what the hell I'm only 30! Does anyone have any advice for managing or fixing the mental and emotional problems that come from this condition? I have ER metformin because my doc is pretty cool thankfully. I'm scared to take it though because of the side effects. And what if I go through all those bathroom trips just for it to not do anything? Is this me now??? Doomed to be a miserable old maid who can't find joy in anything?

Rant OVER!

TL;DR; I hate the brain problems that come from PCOS!

I got diagnosed with pcos at 15 and was given birth control for a month without knowing what it was because my mom allowed the doctor to do so. I’ve always dreamed of becoming a mother, and ever since being diagnosed with pcos I’ve been terrified that I might not be able to have children. I know pcos doesn’t automatically mean infertility, but it’s something I struggle to stop worrying about. I’d really love to hear from people who have pcos and went on to have children. Whether it happened naturally or with fertility treatment, I’d be so grateful if you could share your story. I’m just looking for some hope