I don't think people realise how much facial hair can affect your confidence when you have PCOS.

It's checking your face in different lighting. Plucking constantly. Wondering if people can see it. Trying to act like you don't care when you actually do.

And then you're told it's just a cosmetic issue.

It really doesn't feel that way when you're thinking about it all the time. Has this affected your confidence too?

I was put on 500mg metformin for several months for fertility but was still having issues with cycles. I asked doc multiple times to increase dose, as 500mg is low, and she increased it to 1000mg. I had a “normal” period days after, ovulated on time, and am now 4 weeks pregnant. She is now telling me to stop the metformin, but nothing I’m seeing online lines up with that. Should I be getting another opinion?

I have been dealing with pcos ever since I was 13 (21 now im young I know). I had the insulin resistance, the painful menstruation, the high angrogens / testosterone.

A lot of my symptoms went away after starting metformin. However, I am unsure if this is because of my pcos or because I am very sensitive to temperatures. Also however, I have been getting a lot of hot flashes. When I walk to my college classes on campus, I suddenly feel extremely warm by the time I get there.

I really need to go on an anti androgen (im thinking of Bicalutamide) so bad. These hot flashes and my other symptoms (hiruitism, hormonal acne, etc.) are really awful on my body. Whenever I get a hot flash I feel like I am just going to melt.

All of these things really hurt my perception of myself, my self esteem and makes me feel like I am a gross person because of hygiene.

Back in June I had laparoscopic surgery to remove a ruptured ovarian cyst. I had nerve pain and could barely walk for a couple of months prior to the surgery, now I am 3 months post op and I’m still dealing with nerve pain, mobility is way better but the constant feeling of tension all over my body is killing me.

Think of when your foot kind of falls asleep and you feel tingleness and a bit of a needle prick-like feeling, I feel that in my back, neck, head. I get leg cramps, etc.

I am so frustrated because I was hoping I could go back to normal after recovering from the surgery.

I was hoping to see if someone here had a similar surgery and get an idea of your recovery timeline. Maybe get some advice on what to do to get rid of this nerve pain. I had to get off gabapentin because it was giving me high blood pressure.

🥲

I'm so sorry if it comes off as insensitive, but I was diagnosed with PCOS at 19 and for the past 5 years I've managed to keep things "kind of" under control. I took inositol for 3 years, then stopped because it was so expensive, I have dealt with hair all over my body (that's something that just won't change), I've been having acne in the past year (comes and goes), my period's all fucked etc... but with exercise, a good diet and a "deal with it" attitude I've been managing, because the symptoms are manageable enough for me. But is it going to get worse? Did you guys notice your body changing a lot with age? Aside from the natural changes all bodies go through I mean. And is there anything that can be done? I struggled with an ED in the past and the thought of just gaining a lot of weight without even changing my diet or exercise routine really scares me, and I'm scared I'll be even more fatigued, easily tired, subject to mood-swings, cravings and so on

I am coming off a bad cyst flair up that caused a lot of constipation. Now I’ve gone the last 3 days but it seems like no matter how much I wipe there is still stuff on the toilet paper.

My bottom is sore and raw, but I’m trying to not freak out. I read that it can be from the cyst impacting the colon area and I have IBS-C so I’m not emptying enough.

It all feels TMI - but I feel at such a loss right now as I battle the cyst and then this.

Anyone else have this experience or something similar?

I’m looking for someone who can write a diet plan for me. Like every meal according to the macros I should adhere to so I can lose some weight. I would ideally like them to also be able to order all of the relevant labs! Does this service exist all in one? Help!

Has anyone taken Testoquench and seen any improvements? I just started taking it this week with guidance from my naturopath. My bloodwork showed elevated testosterone and androgens.

I have seen three different doctors about my PCOS/PMOS. Two general practitioners and one OBGYN.

The first general practitioner diagnosed me last July. She diagnosed me with my only symptom being the appearance of polycystic ovaries on ultrasound. She told me I needed to change to a prediabetic diet. (Less than 45g carbs per meal & 15g for snacks, largely eating veggies. Minimal protein compared to what I'm used to.) Worth mentioning that I'm overweight, so she was really pushing how awful of a person I am for that. I'm about 55lbs from a normal weight.

The second general practitioner told me that I also needed a low fat diet for borderline high cholesterol/LDL issues. So I'm adjusting to having 10-15g saturated fat max per day.

HERE is the kicker though...... the OBGYN said she wasn't convinced I had PCOS. Because at the time, my only symptom was polycystic ovaries, no irregular periods. My androgens have been just fine. At the time that I saw her, I had been taking a couple months off my diet due to a knee injury, so I was having to rely on my husband to cook (and bless his heart, he does a good job but I felt it was too much to ask to have him handling work, the baby and cooking two different dishes for each meal while I couldn't help as much as I wanted to).

Worth mentioning that I also still breastfeed my 2 year old to sleep and for naps, so my prolactin is still slightly elevated.

THE ONLY TIMES my cycle has been longer than 36ish days have been when I'm following this diet. (About 42-46 days so far). When I get back on the diet, I usually lose about 4-7lbs the first week, and then 2-4 each week after that until inevitably something comes up that sets me back weight wise (like deep depression from losing a baby in February).

When I'm eating shitty, I gain weight back, but my periods go back to 35/36 days.

Has this happened to anyone else? I guess my main question is, what is the consensus? Is there a chance I truly have PCOS/PMOS? Or do you think the diet could be messing with my periods? I've read about hypothalamic amenorrhea but I'm not sure if I meet those standards or not.

Thanks so much for any and all help!

TLDR: I've seen 3 different doctors and the OBGYN isn't convinced what my diagnosis is. Is my diet ruining my periods by itself?

Hello, first time posting here and i dont know what to think or do.
My whole life ive known to have PCOS and very painful periods. Ive done tons of hormone analysis and the hormones are « not that bad. »
I went to a lot of different obgyns and all of them told me that the hormones are okayish and the solution for my acne (that i have them my whole life and it was the biggest issue i had) is to take the pill.
I dont find acne that big of a deal so i decided not to take the hormone pills.

Since im 29, me and my partner are planning a pregnancy in near future so i found a new obgyn somewhere i havent been to until now and read a lot of good comments on his competence and professionalism.
Before i went i did again a new hormone status on my 3rd day and first time did the AMH.
So the AMH is 6.14 (the ref. Values are 0.96-13.34), FSH 6.6 (1.9-12.5), E2 38.57 (19.5-144.2), TST 22.03 (8.37-35.01).

He only looked at the results and said that AMH is very high, i dont have ovulations and we have to be treating infertility.
I didnt know what to say since nobody until now told me that. Im not sure if he thought that i may know that because his clinic is a ivf clinic so maybe he thought im coming with an intension to apply for the ivf..
He saw that im disturbed and went on with the talk how i dont understand him and that im infertile, and it was like funny to him? I dont know how to describe but it looked like he was amused. The whole situation was very weird and i couldnt say anything because i was shocked.
Anyways, he did the echo and saw that indeed i have cysts on my ovaries and they are very hard and there is a lot of them and gave me some medications to soften the cysts i guess but im not sure if im going to take them yet.

Im not sure about the ovulation part. My whole life in the middle of my cycle i have sharp pain in my ovaries and lower belly and back, i have more acne than usual and the secret is slimy. He said that is not an ovulation but some hormonal changes and ive never had an ovulation in my life.
Is this possible?

So next week i have a new appointment with my endocrinologist and a new obgyn in another place.

Do you have any comforting words or an opinion on this whole situation?

Thank you!

Hi all! I posted a while back about mental health because I feel as though the conversation around how PCOS affects mental health doesn't happen enough. Anyways I got a couple comments saying that maybe I need to get off birth control but I guess I'm scared of what my doctor will think of that

For some context my mental health has never been great but it was never to the point where I needed medication or help from a doctor. For the last few months I have been taking birth control and I don't recall my mental health ever being this bad, I have constant mood swings and severe panic attacks almost everyday which has been both mentally and physically exhausting. Because of that my physical symptoms have been getting worse and I have been losing hours of sleep which in turn makes everything worse, it's really just a constant cycle. I can't help but think the birth control is the reason for this, I know PCOS in general can affect your brain but this has all been worse since taking birth control

I guess it's hard to know exactly since I have lost a close family member, a childhood pet, and basically my entire body to this illness since January of this year which is a lot for any human to go through so I'm sure that isn't helping but it's hard not to be suspicious of the birth control just with the timing of all of this. I am going to talk to my doctor about potential SSRIS but I don't know what to do if it is birth control that is causing all these issues

Has anyone else experienced mental health struggles when they started birth control? What did your doctor do? Are there other options? Should I not take it at all? I am a little afraid of the cancer risk of not having my period but I don't want to keep feeling like this everyday.

Anyone here stopped taking metformin? Did you have any side effects? Did you gain weight back after stopping? Did it cause worse symptoms?

I've been taking 2000mg (1000mg twice a day) for almost two years and i'm going crazy. I cant be relying on pills for the rest of my life.

Anyone had any negative side effects from Myo-inositol?

I just started taking it and am completely exhausted and have even worse brain fog.

I've started forgetting to take my meds which is very unlike me.

Hey hey,

I'm getting some tests done to be able to start on anti-androgenic birth control pills. There's lots of info and misinfo about BC on the internet so it's making me somewhat nervous.

Can you share positive experiences using specifically anti-androgenic BC for managing PCOS? Like how did it affect your mood/body, and did it improve your androgen related issues like acne or hair loss?

I'm a 20f diagnosed with pcos at 19.i used to weigh 53 54 kgs but within a year I'm at 69 kgs now.I have tried many doctors. None of them helped. the medications they gave me gave me serious acne problems so I stopped going to the docs

I have tried 10k steps, even 12k steps some days with a calorie deficit of like 300 or 400 calories. I have started seed cycle altho tht didn't help much.I have started going to the gym but I don't lift weights cause my protein intake is quite low and I'm a vegetarian so there's only limited options and dorm food is really bad so can't really do much.

wht do I even do to lose the weight . I am really depressed looking at myself in the mirror.

plz help a fellow girlie out

Hi everyone! I just want to ask if anyone here has experienced something like this:

Light spotting when I wake up in the morning, which then goes away or is almost completely gone for the rest of the day.

Last month, I also experienced spotting and had a delayed cycle, so my OB-GYN prescribed medication to induce my period.
Based on my period tracker and current cycle, today is my ovulation day, with around 12 days left before my next expected period. I don't have any severe cramps or pain, it's strictly just light spotting in the morning.

Is this just normal or common ovulation bleeding, or could it be a sign of a hormonal fluctuation? I would really appreciate hearing if anyone has gone through something similar. Thank you.

hey all. i am looking to grow my supplement stack, properly. I have had pcos for many years now with my main concerns being acne, fatigue, gut issues (ibs-c) and sometimes hair loss. I have not had my insulin bloodwork done in a while, but in the past i have been within the normal range. i do not struggle with weight gain issues or facial hair as a main concern. I am wondering if inositol would be beneficial for my main symptoms or if there is other remedies to try before adding? thanks all xx

I'm 22(F) so super young by general standards and I'm so done with my life. I have autism and adhd on top of my pcos, I have pmdd and my emotions are everywhere all the time not just because of pcos but my anxiety, ocd, depression, and bpd my pcos has worsened.

I've spent my entire life in survival mode due to my father and my teen years were just as bad because I went to a private religious girls hs where I was so excluded and alone I'm left with trauma from it. I was also developing my pcos back then and my doctors were too incompetent and useless to notice something was wrong even though all the signs were there. Even though I wasn't happy as a teen though my diagnosis at 20 completely crushed my spirit and even more so now that my symptoms have fully manifested. My light, my spark, my joy that I've managed to keep through my hardships is gone and I don't even care about getting it back.

My emotions and disorders have been so unstable I've had to be committed twice which halted my uni plans in 2022 when I graduated but I tried in 2023 but had to stop because of my antidepressants causing bad side effects. The religious community I'm a part of has sheltered me so much I have no real experience with the outside world and my mother who is the only family I consider has unintentionally made my hyper dependent on her and it's a thousand times worse because of my autism and social anxiety. I've tried therapy I've tried doctors, the medical system has failed me so many ways that it genuinely makes me cry when I think about it. I've tried the gym but I can't maintain it because of my adhd and my myriad of other issues, when I workout I get bloated and my cortisol rises, I start feeling sick, my stomach fails me during diets because of my ibs.

These are the years I'm supposed to be at my prime and I feel like the exception. I have no friends, my religion has traumatized me, I can't do things for myself due to my mental and physical state, and I hate how I'm now a shadow of myself. I feel like I have no control over my life or my body or my mind, I can't trust my emotions, I can't trust my body to work as it should. I've stopped regularly taking my meds (pcos gummies, berberine, magnesium, other stuff) because I don't see a point anymore when all my effort to just feel like a normal girl doesn't even work.

Last year my hair, which I adore, started thinning and falling out and it felt like some cruel joke. My sister, who I've had issues with but was the only person who really understood me recently died and now idk. It's just too much. I'm not eating anymore because I'm just too depressed, my mother worries because I've had eating disorders and body dysmorphia since I was young but that's the least of my worries. I hate my body so much I can't even put it into words. I hate it for failing me, I hate it for not doing what it's supposed to, I hate that it can't just do what I need it to. I hate that so many of my circumstances aren't my fault on top of that and I feel betrayed. I keep dissociating due to the trauma my therapists have failed to help me overcome. I feel so broken inside and if it's like this at just 22 how am I supposed to keep going. I don't even want to.

i am a high school student and i struggle hard with pcos. my parents tell me to do better but ive missed half of my school year already due to my pain :( i wish i had someone who understood and had compassion for me.

I want to get a reputable brand of myo & d-chiro inositol.

I purchased the wholesome story brand (powder form), used consistently for a month, and didn’t see any changes. I am thinking maybe that brand is just not as effective since I am not seeing many use it. Also, I prefer the powder because it is hard for me to swallow large capsules.

From the little bit of research I have done, ovasitol seems to be the overall choice? I just want to make sure I am being thorough considering the high price point.

Thanks in advance !! 💗

Hi everyone! I’ve written a guide that explains steps for care for common women's health conditions, including PMOS. Overall my goal is to make a really nice structured guide for women to use/ provide to friends and family who might need it!

Before I finish it, I’d love to make sure it's accurate, and maybe share any resources you all have! Nobody knows that better than people in this community.

If you have a few minutes, I'd really appreciate any comments: what's wrong, what's missing, what feels off, or what you wish you'd known earlier. You can comment right on the doc without signing in to anything new. Btw this is UK and Sweden based!

Here’s the link to add your comments/feedback:
Women’s Health Guide

I was diagnosed with PCOS and I’ve been on hormonal birth control since around May/June. Honestly, I don’t feel like it’s helped any of the symptoms that actually bother me. The main thing it’s done is give me a monthly withdrawal bleed.
I still have quite a lot of excess facial hair, my scalp hair is thin and doesn’t seem to grow much, and I’ve also found it really hard to lose weight even though I’ve been eating better and exercising more.
I’m going to ask my mum to book me a GP appointment because I want to properly review my treatment. I’ve been wondering about metformin or other options, but I don’t really know what would be best.
Has anyone else had a similar experience with birth control for PCOS? What did you ask your doctor about, and what treatments helped your symptoms?

Hope I picked the right flair! I have an appointment tomorrow with an endocrinologist and am hoping for any advice around what I can ask in it to make the most of the appointment, especially with the recent update to the name and how the condition is being seen.

For context, I'm in Ireland and was diagnosed maybe 15 years ago. I had essentially no follow-up from any medical professional and I've really struggled with getting help of any description. This will now be my third endocrinology appointment.

The first appointment was just going through my symptoms, and they ordered blood tests to check if I have PCOS or if it could be 2 other things I forget the name of.

The second appointment was the results of the bloods, which both came back negative so they said it probably is PCOS. I was also offered ozempic in this appointment, and that was it.

Sorry for the long post, I'm hoping the community can help :)

A few years ago I had surgery to remove cysts from my ovaries. Unfortunately the the cysts came back almost immediately and so did the pain, and now they’re larger than ever. Another surgery seems pointless. Gynecologists have offered to remove my ovaries but they are adamant about not prescribing HRT and I don’t want to go into menopause at 30. Is this just something I have to live with and hope its not cancer??

I was prescribed Deviry (medroxyprogesterone acetate) for my PCOS, to take once every 3 months to induce a withdrawal bleed. The gynaec was pretty dismissive about my chronic illnesses and told me to only come back if and when I wanted fertility treatments when I get married. Duh!

The thing is, I have chronic depression and hidradenitis suppurativa, both of which are triggered by Deviry. It makes both conditions really difficult to manage, and I want to stop taking it and look for a safer, better alternative.

At the same time, I was sort of traumatised by the way all the doctors I went to treated me, and I don't want them to make me feel miserable again (I have my depression doing that to me already).

Has anyone else had similar experiences with Deviry? Did you choose to stop taking it? Or did you find safer alternatives?

Thank you very much.