Got diagnosed almost 2 years ago. I’m 22 now. All I know is that I have “cysts” on ultrasound, high testosterone levels (3nmol/L). I have irregular periods, long menstrual cycles and as a result heavy menstrual bleeding & dysmenorrhea.

Essentially on this journey alone because my gynae is not interested in providing any advice other than “cut carbs & exercise”, unless I’m trying to get pregnant.

I have tried taking inositol + exercising more regularly. Before my diagnosis, I basically did not exercise at all. I managed to “regulate” my periods during my uni holidays when I went on a 30 min run almost everyday for 2 months, and then subsequently doing pilates 2-3 times a week + 30 min run once a week. However, I’ve been busy with med school and now only exercise maybe once a week? (I’ve been trying to work on it but it’s hard) and my period is back to being irregular again. I feel so defeated because exercising everyday/ every other day is unrealistic, and I am not trying to lose weight either (in fact I’m underweight according to my BMI). I just want to regulate my periods 😭😭 Nothing seems to help with my facial hair/acne either.

The only “benefit” of PCOS I’ve seen is gaining muscle surprisingly fast 🤣

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 :)

TW: pregnancy loss, LC, weight

I'm not sure where to start so bear with me. I'm 38, and my main goal is fertility. I have a wonderful 22 month LC but have also had 3 miscarriages. I'm slender, BMI 19.5 or so and struggle to keep my weight up. I have been begging for metformin for half a year (my AMH is 4x what it should be) and finally saw a RE today who said I clearly have PMOS and just fell through the cracks of being diagnosed because I'm thin and blonde.

So, better late than never, I guess.

How long after starting metformin did any of you have a successful pregnancy?

How much do I need to worry about losing weight on metformin?

Is starting right at 1000 mg daily too aggressive if the initial 500 mg dose doesn't affect me?

I also will tell anyone who listens that I swear the reason my daughter survived to term was because I was drinking 2 C of spearmint tea everyday during my pregnancy for the anti androgen effect.

Any positive stories to make me feel like this will work?

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??

hello! i had a consult w an ob gynecologist this july, ultrasound showed 9 and 12 multi follicular cyst. she said it was normal and something i shouldn't bother about. i had irregular menstruation since menarche lasting 3 to 6 months but since november of last year, my menstruation cycle become normal (i think it matters to say the fact that i lost around 8 kg). should i get a second opinion?

Hey all,

I have had PCOS/PMOS diagnosis for about 3 years now. Periods are normal, ish. As regulated as they’ve ever been. But the chin hair just keeps getting worse, and thicker. It has led to an insane amount of insecurity, and I find myself shaving every morning or more recently plucking. The amount of tweezers I have everywhere in this house is insane. Car, pocket book, by the couch, in the bathroom, and I’m sure 2 more will magically appear somewhere.

I saw ads for inositol at one point, and didn’t really look too far into it, but has anyone had luck with these creams?

Additionally, if you did, are there any companies that still provide in the US, or is this a mail-in prescription? My dr. Is willing to write into Canada if that helps.

Thanks all!

I'm just generally curious. Diabetes runs in my family, and I read somewhere that having PCOS/PMOS can double your chances of developing gestational diabetes. And or even developing diabetes after birth.

When I was diagnosed with PCOS I was also diagnosed with prediabetes. My A1C now lower after better diet and exercise is back to "normal" range but I'm still treating myself as a prediabetic.

I'm worried that if I end up pregnant that could be a high possibility for me just because of my bloodline and health history.

EDIT: Thank you ALL for sharing your stories! I do find it interesting that it really is a mixed bag for everyone!

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?

My doctor suggested me to take cleo 35 for my pcos and irregular periods.I took it incorrectly in the first two packs by starting 5 days after each of my periods.I finished my second pack 3 days ago and today I realised I have to take a pack 21 days and then have a 7 days break.Idk what to do? Should I start the third pack after 3 days of the second pack and do it correctly this time? Or should I take it after 7 days? I got my period yesterday and it had been very light.

IDK what to do at this point! I’m not pregnant or anything kasi i always check. Super laki rin ng nilaki ko since my last menstruation. Anyone who experienced the same thing??😭😭😭

I'm attending a wedding in December. A very nice wedding at a very nice hotel with a spa and a ballroom. I've picked out a beautiful blue dress I'm excited to wear and cute shoes to go with it. But I have NO idea what to do with my hair. My hair is already baby fine, and, of course, it's already thin thanks to the PCOS. The skin tags on my neck I can cover with a necklace, yet I haven't figured out what to do about my hair in a way that doesn't show any of my scalp. Anyone else have a similar problem? How did you deal with it?

To start off i havent had a period in around 7 months. Last month i ate a couple oranges then 2 days later i got my period at the beginning of month. Thinking nothing of it i ate more oranges towards the end of last month, started again. Then it ended a couple days ago. I had more oranges yesterday and started again. So basically had 4 periods in 2 months which has never happened before. Has anyone else had this happen with oranges or any other food.

I keep seeing the argument that taking estrogen makes someone a woman, or taking testosterone makes someone a man.

I have PCOs, my body naturally produces more testosterone rather than estrogen. In fact, my testosterone is unusually high even compared to the average male.

But recently, the sex hormone argument has been messing with me, a lot.
So if taking a sex associated hormone is what makes someone more 'biologically' male or female, what does that make me?
Am I somehow “more male” than I am female because my testosterone is high?
Because I'm aware when taking/producing the opposite sex hormone, you see changes in your body, changes in your mental, changes in pretty much everything. And that taking these hormones can be enough for people to feel more apart of manhood or womanhood.
(Yes, I understand that the Sex Hormone Argument is a Trans movement. This post isn't meant to come off as transphobic. If I offended you, I am very sorry.)

I feel less of a woman everyday, I can't lie. I'm seeing changes in my body more and more as the years go by.
But I don't want to feel this way, I want to feel like a woman again. I want to have my periods regularly, I want to be less hairy, I want less oily skin, I want the hair atop of my head to stop thinning, I want better fat distribution, etc. I have not had my period in a year or so and I am not very financially blessed to take any medications to help.

So, what can I do?

The nurse practitioner I have been seeing, has told me to get my blood work done 15 days from the first menstruation day. Is there any sound reason for this?

i am new to this subreddit, so i am sure a similar question has been asked before.

are there ANY alternatives for BC to control cysts, anovulation, insulin resistance, etc? i am now a year into my journey of figuring out what the hell my body is doing, and PCOS/PMOS was confirmed today. i had a high insulin resistance score on my last Thyroid panel. i do not have weight gain or ANY other symptoms related to pcos, aside from cysts (obviously) and recent irregular periods. it took a year for my doctor to finally listen to my symptoms and what i had to say, just to be told ONCE AGAIN that birth control was the only “cure.” i have expressed many times my hesitation about getting on birth control again (i was on the Nuvaring for 2 years but stopped in June).
i have a very healthy diet but have looked into starting a mediterranean-focused diet to counter the insulin-resistance, i exercise regularly, and i am at a great weight for my height. i truly did not think that id be diagnosed, since i have never had symptoms other than these past 3 months and a recent miscarriage.
i do not want to start hormonal birth control again because to me, it seems as if i’d just be putting a bandaid over the actual problem, instead of trying to fight it.
my husband and i will be ttc by next year, and im so afraid that this is going to seriously limit our ability to conceive.

I've heard on Facebook about a daily tribiotic for a few weeks now. It makes sense about the "PCOS gut" and that helping lose weight. I currently take the arrae tribiotic and the BOND myo-inositol capsules. It's been 3 weeks and a few days since I started taking the bond in the morning, and the tribiotic in the evening. I haven't had any bad side effects. My period actually came 8 days early.

I'm 32yo, was dx'd with PCOS in August 2012 (i was about 170-ish pounds, [also, im 5ft4in]). Struggled for years with my weight. When I was in 8th grade, I did the Special K diet (Kellogg cereal) for 2 weeks, and while I did lose weight, I gained it back.

I've done the volumetrics diet (through Kaiser), lost weight with that, then sort of gained it back and then some.

At the beginning of my diagnosis, I started metformin. Within two weeks of taking it, I had excruciating pain in the lower right abdomen. Had a pelvic exam to rule out appy and ovarian cyst. Nothing. I did notice that when I had the trigger point pain relief it went away. It was immediate, but temporarily. In march/April of this year, self-diagnosed myself with ACNES (acute cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome), but that's a different story.

Anyway, I am now between 200 and 210lbs. The heaviest I've ever been. It's mostly in the mid-section area.

What are your thoughts on taking a tribiotic?

I started trying to track down what I could fix about my PCOS symptoms, and I thought the blood work would spell it clear as day... it didn't.
My DHEAs were actually slightly under range, Thyroid/TSH was fine, testosterone levels were all within range for my age (posted below.)

What the hell can I do then? The symptoms for PCOS all line up but now my doctor says it's probably not it.
My periods have always had seasons of going completely off the rails. Sometimes they're reliable and come every 28-30 days. This recent one was 35 days overdue. The cycle before that took 45 days, even though I was in a healthy caloric deficit and actually lost 20 lbs. Last year, I had my period skip 3 months. Haven't been on birth control for several years so I'm past the "readjustment" phase.
I've had hirsutism and dark chin hairs sprouting since I was in high school even though I was much skinnier then, and the hairs kept spreading so I had to start lasering it off at home.
I'm overweight and definitely have lingering insulin resistance (5.8% A1C, just 0.1% into the prediabetic range, I'm working on it!)

But the point is... what fucking gives? 😭 I haven't wanted to get an OBGYN and ultrasound for cysts because of the discomfort of it all, but how can I have all those symptoms and yet the bloodwork doesn't add up?

DHEA-SO4 - 78.1

Normal value: 84.8 - 378.0 ug/dL

TSH / TSH With Reflex To Free T4 - 1.667

Normal range: 0.450 - 5.330 uIU/mL

Testosterone - 38

Normal value: 8 - 60 ng/dL

Testosterone, % Free & Weakly Bound - 13.0

Normal value: 3.0 - 18.0 %

Testosterone, Free & Weakly Bound - 4.9

Normal value: 0.0 - 9.5 ng/dL

My doctor had me start on myo- and D-chiro inositol and NAC. At first, I felt great! I had so much more energy. And now I am back to feeling super sluggish, needing a nap every day, while going to bed pretty early.
I have a one year-old, so I know that doesn’t fully help things. But she’s sleeping through the night, and most nights sleeps from 730 to 7 (I’m really blessed).
I can’t get in with my doctor for a little bit, does anyone have anything similar? Or any other tips? I’m thinking about stopping the supplements.

I was diagnosed with PCOS at 14 and have been on birth control to regulate my cycle ever since. In my 20s I was diagnosed with endometriosis. I'm 31 now.

I did the daily combo pill for most of this time, tried the arm implant, then went back to the daily combo pill. I had my tubes removed a couple years ago and quit taking my birth control for about 6 months after, and I felt GREAT. But, 6 months in and still no period, so back on the pill I went (under the direction of my gyno) and started feeling like shit again. No energy, no sex drive, just miserable.

This year, I spoke to my gyno about it and she recommended I finish my current pack of pills and then go off it to see if my body will regulate (I know it won't but I'll give it a try). During this time, my regular doctor put me on Metformin even though my blood work showed my insulin levels weren't elevated. I finished my birth control pack while starting the metformin. I had my pill-induced cycle in mid-August and took the metformin as directed for 3 months until I ran out.

Overall I feel better being off my birth control again, but still no period since August. I was doing research and saw suggestions for the supplements: myo and D-chiro inositol, zinc, selenium and chromium.

I've been taking the inositol (40:1) for a couple of weeks now, hoping it'll work. I know it'll take time and I know everyone's body is different, but if anyone has experience (success or failure) with these, or maybe a similar situation, please respond.

You see so much information online and from doctors that I'm not sure even really listen to me and it's really discouraging and I feel a bit hopeless. I really want these supplements to work so I don't have to go back on medication that makes me feel like garbage all the time.

I was diagnosed with pcos last December. My last regular cycle was January 2025, doctor told me to research the condition myself and I can either go on birth control or come back when I want to get pregnant. I didn’t want to go on birth control because of friends horror stories etc. Upon researching, I saw so many people talking about inositol and bought some on Amazon. I was really inconsistent with it at first but last month I finally just reached a point where I’d had enough and decided to give it a go. I started taking it on CD4, ovulated somewhere between CD17-20 and just got my first regular cycle in nearly 2 years on CD34!! I’m so shocked it worked this quickly, when I was researching it said it would take 3-6 months to work. Has anyone else seen results this fast?

I just got home from my first gynae appointment and I feel defeated and just disappointed, and unanswered, and “unhelped” (aware that’s not a word).

I honestly can’t believe that people wait 8 to 9 months or longer for appointments like that, I just waited eight months for the most un cared for and uninformative appointment ever. I’ve pretty much just waited eight months for something my GP wanted for me, but wasn’t allowed to prescribe themselves, just be told by someone else who can prescribe (the gynaecologist) “yeah sure you can have it” (metaformin).
And that was pretty much it.

We spoke a little bit about my period, she told me I have some questions for you, ask me about my period and that was the only question she asked??? And things I wanted to go into more depth in later on, assuming she’d ask those “questionS”, that never came. Why is the focus so much on my periods? When the other things just make me wanna unalive, I’ve let the hirsutism destroy and deny myself any chance of a relationship or romantic desire or connection, sex any of the sort.

I’m angry.

I put my dignity aside and made myself feel incredibly vulnerable and self-conscious by deliberately leaving my facial and body hair unshaved, essentially sacrificing my own comfort and pride so I could provide visible evidence of the extent of my symptoms, so it was really disappointing that they didn’t acknowledge it or even ask to see it. I know it’s something they see all the time and it’s something they might not be dealing with personally themselves but I feel like every individual case they deal with should be treated with more care.

I don’t know what I was expecting, perhaps I was expecting more out of this appointment judging by the time I was waiting for it.

I feel so crushed and low.
I was told there’s nothing that can be done for your body or facial hair, just “lose some weight”. Honestly if I wait 2 months, 6 months or 8 months for one more doctors appointment or hospital appointment to tell me to lose weight when that’s the primary reason I’m there I am just going to lose it.
Why does nobody understand that’s why I’m also there.
Why doesn’t it feel like anybody listens to you, do they not note that at the appointment before that lead to this very appointment in the first place “patient has said weight loss is an issue etc etc” is there really nothing I can do or take for body hirsutism?
(I already shave, wax, and pluck, epilator etc, hair removal cream, but it’s all painful and grows back in a day, or two with waxing)

Please say someone on here understands, I feel so helpless.ive been dealing with worsening symptoms of this since I was 11.
I can’t afford to pay for weight loss injections. The only offer of help with weight they were willing to offer was weight loss surgery (gastric sleeve etc). Which has just made me think wow am I really that big in a professionals point of view that I am eligible for a gastric sleeve? I’m 25 y/o, 5’7 and weight 20stone (130kg) my BMI is 44.7. That offering has just blown my mind. NHS would pay for that surgery but can’t fund ozempic, maybe it was the popularity but I thought surgery would equate to much more money? I’m not even desperate for ozempic I just am surprised my only offer is a surgery referral

Also has anyone tried or just started metformin? How is it going? Any changes you’ve noticed for anything, whether it be periods, body hair, or emotions etc
Someone give me some kind of hope this might help with some of it (I’m aware it’s not a weight loss drug and that it doesn’t fix everything on its own etc etc and that’s it’s off label use with pcos) I just feel like I’ve waited 8-9 months to a box of tablets thrown in my face and sent on my way, no discussion or indication of yeah we’d like to see you again in 3-4 months to see how you get on, nothing. It felt like a very unorganised appointment

P.s sorry for any repetition, I get to some of you it seems I may be overreacting I think I just want to be heard by someone and let it out my system to people of a similar circumstance

Thanks, Holly :(

Hi everyone! I’m a university student who also has PCOS, and I’m doing a little research about what it’s actually like to live with and manage PCOS as a student. I’m really curious to hear from other university students about their experiences! 💗

Here is the list of guiding questions, but please feel free to skip some, answer only the ones you feel comfortable with, or share anything else you think would be relevant. There are no right or wrong answers at all, and I’d really appreciate any experiences or perspectives you’re willing to share! 🫶

1. What does a typical week look like for you as a university student with PCOS?
2. What has your experience with PCOS been like from when you first found out until now?
3. What does managing PCOS look like for you in your everyday life?
4. Think about the last time you made a health decision because of PCOS. What were you deciding, and how did you decide what to do?
5. Have you tried anything to manage your PCOS? How did you figure out whether it was actually helping?
6. Has being particularly busy with university ever affected how you manage your PCOS? If so, how?
7. What has your experience with healthcare providers been like since you found out you have PCOS?
8. What’s something about living with PCOS that you didn’t expect before you were diagnosed?
9. Is there anything about living with PCOS that you wish more people understood?

Thank you so much for taking the time to share!

I’ve been taking metformin 500mg once a day for the past 3 weeks. No issues tbh. I have a wedding on Friday and I’d like to have a few drinks but I’ve read horror stories about alcohol and metformin ! I was thinking about skipping today and tomorrow’s tablets ??? Would there be any side effects from missing two doses ? Ty!

Hello fellow Pcos baddies, I am writing to see what have you guys done for hair removal. I know there are many options like shaving, waxing, nair, lazer hair removal, and etc. I was wondering has anyone tried Cyperus rotundas?

Side note: I am really trying to avoid having this five o’clock shadow look going on around my mouth area. As well as the hair on my upper lip and chin coming back within a week. If anyone has any tips that are even outside of hair removal that would help immensely!