Just wanna get y’all ladies’ opinion of this.

Do any of you guys feel this way as well?

The persistent facial hair, belly fat, bloating, fatigue, thinning hair, and the constant animalistic cravings for sugar. And don’t get me started on the constant irregular hormone spikes and dips that make me invincible some days, and then an emotional bitch the next. There are probably more I’m forgetting but you get the idea LOL.

I know I don’t LOOK like somebody’s old, fat, balding uncle, but I damn sure feel that way 😂

I hate shopping for pants. I’m very short and very overweight with a pronounced PCOS belly. Nothing fits correctly. Nothing is flattering. I almost feel like going to a maternity store but I don’t know if my faltering self esteem could handle that. What do you all do for pants? Are there any stores/brands you have had success with? I recognize something that worked for you may not work for me but I don’t think I can keep trying randomly and hoping.

I was diagnosed with PCOS in February and soon after PMDD but have been struggling for years. I feel like the delay in diagnosis made my condition so much worse to initially manage and has worsened every month. I suspected PMDD for at least a year - since then, every month has been more bad days than before, at least half the month. I’m getting a Mirena IUD Tuesday so I’m optimistic about that, but I’ve gotten little help otherwise. My psychiatric medications (new and old) aren’t working or are making things worse. I’m getting really desperate and barely functioning and I’m terrified. I’m based in NYC and looking for provider referrals and recovery success stories.

Please, I’d appreciate any advice or insight anyone can offer. 😔

i recently moved to a walkable city so i’ve been walking a lot (like 7k steps a day). i also have been eating less. somehow, i am the exact same weight i was before i moved. i know PMOS affects metabolism, but its so frustrating. and i cant be any more active (due to other chronic health issues), so i dont know what else to do.

side note: i know losing weight wont make me healthy. i am self conscious about my weight because my past doctors have shamed me for it (due to me being overweight).

i’ve had irregular periods in the past, like periods lasting 6 days with heavy bleeding, light bleeding for 2-3 days, and even getting my period twice in one month. this was a few years ago, though, and my periods have improved a lot since then.

this cycle has been really confusing because my period was around 22 days late. i think i had spotting before my actual period started, but i’m not completely sure. it was a very small amount of blood when wiping, sometimes with a tiny, stringy blood clot.

i think my actual period started on the 13th. it started off light, then became more like my usual period, with some small clots. now it seems to be getting lighter again.

i’ve never noticed spotting like this before, or at least i don’t remember it happening before a period.

has anyone else experienced this, especially after their periods had become more regular? i'm just confused about what happened this cycle and would like to hear other people's experiences.

I mostly dislike the excessive facial hair (I kinda ignore the bodily hair, I can live with that) and the hair loss... I barely have any hair on my head.

If it can even reduce my facial hair I will sip the damn thing. Any success stories?

I (33F) struggle with my body composition. I'm 5'2 about 128 lbs, but my weight sits disproportionately on my thighs, calves, tummy, and outer arms. My sugar has tested normal, but I'll be getting the oral glucose test done soon and I suspect it'll be abnormal.

I have crazy sugar cravings, skin tags, and skin darkening in folds. I am tired of only having my body normalize when I eat an extremely strict diet (which isn't sustainable). Not sure if anyone has any advice. I haven't tried Ovasitol yet, and maybe that's a good first step, but I'm just tired of feeling like I'm wearing a body that isn't mine despite me eating pretty healthy overall.

I got diagnosed a few months ago, when I had an ultrasound on my uterus and ovaries to rule out something entirely different. I'm a teenager, 16 to be exact. my main symptoms are the weight gain, heavy periods, stress/crankiness, dark arm/leg hair, and cramping. I don't have thinning hair, acne, or facial hair growth (other than a lot of peach fuzz, and some ultra fine and blonde upper lip hair, which most women normally have).

this is going to be a short post, but I was put on birth control a couple of weeks ago, and now all of a sudden, I've just been losing weight because I'm less stressed and hungry all the time, which is a good thing. however, I just HATE that I look like I have flabby arms and a bad double chin (especially when I smile). my arms and stomach are covered in red and purple stretch marks, to make matters worse (I'm pale and white, so these marks clearly stand out, too).

I've been trying to strength train so my skin can tighten up a little faster. and I know it will eventually tighten up regardless, especially given how young I am. but I just hate it.

I don’t have PCOS, my little sister does. She’s 18. She’s been struggling with sleep for years, but it’s been really bad lately.

The most sleep she can get a night is four hours. That’s like, if she’s lucky. It takes her hours to fall asleep, and then she wakes up a few hours later with a cortisol spike and can’t fall back asleep. It’s so bad lately that she just spends all day crying because she’s SO exhausted and SO anxious all the time.

She told me she can’t take melatonin because she’s takes magnesium. We tried ZzzQuill last night, but she only slept for a couple hours.

So in total, over the past three days, she’s gotten 10 hours of sleep. I’m concerned she’s going to start hallucinating at this point.

I also used to struggle with insomnia (mine was bc of OCD & ADHD, racing thoughts and can’t lay still lol), but trazodone has almost completely eliminated the problem for me. I tried suggesting my sister ask her doctor about it a couple times, but she doesn’t want anything she’d be completely reliant on for sleep for the rest of her life.

I really don’t know how to help. She called out of work sick today because she just can’t go in. She’s still crying.

If any of this is relevant, she also most likely has PMDD (doctor agrees but hasn’t tested). I don’t remember all the meds she’s on, but she takes metformin, spironolactone, some birth control that makes her get her period once every three months, vitamin D and magnesium. There might be something I’m forgetting. She hasn’t had period since July, but she’s getting it in a couple weeks.

Does anyone experience this? If yes, what helped you?

I’m tired of this weight I want to go back to my normal. I’m miserable any tips?

My partner is suffering with pcos and along with that she has mental health issues causing extreme brian fog that is a big barrier in her career and due to the brain fog she was not able to complete her master's degree. I have been dating her for 2 years now. The problem I am facing here is her family is not that financially strong to provide her monthly expenses for her to cover her necessary treatment. So she moved in with me so we can cut down in expenses a little bit and she can manage to get some treatment but during this i subconsciously kept her needs above me and what that happened was I started minimising my needs for the last 1 year I did and the and the other year we were in Mumbai so our finances was more strained due to costly city. Now it's been 2 years and I don't know I am like tired of listening her crying about everything small thing her irregular periods, about her weight loss due to mounjaro, one issue gets resolved and a new one pops up. I am tired of listening on complains of issues for the past 2 years. I feel like a douchebag but is this a concern with partners having women with pcos as partners?

I really need some help and support

All advice will be greatly appreciated

Has anyone found a prenatal that doesn’t make you burp fish for hours after? PCP said Metformin slows down my digestion which keeps the prenatal in my track for longer hence the length of fish taste.

Even if I take it at night it kills me in the morning still

20F, struggling with PCOS, weight gain & absolutely NO energy — where do I even start?

I’m 20 and have always been naturally quite small (usually under 55kg), so the changes I’ve experienced with PCOS have been really difficult for me to adjust to.
Recently I’ve been struggling with weight gain, particularly around my lower stomach, and I feel like I have absolutely no energy. The lack of energy is probably what bothers me the most because I work in a school and I want to feel fit, active and like I actually have the energy to get through the day. I used to feel much more active and I really want to get back to that, but at the moment I genuinely don’t know where to start.
I’ve also been prescribed birth control, but I’m really hesitant about starting it. I feel like some of my PCOS symptoms/dramas started or became worse around the time I was on birth control previously, so I’m nervous about going back on it.
I know everyone’s experience with PCOS is different, but I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar position especially if you’ve struggled with fatigue, weight changes despite being smaller previously, or getting back into exercise with PCOS.
What actually helped you? Diet changes? Supplements? Strength training? Walking? Medication? Something completely different?
I’m not looking for a quick fix or trying to lose a huge amount of weight. I mostly just want to feel like myself again, have some energy and feel comfortable and strong in my body.
Any advice, experiences or things you wish you’d known when you were first diagnosed would be really appreciated 🤍

i’m really at a loss at this point trying to figure out what’s causing this water retention , all my doctors tell me different things but i have heard some people saying that they feel puffy and retain water due to PCOS , my gyno says it’s not possible , she basically just said that if the water retention was from PCOS then it would only be around my menstrual cycle and not all the time .

i’ve been retaining water in my body for the past 5 years and no one really knows why but since one day in October of 2021 my body has felt puffy and never went back to normal . it gets better , then worse depending on what i eat it seems like but my body has never felt the same since that one day . no i’ve never been pregnant , btw .

i was diagnosed with MCAS based on literally just this swelling throughout my whole body and further tests were done for PCOS and Cushings by my endo which cushings was ruled out and PCOS was confirmed .

i swell pretty much everywhere . my legs feel like tree trunks all the time , i have the moon face , swollen hands , wrists , elbows and i even feel swollen in my private parts , i mentioned this to my primary care last week bcuz i usually don’t feel comfortable mentioning that but when i told her how i feel swollen down there and even in my chest area , she was the first doctor to suggest that could be from PCOS ?? but idk , my endo and gyno both said that PCOS would not cause swelling throughout my whole body and not all the time .. so i just want some opinions and thoughts from fellow PCOSers , please let me know .. maybe even some of you have the same experience ??

I’ve been referred by my GP to have a pelvic ultrasound for PCOS diagnosis. The health centre where I’ll have the ultrasound said I should have a full bladder for it, but I thought you don’t need that for a transvaginal ultrasound? Has anyone experienced something similar? The commute is quite long and I hate the feeling of a full bladder

I haven’t been officially diagnosed yet (I’m getting a blood test done on Monday to test for excessive testosterone/androgens) but I’m about 90% sure I have Ovulatory PCOS. I get regular periods but I’m plagued with hormonal acne and hair that sheds a lot, slightly elevated LDL cholesterol on blood tests, fatigue, ADHD-like symptoms, etc. Plus a CAT scan I got done a few months ago at the ER (I went for some food poisoning) found cysts on one of my ovaries.

I feel like I’m in a very small minority here because there isn’t a lot of information on this specific subtype of PCOS/PMOS online. But everything I HAVE found lines up with all of my symptoms to a T. Is there anyone here who has this subtype??? What has been your experience and what have you found that helps??? I’m looking into supplements like inositol and CoQ10 and am considering birth control to help my skin and hair, plus will probably need to start working out regularly again. I also need to figure out how to stick to a healthy PCOS/PMOS-friendly diet??? I feel so overwhelmed and would love some advice (assuming I get a confirmed diagnosis)

Thanks for any help anyone can give!

EDIT: adding that I did try spironolactone about 3 years ago for my acne (took for 6 months and had to stop due to some bad side effects) and it ended up successfully clearing my acne and making my hair grow in thicker. Since spiro blocks androgens I definitely think it’s some kind of hormonal issue. Whether or not it’s actually Ovulatory PCOS/PMOS remains to be seen…

I have a very bad addiction to sugary/zero calorie carbonated drinks and I know BOTH are horrible for my health. I've tried to curtail it but I'm unable because my brain craves for the weird dopamine I have until I open the bottle.

Please share if you've had the same or similar addiction and how you overcame it.

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Hi everyone!

I’m trying to get back on track with my weight loss journey and would really appreciate some advice.

About a year ago, I developed a pulmonary embolism due to estrogen containing contraceptive pills, and I’ve gained around 20 kg since then. I also have PCOS, insulin resistance, and slightly elevated blood glucose, which have made losing weight quite difficult.

My endocrinologist prescribed metformin, and I initially lost 3 kg, but unfortunately, I gained it back and then gained some more. It’s been incredibly frustrating and has taken a toll on my mental health.

I also have a history of PTSD, anxiety and depression, which contribute to emotional and stress eating. I try to manage this by chewing gum to keep my mouth occupied, but I’m still struggling with cravings and finding a healthy balance without constantly thinking about food.

I’m currently a medical student on a tight budget, so I can spend around €30 - 40 per week on groceries. I’m looking for affordable, filling meals that are relatively low in calories and suitable for PCOS and insulin resistance.

I’d absolutelt love to hear your advice on:

- Managing sugar cravings and emotional/stress eating.

- Losing weight with PCOS and insulin resistance.

- Cheap, meals and grocery lists.

- Staying motivated when the scale goes up instead of down.

- Building sustainable habits without extreme dieting or intense exercise.

I’m not looking for a quick fix. I just want to find something realistic that works for my body, mental health and student budget.

If you’ve been in a similar situation, what has genuinely helped you? I’d really appreciate any tips, personal experiences, recipes or advice, because im genuinely stuck.

Every time i try and find meals or recipes, they all have some sort of weigh loss subscription which obviously im not going to pay for.

My daughter hasn’t had a period for about 4 months . She is scared but took her first Metformin tonight . She is afraid of pills and thinks the worst. She knows about the possible stomach upset but is more afraid of serious side effects.

Her doctor wants to give her some time on Metformin tonight see if her period finally starts if not she mentioned birth control. She cannot see a endo till March.

Her blood test everything was normal except for high free Testosterone. Has anyone had a period that didn’t start for many months ?

I used to be a very fair girl. But after PCOS, I can feel the difference on my face, the colour has become so dull, I don't see that beauty and skin shine, I used to have on my face. DO PCOS REALLY TAKES AWAY OUR BEAUTY ? Your experiences might help me to become calm and neutral. I am so disturbed 😔.

Anyone who has reversed PCOS, please share your achievement story, it will be really helpful now.

Hello, friends! Happy Saturday! I need some advice.

Relevant info: I'm on GLPs and losing weight (and have been for almost 3 years). I also take Vyvanse and myo-inositol supps. I'm 33 and have had 2 children (and we are done having kids).

My periods have gotten soooo bad within the past 6 months. I will use a super plus tampon and an overnight pad and need to change them after I drive to work. The only time I've bled this much before was when I was postpartum. My cramps have also gotten worse.

I went to my gynecologist. She was in a rush because she had a delivery to get to, but she gave me a lot of different options -- including an ablation, birth control options, etc.

I have looked up people's experiences for ablations, but I was hoping to get some input from others who deal with PCOS. Have any of you made this choice or have any advice for me? TIA!!

ETA: I'm still dealing with the occasional cyst, albeit they've gotten much better since having kids. I also deal with some facial hair. These issues made me think that a hormonal option would be better, but I hate the idea of having to remember another pill!

I was adding up how much money goes into just existing with PCOS every month and honestly got so mad...

Because society punishes women so harshly for showing any visible sign of androgen excess (facial hair, cystic acne, etc.), an entire predatory industry has come up to profit off our insecurity. Laser hair removal, 10-step skincare routines, $30 "hormone balance" powders with 2 dollars worth of inositol, guilt-free diet snacks...

It feels like we get hit from both sides: society makes us feel unlovable, and then charges us every month to hide those symptoms so we look palatable to everyone else.

What is the biggest "PCOS tax" expense you resent paying the most right now?

Has anyone else had “perfect” lab results but still struggles with symptoms? 😩 I’m looking for recommendations for a good functional medicine doctor in the Lockport/Niagara County.

My symptoms include:
• Significant hair shedding and thinning
• PCOS and hormonal imbalances
• Fatigue and brain fog
• Mood swings, anxiety, and feeling stuck in fight-or-flight
• Bloating, constipation, reflux, and abdominal discomfort
I’ve been diagnosed with PCOS and they gave me a birth control with hormones. I tried it and it made me retain so much water.

I feel like something is being missed, and I’m tired of being told everything is normal when I don’t feel normal. I’m looking for someone who will look at the whole picture and help me find answers. If you’ve had a similar experience, I’d love recommendations! ❤️

I’m 20F, and I could really use some advice from people who have been in a similar situation.

I started taking hormonal birth control (Yaz Plus) 2 months ago for PCOS and during my first month, I experienced a pretty intense depressive episode. I would get ready, go to university, come home, and start crying for seemingly no reason.

I felt emotionally overwhelmed and couldn’t handle things the way I normally would.

Looking back, I think I’ve struggled with my mental health for a long time. I’ve always been anxious, I tend to spiral over the smallest things, I overanalyze social interactions, and I often feel out of place around other people. I can get incredibly overwhelmed by thoughts about my future and things that other people seem to handle normally. I’ve also struggled with attention and concentration, (to the point that i can’t sit down and read a book no matter how much i want to) for as long as i remember and I’ve wondered whether I might have ADHD.

I think the birth control may have intensified feelings I had already been suppressing or made me more aware of them. Before this, I often felt emotionally numb, whereas during that episode I would suddenly cry about things I hadn’t really allowed myself to feel.

I need to admit something else, too. During that period, I started taking my mom’s escitalopram without a prescription. I know that was very irresponsible, and I’m not planning to continue self medicating. I took small portions of the 10 mg tablets, and I remember feeling noticeably better. I felt more motivated, could concentrate on studying. I understand that responding positively to an antidepressant doesn’t necessarily mean I need one, but it made me wonder whether professional treatment could actually help me.

I recently spoke to my mom about how I had been feeling, and she immediately booked me an appointment with a psychiatrist.

The thing is, I’m absolutely terrified of gaining weight from psychiatric medication.
I already struggle with my body image because of PCOS, and I’ve spent a long time feeling uncomfortable in my own body. I’m scared of finally getting some relief from my mental health issues only to gain weight and feel even worse about myself. I know weight gain isn’t inevitable with every medication, but I keep reading stories about people gaining a significant amount of weight on antidepressants, and it scares me enough to consider cancelling the appointment altogether.
Part of me also wonders whether I’m overreacting. Maybe this was just a reaction to the hormones, maybe I’m being too sensitive, or maybe my problems aren’t serious enough to justify psychiatric medication. I keep thinking that other people manage their lives without needing medication, so why can’t I?

Now I’m torn between two options, and I genuinely don’t know which makes more sense.
Should I wait until I finish this month’s pack of Yaz Plus, speak to my gynecologist, and ask her to switch me to a different birth control pill to see whether my mood improves? Maybe the depressive episode is primarily hormonal, and changing brands would be enough.

Or should I go ahead and see a psychiatrist now, rather than waiting, since I was already struggling with anxiety, overthinking, low moods, and possible ADHD symptoms before starting birth control?
I’m worried about going to a psychiatrist too soon and being prescribed medication I might not actually need. At the same time, I’m worried about delaying help for problems I’ve been dealing with for years just because I’m scared of the side effects.

I know strangers online can’t diagnose me or tell me which medication I should take. I’m mostly looking for personal experiences and some perspective because I feel very conflicted. I want to get better, but I’m afraid of what getting better might cost me physically.
Thank you to anyone who took the time to read all of this.

Hey girls anyone had any experience getting pregnant while on a GLP1 , do you think it is what helped you get that positive test? I am debating if I should get back on one and lose some weight along with diet and exercise of course