Uhh, how did y’all feel motivation to start exercising? I haven’t been able to motivate myself at all :( and I feel so sad cause I wanna lose weight and my parents keep putting all these demands on me to start working out, but I can’t find any motivation to do anything..
Maybe not a typical post for this subreddit but for the life of me I can’t become a morning person! I would love to be able to wake up and get my 30 minute workout in to start my day. But I feel so awful and out of it in the morning. I take melatonin the night before around 8 and try to be asleep around 9:30. Anyone else with PCOS struggle/struggled with this and can give me advice???
Hi everyone,
I was diagnosed with PCOM (polycystic ovarian morphology) on an ultrasound, but I don't have a diagnosis of PCOS. I also have regular menstrual cycles every month.
I'm trying to understand whether PCOM by itself can make it harder to conceive. From what I've read, PCOM is different from PCOS, but I'm still confused about how much it actually affects fertility, especially in someone with regular periods.
If you have PCOM and regular menstrual cycles, did your doctor say you were likely ovulating normally? Did they tell you that PCOM alone could affect fertility, or were there any additional tests they recommended?
I'm just hoping to better understand how PCOM alone impacts fertility in people with regular cycles.
Thanks in advance for any insights!
I started taking berberine for insulin resistance a couple months ago. It’s been amazing for my acne and stubborn weight/bloating but I’ve noticed my botox wearing off VERY fast.
Super discouraging, has anyone else experienced this? Any recommendations on other supplements that might be a better substitute?
Hi! This is probably a silly type of post, especially considering im in healthcare. But I have absolutely struggled with a lot of PCOS type symptoms, but I can never get a full lab work up or be taken seriously by a physician. When I first started my periods, they were absolutely awful. They were so painful, you never knew when they were coming, and when they came they were heavy and lasted weeks. Yes, plural, weeks. During those periods I would have to wear the biggest size pad and just had so much pain and discomfort I couldnt even try tampons. I also had severe acne and was seeing a dermatologist. Ultimately due to both of those things, I was placed on birth control at a young age. (~13, im now 27.) Over the past three years, I graduated pharmacy school and did two years of residency. Which is pretty stressful. And Ive gained a ton of weight too during that period that I am STRUGGLING to lose. (Im calorie counting down to the smallest unit even and ensuring im in a deficit. As in, i count the nerd gummy clusters or number of m&ms, because I know someone will say im probably forgetting to track something) Im still seeing a dermatologist and a lot of my acne doesnt respond to normal treatment and she said it has a very hormonal type pattern and suspects PCOS. All that to say. I cant get a physician to take me seriously with testing for it or help me with weight loss or why i gained it so fast (I know with residency it can happen, but it seems like a lot). Heck, I feel like i may have other symptoms related to it and not even know it!
And as a pharmacist, I know the field and suspect it. But im not a physician. All that to say, am I crazy? Does this sound like PCOS? Anyone else have this issue or advice? I feel like Im going crazy. Ive tried a GYN, Endo, and IM. Im at a loss.
i made a post on no stupic questions asking about why skinny people with body dysmorphia are given more grace than actual fat people struggling, got alot of backlash, one comment said something like how its simple to lose body fat because cals in cals out and all of that. i explained how its different for PMOS (i am a teen girl trying to get diagnosed for it), how cutting calories alone wont always have the same results because the way our bodies store it, and someone just kept talking like i was stupid for saying its not. i said "its about what u eat" as well, because lets face it it is! and that can be expensive! and they kept saying it's not, that eating less calories isn't (because of course they didn't read my comment right!), said PMOS doesn't change thermodynamics or whatever, basically explaining how just eating less is the overall thing to burn body fat. which may be true for many people, but they just flatout ignored when i tried to explain how women with PMOS store it differently, and that cutting calories alone will most liekly not help much! they said to stop making nonsensical defeatist excuses. this person may not have known what PMOS is, but they could've at least actually listened to what i was saying instead of just going on about "eating less is what does everything" and all that bullshit. its tiring.
Basically I’m unemployed as of recent and it’s caused me to emotionally eat. my favorite thing to eat is sugar and carbs and that’s what I’ve been doing for the past week. I am now seeing my skin and it’s just pimply and red and patchy and purple from my dark circles. I look and feel like shit.
I’m vegetarian so protein sources are harder to get, and so I crave sugar very very bad. I literally have an addiction. But I’m throwing away the junk food as we speak. Seeing myself has been a wake up call. God it’s rough
Advice/Rant
Hello I am now 300lbs as I am at the doctor. I have been under a lot of stress due to personal reasons and my job. I am sick right now but I recently went to urgent care before and the scale said it before I thought okay maybe because I just ate but nope it’s confirmed today. 306 to be exact.
I don’t feel or look 300 pounds I feel like I move around relatively and I do occasionally lift weights not as much as I used to but my job requires me to lift dogs and stand all day so I figured I’m getting activity there as well. I have start night eating again unfortunately it started a little bit ago but I don’t binge at least not like I used to.
I guess I need to get more active? More cardio and weight lifting I need to take it more seriously. It really sucks because I’ve always had weight fluctuations. I got my period in elementary school being bigger and taller than every kid. I have had long period where I’ve worked out and it slowly made a difference but I gave up.
I don’t feel 300lbs but when that comes on the screen oh my god does it feel bad. I’ve been under a lot of stress but this really does suck. My mom has a history of PCOS and diabetes I’ve always been pretty healthy but I’m worried now am I prediabetic or just lazy and fat :/ :((
Is there anything I can do to help combat this? There have been times where I’ve eaten right and seen the weight drop but it can go back up at the drop of a dime. I don’t know to much about PCOS only that it sucks and I have to pull chin hairs out because of some dumb hormones. I don’t feel like a lady I feel disgusting honestly. I don’t know what to do? or what to think? I’ve been insanely stressed and this is another worry.
I got diagnosed pretty young at 16 (I say young bc many women don’t get a diagnosis for YEARS).
I’ve been on multiple medications but nothing really helps - they address one or two symptoms but the negative side effects are significantly greater than any small positive effects.
I am a very active person as a competitive athlete and have worked with a dietician in the past.
All of that to say, I am struggling in so many different ways and I feel like I am going crazy. I hate complaining and tend to just push through but life really f*cking sucks.
I don’t know if I actually hate my husband or if it’s hormones. The feeling comes and goes in waves with nothing initiating the feeling.
I bleed all of the time and always have a small cramp in my left ovary. I get heavy bleeding during/after my workouts (6x/week), during/after sex, and usually a consistent light flow between. I always have some kind of chronic pain in my left ovary but my ultrasound didn’t show anything. Sex is so painful that we have only one position that works and even then.. a slight change in angle or anything can cause a shooting pain so bad that I’ve thrown up before (no, my husband is not overly well endowed or anything and no, we aren’t animals in bed - everything has to be slow and gentle to not risk pain).
My facial hair gets worse and worse over time. Started with some chin hairs and now I grow a full beard. If I grow it out, it lines my cheek bones and grows all the way down to my neck in one full beard growth. I shave every day because I have a job that wouldn’t allow me to grow my facial hair out to wax. My skin always hurts from shaving every day.
I’m always tired and have this deep fatigue. I’ve messed with my workout schedule/volume/frequency along with sleep routines, diet, supplements and nothing changes this deep fatigue.
I have had chronic lower back pain that has gotten worse over the last 6 months and nothing happened for it to onset. I just started noticing it feeling achey and it just progressively gets worse. I have a physical therapist that’s assessed it and due to my training and background, she says it’s not a muscular weakness issue or pelvic floor issue. I don’t sit in a chair for work, I’m pretty active and actually get to go use recovery tools throughout my work day.
My mental health has deteriorated. I just get extreme waves of uncontrollable emotional outbursts. Obviously this is causing stress so it makes sense that it’d take a toll mentally and emotionally, but I feel like I’m losing myself and becoming a shell of a person consumed by dysfunction.
I’ve brought this up to my doctors and the first thing they point to is me working out and telling me that lifting can be dangerous… I have a PhD in exercise science.. I truly don’t believe the solution has to do with exercise. They don’t recommend losing weight because even though I’m considered overweight, I have a good amount of muscle mass. After trying meds, their recommendation has become to just manage the condition. I get there’s no solution and it’s just something we have to manage.
I guess this is my last attempt to put this out there and see if anyone has anything at all to help.
Advice on how to approach doctors about this? How do I triage these issues because I feel overwhelmed trying to manage them or prioritize them when talking to the doctor? Any advice for supplements/routines/management? If anything, just to know I’m not alone?
Does anyone else have damn near constant yeast infections? I’ve had this issue since I was a teen and I’m so over my bit being SO itchy. How do yall prevent yeast infections????
26F with PCOS here, and I’m stuck deciding whether to start Mounjaro or not.
I’ve seen two endocrinologists, and both basically told me it’s my decision. They said if I feel I’ve genuinely tried everything, medication is reasonable. If I still want to keep trying naturally, that’s also fine.
My labs are confusing because metabolically they look decent:
HbA1c: 5.0%
Fasting glucose: 80 mg/dL
Fasting insulin: 14.04 µU/mL
HOMA-IR: 1.75
DHEAS: 149.9 µg/dL
TSH: 2.5 (T3/T4 normal)
Other findings:
Hemoglobin: 10.6 g/dL
MCV: 59.1
Serum iron: 40
Transferrin saturation: 12.1% (currently treating iron deficiency anemia)
CRP: 13.6
ESR: 45 (being investigated)
Vitamin D, B12, liver and kidney function are all normal.
My biggest issue is weight. I’ve struggled for years, lost weight before, regained it, and I’m honestly mentally exhausted. At the same time, I’m hesitant to start a medication that may need to be continued long term.
I’m especially looking for people with PCOS but normal insulin/HOMA-IR.
Did you still start Mounjaro or Ozempic?
Was it worth it?
Any regrets?
If you stopped, did you regain the weight?
If you decided against medication, why?
I’d really appreciate hearing experiences from people who were in a similar situation.
Hey y’all.
Been taking 500mg ER Metformin twice per day for like 5 months to regulate my cycle.
I just recently learned on this sub about the risk of lactic acidosis when metformin is mixed with alcohol?
I love to have a few drinks (typically 1-2 but sometimes more) with hubby at home or I am out with friends.
I have always just taken my dose of metformin with food (lol sometimes washed down with an alcoholic drink) and never have had an issue?
I was reading that people would skip their metformin dose on the day they were drinking… but for me I don’t plan all day or weeks ahead on when I am going to drink alcohol.
After reading up on the dangers of mixing the two, I am obviously very hesitant to drink. What is everyone else doing/what have their doctors recommended?
If I can’t get pregnant and have a family (2 years TTC), I just want to have a cold beer while floating on the lake in the sun.
Hello everyone, I recently found this sub while researching about pcos, I wanted to tell you my story so far and ask for advice ☺️
When I was a teen I had very irregular periods, deep voice and thick body hair for a girl, but several doctors dismissed it all, and told me It'd get fixed once I was an adult. When I was 16 I didn't have a period for 6 months, then bled for like 3 weeks straight, I was scared but family wasn't the best so I didn't tell anyone in detail, and hoped It would fix itself when I grew up.
At 18 I went to my first gyno appointment and after some blood tests and an ultrasound I was told I had PCOS and would have to take Diane35. Nothing was explained and as a young human with crippling social anxiety I did not ask anything 🥲. Googled real quick and it said I'd be infertile, that was a huge shock 🫠!! (I've since researched more about it and learned it's not like that, but for my young mind I was very distraught 😭)
I've had social anxiety and depression since I was 12, but at 18 I had started going out with my now husband and moved out of my parents place so I was feeling way better emotionally.
Here comes the changes, before starting the pill I had a very high libido, and was struggling with mental health but kinda getting by. Slowly but surely the pills made me lose all my libido, depressed me to no end, lubrication got so bad sex was painful even when using so much lube. It honestly sucked so bad.
At 24 (March 2025) I was talking to my new gyno about leaving the pill, and she told me we'd do more tests eventually but that she didn't want to because I'd have to stop taking the pills... So I stopped taking them for a month under the excuse of not being able to buy some for a while and asked to do the tests. They came back "okay" from what she told me, and I was feeling a bit better without the pills so I insisted on not taking them anymore. She told me I could get a kyleena IUD, but after researching and finding that some people still had the same issues with it I refused.
She told me I could stop taking them then, only worried a bit about possibly getting pregnant, but chilled after I told her I was getting married and already used condoms 🤷♀️. She didn't tell me anything bad could happen from it or anything.
Slowly libido comes back, my mood improves SO MUCH! Sex no longer hurts after a couple months. Life is good!
August 2025 I get my last period, and by January 2026 I'm worried, not pregnant, but I come across an Instagram reel saying it's dangerous not to have your period, so I take out an appointment and go back to my gyno. She gets pissy at me for "not wanting to take the pill but wanting to have my period" I ask if it's dangerous not to bleed, she tells me I have to see my endocrinologist about it if I don't want birth control. I get my period late January.
I start seeing a new endocrinologist, she sends multiple tests to get done on my period... But I don't bleed for another couple months and counting 🫠. She tells me to get them done regardless and is appalled at my levels of Testosterone and Androgens.
Last month she tells me I HAVE to get back on bc, but after I repeat my concerns gives me a different kind, plus two other pills to lower those other hormones (Drospirenone, Finasteride and Spironolactone). She also tells me my cortisol levels are high and to chill a bit. I panic 😊!
I've been taking these pills for almost a month. Within the first few weeks my mood swings got insane. I get enraged for the silliest of things. My libido is getting lower and I struggle with depression daily on a whole different level. I want to die over having to do laundry. I can't work on the projects I've been creating the last couple months.
I've been in therapy since I was 16, still going strong, my psychologist told me to talk further with my doctors to find another way, because bc has had bad repercussions in my mental health in the past. I'm trying it out for the moment to see if the symptoms go away with time, but will bring this up to my doctor next appointment.
Here's where I ask for advice:
Have you guys had any experiences with these symptoms and how did it change over time? Were you able to manage them somehow? Are there any other ways to work around this issue?
I'm honestly not worried about body hair or cosmetic symptoms, my worry was getting some kind of life threatening disease from my uterus lining being too thick! I'm distraught that I have to live depressed and miserable. Have you guys found a different way to solve this issue? Anything you recommend to try out?
Thank you so much for the patience everyone!
I am always struggling with my specific food requirements in social settings. In addition to insulin resistance, I have a few food allergies. It's already difficult to deal with that in social settings because some people don't want to understand that I can't just walk into the next best place and not think about the food options beforehand, I always need to check the menu. Since a few weeks ago, I have also paid a lot more attention to my insulin resistance because my symptoms have been quite bad recently after not having a lot of choices in food during a work trip.
But now I've been getting very snappy comments from colleagues and acquaintances/friends of my friends when we were talking about restaurants we could go to or what food to cook. As in: "just eat my chocolate bar if you're hungry now", "don't make it so complicated and just accept fries/ pizza/ fast food/... for dinner", "I have some bread left, your loss if you're that picky", "you're making it impossible to find something". And it's not like I reject every option there is, it was more about not wanting to go to the first suggested places that only have carb heavy food or no single meal without the ingredient I'm allergic to.
How do you deal with situations like these? I usually bring my own safe food to our day trips (we do a lot of hiking, swimming in lakes, motorcycle trips etc) or have some tolerable emergency snacks but sometimes we've been out longer than planned or I didn't have time to prepare. It makes me so angry, my allergies aren't really taken seriously in the first place but trying to not eat as much sugar and carbs is impossible. I make exceptions from time to time, but I can't do it as often as these situations arise...
I also feel a bit ostracised and stuck up if I, for example, only drink water at a social gathering where everyone else has some soda and snacks, or if I'm the only person who cannot eat what everyone else chose.
Do you tell people about your health problems? I have some friends who also have special dietary needs and with them it's never a problem. But I don't know how to deal with people I don't know as well as I don't want to overshare about my health but I feel like some would be more understanding if they knew my reasons.
Do you have a smooth and socially acceptable way to communicate your dietary needs and/or insulin resistance? Or any tips on how you deal with such situations?
I just wanted to post here as no one else in my life just gets what a big deal this is !!! I almost feel like I’m 14 and celebrating getting my period for the first time again.
Bit of a backstory…
I came off hormonal contraception in March 2025 as I couldn’t deal with the migraines anymore.
Despite having irregular periods all my life, after 6 months no contraception, I didn’t have a period.
Went to my GP in September 2025, and they prescribed cyclic progesterone to induce a bleed, which hospitalised me - I was very close to needing a blood transfusion after filling a 25ml menstrual cup every 2-4hrs, for around 22 days straight. They did an ultrasound, and found the most obvious “string of pearls” the doctor had ever seen - and got diagnosed with PCOS. I was then put on the waiting list to see a consultant Gynaecologist.
I had my gynaecologist appointment 6 weeks ago, and was put on Metformin… and today, I got my period back. I am so happy.
Who knows what is happening with my body, but I kinda feel a sense of normality returning since this diagnosis
I'm sorry in advanced if this is a really obvious question, but I was struggling to find an answer. I (22) got diagnosed about a year ago and a big part of why I got diagnosed with PCOS is because I didn't have my period for an entire year before that.
I only found out a month or so ago (from this sub ofc lol) that not having your period for so long increases your cancer risk. And I was hesitant to worry about it because I figured my OGBYN would've mentioned it if she thought I was a risk and maybe she didn't because the tests I got for diagnosing PCOS would've caught it, but actually I'm not sure. I got a pelvic X-Ray and a colposcopy, and I'm pretty sure the blood test and colposcopy wouldn't detect it, but maybe the X-Ray?
Either way, it makes me nervous that something like that was never brought up, even as a 'btw don't worry you didn't get cancer lol'. So all this is to ask if it sounds like I need to message my OBGYN about getting an endometrial cancer test, since I figure other people here have probably had similar situations. Thank you :)
Can I just complain?
I know several of my friends on GLP1 and they just eat less and lose weight on GLP1s, without having to count calories or carbs.
I’ve been on a GLP1 for close to 2 years and have only lost 15 pounds.
I am back on with tracking my food intake because that has worked for me in the past, but I just want to complain haha.
Just feels like things are a bit harder with PCOS.
Edit - I KNOW GLP1s are just a “tool”, I am legit just complaining and put that in my post. I am complaining about having PCOS. I have lost the weight before and I know what to do. Unfortunately I have depression which manifests as eating too much, instead of not eating. I have been through a divorce with a manipulative alcoholic, experienced domestic violence. I battled depression and wanted to unalive myself so many times. I am proud of myself for still being here. Thanks to all who read my post and allowed me to vent/complain. To those who acted like I needed to be told what to do - I know what to do. Doing it is a problem. I just needed to commiserate and not be told that I don’t understand how GLPs work. I am a pharmacist. I understand the MOA. This was literally just a vent post lol. That’s all, thanks 🙏🏻
Hi everyone, so it took me 5 years to get a diagnosis and 1 year being diagnosed. I’ve been trying to conceive for the whole 6 years and am one of the lucky few in the uk to try metformin for fertility reason.
Two days prior to starting them I started my period, everything was normal. I started the metformin which I was so excited for… however, I’ve been taking them for 23 days now and I’m still on my period. But since starting the medication I have noticed my period took a turn, it’s the heaviest period I have had for years, and is showing absolutely no sign in slowing down.
I need to know if this is normal and/or has happened to others, usually my periods are okay but this one is unbearable. I’ve gone through 7 pack of sanitary pads and 2 boxes of tampons. And I feel like it’s never going to end.
So please, if anyone can help/offer advice I’d appreciate it greatly.
I don’t want to not give the medication an opportunity to work before I call it quits but if there’s no sign of it getting better from here I may have to 😩
Thanks everyone ♥️
I really need to stop bleeding. I change my pad MINIMUM 2 times a day and it’s always really full. I’ve tried lots of things, raspberry leaf tea, vitamin d, inositol and I do strength training 4x a week. I really want to stop bleeding as I’ve been bleeding since the start of June :/ does anyone have any advice on how to stop and keep my periods regular? Preferably natural ways or supplements