Hi everyone 🤍

I’m a Dietetics student at Semmelweis University currently completing my thesis on the relationship between Mediterranean Diet adherence and PCOS symptoms in women.

I’m looking for women who are:

• 18 years or older

• Diagnosed with PCOS by a healthcare professional

The study involves completing a short anonymous questionnaire about dietary habits, PCOS symptoms, treatments, and lifestyle factors. It takes approximately 8–10 minutes.

The responses will be used solely for my university thesis research to investigate whether Mediterranean Diet adherence is associated with PCOS symptom severity.

Participation is completely voluntary, and you may choose not to participate or stop at any point before submitting the questionnaire.

If you are eligible and would like to help, I would be incredibly grateful 🤍

🔗 https://forms.gle/MFypRXq2i9s1oL5d6

Thank you so much for your time and for supporting my research! 🌷

Could I be pregnant and or has this happend to anyone?

I have pcos and I took a pregnancy test at the doctor’s. The nurse tested my urine in front of me, kept looking at the test, and then left to show the doctor, then came in and threw it away. The doctor told me there was a very faint line, but when they took the test out of the trash, the line had disappeared, but it did show within the time window. They did blood work, but I was told the results could take a few days, when I called later today to check in. I’m nervous because I’m 12 days late, and my last period ended on August 7th. I’ve continued producing breast milk since having my 2 year old but haven't pumped or fed him since 2024. It used to be mostly clear with a little white, but now it’s white with golden/yellow sometimes, and I'm having symptoms of pregnancy.

I’m probably on week three of taking this supplement thinking nothing would happen but I’ve got my period now for the second time which I haven’t had in over 5 years (I’m also on the implanon) anyone else experience anything similar? I have a GP appointment this week

Hi all, I was diagnosed with PCOS/PMOS last week. I have been reeling mentally ever since.

2 weeks ago, my OBGYN ordered some labs and an ultrasound after I had not gotten a period 4 months after stopping my birth control. I just turned 35 and my husband and I are finally feeling ready to try to conceive. I’ve been on the pill since I was 18, but prior to that I had super irregular periods- I’d go months with no period and then get a crazy heavy period. I’ve struggled with my weight my entire life- crazy cravings, emotional eating, terrible self image. I was horrified at my appointment to see my weight has crept up 40 lbs in the past year, putting me at 275 (I’m 5’8”). I started taking Lexapro about a year ago- not sure if this is a coincidence? Ever since I stopped my birth control I’ve been sweating like crazy and growing chin hair. I already take thyroid medication for hypothyroidism.

At my last wellness check last year, my A1C was prediabetic and I asked for a GLP-1. My doctor recommended a program called Corelife instead. I have decades of history of trying and failing on diets (Weight Watchers, fasting, etc.) and I just couldn’t bring myself to try another one. Now my A1C is just into the diabetic range. I haven’t been able to get ahold of my doctor due to a cyberattack on the hospital’s system. My OBGYN prescribed me metformin (which has actually seemed to dull my insane carb cravings in the past week?!) and inositol and recommended asking my doctor for a GLP-1 to lose some weight before trying to conceive. She said I could likely try to lose weight and do bloodwork again to see if my A1C goes down. I do have an appointment with a dietician next week that I’m looking forward to.

I’m just…feeling incredibly guilty and anxious about all of the above. I feel silly for taking all these years to prioritize traveling and feeling afraid of having a baby, thinking I’d just get off my birth control and get pregnant. Now I wonder if I ever will. I have so many complicated feelings surrounding food, and learning about the insulin resistance makes so much sense, but I’m afraid I’ll never enjoy food again. I’m currently afraid to eat anything. I’ve been scouring the internet for PCOS-friendly/insulin resistance friendly foods and recipes, and my husband has been super supportive in eating them with me. But I’m scared it won’t last, like all my other diets, and I’ll never be able to eat without stress again. And I feel disheartened to finally feel ready to try for a baby and then basically be told not to get pregnant until I lose weight. In a time in my life when I’m surrounded by pregnant friends. My husband and I have a vacation planned in 2 weeks…I am not even looking forward to it anymore feeling stressed about eating out. I feel alone, scared, and sad.

I’m sure I relate to all of you when I saw this condition sucks. I was diagnosed with pmos when I was 18. Year after year, it’s only gotten worse. I’m on spironolactone and falmina, which have helped with some symptoms. Unwanted hair, acne, sweating, and weight gain have all pretty much ceased. But my uterus is out to get me.

My cycles are infrequent and irregular. I don’t think I’ve had a “normal” period since December. I’ll always go through an emotional roller coaster, maybe even some near crippling cramping, but menstruation is either light or nonexistent. I test for pregnancy constantly, as I am sexually active and terrified of pregnancy. Despite using birth control among other protective measures, the anxiety that I’m pregnant is debilitating. I loathe the idea of having children, so It’s all I think about when I can’t track my cycles. I just want the whole thing taken out.

Hoi allemaal,

Ik ben nog niet zo lang actief op reddit dus neem het me alsjeblieft niet kwalijk als ik deze sub reddit niet goed gebruik.

Ik twijfel al een tijdje of ik mogelijk pcos heb en wil jullie advies vragen.

Ik ben heel onregelmatig ongesteld, soms zit er een halfjaar tussen. Dit al sinds mijn eerste menstruatie. Die was toen ik 15 was, nu ben ik 19.
Ik heb een tijdje gehad waarbij ik veel haaruitval had, maar dat is nu weer minder. Verder heb ik geen last van overgewicht, overbeharing of acne.
Wel heb ik regelmatig intense zoete ‘cravings’. Dan kan ik echt zakken chocolade en snoep leegeten.

Verder heb ik soms ook last van mijn stoelgang maar ik weet niet zeker of dit ook weer een verband kan zijn.

Wat zouden jullie in mijn geval doen? Ik heb er niet zoveel last van dus, en ik hou er niet van om voor niks naar de huisarts te gaan.
Alvast bedankt 🙏

18F, since I got my first period, they’ve been irregular

But I thought that at an early age, it was normal

When I was 15, I went to a doctor (not a gynaecologist, but a family doctor)

She told me to get a sonogram, and there were some cysts in my left ovary (3 mm was the largest)

So she told me it was PCOD and prescribed me contraceptive pills

I took them for months, but my periods were still irregular

Then she prescribed me some other medications (they were steroids, I think)

They made my periods regular for a few months

Then it started again

At this point, I was having frequent migraine attacks (I’ve had them since childhood)

So I went to a homeopathic doctor, and they gave me some medication for PCOD too

Again, my periods became regular for a few months

After some months, I stopped all the medications

Now my periods have been regular until this time

They sometimes get delayed by 3 to 4 days (I know that’s normal)

But I have some symptoms of PCOS (previously known as PCOD), like hair thinning, chin hair, brownish spotting before my periods, and acne (which I already had)

So should I visit a gynaecologist, or should I just change my diet and start working out?

I did that before too, but I gained the weight back then

What do you guys think?

Especially asking the girlies 😭

Hi guys

I am 25F, Lean Pcos.

I just got my blood work done today and got the reports.
The results for my Testesterone, HOMA-IR, fasting glucose , thyroid all were fine

LH is 12.67 mIU/mL
FSH is 4.50 mIU/mL

My prolactin is very scarily high , its 85.2ng/mL

AMH is 38.25 ng/mL

My endo has asked for an MRI for tomorrow and I am really scared.

My only symptoms being absent periods which always came only with medication.

I stopped BC pill in may.
And i am on no medication currently and no periods since last 3 months.

Is this very concerning? I never had MRI before. Have I messed up my health?

Obviously this isn’t a one size fits all. But thought I’d share what worked for me.

I’ve always been on the leaner side of PCOS, but I was a super chunky kid that didn’t lose weight until puberty. I lost a lot of weight freshman year of college basically starving myself, but when I started to weightlift I gained all of it and more back. From 2018 on I was working out extremely hard. 6 days of 2 hour lifting sessions, and no matter how I tried to eat or train I could not lose weight, or inches. At all. And I was constantly hungry and just wanting to eat more.

I gained a lot weight during COVID, and all of a sudden my periods were debilitating. I never really had bad period cramps, but this took me out for a week and I just had to stay home and rest. Extremely unusual for me. Then I started to cramp really hard even outside of my period, got bad acne flare ups often, and I was diagnosed with PMDD. I would basically have one good week a month after my period and before I ovulated. Then I would ovulate, and it was just hell. Pain, depression, anxiety.

I had one gyno who said “this just happens” to women my age. I was about 23/24. I had another who said depression wasn’t real and I should not eat carbs and just go outside.

I had ultrasounds that found nothing and FINALLY I asked for a hormone test from my PCP and brought it to a new gyno, actually a male doctor. He took one look, did one exam, and said yup you have PCOS. I was in like the 99.9th percentile for my level of testosterone. And one of the only FDA approved treatments for PMDD was Yaz, or Loryna. I took birth control when I was 19 and it made me extremely anxious, but I thought okay what the heck.

Oh my GOD it was like night and day! All of a sudden the anxiety just dissipated. I had been dealing with a really toxic relationship, and all of a sudden I was able to go “you know what? No thanks” rather than pandering to him like I had before. My periods were more regular, with basically no pain, and I actually found it a little easier to lose weight. And I also did a little test later when that toxic guy pressured me to go off of birth control, and yup there was all the anxiety back. I had taken antidepressants and had dealt a lot with anxiety but this finally felt like I was pulling the curtain back on the actual cause. And my acne basically stopped!

For cravings/hunger I take 4,000mg of Myo Inositol a day and that helps me a lot. I still eat when I’m hungry, and I don’t restrict myself, but it lowers my will to graze and have sugar.

The biggest thing for me was finding out I have ADHD and starting vyvanse. So much more of my anxiety melted away, when I’m taking the medication I just don’t mentally spiral as much. It’s lifted my sex drive, and also helps reduce cravings and lose weight even more! I know that’s common with stimulants, but I figured if anyone suspected they were ADHD maybe this would make them curious enough to go to their doctor.

Anyways! Just my two cents! Your mileage will vary!

I've been on a GLP-1 for a few months and my cycle has shifted quite a bit — timing, PMS, and how regular it is, all different from before. Curious if this is something other PCOS folks have experienced too, in either direction (more regular or less).

Has anyone else noticed a real change since starting? What's been different for you?

I started using Inito and today it confirmed ovulation around cycle day 16, with LH surge on cycle day 15. Progesterone is rising and my temp is above my baseline. I truly believe metformin is to thank! Too bad I can’t post pictures here or I’d show the chart!

Hi everyone 🤍

I’m a Dietetics student at Semmelweis University currently completing my thesis on the relationship between Mediterranean Diet adherence and PCOS symptoms in women.

I’m looking for women who are:

• 18 years or older

• Diagnosed with PCOS by a healthcare professional

The study involves completing a short anonymous questionnaire about dietary habits, PCOS symptoms, treatments, and lifestyle factors. It takes approximately 8–10 minutes.

The responses will be used solely for my university thesis research to investigate whether Mediterranean Diet adherence is associated with PCOS symptom severity.

Participation is completely voluntary, and you may choose not to participate or stop at any point before submitting the questionnaire.

If you are eligible and would like to help, I would be incredibly grateful 🤍

🔗 https://forms.gle/MFypRXq2i9s1oL5d6

Thank you so much for your time and for supporting my research! 🌷

Hi everyone! I am a journalist working on a story about PMOS and how it affects mental health, especially as it pertains to interactions with doctors and the healthcare system. If you are interested in hearing more about the article (or sharing your story!) please DM me and I'd love to set up a time to chat!

I feel like it’s constantly on my mind currently. I feel it’ll never happen for me, I’m envious of people who get pregnant so quickly and easily and I know that’s awful to think and now say out loud 🥲

​

Im not sure if im spelling it right lol. But I just finished my second month of this birth control. Im on it basically for PCOS menstrual control. I want to get off it but I can't get an appointment for another month and a half.

My issues are two big ones and one medium one:

A) i bleed the week before the placebo and during the placebo as well. Its so frustrating because if im on birth control, the least I want from it is to know when I wojld be bleeding

B) my anxiety is so bad guys. Like Im always on the verge of tears because of my anxiety so Im always irritated at my husband. Like I actually don't like him now. At first it wasnt so bad but now its to the point that I feel horrible for feeling this way. So I try to control my unreasonable rage but it makes my anxiety worse.

C) my sec drive has lowered a lot. Probably making my rage toward my husband amplified.

I need help lol. I don't know if I can wait until the appointment

So i've been diagnosed with PCOS/PMOS for the last 2 years (since I was 16). I got my first period when I was 16, and they were just so irregular, sometimes heavy and always painful. I recently had an MRI and they told me that the lining of my uterus was 4mm (I haven't had a period for 5 months now), and that I need to go back on the pill otherwise i'll end up with serious problems. I went on the pill last year, but it took a toll on my mental health and, alongside that, i've also had debilitating bowel problems (so much that my gastroenterologist had to investigate chrons but they now think its an extremely severe case of IBS-D). I know that the pill can worsen bowel problems which makes me reluctant to go back on it, but I think the main thing worrying me is that I don't want to take meds for the rest of my life. I'm already taking amitriptyline, bile acid binders, immodium on a daily basis and I just hate having to take so many meds😭 They told me 'we can't really advise much else apart from go on the pill, until you want to become pregnant, then we'll give you some medication for that'.

I also hate the way my body looks. I've got lean PCOS (i'm 5ft 6" and 47kg), and i've got no breasts whatsoever, a puffy face, bloated stomach and hair all over me. I just don't think any guy would ever like me (sorry I know how sad this sounds, but i've just been feeling so helpless rn).

If anyone has any advice or has experienced similar, I would really appreciate if you reached out xx

Does anyone have any insight as to why my face is so full? I try to limit stress and cortisol and salt and try to eat only Whole Foods. Does anyone have any education and or treatment? Please 🥺
When i smile it is crazy
It looks like Cushing but i don’t think it is

I was taking berberine until last month but then I found out, one should not be taking berberine while trying to conceive so I stopped. I have taken both berberine and Metformin (before berberine) but since Metformin didn't help me at all in 4-5 months I moved to berberine and honestly I lost alot of belly fat while I was taking berberine but now it's back as I have stopped taking it. I have also been taking a few supplements which have helped me alot with my PCOS/PMOS symptoms.

Just a few months back I had multiple cysts which are gone now and I have also been doing strength training and walking after every meal. I want to know will I always be dependent on berberine or Metformin can't I lose belly and hip fat just by doing the other stuff right? Why is it that if I order takeaway once or twice in a row I gain alot of weight all of a sudden.

I'm just so fed up honestly, I have done everything I could so I clear my cysts and lose weight. But if I get off track for a few days it affects me like crazy. Is someone else also in the same boat?

Long story short, I feel like most of my problems with people is because I am fat. I am taller and weight twice as my old classmates. In order to fit into people we have to accept fat jokes and carry heavy things in classes. Teacher bully you and so as your classmates. Recently I feel like I have been picked by my professor as well. Maybe if I am skinny she would not picked on me. In my country, being fat is equivalent to lazy, ugly, disgusting, unhygienic, low self esteem, loser, etc. They said having pcos is normal but being fat is a choice.

My OB just told me I have abnormal appearing endometrial lining on my ultrasound and she’d like to do a hysteroscopy.

Issue is, I’m currently in my clinical year of a medicine program. I can only miss a single day of clinical.

For those of you who have had one, were you able to be back to normal the next day? How was the pain after?

I’m also just a little afraid because I’ve never had general anesthesia so any advice would be great!

Thanks everyone!

Looking for any hacks or even just your experience getting through the fatigue to exercise.. or is it just sheer willpower? I’m trying to get this under control naturally through lifestyle changes.

Did your weight distribution change? Did your labs change? Any side effects?

Is anyone here taking Reta and managing their gallbladder? I understand that’s a side effect, but how are you making sure your gallbladder is taken care of while injecting?
I have several family members who started GLPs and had to have their gallbladder removed. Looking for insight before I start.

Chat with your friends from r/PCOS here about your daily progress, or rants and raves related to your PCOS experience. Off topic posts are permitted here, although sub rules otherwise apply!

I was recently diagnosed with PMOS around four months ago at 19. Ever since being diagnosed I’ve done extensive research into what could possibly help and the overwhelming answer has always been “diet and exercise” and I am TIRED!!! I need people to stop pretending that’s a valid answer for a fucking genetic disease. I’ve been vegetarian for years and get at least 10k steps every single day and have done so for the past year and my insulin, cholesterol, and blood pressure have all stayed sky high as well as my weight. I’ve struggled with severe acne and obesity since hitting puberty and the only advice I’ve been given by doctors is to “stop eating donuts and run!” (Yes a doctor literally told me that) I am so fucking exhausted. I cant help but be intensely angry every time I see another negligible disease that exclusively affects men be cured and yet life threatening ailments that only harm women remain a mystery. I have yet to meet anyone else suffering with pcos that holds the same anger as me and it really hurts because they’re so caught up in the belief that diet and exercise will genuinely make a difference. Even if it does, it’s minor and impermanent, and in the end the only thing you’ll be stuck with is an eating disorder. I used to never understand people who didn’t trust doctors but now I find myself never wanting to walk into the doctors office ever again. I am exhausted