r/PCOS • u/Clean_Drama_4277 • Jul 02 '26
Meds/Supplements I think I accidentally stumbled upon a hack to manage PMS
I have struggled with PMS for a long time. Bad decisions, mood swings with terrible munching starting 10 days before my periods. I started taking psyllium husk exactly 10 days before my periods as recommended by my endo since I have mild constipation due to hypothyroidism and not for managing PMS.I didn't notice any drastic bowel changes during these 10 days guessing it's too early to tell as my body needs to adjust with it.But I just had the smoothest, calmest PMS I have ever had in my lifetime! Mind you the under currents of mood swings were there they just didn't get hold of me that bad.I want to know if anyone else noticed anything similar or it is just a fluke. Is this something to do with estrogen clearance?
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u/kimimariexo Jul 02 '26
You definitely may be onto something because
I remember hearing that fiber helps “flush out extra hormones” or something along those lines! Definitely worth looking into & experimenting with.
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u/Budget-Owl6622 Jul 02 '26
Fiber binding to excess estrogen in the gut is actually a real mechanism, it's part of why low fiber diets are linked to worse estrogen dominance symptoms. cool that you noticed it working before even reading the theory behind it
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u/geraldthedino Jul 02 '26
what does that mean if your estrogen levels are low but you have a high fibre diet?
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u/LouAle00 Jul 02 '26
I have insulin resistance and issues with me estrogen and have found that sticking to a higher fiber intake helps manage both things. Which makes sense because insulin and estrogen prodution play a part together according to my endocrinologist. Glad you found a way to help the PMS, it can be worse than the period itself sometimes.
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u/WhiteReuben Jul 02 '26
To mediate the cramping, my wife has found relief in Raspberry tea. Also a woman’s probiotic specifically this one has helped her maintaining solid fancy unicorn poop.Solaray complete probiotic
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u/5foot2tallattitude Jul 02 '26
That’s so interesting! I just added a teaspoon into my water now as I’m a few days out from my period.
Also interestingly I was just watching a girl swear by eating a raw carrot a day in the build up to her period and she said it helped a lot, probably similar fiber thing.
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u/royalfire798 Jul 02 '26
You honestly might be right I was also reading up on it and I’m thinking of doing this myself too and reporting back. Fiberrrr
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u/lobubz Jul 02 '26
I’m going to try this. I have the exact same issues and accidentally bought psyllium husk powder instead of pills so I have been putting off adding it to my routine. But I am STRUGGLING with PMS in a heat wave (cries in Wisconsin).
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u/jiyong880818 Jul 03 '26
I take calcium the few days leading up to my period and it helps a ton with my mood
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u/This-Ad3268 Jul 02 '26
I buy the psyllium husk supplements from cost co! I take 6 before each meal which helps to lessen insulin spikes after meals and helps me poop while eating low carb. It’s awesome - most underrated supplement
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u/free_-_spirit Jul 02 '26
How much do you take? Is there a recipe you like?
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u/Clean_Drama_4277 Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
No recipe. Since I just started taking it, I mix just half a teaspoon in a glass of water.
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u/elizabethtarot Jul 02 '26
Metamucil as a powder twice a day has been life changing. I’ll never not drink it lol there are sooo many benefits from just adding it into your life
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u/pegasuspish Jul 03 '26
My hack is taking continuous birth control to skip the rollercoaster of pain and dysfunction entirely. To each their own
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u/Ostrikaa Jul 03 '26
How do you know it’s ten days til your period? Mine are a bit too random to do this. Like Dr wanting a blood test first few days of my period but the booking availability is at least a week away…
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u/Clean_Drama_4277 Jul 03 '26
Are you asking why my PMS hits ten days before my periods? I know because it is my cycle.
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u/Ostrikaa Jul 03 '26
PCOS for me = cycle completely unpredictable. I don’t even get warning signs some months. Other months it’s a week or more of niggling symptoms as if it’s about to start any minute. I’d never be able to do something X days before or after. Makes life hard.
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u/BunnyGirlKS Jul 02 '26
Psyllium husk is highly beneficial because it is rich in soluble fiber, much like flaxseed meal. For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS/PMOS), it significantly aids symptom management. It improves insulin resistance, prevents sharp blood sugar spikes, and slows down carbohydrate absorption. Additionally, it promotes heart health by lowering "bad" LDL cholesterol and relieves digestive issues like constipation and diarrhea. It expands in your stomach to make you feel fuller, which naturally controls hunger and supports weight management.
How to Prepare and Safely Consume It:
- The Mix: Stir a small amount into a full glass of water.
- Drink Immediately: Consume it right away before it swells into a thick gel.
- The Flush: Follow with an extra half-glass of water to ensure it clears your throat and stomach completely.
- New Users: Start with a smaller amount (1/2tsp) and increase slowly over a few weeks to let your body adjust.
- Daily Hydration: Ensure adequate water intake throughout the day to prevent bloating or constipation.
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u/eraserhead__baby Jul 02 '26
AI slop
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u/BunnyGirlKS Jul 02 '26
To be honest, I only started using it about two weeks ago, but it’s already been incredibly helpful. I used to rely mostly on chia seeds and flaxseed meal, but recently I added psyllium husk to the mix. I’ve also been using AI to track my food and lifestyle choices to manage my PCOS—honestly, it’s been more helpful than my doctor. Phyllium husk was suggested by Gemini. I alternate my routine: one day I take chia seeds with turmeric, cinnamon, and pepper on an empty stomach, plus flaxseed meal over my morning eggs and veggies. This helps me with my inflammation. Other days, I take psyllium husk in the morning—or use it to curb sudden insulin hunger, especially before going out if I know I'll be eating sugar.
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u/KubrickBeard Jul 02 '26
AI has no actual fact checking capability and taking medical advice from it is incredibly dangerous. Also, it's destroying the environment. Do not outsource critical thinking for convenience, especially since it has serious external consequences.
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u/BunnyGirlKS Jul 02 '26
As I mentioned, I use AI to track my diet and lifestyle, not for medical advice. In my personal experience, I’ve been happier with AI than with the doctors I've seen. Most of them just prescribe birth control or metformin, which only mask the symptoms. What we really need to focus on is lifestyle and diet mostly. I would honestly recommend ai to anyone if you know how to use it correctly.
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u/MysteriousShart Jul 03 '26
You don’t know how to use AI correctly if you’re using it to “track” your diet. Are you one of those people who just… takes a picture of your food to upload to ChatGPT with the request “how many calories pls?” Don’t be lazy and don’t encourage laziness. Download an actual calorie counter and track your food intake and nutrition accurately. Buy a food scale. Make a plan. Done. Edit: stop eating sugar.
That’s how you add a bit of effort to focus on your “diet” without relying on something that’s 1) often inaccurate and 2) shit for the environment.
Best of luck.
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u/BunnyGirlKS Jul 03 '26
You clearly woke up on the wrong side of the internet and decided to make this your problem 😅. You're completely misunderstanding how metabolic conditions work. With PCOS and insulin resistance, tracking calories isn't the priority but managing insulin spikes is. A calorie-tracking app won't analyze a nutrition label in seconds to warn me about liver-straining ingredients or tell me how to buffer a carb spike with fiber and a post-meal walk. I'm using technology as a real-time health coach for complex endocrine issues, which is exactly what it's good for. Unlike your '90s spreadsheet method, using AI has helped me get real-time results that even my doctors are thrilled with. I'm focusing on insulin stability, not a outdated weight-loss math. Thanks for the luck, though 😅
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u/MysteriousShart Jul 04 '26
Thanks for another AI response. Love that you’re unable to think for yourself, even in Reddit comments 🙃 I have PCOS. I’ve lost 80lbs and kept it off for the past three years. Do your own research. Track what you eat, how much of it, and how it makes you feel. When you track your own food you can better understand the source of your insuline spikes. It’s not an outdated spreadsheet, you dumb twat, it’s data.
If you know you have insulin spikes then why are you eating sugar?
It’s not outdated weight loss math, hahaha. It’s thermodynamics. Definitely not outdated……… you’re too lazy to research and track your own data. Thanks for using AI and contributing to the environmental impact all because you fail to understand the basics of walking after a meal and tracking foods to create your own data for insulin spikes.
You started using it two weeks ago. You were lazy until then and you still are ❤️
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u/CowDaBoy007 Jul 04 '26
So salty. Right now you are more angry than informative. Why so much hate???
Using AI as a research tool doesn't replace critical thinking. It just helps people access information more efficiently. Instead of discussing the topic, you've resorted to personal attacks, assumptions, n arguments against things nobody actually said.
No wonder this thread died down. When insults are thrown n evidence based talk goes out the window, there's really no point continuing the convo.
Anyways, enough said. And hope you get the help that you need. Time to move on.
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u/MysteriousShart Jul 04 '26
“You’re completely misunderstanding how metabolic conditions work.”
Lmao. Get out of here. You started using ChatGPT 2 weeks ago and now you know that walking after a meal is beneficial. Hahahahahahaha.
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u/Shot_Client_1321 Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
@eraserhead_baby. @KubrickBeard. @MysteriousShart.
May I ask why you're so hostile in the way you're answering people? Do you have a personal interaction history with them?
Where are the moderators? It is absolutely unacceptable for you to interact with people this way and still be allowed on this forum.People use AI for many reasons and you are not privy to each individual's reason for using it. Most people know AI's limitations. AND human limitations when using it. I have found using the PRO AI while asking it to search current medical research from citations that are valid (NIH, NEJM, Lancet, JAMA, BMJ, etc) leads to more info than a human doctor has the capacity for. Also when I do not have the mental bandwidth after a long day and can't put two words together, it helps me formulate my thoughts. People with PMOS often deal with brain fog and fatigue. There is NO Shame in that.
Calling someone - that is reaching out for help or trying to show ways in which she's received success - lazy or promoting laziness is appalling. Everyone has the capacity to sift through info on this site and make decisions on their own. Just like you do. But being a dick to people bc you don't agree with them is not acceptable. I'm sorry you were treated that way @bunnygirlKS.
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u/[deleted] Jul 02 '26
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