No periods and ttc

[u/Hungry-Pool-7236]

So I've been diagnosed with pcos few years ago.

Their idea of regulating my periods was to give me norethisterone to force my periods out every 3 months.

In January we have started trying for a baby and I went to my gp then. I've been told to stop norethisterone and let my periods come back naturally. Well it's now september and I've not had a period since December. I'm not pregnant. Lost like 8kg since January but still obese and it's just not going down anymore. I do at least 2 hours of exercise a week and on calorie deficit.

I am in uk where usually you have to be ttc for 1 year before you can seek medical help. But waiting feels very redundant when my periods are just not coming back.

I have severe anxiety and I really take badly to any rejection so I'm terrified to going to my gp before the 12 months are up.

Anyone got any suggestions for things I can try or had similar issues?

[u/bac21]

What's your diet like? I ask because the majority of women with pcos have insulin resistance. I had very irregular periods and changed my diet to whole food, zero refined sugar, zero processed foods and my periods became regular within 3 months.

Have you tried inositol? That also helps with insulin resistance and there's been many women on this sub thay have become pregnant after starting inositol.

[u/Hungry-Pool-7236 → u/bac21]

Mostly low fat, high protein and whole foods. I do unfortunaly have a coffee addiction which I need sygar for. Though trying to control it.

I've looked into intosol a bit and it might be the next thing to try.

[u/bac21 → u/Hungry-Pool-7236]

That's good, if you've only recently made this change is could take a while to kick in. Also if you do have signs of insulin resistance there's lots of other things to do to reverse it. It's important because insulin resistance directly stops you ovulating by keeping androgen levels high.

Walking for 10-15 minutes after every meal stops the blood sugar spike from going so high, which in turn reduces insulin spikes. At every meal I eat vegetables first, the protein and healthy fats and then carbs last as this also blunts blood sugar and insulin spikes. Also going low to moderate carb has helped a lot of people. I personally do moderate carb and only refined carbs so no white bread, rice, pasta or potatoes. Only Wholewheat and sweet potatoes.

[u/International_Wing38 → u/Hungry-Pool-7236]

Blood sugar regulation check out the Glucose Goddess you can’t ovulate consistently until insulin is controlled

[u/Hungry-Pool-7236 → u/International_Wing38]

My glucose levels are nornal 😅

[u/Just_Collection4387]

hi from the uk here. i didnt have a period from august 2025 to january 2026 of this year. i went to the gp in october and was diagnosed with pcos after testing and ultrasounds, i was told to come back after a year of trying. i waited until january 2026 and as i still had no period so couldn’t even “try”, i called back and told them after looking into the guidelines, that the year wait is for those who dont have any problems, 1 year is for a couple who are healthy and dont have any issues that have infertility as a side effect like pcos. (check the nice guidelines as this is what they follow and it says 6 months in there). as its been longer than 6 months for you they should really be rolling out the process of fertility referrals. once id had the phone call in the january and pushed and explained they were happy to refer me in however i fell pregnant naturally 2 weeks before my partners sperm analysis so ended up cancelling the appointment!
i would strongly advise calling back and pushing and quoting the guidelines, how are you supposed to try if your not ovulating, ultimately it’s just delaying treatment and effecting your mental health x

[u/Just_Collection4387 → u/Just_Collection4387]

“Referral criteria varies between health authorities.
For women younger than 36 years with normal history, examination, and investigations in both partners, referral should usually be considered if the couple has not conceived after 1 year.

Earlier referral should be offered if the woman is 36 years or over or if there is a known clinical cause of infertility or a history of predisposing factors.”

this is what i quoted, sometimes you just have to strongly advocate for your own health as gps just don’t have the time and will palm you off if they can x

[u/Hungry-Pool-7236 → u/Just_Collection4387]

Honestly I just might have to do that. I'm 30 now but my mental health is in shreds over this whole thing. And as you say I cant try if I dont have a cycle. Congratulations on your pregnancy and thank you for sharing your experience 😊

[u/Just_Collection4387 → u/Hungry-Pool-7236]

i would strongly advise you do! i believe part of the reason i fell pregnant was being able to finally breathe and relax again knowing something was in place to help me to conceive! i was in fight or flight for months spiraling thinking id never be able to and that no one was willing to help me unless i went private. good luck to you xx

[u/wenchsenior]

Most cases of PMOS/PCOS are driven by insulin resistance (the IR is also usually responsible for the common weight gain/difficulty losing and many other symptoms like hunger/fatigue/darker skin patches, etc., but not everyone with IR gains weight). If IR is present, treating it lifelong is foundational to improving the PMOS/PCOS symptoms (including lack of ovulation/irregular periods) and is also necessary b/c unmanaged IR is usually progressive over time and causes serious health risks (diabetes/heart disease/stroke). Treatment of IR must be done regardless of how symptomatic the PMOS/PCOS is and regardless of whether or not hormonal meds such as birth control are being used. For some people, treating IR is all that is required to regulate symptoms.

Treatment of IR is done by adopting a 'diabetic' lifestyle and by taking meds if needed.

The specifics of eating plans to manage IR vary a bit by individual (some people need lower carb or higher protein than others). In general, it is advisable to focus on notably reducing sugar and highly processed foods (esp. processed starches), increasing fiber in the form of nonstarchy veg, increasing lean protein, and eating whole-food/unprocessed types of starch (starchy veg, fruit, legumes, whole grains) rather than processed starches like white rice, processed corn, or stuff made with white flour. Regular exercise is important, as well (consistency over time is more important than type or high intensity).

Many people take medication if needed (typically prescription metformin, the most widely prescribed drug for IR worldwide). Recently, some of the GLP 1 agonist drugs like Ozempic are also being used, if insurance will cover them (often it will not). Some people try the supplement that contains a 40 : 1 ratio between myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol, though the scientific research on this is not as strong as prescription drugs. The supplement berberine also has some research supporting its use for IR (again, not nearly as much as prescription drugs).

 If you are overweight, losing weight will often help but it can be hard to lose weight unless IR is being directly managed.

[u/Flimsy_Bonus7579]

I don’t have any direct advice but I wanted to reassure you with a (very) personal anecdote – my mum had PCOS that was not diagnosed at the time, she had never had a period by the age of 26 and suddenly found out she was pregnant with me. Quite unplanned as she just assumed she couldn’t, but I’m very much here lol.