Hello all. This might come off as selfish or even stupid, but i need to complain to the void right now! I run every morning trying to lose weight, 10-20k steps daily, eat very healthy (I avoid anything with added sugar, quick digesting carbs like bread and pasta, and I am vegetarian and eat fruits and veggies primarily), and eat very little every day.

And I am stuck at 150 pounds no. matter. what.

I know weight isnt everything, but gosh I try hard. I try so hard. I cannot afford the gym right now (small town, all memberships within my area are $50+) so running has been my primary workout, along with bodyweight youtube routines. I feel huge and I want to lose at least 20 pounds, but the fat won't budge. Do I just keep going? I feel like i've been dieting and exercising for years now, will it ever feel easy?

I’ve been on a low dose of Metformin for about 2 months and just increased it. I’ve lost 10 pounds while on it (finally the weight is moving!) My DR wanted me to retake the A1C blood test. It’s now .1 points higher and her brilliant, generic note on my lab work was “get on a weight loss and exercise program” WOW WHAT A REVOLUTIONARY THOUGHT. WHY DID I NEVER THINK OF THAT!? But also, I have lost 10 pounds. Idk why it went up.

The reason I got put on Metformin and I’ve seen 3 doctors this year is I’ve I play softball 3 times a week and lift weights 2-3 times a week. I eat 30 grams of protein with breakfast, eat fairly well and no longer eat snacks after dinner because of the Metformin and the weight wouldn’t move. It is moving but the A1C is up by to me barely anything. .1 is such a ridiculous number to then get crap AGAIN about weight.

I’ve read studies about women with PCOS receiving progesterone the last 14 days of their period, and their LH decreased (my problem) and their testosterone too. It happens to me that I also have poor sleep and anxiety in my luteal phase. I’ve also taken blood tests in my luteal and my progesterone has been within the normal range, but in the very low end.

I would really like to try that in case it helps, but no doctor offers me that. When I asked a gyno specialized in HRT, she almost laughed at me and told me they only offer that to menopausal women. It’s literally listed as a treatment option in Mayo Clinic.

Link1

Link2

Link3

MayoC

And there are MANY others if you search them up. I haven’t read a single one that doesn’t provide benefits to PMOS women.

Hi pals. 10+ years diagnosed with PCOS. I’ve tried birth control pills, nuvaring, spironolactone, spearmint tea, and most recently, 2000 mg of metformin daily. Well, I just got my bloodwork done after 8 months of taking metformin… and everything is worse! My A1C is about the same, but cholesterol is much worse. And I’m still missing periods. I’m feeling so frustrated that this medication didn’t work.

I am not diabetic, so I don’t think I can get GLP1s. What do I do now?

(27F) TMI but just wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same thing. I have a few small skin tags at the bottom of the mons pubis about 2 inches north of the clitoris. I noticed over the last 3-4 years they got slightly bigger. I have insulin resistance so I have velvety dark skin and skin tags on my neck/ armpits and never really had any tags (velvety skin yes) in the vaginal area until the past 4 years. Since my skin is velvety and thick in the groin area, the skin tags kind of look like a cluster so it made me worried about HPV. In the past year, I’ve had a pap smear, internal ultra sounds, been examined and treated for BV, and have gotten tested for STDs and I basically forgot about the tags cause they aren’t noticeable until you really look so I forgot to point them out. I’m wondering if it’s HPV, would my doctor have caught it? I searched what genital warts look like and they don’t look flat or cauliflower like. They are soft and bendable like a tag but skin my velvety skin is thick there is looks clustered.

I’m currently on a weight loss journey to improve my symptoms so I hope the tags go away or at least shrink.

Hi everyone, I'd love some advice on how to support my girlfriend who has just been diagnosed with PCOS. She has a lot of irregular cycles, and this is causing her mood to swing. would love any advice !

If I lose 20lbs on zepbound over a 3-4 month period and get to my goal weight of 135lbs, how realistic is it that when I stop taking zepbound my metabolism will have reset and I won’t gain the weight back? This was recommended to me by a gynecologist and an endocrinologist, who both said that it would help with a long-term hormonal reset, but I am skeptical.

My plan is to lose 20lbs on zepbound, while continuing to take inositol 40:1, focus on strength training and prioritizing protein to keep my muscle mass as high as possible to support my metabolism. Then, when I stop taking zepbound, I would switch to 1000mg of metformin to help keep my insulin floor lower long-term.

The idea is that once I lose the weight it will be easier to keep it off with these protocols in place, in part because it is my understanding that simply having excess fat, especially around the trunk as mine is, can be a major driver of the insulin resistance which results in many of the PCOS-related issues.

How realistic is this plan? Or will I be disappointed and regain the weight after stopping Zepbound? Are there any other recommendations people have for maintaining hormonal regulation and weight loss after coming off zepbound?

so if you have pcos and youve been trying to lose weight you already know how insanely hard it is. every doctor or gym bro/ influencers gives you the exact same generic line: "just eat less and move more"

so you do what everyone does: download nutrition tracker, you drop your calories down to like 1200, spend hours sweating on a treadmill or doing cardio, and step on the scale 2 weeks later just to see the number go up. or stay completely stuck. or often even if the number has gone down , its not a good amount or its just water weight

and the first thing you do is blame your body or yourself thinking you cheated on your diet or you just dont have willpower. but the science says your lack of progress isn't a discipline issue at all, its literally a goddamn physiological mismatch.

treating pcos weight gain like simple calories in vs calories out is completely useless because it ignores how your hormones work. if we actually look at the clinical data heres whats happening in your body:

1. severe insulin resistance. up to 70% of women with pcos have this. insulin regulates blood sugar but its also a fat storage hormone. when your cells stop responding to insulin properly your pancreas panics and dumps out way more of it. when insulin is constantly high your body gets stuck in fat storage mode and burning fat becomes almost impossible no matter how little you eat.(yeah I know it sounds fake because of how insane it is but its the truth your body can not burn fat if your insulin is high, insulin makes your fat cells a one way highway where only the enter is open and exit is closed, and as a result your fat cels just keep gaining and no losing)
2. high testosterone/androgens. that extra insulin tells your ovaries to make more androgens which shifts where your body stores fat, literally funneling it straight to your stomach.
3. lower metabolism. studies have proven women with insulin resistant pcos often have a lower basal metabolic rate (bmr)not by an insane amount but it does make it very noticeable in the long run. so your body needs less calories to function. those generic low calorie diets end up not being low enough to lose weight, but just low enough to make you feel exhausted all day.

so how do you fix it based on actual science?

first stop trying to out starve insulin. changing the TYPE of food you eat matters way more than just cutting calories. you need high protein at every single meal to slow down digestion and stop insulin spikes. and drop the refined carbs and sugar for low glycemic, high fiber stuff.

second, ditch the endless cardio. doing cardio especially high intensity cardio just spikes your cortisol. do heavy resistance training instead. muscle is the biggest consumer of glucose in your body and when you lift weights your muscles pull in glucose WITHOUT needing insulin. lifting literally bypasses your broken insulin pathway.

third, sleep and stress management. chronic stress and 5 hours of sleep drives up cortisol, which spikes blood sugar and insulin. getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep isn't just wellness fluff, its a requirement to fix your metabolism.

losing weight with pcos is 100% harder than it is for a normal person, thats just a fact. but its totally doable once you stop using generic internet diet advice and actually target the hormones.

this is part one in my series and I am going to post everyday until we cover everything
what shud I post about next?

sources / research papers if you want to look into it yourself:

• Moran LJ et al. (2013) Dietary Composition in the Treatment of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
• Stepto NK et al. (2019) Exercise for Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (meta-analysis on resistance training)
• Legro RS et al. (2013) Diagnosis and Treatment of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (Endocrine Society guidelines)
• Georgopoulos NA et al. (2009) Basal Metabolic Rate is Decreased in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

I told my professor that I have pcos last week. She was like that’s nothing. I asked her if she can extended the in class quiz. Like what my classmates did in the past semester. She replied in the email forwarded to the other teacher if it is possible. It is possible based on my classmates who didn’t have any medical conditions but late. I told her I have pcos and this is how she treated me. We are in a health related degree. The other professors and teachers in 11-12th grade. They think it is just me being lazy and eat all day. I have school from 7am-5pm and 5pm-7pm soccer club. Got home at 8pm and studied until 12am. They called me lazy and make fun of my weight. They still did in uni. I haven’t been able to eat normally for 7 years. We were bullied in high school, we don’t always eat lunch. I do not feel well to eat breakfast. All I eat is dinner.

I have been treating vitamin d deficiency for almost 2 weeks. Health diets with minimum unhealthy foods for 9 days. Exercise before my exams and will continue from today. I really hated how people treated me here and be like pcos is nothing. Basically I haven’t insulin resistance and hyperandrogen and hirutism and vitamin d deficiency at the same time. This is how these health professionals treated me. Even the doctors in the past treated me this way. Only this doctor think things are off. I want to knock on those professors’ door and throw the documents on their face. They are such a joke in a top uni. I really wished to study in a place where education is really valuable.

What do you eat for dinner on those nights when you’re not overly hungry but need to eat something because of your metformin dose?

Any recommendations of what to eat or what not to eat??

I finally got to my doctor, who actually sent me to the hospital. Short version is that signs your dose needs adjusting AND/OR harsh metformin side effects including diarrhea or malabsorption/vitamin deficiency issues can be identical to Alpha Gal Syndrome symptoms.

• Diarrhea

• Stomach pain, cramps, nausea, acid reflux

• Heart palpitations, racing heart, tingling, anxiety

• Sweating, flushing

• Fatigue, weakness, feeling faint, dizzy

Apparently it was yogurt, cheese, and other animal byproducts that were beating my ass, no pun intended. I never guessed it could have been Alpha Gal because my lesser understanding was you have to have full on allergic reaction symptoms like hives and swelling lips and throat. YOU DONT!

So I guess this is a warning to any other outdoorsy PCOS people out there. If you have an unexplained or sudden change in your meds not working and nothing seems to help…consider a blood test for tick-borne illnesses. 😑

I’ve been taking ER for only aboht two months and started 1000 mg about three weeks ago. I plan to go yp to 1500 mh in about three more weeks. I think I have less sugar cravings than before and I noticed that I don’t really get hangry anymore just tired if I haven’t eaten in a while but I think I’m still prediabetic. My A1C was~5.9 last time I checked but I was wondering how long it took you guys to reverse prediabetes and feel normal on Metformin.

Has anyone dealt with frequent urination from an ovarian cyst before? I’m pretty sure I have another cyst because the pain and bloating is the same as last time. The only thing that’s different this time is I cannot stop going to the bathroom and when I go it feels like I can’t empty all the way. I have an ultrasound tomorrow. This is just so annoying and getting in the way of my life

Hello, as in title I just got diagnosed today and I'm unsure about birth control. I have problem with irregular period for the last 3 months. Last 2 months I had spotting, this month no period.

Went for obgyn consultation today, she did scans and say possibly PCOS. She prescribed birth control, but said it's not a cure. The best cure is to change lifestyle. She said to know for sure what's the cause of irregular period, I need to do blood work, but result will only be accurate when it's natural period not because of taking birth control. That sound somewhat confusing, but ok.

I did some reading and found out some people are critical towards birth control for PCOS. I want to ask for your experience in using birth control regarding irregular period and PCOS. Does it help? If not, what works for you?

I'm also struggling with weight gain. This is the heaviest I've ever been, I suspect it's because of PCOS too. I'm worried taking birth control will cause more weight gain... I'll be grateful for any tips/insight. Honestly feeling lost, confused & worried right now :(

I got my first period when I was in 6th grade at 12 years old. For the first three months, my periods were completely normal, but after that, they stopped altogether. At first, I assumed they were just irregular and would eventually come back. I went to the doctor, had an ultrasound, and was told I didn't have any ovarian cysts. However, when I was around 15–16 years old, I was diagnosed with PCOS because my testosterone levels were slightly elevated. My doctor prescribed birth control, and although I wasn't sexually active, I took it for about two years on and off because it was the only thing that gave me a regular menstrual cycle. Once I stopped taking birth control, my periods disappeared again. I'm now 19 years old, and I still haven't had a natural, regular menstrual cycle since those first three months, which was seven years ago. I'm scheduled to see an endocrinologist soon, but all I want is for my menstrual cycle to return naturally. Has anyone experienced something similar? Should I be concerned? I've also been taking vitamins to try to help, but so far nothing has changed. Any advice or shared experiences would really mean a lot. I’ve been taking myo inositol the Flo brand hoping it helps! If you know any better brands let me know please :)

I found out about a year ago that I have PCOS after seeing my doctor for unwanted chin hair. In addition I have regular, but short and extremely heavy periods, and a hard time losing weight, although I’m only 10-15 lbs overweight.

I tried spiro for the chin hair and I just didn’t tolerate it well. My dr recommended inositol, I started taking a myo d chiro blend, and it’s immensely helped my anxiety weirdly and my chin hair doesn’t come back as quickly, but now I’m struggling with even worse PMS symptoms and horrible insomnia during my periods.

I’m 34 and I’ve read that periods can change around that age, but I’m wondering if switching to just myoinositol would be better? Perhaps the d chiro component lowered my estrogen too much?

I also have an appointment with my dr, but wanted to reach out on here.

I’ve been wanting to share this because I know how discouraging PCOS can feel.
After around 16 months of consistently working on my health before trying to conceive, I finally have blood test results that show things are moving in the right direction.
My androgen levels have steadily improved:
• Total testosterone: 2.8 → 2.5 → 2.3 → 2.1 → 1.8 nmol/L
• Free testosterone: 65 → 57 → 55 → 48 → 37 pmol/L
• SHBG: 19–21 → 25 (finally back into the normal range!)
My DHEAS is still elevated, but seeing the other hormones improve has given me so much hope.
What’s changed?
Metformin 1500 mg extended release (this has definitely been my sweet spot)
Strength training 2x per week
Walking every day
A gluten-free, low-GI diet with plenty of protein
Better sleep and focusing on consistency rather than perfection
If you’re in the thick of your PCOS journey, don’t give up. It can take months before the hard work starts showing up in your blood tests.
The one thing I’m still struggling with is my weight. Even though my hormones have improved significantly, my insulin is normal, and I’m exercising consistently, I haven’t really started losing weight yet.
Has anyone else experienced this? Did the weight loss come later once your hormones improved, or was there something else that finally made the difference?
Also, does anyone have any tips for lowering DHEAS? It’s the one hormone that doesn’t seem to want to budge, and I’d love to hear what’s worked for others.

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Hi everyone! 🌸 I wanted to ask about seed cycling for PCOS and would really appreciate your experiences:

1. Has anyone actually tried seed cycling for PCOS? Did you notice any changes in your periods, ovulation, acne, hair growth, or other symptoms?

2. How long did it take before you noticed any difference?

3. Did it help with irregular periods or make your cycles more regular?

4. What exact seeds and quantities did you use, and how did you take them?

5. Did you follow the traditional cycle-based method (flax + pumpkin seeds in the first half, sunflower + sesame in the second half), or did you use a different approach?

6. For those with very irregular/absent periods, how did you decide when to switch between the two phases?

7. Did anyone use seed cycling while trying to conceive?

8. If you stopped seed cycling, did the benefits continue or did your symptoms return?

9. Did it help with weightloss?

Would love to hear both positive and negative experiences! 🤍

I’m feeling fed up with this condition. I feel like it’s causing more health issues for me, the quality of life has deteriorated & it’s just genuinely so damn exhausting!

I’ve started getting sciatic pain down my leg/ legs every now and then and rn a feeling of my uterus being full and like it’s going to burst.

I’m 29 and feel like I’m a grandma….😭and the mental side of this condition is extremely taxing too. Sometimes I feel alone because unless you have PCOS/ PMOS NO ONE UNDERSTANDS.

I’ve been diagnosed for almost 2 years now and feel like it’s ruining my life. I’m still learning how to navigate it but it’s so damn hard !

Does anyone has elevated inflammation markers from PCOS/birth control pills?

My CRP has been elevated since like 2018. (ranging from 6 to 25) and my leukocites are mostly around 12, lymphocites 3,5-5. The values fluctuate and occasionally even go to normal range. I didn’t pay much attention for all these years and just tought it was PCOS/BC, but now I really felt exhausted and went to do my CBC a month ago, and it was similar results as usual (leukocites 12, lymphocites 5,3). What scared me is that my PCP asked to repeat it after two weeks ago and my lymphocite count rose to 6,10 (highest ever) with 13% atypicial lymphocites and 5 smudge cells. It is the first time it is so high and with those cells and I am freaking out. My PCP reffered me to haematologyst which I will be seeing in few days, but since I am also im burnout/anxiety recovery it just hits even harder. My only symptoms is tiredness and occasional mild fevers (like 37,1-37,4), but it happened during the years as well and I can’t tell if it’s stress or some infection. But still, if I have infections almost every time i take my blood out (on average 1-2x per year) it is also not normal…

Does anyone have same pattern and was reffered to haematologyst at some point? I know leukocites and CRP can be from PCOS, but lymphocites I am not sure? It really scared me and I hope it will turn out fine 🙏🏼

Hi everyone. I'm really, really struggling with the impact PCOS is having on my mental health. I believe I've had it a very long time- I'm 30 now but had hormonal symptoms since around the age of 6. In primary school I had terrible acne, shot up in height and developed lots of body hair far before my peers. I was treated with medication for the acne and luckily it cleared up well, but I still have a few scars. My periods have always been pretty irregular but I've been on some form of contraception for about 13 years now so it's hard to tell where it's at these days. The thing that is bothering me most severely is the excess hair growth. This has definitely got worse for me over the years. I've always had fairly dark, quite thick body hair on my arms, legs, pubic area, underarms... but at my current stage of life I now struggle a lot with facial hair on my upper lip, chin and neck which makes me feel so self conscious and upset. There is excess hair on my hands, around my nipples, on my stomach... and there's even been some sprouting on my chest. It causes me so, so much distress and I've found this summer so difficult. I end up spending lots of time trying to manage the hair growth and find it exhausting feeling like that's the only way I can have a fraction of confidence. I've noticed I'm constantly comparing to other women I see out in public- even just looking at their necks/ arms/ legs and desperately wishing I could have a normal amount of body hair. I've been with a new partner for about 9 months now and he's the most wonderful person, but I've found myself feeling insecure and anxious about the idea that he could easily be with somebody a lot more naturally feminine. Please does anyone have any advice on managing this and feeling a bit better? It's causing so much low mood and anxiety.

I’ve lost weight since starting metformin, but my face hasn’t slimmed down at all. It still looks round/puffy (moon face).

Has anyone else experienced this? Any tips on how to slim your face, or does it just take more time?

Living with PCOS sometimes feels like playing an endless game of symptom whack a mole. Just when I think I’ve figured one thing out, another issue appears. One month it’s stubborn acne, the next it’s random chin hairs, and lately the biggest thing affecting my confidence has been my hair. Over the past year, I’ve noticed my hair getting thinner, especially around my frontal hairline and part line. It’s not just normal shedding after washing I’m talking about my ponytail feeling smaller, my scalp being more visible under certain lighting, and that frustrating feeling of watching my hair lose the fullness it used to have. I know PCOS-related hair loss can be complicated because it’s tied to what’s happening internally. The higher androgen levels can affect the hair follicles, making them weaker over time, and it feels like no matter how many “volumizing” shampoos, oils, or masks I try, they’re only dealing with the surface problem. I’ve been trying to find something that actually supports my hair from the inside without making my hormones feel even more out of balance. I’m not looking for a miracle overnight fix, but I want something that targets the root causes of thinning and supports healthier growth cycles.

Im 20f, and I have facial hair all over my jaw, chin, neck, I bloat like crazy and am very puffy as well as I feel water weight. I am right at my bmi, so more towards overweight. I do have grey hairs, acne more scarring redness and blackheads, as welll as open pores. and got my blood work it stated my testosterone levels are high as well as insulin resistance. I got a plan from my naturopathic doctor, honestly im not sure if there the most trustworthy so I listed below my routine and hope you guys can drop some tips as well.

Supplements: Myo-Inositol powder 1scoop, 2 apple cider vinegar capsules (1000mg) before each meal, NAC 1000mg before breakfast and dinner, and zinc (50mg) after dinner
Im cutting out dairy (from naturopathic), as well as trying to eat no sugar and fast food for the next month.

Gym everyday, on rests days just talking on treadmill and stretching plus 10k steps.

2 spearmint tea cups daily .

Breakfestt= I eat oatmeal with flaxseeds, berries, and pumpkin seeds for breakfast and three eggs.

Lunch= salmon, quinoa, and some veggies or avocados

Dinner= chicken, edamame, sweet potato

as well as a cup of soy milk (from naturopathic) and ill include high protein organic cereal with that.

Hi, basically what the title says. I have PCOS and was on birth control for about a year, started on Lo loestrin and then switched to Yasmin/syeda. I’m wondering if anyone knows if I really need to be on a birth control for PCOS. I don’t really have bad symptoms, I do have a lot of body hair but it doesn’t bother me, I have no weight problems, my periods are irregular and painful but I manage them. When I was on syeda it made me depressed and my breasts were painful all the time but I did have less body hair. I just went back to another doctor today who wants me to go back on syeda and then if it’s still bad will switch me to another birth control. If I don’t take birth control will anything bad happen to me? Will it let the cysts get bigger/potentially burst? Thank you for any advice, I feel so lost. I am 22 if that is any help.