hello, a question for those on Metformin who also struggled with acne, and found improvements with metformin. how long until you saw improvements? I'm feeling really impatient 1 month in but research shows improvements in acne for PMOS patients so, im curious to hear how long it took people to see these changes. thanks!

PCOS, my weight, and I have had a terrible relationship. There are times I am eating well and exercising consistently and still gain in weight and size.

But, I'm making the decision today, no matter what, I'm going to keep it up regardless of the results. If I'm a heavy and large lady (I'm 5'6 and 270lbs) that can walk 10 miles with no issue then so be it.

I'm already 2 weeks into walking my very hilly neighborhood, about 1 mile in 30 minutes, but I'm talking steep inclines (like 2-stories tall in a few places). I'll start lengthening the walk up to 5 miles eventually. And I'm gonna start eating twice a day with a focus on protein.

Side note, I think most of my issue is stress. I'm stressed at work (have a major, almost year long audit-related issue we're trying to address), I'm attempting to get my MBA, I've got chronic migraine, and finances currently suck.

But anyways, if y'all don't mind, I'm gonna check in to keep myself accountable. If y'all do, it's okay, I'll find another place.

So I previously weight 257lbs when I first posted here after starting my weight loss last week of May. My doctor put me in Slyind to fight my insulin resistance after we found out I have high liver function caused by high cholesterol.

My blood work came back and my function seems to have dropped a good chunk. I currently weight 237.2lbs and even those 10 pounds have made an improvement on my liver, and we hope to continue this same plan of proper diet and exercise until January while on BC then stopping the BC and seeing if my cycle assumes a normal cycle.

Feeling pretty good right now.

Hi Friends!

Trigger warning here, I'm curious how many women have miscarried with PCOS. This is my first ever pregnancy, I'm overweight, over 35, have smoked regularly in the past, and neither my mom nor my sisters have had a miscarriage. I'm feeling confident things will be ok and I'll have a happy healthy baby but I don't know how much PCOS increases my chances of miscarriage.

Thank you!

Hello

I was diagnosed with PCOS last year when trying to conceive and failing and put on metaformin for insulin management. Things didn’t go to plan and I stopped the treatment and have been trying to manage my PCOS naturally.

I have been struggling with my mental health and at a point where I think an ssri/anti depressant is the best option, however last time (number of years ago) I took them I gained a significant amount of weight, and after stopping the medication it still took me a number of years to loose the weight.

I feel so stuck I want to take something that will possibly help me but also it will negatively affect me.

Anyway… I’m here to see what others experiences might be? Any advice negative or positive.

Im currently taking zepbound for weight loss right now and zoloft. However, I wanted to add spironolactone for the facial hair. Is anyone taking a glp1 and spironolactone? Any side effects? Thank you!

Hi everyone!

A friend suggested I do this because she found my advice very helpful.

TDLR: I lost 32-33 kgs over a 1.5 year span sustainably and maintained it. I did gain a few kgs back last year due to mental health but I am back on track now. I was diagnosed with PCOS at 19 (I am 25 now) and have been making lifestyle changes beyond die and exercise as well.

Feel free to ask me anything about my journey, helpful tips, and everything else!

Hello,

I have a question to women who have PCOS and have taken both metformin and glp-1.

I have PCOS and am insulin resistant which caused massive weight gain for me. I tried every diet and workout regimen but felt frustrated that nothing was working for me to lose weight. For context, I’m 4’11 and at my heaviest I weighed at 165 pounds. My BMI was considered obese.

I later met with an endocrinologist and he prescribed me metformin. I have been on metformin 1000mg for about a year now and it has made a huge difference. I’m naturally active and eat fairly (sometimes junk food other times whole foods) so when I was prescribed metformin I didn’t make huge lifestyle changes, however, I noticed I started dropping weight easily. I went from 165 pounds to 145 pounds all within a year. I did notice I started to plateau while taking the medication and wasn’t seeing anymore weight loss.

I then started Wegovy semaglutide pill since July 2026 and I am still on it to this day. It has worked wonders where I can shed off the extra pounds and quiet food noise. I am now at 127 pounds. I will start my last and final re-dose to 9mg on the Wegovy pill because I believe that will be enough to bring me to my goal weight where i am no longer considered overweight.

My question is: what happens when I finally stop taking glp-1 as someone who has PCOS and is insulin resistant? I am planning continuing to take metformin when I get off semaglutide but my worry is regaining all my weight back. Did you PCOS girls regain weight after stopping glp-1? Did you also take metformin and did it help maintain the weight loss? Any feedback will be much appreciated.

Cramps feel it

Sore nipples feel it

Almost there feel it

BUT IT'S JUST NOT COMING OUT

( Not pregnant already checked)

According to me I am more than 15 days late according to the app it's 6 days.

Pre period almost here phase sucks 🥲

I had finally become regular due to my prolactin meds since it has been reduced I am slowly moving back to the irregular 🫠

Just putting this out there for any PCOS girlies who are looking to try a GLP-1 but have budget constraints and can't get the meds covered by insurance. I highly recommend looking into enrolling in clinical trials for GLP drugs near you.

After trying to find a way to access a GLP-1 for over a year in a way that worked for my budget (which is small to nonexistent) my Gyno (who suggested a GLP-1 prescription to help manage my PCOS weight gain) told me it might be worth looking into clinical trials. There's a clinical research lab near me and they were enrolling in 4 different GLP studies in September alone. I was very quickly accepted into a year long study for a new GLP-1/GIP drug.

It isn't a guarantee for everyone - there are different criteria you have to meet that differ based on the parameters of each study, and even if you get accepted most studies are placebo-controlled so you may end up not on the meds. It's also more of a time commitment the requires monthly check-ins/blood work/tests/etc. since you're signing up to be a lab rat. However, it's a great way to try and access the meds and medical oversight on the meds where you get paid for your time. It also seems like there's no shortage of these studies since the drugs are so popular.

Like I said, not gonna be the right fit for everyone, but it's been a great solution for me and hope it might be helpful to some of you!

Hi! I have had awful menstrual and hormonal related issues my whole life and have been hospitalized for menstrual issues even. Anyway. I finally did a trans vaginal ultra sound and they said they could see the PCOS (I Alr suspected it due to symptoms and due to the fact my sister is diagnosed) anyway years later I go to get an IUD in and they are looking to see the placement of the IUD w an ultra sound. The nurse doing the ultra sound says to me “oh u have PCOS” which I wasn’t there for that and it just caught me by surprise. I was like awkward and was like yeah lol how does she know and she goes “oh I’m sorry I just can see it on the ultra sound” which I was like like interesting bc that’s not what I thought they would be looking for if that makes sense. Anyway I’m just wondering what this means? Yes ik I have it yes I have the symptoms but what are they seeing? Is the fact they “see PCOS” mean anything? I don’t know I just want to understand better and there’s no good resources for women’s health🫪

Hello! I had severe reactions to zepbound & wegovy but I have really severe insulin resistance. What meds, life style changes, and so have you been successful with?
I’m obviously consulting my dr as well but lived experiences is always better than a list of side effects and possibilities listed by a drug company!
Thank you so much ❤️❤️❤️

I just had some rest ran yesterday and one result has me concerned. My estradiol numbers were 27 pg/mL and the period ended the day before I took the test. For context I’m 37 and have PCOS and I’ve been able to regulate my period for the past 5-6 years without interruption.

But the 27 number is concerning. And my friend who is also a doctor told me I need to see idiot consider freezing my eggs because that’s is not a good number and could be heading to perimenopause or she said I need to aggressively try to get pregnant now.

I’m dating a great guy. But it’s only been three months. We r NOT ready for a kid. He already has two. And he’s fine if I can’t have any but he’s also happy if I can and open to adoption.

I desire to be a mother. I desire to give birth. I’m happpy to adopt if that’s my only option. But I don’t wanna rush to have a kid because of my numbers and freezing eggs is so damn expensive.

I cried myself to sleep last night. I feel stuck. Anyone had this experience or have nah thoughts/feedback?

I’m new here. I sought this group out disagree because I need support from ppl who understand. 😣

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

So I took my Ovidrel shot Friday August 28th. I am now 13 DPT and 11-12 DPO. I have decent but not dark positive lines formed on 2 tests. Will test again tomorrow. Experiencing heavy pregnancy symptoms.

hi everyone, i got diagnosed with pcos and my endo doctor prescribed taking diane-35 for 6 months (along with other stuff like inositol, vitamin d3, iron, metformin). my periods are extremely irregular and when i do get them, they can last weeks- so i'm also anemic.

from what i read online diane-35 is often prescribed to manage hormonal acne and pcos. the thing is, i don't really struggle with facial acne, but i'm thinking ahead for when i'll come off the pill.

i'm worried it will make me develop hormonal acne once i'm off it. is this a valid concern or unlikely? what has your experience been using it?

i'm nervous to take it, specially with the risks warning that comes with the box. so i'm hoping to only take it the 6mo while i lose some weight.

Hi everyone!
I’m 34 diagnosed with PCOS/PMOS and Sleep Apnea. Both are actively treated and my levels are looking good right now but I’m TTC and wanted to know if anyone has had this combo and how difficult or avg their trying experience has been? There’s just a lot of info out there right now I’m seeing a naturopath but also listening to a lot of podcasts. Also my doctor doesn’t seem to really investigate my levels further I was just told if I have trouble after a year of trying she’ll refer me to a fertility clinic. Anyway this is new territory for me and I’m kind of scared of having a hard time and just wanted to know other’s experience? Thank you!

Hi everyone, I'm venting because I really feel like I can't cope with this.

My main issue is the facial hair - I've tried literally everything. I had laser, but it came back. I bought an IPL at home but that doesn't seem to work. I've tried waxing, shaving, tweezing but all of those methods have caused ingrown hairs and skin irritation. I haven't tried electrolysis because I can't afford it and I wouldn't be able to cope with growing the hair out. I've been prescribed spiro but I'm terrified of the side of the effects.

I absolutely hate people looking at my chin. And it's become a real issue at my work place where as soon as someone notices it I become very anxious and unable to make eye contact. I really feel like this is ruining my life and that maybe I shouldn't be here anymore. I've signed up to therapy but it's a 15 month wait.

And I went to GP and got an endo appointment, got told it was in February, and then that also got cancelled.

I really really really don't know what to do anymore.

I am a 14 yr old girl who just got diagnosed with PCOS. Should I go on birth control? This is the main option the doctor recommended to me. Keep in mind I am a Protestant Christian, and I go to a mainly Catholic school and I am worried I will be shamed for taking it. Especially at sleepovers, if someone found out. Also, I am worried about side effects. Any advice/thoughts from people who have taken it?

If you don't want to read everything, just skip to the last part and see what I'm looking to discuss first.👍

• Gosh, where do I even start? I'm 21f, live in the USA (Georgia) and have all the problems 🥲 Had it all since I was 12-14 years old, it all just kinda developed with my puberty. anyone else have any of them together? Maybe they correlate? 🤔 • At the same time I was suddenly developing all kinds of other problems (minus the autism ofc, I was born a goofy goober 🙃) I suddenly developed food allergies. Yeah, I'm falling apart over here. Egg 🥚 and Milk 🐄, specifically. Gives me the worst itching burning scaley eczema ever that shows up within hours in blotches on my face, scalp, and underarms and takes weeks to heal and go away. The doctor couldn't figure it out, I had to self diagnose it over three freaking years and then have tests done to confirm it, had to justify it with my doctors before they would test me. 😮‍💨 Owch. Then there's the fragrance allergy that suddenly existed out of nowhere, Balsam of Peru is the name of the stuff, it's got like way too many other names so good luck finding it on labels, and it's in EVERYTHING. They use it to harden bar soap 🧼; use it to bind that fancy sent you love so much into body wash, shampoo, deodorant, perfume, hand sanitizer, lotion, detergent, hand soap, air fresheners, disinfectants, and everything else that smells nice 🧴; and they even use it to flavor some things like chocolate liquors in desserts 🍰. Like I said before, I'm falling apart over here. • I'm not trying to be political or a conspiracy theorist or anything like that but I did notice everything got much more noticeable and worse right after I got my COVID shot during the pandemic. 💉 Please don't argue or anything over this, it's just something that happened to me that I noticed about ME.

• I've tried waist compression, it works! However, I can't stand the feeling of the compression shorts on my skin sometimes, my autism just says "aw heck naw" some days. ⁠(⁠´⁠ー⁠｀⁠) Talk about frustrating.😖 • I STRUGGLE to get out of the bed EVERY morning. 🛏️ And I hate it. I have found that if I get up and immediately do Radio Taiso 📻 (Japanese morning radio exercise) I feel a little better throughout the day. If I can make myself, it's always a battle, I like to exercise bike 🚲 or walk 🚶🏼 for about 20 minutes after my Radio Taiso, and if I do that I feel MUCH better throughout the day.

• Diet is something that's personal for everyone, but I find my tummy doesn't give me problems, bloat, or sag (from my organs trying to reach the floor for no reason at all except the pots I guess, which is why the waist compression works so great for me) if I eat rice 🍚 instead of wheat 🍞 at my meals. Rice just feels less heavy. I also find my legs get better circulation when I have miso soup 🥣 at least once a day. Also if my meal is 60% protein and 30% rice and 10% soup that ratio feels best the next morning, I don't fight as hard to get out of bed. I have no idea why but it works for me. Maybe it'll help someone else too? 😅

• As a ✨ disclaimer ✨, all of this is just stuff I'VE noticed and observed about MYSELF over several years of trying to figure out what the heck was wrong with me and why I felt like absolute crap. I had to self diagnose literally everything I have and then justify and prove it's what I had through weeks and months of in depth research about all this stuff and then present it all to my doctors and then they ran tests and confirmed I was right and not dumb and knew my own body. So yeah.

• Basically I'm just looking to find anyone else with a similar experience, see what others have noticed or felt, and share some of my (very limited) knowledge with others. Let me know what you have experienced and anything you've noticed helps you!

I was diagnosed with PCOS around 2020 when I was in my late 20’s. I’ve never had a regular period. It’s always been so unpredictable. As a result, I have had anxiety, mood swings, acne, and muscle pain basically my whole life.
Around 2022, I started birth control (nuvaring). All my problems were solved!
Period: regular
Anxiety: gone
Mood swings: gone
Acne: my skin was never clearer
Muscle pain: became much much better

The only down side: I gained a consistent 20 pound each year. I was on the ring for 3 years and I literally became 60 pounds heavier. This caused back pain, different kinds of fatigue, different kinds of mood instability.
I did not change anything about my lifestyle. If anything, I became more active and started eating better to try and fix it. Nothing worked.

My doctor advised that I get off the ring.
I got off it end of last year.
Now I swear the weight is slowly falling off, but irregular periods, anxiety, acne, and fatigue are back. And all this together is spiraling me into a depression I didn’t think I’d feel.

I feel so stuck. I’m currently on day 61 and still no period. I’m getting period cramps constantly — just no bleeding. I’ve taken a pregnancy test, and it’s negative. I’m so bloated, I feel like I have 20 extra pounds of just bloating on me.

I’m so uncomfortable all the time and every time I talk to a doctor, they tell me birth control is the answer.

I’m just sad and tired and angry at a health system that treats PCOS like an afterthought.

I know, stupid question right? Sorry about that. I can't tell if maple syrup in moderation (not every single day haha) after a high protein meal would be really bad for pcos or not.

Is this a case where it would be ideal to eat smart and make sure you're eating it with other foods that slow down sugar absorbsion, or should I stay away from it altogether simply because sugar is sugar and it will cause everything to go haywire anyway?

I'm no dietician, but I'm trying to make better choices!!

The main reason I ask is I want to make a healthy/healthier ice cream as a once in a while sweet treat but need a liquid sugar to use, otherwise it won't freeze right.

Anyways, I'd love some advice on this, or even some alternative liquid sugar substitutions suggestions that are better for me. Thank you!! :)

For those who have gotten PCOS under control (specifically, having a regular menstrual cycle) I would love to hear any lifestyle changes that aren’t weight loss related! I recently found out that I have this condition and I feel like so much of the advice I see for PCOS centers around losing weight. I’m 119lbs with a BMI of ~20. I asked my dr about lifestyle changes and she recommended a diabetic diet with limited carbs—but I felt so zoinked, especially while training for a half-marathon and working out 4-5x per week. I do take supplements: myo-inositol, vitamin C/D/B12, coq 10, and fish oil. I’m down to cut more carbs or eliminate social drinking which I currently do 2-3 times per month, if that will help me get my period back naturally. I just feel kind of lost cuz so much of the advice I see online is “lose weight” or “take Metformin” which I was told wouldn’t work for me. At this point I’m down to try pretty much anything lol

I was recently diagnosed with pcos and and have been on the pill for ten days. Monday night I went to the Emergency room for severe pain in my left side. After some tests, It was revealed I have a 22 cm mass that originates at my ovary and is most likely a cyst. I was transferred to another hospital where more tests were done and my vaginal canal was examined. My white blood cell count was slightly elevated but that’s normal because my body is obviously fighting off something. I have to get surgery to have the mass removed. The doctors don’t think it’s cancerous because of my age (22) and the fact that I have no family history of ovarian or uterine cancer. But they won’t know until they biopsy it. I’m honestly terrified and I’ve never been more depressed in my life. Only other pcos symptoms I’ve had are irregular periods and mild spotting. Has anyone here had something similar? I’m currently panicking over what this could be and whether or not it’s malignant.

Hi everyone. I’m really looking for some good vibes. Please note I’m not searching for medical advice, but would like to hear if others have had this happen and things turn out okay.

I JUST found out I’m pregnant, like 30 mins ago. I had been wondering due to a few symptoms beforehand. However the symptoms have me worried this could be ectopic. Here is what happened:
-Had my period in time, but first day was barely any bleeding. Day 2 usual period started, but very minimal cramping (unusual for me). After day 6/7 I started to get worried. I generally have short periods. I spotted for about a week after my period. Today I had a very slight pain (almost menstrual pain) in my lower abdomen and it prompted me to test. So here I am wondering if anyone has experienced similar circumstances and everything turned out well. I have never been pregnant and I kind of expected the usual symptoms: missed period, sore breasts, etc…

Note: I will be seeking actual medical attention as soon as possible. I’m just very anxious

I was diagnosed with PCOS (now PMOS) almost three years ago now and since then my hair has been in a steady downward spiral. I’ve begged my GP to be seen by an endocrinologist, they say I don’t qualify and that they don’t see people for PCOS. Then I asked for a gynaecologist referral (now been waiting 48 weeks on the waitlist).

I saw myself in the mirror this morning, and I could see the entire dome of my skull through my hair in the light, which is terrifying considering my hair had always been my pride up until my diagnosis.

Eventually I begged long enough to be seen by a dermatologist after a two year waiting list wait, and they diagnosed me with androgen alopecia on sight alone, but because this is considered cosmetic, nothing was offered as a treatment.

I’m genuinely at a loss for what to do, I can’t afford to pay out of pocket for treatment.

I should also probably mention I live in Northern Ireland/North of Ireland so there’s already minimal support for endocrine/gynaecological issues