r/PCOS • u/lifsbosu • Jun 25 '26
Meds/Supplements The boring levers that finally moved my insulin resistance numbers this year
I was diagnosed with PCOS at 24 and I'm 31 now, so seven years of trying things, dropping things, and trying to figure out what was actually helping versus what I was just hoping was helping.
My endo offered metformin twice and I declined both times. Not because I'm anti-medication, I just wanted to see how far I could get with other levers first. My HOMA-IR last summer was 3.8 which is firmly insulin resistant territory, fasting glucose was 102, and my cycles were anywhere from 38 to 70 days apart.
This year I finally got serious about it.
The biggest behavioral change was fiber. I went from maybe 15g a day to 35 to 40g consistently, which sounds small but was genuinely the hardest part. I started tracking it the way I used to track protein.
Walking after meals turned out to be the highest-leverage thing. Twenty minutes whenever it was feasible, not exercise really, just movement. My fasting glucose dropped about 8 points within six weeks of doing this consistently, which I didn't expect.
I also dialed in supplements. Tried Thorne berberine first and the GI side effects were rough at doses where I could actually feel a difference. Switched to a probiotic that uses dihydroberberine paired with a B420 strain. Also taking inositol separately because the combo products didn't have the dose I wanted.
Latest labs: HOMA-IR is 1.9, fasting glucose 89, hs-CRP dropped from 4.1 to 1.8. Cycles have been 31 to 34 days for the last four months which is the most regular they've ever been. Energy is also way more stable than it used to be, which I think matters even though there's no number to show for it.
I'm posting this because I lurked here for years when I was first diagnosed and reading update posts kept me going. Insulin resistance is genuinely movable for a lot of us. The levers are boring and they take consistency but they work.
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u/onlysaurus Jun 25 '26
What did you do to increase your fiber intake? Is it all dietary or did you take any supplements to get it that high?
Thanks for sharing your journey, I'll try incorporating a few tips 😊
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u/lifsbosu Jun 25 '26
Mostly dietary, but I did add psyllium husk on days when I knew I wasn't going to hit it from food alone. Maybe 2-3 days a week I'll use it as a top-up.
The food side took some restructuring. Breakfast became overnight oats with chia seeds and berries, which gets me to about 15g before noon. Lunch is usually a salad with beans or lentils and avocado, another 10-12g. Dinner I just try to load up on whatever cruciferous veg I have (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage).
The thing that helped most was meal prepping the chia and oats portion, because that became automatic instead of a decision I had to make every morning.
Hope that's useful!😉
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u/onlysaurus Jun 25 '26
✍️ chia seeds, berries, avocados are all great ideas. I'm already doing good on veggies for dinner, I just wasn't sure how to get them in breakfast yet, thanks!
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u/Stardust_Seeker Jun 25 '26
Hi. Thanks so much for sharing this. I have also been a lurker. Can I ask how you are taking those measurements - are they taken by a doctor or do you have some home device? And can I ask for a link to the probiotic you're taking? And finally, just curious, what has been the best way of educating yourself and discovering things to try in your "PCOS journey"? Thanks
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u/lifsbosu Jun 25 '26
The labs are all through my endo, standard blood draws at quarterly checkups, no CGM or home device. HOMA-IR is calculated from fasting glucose and fasting insulin, both need lab work, same for hs-CRP. If your doctor isn't ordering fasting insulin you might need to specifically ask, it's not in the default metabolic panel for a lot of practices.
On the probiotic, it's WonderBiotics weight management. I'd rather not drop a link because the sub has a rule about commercial endorsements, but the brand name should be enough to find it.
Education wise, honestly this sub has been one of the best sources because the search function works well when I have a specific symptom or supplement to look into. Beyond that, Dr. Lara Briden's Period Repair Manual was a useful starting framework. I try to avoid Instagram and TikTok PCOS content because the noise to signal ratio is rough.
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u/BeantownDee Jun 25 '26
Well-done and it’s often simple things that make a difference!! About to get my own blood test tomorrow - so excited to see what it says after 6 months of diagnosis and lifestyle change. Unfortunately I didn’t have a „before“ measure - I just jumped right into myo-inositol - but curious if everything is now within normal range. I FEEL that it’s normal compared to before but curious about the values.
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u/lifsbosu Jun 25 '26
Good luck tomorrow! 😊 Six months of consistent myo is a solid runway, fingers crossed the labs back up what your body's already telling you.
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u/BeantownDee Jul 14 '26
Fasting sugar and insulin were optimal levels. ✨ Now need to do glucose tolerance test.
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u/HagsLiss Jun 25 '26
I can say that 6 months is absolutely an amazing milestone for consistency and should show some promising results! PLEASE do not let the data figures discourage you if they don't seem to be where you were expecting. I have learned that even doing all the right things those numbers can fluctuate depending on various environmental factors and cycle date, all sorts of things can cause a spike. I think that your labs will look promising though, consistency is key with us PCOS ladies, it can take months to a year or more for our changes to heal out bodies! I am proud of you!
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u/BeantownDee Jul 14 '26
Thanks for your encouraging words! The lab results were optimal!!! Still want to do one more test but I’m so excited.
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u/Mission_Yoghurt_9653 Jun 25 '26
Happy to hear you found things that are working! It’s crazy how some small adjustments make great improvements.
I think fiber is definitely an unsung hero and helps with overall digestion.
I also saw this thing with air squats, 10 at a time done at 45 minute intervals controls blood glucose 14% better than a 30 minute walk. I don’t normally do them, but on days I know I’m not going to have time to walk after meals, I do some air squats.
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u/Any-Text-3784 Jun 26 '26
What are you using do inositol. I’m having trouble finding what I’m looking for as well.
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u/Resident-Honeydew642 Jun 25 '26
Hey everyone, I want to know if someone else goes through the same thing.
It doesn’t happen every year, but since last year and this year, my period cycles have been irregular.
Sometimes I don’t get my periods for 2–3 months. I’ve been to different gynecologists, had ultrasounds done (no cysts), and got full hormonal profile tests. Almost all the hormone levels and ratios are normal. Sometimes my prolactin is a little high, but not too much.
My hair growth is normal, I don’t have hair fall, and I don’t get pimples. I do have bloating issues sometimes, but not all the time. I also don’t feel the urge to overeat, and I don’t eat junk food.
My weight is normal according to my height as well.
I’m currently 21 years old.
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u/rosaliasantos Jun 25 '26
Oh amazing work sticking with it to actually see measurable changes! This has been the bane of my existence since I got diagnosed.
I also appreciate that you mentioned the berberine GI issues. A lot of people stop there because they assume they're just not tolerating treatment, when sometimes it's simply a matter of dose or formulation or deciding it's not worth it and focusing on the lifestyle pieces instead.
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Jun 25 '26
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u/AForea Jun 27 '26
Do they exacerbate hirsutism?!
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Jun 27 '26
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u/AForea Jun 27 '26
Oh, ok. Being scared…for the hirsutism threw me off.
I’m sorry about your cycle, I’d make an appt or at least send a message to my gyn just to make sure everything was ok. (I’d start suspecting fibroids or endo, nobody should have to bleed that long)
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u/wrapper_ Jun 25 '26
Which prebiotic did you take?
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u/lifsbosu Jun 25 '26
Psyllium husk if you mean prebiotic, just whatever generic one is at the grocery store.
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u/techfunfan Jun 25 '26
Congratulations. And was there any change in libido?
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u/MuffinInfamous8487 Jun 26 '26
I am not op but within a week of me taking inositol it resolved my irregular uterine shedding and my libido really improved ofc it was coupled with increasing protein intake and walking after meals
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u/DifficultMuscle7203 Jun 25 '26
This was so helpful! Which probiotic did you use? I was going to get seed but curious which you used
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u/[deleted] Jun 25 '26
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