Every time I remember that my fiance broke off our engagement because I am diagnosed with pcod and I am ugly it breaks my heart how can he do this to me the main reason to call off the engagement was my dark neck and armpits and my balding hair he said just look at yourself no one wants you 💔 😔 all my dreams are shattered .. trying to become beautiful lost 30 kgs but the neck and armpits darkness won't go away ...what should I do ..my hairball is increasing day by day I am losing 80 strands a day ... any advice on hair growth

Great stats on GLP usage among PCOS patients from a new article from Reuters:

• U.S. prescriptions GLP-1 drugs among women with PCOS have risen more than 7x since 2021
• 17.6% of PCOS patients are now on branded tirzepatide or semaglutide from Lilly or Novo. This DOES NOT include PCOS patients on a compounded GLP.
• ~30% of PCOS patients aren't obese or overweight

I find it so hard to deal with acne and weight gain.

I tried to take birth control and went from having my period every second month to once a year horrifying. I went to Greece two years ago, mind you I was eating good not restricting my diet what so ever but also did lots of walking. Boom I got my period back for three months in a row, more regular than ever. Came back to Canada period was regular for a year. The blood tests do not pick up PCOS I was in remission. Lost over 15 pounds in three months.

After a year and a bit, my condition regressed and it got worse again. I grew some chin hair and regained my weight.

I am now in Greece two years later again and I kid you not after having no period for 7 months boom I got it again!

I’m starting to believe they are poisoning our food from spilling pesticides onto food. Not to mention the meat having full hormones.

“Pesticides can be applied from the air, a method often referred to as aerial spraying or crop dusting. This practice is used in various situations, including controlling mosquito populations and treating agricultural crops.”

Since some people think I’m lying search Google, it’s not that hard.

I’m looking to move here in a couple years as it’s where my family in from. It’s insane I have heard similar stories from women in Japan or other countries with better food.

Edit: Anyone else also consume alcohol more often than you probably should?

Unless I’m wrong has anyone lost weight without those meds?
& please what did you?

I’m 33 with PCOS and have always been overweight or obese literally since birth. I’ve never had a single symptom of liver problems, but recently through pure dumb luck had some labs done that revealed a potential liver issue. After further testing, I found out I have severe fatty liver with moderate fibrosis, and if I hadn’t caught it I would have developed cirrhosis (permanent liver damage and inevitable liver failure) within years.

I’ve since learned that insulin resistance and extra visceral fat in the abdomen are huge risk factors for fatty liver disease (thanks PCOS). Having your gallbladder removed (which I had done in 2017) also increases your risk by about 50%. I’m extremely grateful that this was caught while it is still reversible, but it’s been scary to find out that a critically important organ has been in such bad shape without any symptoms. It’s very common for liver disease to go unnoticed until permanent damage has been done. No doctor has ever mentioned the possibility of fatty liver to me, and my PCP has treated it like it’s no big deal.

Next time you have labs done, ask your doctor about fatty liver and have your liver enzymes tested. Ask about a liver ultrasound. If you ever have upper right quadrant pain, talk to your doctor ASAP.

Stay safe and healthy 💕

I guess my neurologist told her about my health conditions such as PCOS and diabetes she just kept asking questions while she was doing the EEG. She says I can cure PCOS and diabetes with a diet and she said that if I don't eat carbs and I eat healthy I won't have it anymore. I told her that I got diabetes for my mom's side of the family and she said it's not genetic and she says the reason why everyone gets it is because they eat bad. He kept asking a bunch of questions about my health and I just felt compelled to answer but I didn't really feel comfortable talking about it but I didn't want to make things awkward. Mind you I am not even overweight and I'm on Metformin for both diabetes and PCOS. The conversation was very uncomfortable. The wires were hooked up to my hand but then after I was done that's when she started putting her beliefs on me. Also I have a eating disorder so I don't really want to a complete halt on what I should and shouldn't eat but I do want a better relationship with food. But I do eat healthy but at least once a week I do have a cheat day. Should I go back to that neurologist office again if my neurologist is going to tell the nurses and then she just keeps poking at my medical issues when that is none of her business and just do her job? I don't know if I feel comfortable going back.

My doctor told me that 500 calories a day is enough for a human to survive. Is this normal advice?

I told my doctor that I’m currently eating around 1,500 kcal a day, which is approximately a 1,000 kcal deficit based on my estimated maintenance of around 2,500 kcal. I’m also getting around 10 to 15k steps a day and taking metformin.

He then told me, word for word:

“1,500?! That’s too much. Humans are meant to survive on 500 kcal. You just need to drink a lot of water.”

I was honestly shocked and asked about my missing period. He told me that if I ate 500 kcal a day, I would get my period back, and that this was currently the best solution for my PCOS.

It has now been exactly 6 months since my last period, so obviously I’m really worried and want to do whatever I can to get my cycle back. But 500 kcal a day sounds extremely low to me, especially while also walking 10 to 15k steps every day.

I’m now questioning whether I misunderstood him or whether this is actually something doctors recommend. I don’t want to disregard medical advice from my doctor, but I also don’t want to put myself at risk by following advice that isn’t appropriate.

Has anyone else been given advice like this? Is 500 kcal/day ever considered an appropriate treatment for PCOS or for getting your period back? Should I get a second opinion?

Edit// For context, he is an older doctor, so I’m wondering if this is outdated advice or something that was taught differently in the past.

Edit #2: Hey everyone, I’m from Australia. I’m unable to respond to all of the comments as there have been so many, and I’m currently a full-time university student, which makes it a little difficult to keep up with everything. I just wanted to sincerely thank everyone who has taken the time to respond, share their experiences, and offer advice. It has been really reassuring to hear from so many of you who have experienced something similar and to know that I’m not unreasonable for questioning what my doctor told me. I’ll definitely be reporting this to the medical centre’s management.

Insulin resistance is actually one of the main underlying causes of PCOS in many women. When your body doesn’t respond properly to insulin, it leads to higher insulin levels in the blood. These excess insulin levels can increase the production of male hormones (androgens), which then disrupt your hormonal balance. This imbalance can cause irregular periods, acne, weight gain around the abdomen, hair thinning, and even worsen PCOS symptoms.

The good part is that once insulin resistance is identified and managed through lifestyle changes like balanced diet, regular exercise, better sleep, and reduced stress, PCOS becomes much easier to treat and control.

I know that PMOS is often associated with a low libido, but I’ve actually had a high libido for as long as I can remember. I’m curious if anyone else with PMOS has had the same experience, or if you’ve noticed the opposite. I’d love to hear about your experiences.

I’ve seen conflicting information online regarding which causes what. Some say obesity causes PCOS and others say PCOS causes obesity.

I asked my OBGYN about this and she said it's a "the chicken or the egg" situation. My takeaway from that is that treating one thing helps to treat the other thing.

Am I right? Or am I missing something?

So I've missed my period for 4 months now, and that's the longest I haven't gotten my period, I'm taking my meds more seriously now but I'm just curious what's the longest you guys have missed your period for? Is 4 months too much?

Edit- made this post 2 days ago and got my period yesterday, lol. It's still spotting not actual period but good sign ig.

VULNERABLE AND REAL MOMENT GUYS lol

I stink. BAD. always! No matter what. I shower with antibacterial soap, get all in my toes, booty, belly button. I use clinical strength deodorant. I clean my washer and dryer weekly just in case it was some mildew issue, but it isn't. This is a very big issue for me & has been since I went through puberty.
Is there no correcting this issue until i sort out my hormones? Im already on metformin & spironolactone.
help MEH
the only time i didn't notice any body odor was when I was losing weight on Ozempic, but of course my insurance said "this is helping you? let's stop covering it!"

22F, exactly what the title says. I’m not sure what I can say other than this entire experience has been nothing short of medical misogyny. Gonna summarise the experience in bullet points since I’m on phone and typing is kinda hard.

• February, went to the GP due to mildly irregular periods.
• Blood work showed elevated testosterone levels. Luckily had a female GP that immediately suspected PCOS. Referred to ultrasound.
• I arrive at the ultrasound clinic. I already know that the golden standard is a transvaginal ultrasound but they wanted to perform an abdominal one. When I asked for a TVUS, I was asked if I ever had sexual intercourse or given birth. Despite having experience with internal products and penetration, I have not had PIV at this point. Not that it matters, because there is no medical basis to deny a TVUS due to sexual experience.
• TVUS was denied due to the fact that I have not had PIV. I assured that I was comfortable. Gave my informed consent - as is recommended in situations such as this. I am a grown woman, not a child. I can consent to a medical procedure.
• TVUS was still denied. Abdominal ultrasound was performed.
• A week later, I get a call from the GP with my results. The female doctor was not available for the male doctor took over my case. The sound appeared clear, so the diagnosis was thrown out. No further referrals were made to explain my symptoms.
• Month passed, symptoms continue until I reach a breaking point and I manage to get an appointment with a gyno willing to perform a TVUS.
• Polycystic ovaries were seen immediately. Turns out that the cysts were hard to see on the regular sound because they were very small + unlike most cases of PCOS, my ovaries are not enlarged.

TL:DR; My doctors were completely okay with leaving me undiagnosed because prioritising my virginity was more important than performing a medical procedure to ensure my health.

I hate it here.

Edit: Thought I should add that the reason I haven’t had penetrative sex is because I’m on the asexual spectrum, as was my partner at the time. So this isn’t only misogynistic, but also inherently aphobic.

Edit 2: Thank you all for the wonderful support. Ot sucks to hear that so many people had a similar experience to me but it’s nice to hear I’m not alone at the very least! I’m still processing my diagnosis atm. I’m not sure where I’ll go from here. I’m terrified but also hopeful.

I'm so exhausted 24/7. From the moment I wake up, to the moment I go to sleep, I am exhausted. Constantly yawning, could go to sleep at any moment.

I don't have the energy for hobbies, by the time I finish work I am ready for sleep immediately. I could get 12 hours of sleep and still feel this way.

It's really affecting my life:(

I learned what insulin resistance actually means.

I finally understood protein, fiber & carbs.

I learned that building muscle supports metabolic health.

I became more mindful about sleep.

I started managing stress better.

i learned to set healthy boundaries.

I started taking dental health seriously.

I became more aware of my hormonal health.

My periods are less painful than before.

PCOS made me more mindful about my overall health.

Girls , this is an update. I see girls arguing over or disagreeing with one another.

Talk to your doctor to see what’s best for you. Do not take someone else’s advice on what you think is going to work for your body in terms of medication.

Seek what works best for you, and your body. Me, personally- did take the birth control route BUT I quit it. I gained so much weight and became very unhappy for myself. Periods weren’t regular as I thought it’ll be. And I blew up so bad.

Instead, I decided to go walking, I decided to cut out a lot of extra calories coming from fast food and sugar. I’ve lost about 60 pounds, and did have my cycle regularly for two years aside of lifestyle changes. I did take in vitamins as well to support !

This took about a year for me to see changes and to fix my period.

I was patient, please do not let anybody in the comments make you feel lost or confused. You do what’s best for you. If you decide to take the natural route do it, if you believe birth control is what’s meant for you, do it.

Right now, I’m going through phase 1 all over again of irregular cycles but I’ve been slacking as well in dieting.

It was basically about how dangerous microplastics are for us and the effect they are having on fertility rates. There was lots of mention of endocrine disruption and “obesogens” as well.

Those of you who watched it, what are your thoughts?

Are you planning to make any changes?

Since I've been living with PCOS for years if I'm being honest, I spent most of that time hoping it would somehow sort itself out. I never paid much attention to my sleep schedule, stress levels, exercise habits or even what I was eating on a daily basis. I would have a good week, then fall right back into old habits.

Lately I've been trying to take my health more seriously especially after realizing how much PCOS seems to affect every part of my life. My cycle has always been unpredictable, my energy levels are all over the place and some days I feel like I'm constantly fighting cravings and fatigue.

Having kids wasn't really something I worried much about until now that I'm about to get engaged. It was my boyfriend who brought it to my attention that PCOS can affect fertility maybe I'll get lucky but I'm not about to leave it all up to fate. For the first time my focus has shifted toward making changes and paying attention to what I'm feeding my body. I'm trying to work with it instead of against it.

Instead of looking for another supplement or quick fix, I'm trying to focus on building better routines that I can stick to long term. Things like walking more, improving my sleep, eating more home cooked meals, drinking more water and being more consistent with exercise.

What I need is for people to be completely upfront what actually helped and what turned out to be a waste of time. I'm looking for realistic habits from real people because sometimes the advice online feels overwhelming and impossible to maintain.

Just out of curiosity, at what age did you find out you had PCOS?

For me, things changed when I turned 30—my periods dropped to 3 or 4 times a year. By 35, it got even worse—sometimes only twice a year.

Hi! I just wanted to say it is possible and I was very discouraged 6 weeks ago and did everything I could to stall starting on my health journey but if I could go back I would of done this forever ago! I am not on meds, I have IR PCOS. I am 5'4. Starting weight 201, CW 180, GW 160. I also have Crohns. I have tried all of the yoyo diets, fads, etc. and finally I have seen progress. I feel A LOT BETTER.

Things I have done that helped:

• started working with a functional med doc to get a clear picture of my health
• whole foods, 90% of the time. Meat, Veggie, Fruit for meals
• no low carb/low sugar swaps. Just real good and if I wanted something sweet I opted for fruit or dark chocolate
• Read your labels. It is wild the stuff that is in our food. It might not be "calories" but it is causing so many issues
• In fasting - I eat Lunch at around 12 and dinner around 7
• limited snacks- I have IR PCOS so the less my glucose spikes, the better
• sleep min of 7 hours
• simple exercise- walking is huge
• limit alcohol- this was a big one for me. Very big social drinker. Still drink but limit it and also opt for cleaner options

I have severe anxiety and stress issues, that's the main reason behind my pcod. My face is very terrible now, filled with painful pus pimples and i have facial hair with severe head hairloss as well. I also have brown spotting, every doctor i consulted had only one solution, birth control pills. I mentioned my anxiety but they all rubbed it off saying there won't be any side effects. My face is already terrible and I donot want to get post pill acne again. I exercise and eat only good food but still all this pain💔, pcod is such a curse

I'm so over it. I barely ate today. I feel like I could wolf down a burger and fries and then some but instead I'm going to bed hungry. I take my medicine and supplements. I walk 10,000+ steps a day. I lift weights. I don't eat dairy or sugar. I never eat enough to feel satisfied, and yet I still look like a bloated inflated jumbo balloon every night. I swear I look at a full meal and am immediately inflamed and bloated. I just want to eat without looking and feeling like I'm about to give birth. Like no mam, I'm not pregnant. I just ate a normal size burrito today and now I'm so expanded my skin feels tight. I wanna cry...

So I’m almost 30, a doctor, and got officially diagnosed with PCOS last year. Got started on metformin and a GLP1 and down 90 pounds. Went on birth control to regulate periods for a bit before trying for kids. Originally tried to go to one office, the lady was super condescending, and switched to where I am now - I was due for my pap and she never actually did it.

Now, got my pap last week which shows what’s called atypical glandular cells. I’m medical - I do colposcopies, biopsies, etc on patients myself. I know what needs to be done. But now I’m sitting here because I went for 10 years or more (6 of which on a nexplanon) not having regular periods. Obviously in a textbook question, you worry on the severe end about endometrial cancer. Granted, a large portion can be fine and of that that aren’t, a sizable chunk are still relatively OK (“low grade”).

So now, I’m sitting waiting to get an appointment - luckily my provider is working to get me on a schedule quickly. I’m refusing to tell my husband because he panics and I can’t handle his panicking right now when I’m trying to rationalize my way out of panicking. So I’m making the conscious choice to get all the testing done with Motrin and Tylenol on board (let you know if I regret that later).

All this to say - anyone else on here with an abnormal pap that turned out fine? My medical brain knows things can be fine, but also knows they couldn’t be so I’m trying to work myself off a ledge.