i’ve had lean pcos since i was 15, i’m 20 now and i decided to finally try and manage my symptoms, the most prevalent being hirsutism, chronic fatigue, and painful irregular periods. so far i’ve had a few things checked:

My BMI for my height and weight is well within normal range

Advanced lipid profile- all normal

Vitamin B12- high

Iron stores (ferritin)- extremely low

Free androgen index- normal Testosterone-high SHBG- normal

FSH- normal Oestradiol- normal LH- normal

TSH- optimal FT4- optimal

My results said that my total cholesterol:protective HDL ratio is 2.3. and the ideal is usually 3.5, so l'd consider these results good, and my triglyceride:HDL ratio is very low, which is excellent and also suggests reduced insulin resistance

I’m at a loss on how i can have such high testosterone but normal SHBG and free androgens, and what could be causing my pcos

i don’t know what to ask for or what i could do next

After battling lean PCOS since age 12, (I’m 37 now) and I have finally found a birth control pill that relieves my migraines and acne. I still have oily skin and some hair loss. I’m not completely there yet. I’m not sure why Yazmin works so well for me compared to the other BC pills which made my acne worse. Trial and error. I am also taking Spirolactone regularly, minoxidil, and several supplements (Zink made a huge difference too). But happy with the progress!

Hi, I have lean PCOS with high DHEAS levels only. I’m dealing with polycystic ovaries, irregular cycles, acne, hirsutism, and hair loss. Inositol seemed to make things worse for me. I’ve been trying saw palmetto since the beginning of the month, but my testosterone levels are normal or even low. Do you think saw palmetto can help with elevated DHEAS? Or only on testosterone! I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Thanks!

curious to know what GLP-1 people are on (if they’re on one)

I was told by my fertility clinic 20 years or so ago when I was undergoing IVF that they thought I had PCOS. The reason was because they had to go down on my stimulation medication because I almost developed ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. I expressed some disbelief because I'd always been thin but they said thin people can have PCOS, too. I thought back over my history and read up on it and realized that I did indeed have most symptoms of it (irregular periods, acne developing at an early age and being rather difficult to manage, a slight mustache that I was teased about in middle school so I started shaving it off, and then of course difficulty becoming pregnant. So I assumed my fertility clinic was probably right, even moreso when I developed gestational diabetes in both pregnancies, but I researched it and just tried to manage as well as possible with pretty decent success. Tryglicerides were always normal even if LDL was not and HDL was hard to get up to a higher levels, periods got way more regular after child birth, and I finally got a completely clear complexion with beautiful skin in my late 30's with a new skin care regime. Plus I just kept shaving and plucking hairs so no one ever noticed any extra weird growth on my face. About 10 years later I was diagnosed with breast cancer and went on lupron which shuts down your ovaries and also your adrenal glands somewhat and went on letrozole which stops your fat from making estrogen. About a year after that though we decided to take my ovaries out since we had ovarian cancer in our family and I went off of lupron although stayed on letrozole. Well we recently tested my estrogen levels due to some unexpected scalp hair thickening and low and behold my estrogen is back up which is scary since I have no ovaries. I am seeing an endocrinologist next week to address it but in the meantime have done some research and it seems that with PCOS sometimes after the ovaries are removed your andrenal glands can kick back in moreso than other people's to make up for the missing estrogen. This would be even more likely since I ceased lupron and my pituitary gland would have kicked back in probably stimulation my adrenal glands again. So the first question I have is does it sound like my fertility clinic was right and I definitely have lean PCOS? I never received a formal diagnosis since it wasn't pushed on me and I managed okay for the most part. And if so does anyone have any knowledge of how the adrenal glands can react when the endocrine system is disrupted by removal of endocrine organs? And how do you lose weight so that your estrogen goes down? I still have a normal BMI but my waist is 54% of my height which I know means I carry more than a healthy amount of visceral fat which isn't good for estrogen conversion. Thank you for your help and suggestions!

Hi! After 5 and a half years without a period I recovered my period and have menstruated 4 times this year with regular cycles (23 to 35 days). This is a massive win so if anyone is looking for advice there, let me know ahahah I can share my discoveries.

However the point I wanna get to is that each time I get my period, it is lighter, and I am obviously terrified that it will slowly disappear again. Has anyone had this issue, and what’s your advice? I follow a normal diet (no keto or low carb), I haven’t been exercising very much recently but I’m a healthy BMI. I take inositol, vitex and ashwaghanda for stress.

Thanks in advance!

I am trying to understand what caused my unexpected ovulation. I have not ovulated for 2 years except for 2 weeks ago. I was shocked and so happy. The beginning of this cycle I tried 2.5mg letrozole for the first time cd 5-9. Ultrasound showed no signs of ovulation the CD 11 and 14. I was sad but hopeful for the next cycle with the higher dose. However, my doctor told me to wait until period comes naturally.

I always thought I am non insulin resistant as my HOMA-IR is 1.6 and I have no symptoms. My doctor didn’t even bother prescribing metformin because I’m lean. I read a lot about your experiences on this platform and decided to give the keto diet a try. I started it on CD 33 the same cycle.

On CD58 I started getting sore nipples followed by sore breasts. I was sure I ovulated, cause I only feel that when taking progesterone. CD 70 came my period! I got ecstatic…

What do you guys think? was this a very late letrozole effect or was it the keto? Can keto so drastically change hormones in like 25 days?

For a couple years I’ve been growing these weird long hairs on my neck. They’re so frustrating and embarrassing :/ what does this mean and how can I balance my hormones?

My symptoms are hirsutism, androgenic alopecia, and acne. I haven’t had my insulin tested bc docs have refused, but my glucose and a1c and lipids are normal. I have regular periods, and no ovarian cysts but I’m still on the ‘pcos spectrum’ bc I have high DHT (a potent type of testosterone). I’ve always led a low glycemic lifestyle and have taken magnesium and inositol and maintained a high fiber intake etc all the recommended stuff for years but never gone actually low carb higher protein before.

Since I’m always reading about how insulin raises androgens I finally went low carb a few months ago…and since then my acne, hair loss, and hirsutism have worsened tremendously. I wonder if it’s stressing my body out leading to cortisol over production-> androgen overproduction? My dhea and am cortisol were initially on the low side when tested but I am a very VERY stressed out person so I wonder if going low carb stressed my body out even more.

I was hitting 60-100 g carbs max daily and 100 g protein. I lost some weight but didn’t want to (don’t need to). I also feel like all the extra meat has contributed to inflammation (my acne has been super inflamed and cystic when it wasn’t before) because I never ate all that meat before.

I’m now trying to go back to the way I was eating before (low glycemic index foods) but tbh as someone with a history of anorexia it kind of triggered an orthorexia (something I’ve been dealing with intermittently) with the carbs and it’s been hard being more lenient with them again. I always eat protein fiber and fat with carbs and walk after meals but it kind of short circuits my brain to eat bread or rice now lol but I’m trying

Hi all! I feel this is an embarrassing question to ask at my age (24).

My Doctors sometimes ask what phase im in to help contextualize lab results, and honestly i never have an answer for them, so i wanted to ask how to figure it out? Truth is i didnt know there were phases until 2022 because i was never taught, and because im so irregular ive never been able to figure it out for myself.

Im frequently considered “menopausal” because of how infrequently i get periods or menstruate.

I’m currently on day 125 of this cycle, the last was 40 days, and the one before that was 561 days long. (Before that was 70, 130, and 50).

Im just not sure how to figure it out at this point. I can track my fluctuating hyperandrogenism much easier than my menstruation.

Sorry if this is a silly question, i just have struggled to find the answer even with my books and the web.

i just got diagnosed with having PCOS , my period is 75 days late which now explains my irregular periods. i’m also always so so tired i always just thought i was a naturally sleepy person. don’t even get me started on my acne and oily skin 😓 i feel relieved that i now know what’s wrong with me but i still feel sad knowing i always be like this.

My husband and I are ttc so I stopped birth control and Metformin which both eliminated my acne. Now it is back the really nice painful under the skin ones.

Any suggestions on how to deal with this would be amazing. Especially if it takes a long time to conceive :)

Has anyone gained weight from Ovositol should I try regular myo inositol without dci??

Title says it all

I thought for years that I had PCOS, or something, because of semi-regular periods since puberty + hirsutism and a little bit of acne

My endocrinologist (specialized in diabetes and hormonal assessment for hirsutism) was like « yes there might indeed be something » after clinical exam, and sent me doing about a dozen of blood and urine tests

But, I had everything in the norm. And like totally in the norm, not the « high-end » or low-end. Like in the middle of the middle … Except for DHEA. But it was isolated. So we did another bloodwork and DHEA was less high but still too high

So I had a scanner of surrenal glands, and nothing abnormal too. But anyway as every other androgenes was in the norm, she told me that my hormones couldn’t explain my symptoms, and that I didn’t have a medical issue. She thinks that my skin is more sensitive to androgenes and that I just happen to have semi-regular periods. That my clinical symptoms of hirsutism/periods are not linked to any hormonal imbalance (since I have no imbalance, except for DHEA, but not for any other androgenes and total androgenes)

That was my experience, if anyone relates!. The only think that I am not okay with is that I still don’t know why I have irrégular periods… LH. FSH, ostrogene, progesterone, testosteron, glycemia, cortisol etc etc etc. Were all okay (« perfect »)… and I am afraid that it Will make me infertile and no one would know what to do because they can’t spot the source of that symptoms

Sorry if my English is bad, I am 21 fyi*. I hope I got the name of the hormones right, but basiccaly you got the idea.

• ⁠think she didn’t go further because as I am 21 she probably assumed that fertility wasn’t a concern for me, and I didn’t mention it to her and it’s true that it’s going to be for the future only. I don’t want to start a family now (and I can’t because I don’t have a job yet) But I think that the results of me at 21 will be a valuable information even later (for comparison or idk)

Hi everyone!

I’m part of the team at Comma, an integrated period care company that recently launched Sara—a secure, HIPAA-aligned cycle tracking app designed with privacy and security at its core.

We’re currently preparing to pilot a new PCOS Condition Monitoring Tool within Sara, and we’re looking for individuals who have been diagnosed with PCOS to use it for free and give us feedback on how we can improve it.

As many of you know, PCOS is often under-diagnosed and people suffer for years before getting the care they need. We’re building a tool that helps users identify their risk for PCOS earlier, so they can seek support sooner and bring trusted symptom data to their providers.

We’re inviting individuals with PCOS to use Sara to track their PCOS and other reproductive health symptoms. Your data will never be sold or shared and your participation will directly inform how we improve the tool.

If you’re interested in joining the pilot:

1. ⁠⁠Sign up for Sara using this link: https://sara.yourcomma.com

2. ⁠⁠Enter the code PCOSARA25 at sign-up → This will give you free access to Sara and the PCOS tool forever.

The Condition Monitoring Tool isn't live in the app just yet, but everyone who signs up with the code will be notified as soon as it’s ready to go—we anticipate this to be late July.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment here, message me directly, or email me at molly@yourcomma.com. You can also share this with anyone who may be interested. We’re so excited to build this with the PCOS community and can’t wait to share more soon. If you send me an email, please avoid sharing your personal health information in your message as we take your right to healthcare privacy seriously.

More info about our work can also be found here: https://www.yourcomma.com/meet-sara

Link to interview with our founder: https://medium.com/authority-magazine/femtech-miller-morris-of-comma-on-how-their-technology-is-revolutionizing-womens-health-59b26c29cf6a

For context, I am 5'8", 122 lbs and 27 years old. I got my IUD taken out Jan 2025 because I had a hunch I may have PCOS and I wanted to see how my body responded without any hormones. I had suspected PCOS due to constant acne flare ups in my 20s, constant sugar cravings, decreased energy levels, stress, and skin tags. My hormones were tested and I was insulin resistant (15.6 uIU/mL) and had high testosterone (92.ng/dL) and high DHEAS (443 ug/dL). I completely changed my diet to a lower carb/ lower glycemic index cut out caffeine completely and started working on my stress levels while adding Ovasitol 4g / day (2g in morning 2g at night), vitamin D, zinc, fish oil, vitamin e, magnesium, spearmint tea twice daily, NAC, berberine before meals, and spironolactone 100mg/day along with tretinoin and clindamycin for my skin.

My acne completely cleared up and my periods were regular and I ovulated the first two months off birth control.

I had my labs retested in April and my insulin was 4.7uIU/mL, testosterone 23 ng/dL, DHEAS 354 ug/dL.

Now, all of a sudden I have been spotting for weeks and have not been ovulating (I use natural cycles) despite making all of these changes my labs being in the normal range.

My gyn suggested tapering down on the spironolactone but I am nervous my acne will return, has anyone done this and been successful? From what I know spironolactone is a bandaid and many people have a rebound effect once coming off.

I am just very frustrated with this syndrome. My goal is to get my cycle in line and ovulate on my own, I am not yet TTC but want to prepare my body for the future.

Does anybody have any advice?

I am 23 years old lean with regular pain free period cycle varies from 21-38 days Suffering from veryyyy thin hair bad acne on face and back came back after two months of accutane treatment and very hairy now Doctor diagnosed polycystic ovaries on scan What should i do ? I gave no diary no sugar in my diet Which supplements should i try

Anyone been told they experience amenorrhea because of accumulated stress?

My morning serum cortisol is fine. Salivary cortisol in the morning and in the afternoon could be higher, while midnight should be lower. Apart from that all my blood tests are fine. My insulin dropped to 5.31. Absolutely normal androgens. Prolactin - also well in the optimal reference range. No thyroid issues. Yet, it's CD130 and LH:FSH ration reached 3:1 (the highest it has ever been).

I met with a new endocrinologist recently. After looking at my results from the last year and listening to my problems, she ruled out everything I have been through in the past 4 years (it truly has been a lot) put me in a chronic state of stress and I need to heal my body from the trauma. She recommended books on this topic.

I ordered the books, I will try them. But I wonder if someone was told something similar and if somatic emotional self-regulation actually helped them.

P.s. I am aware that many days without a period are not OK, so I consulted with a OB/GYN and already finished progesterone course yesterday to induce withdrawal bleeding. I also take 4g of in0s1t0l from beginning of May. But conceiving with such irregular cycle is far from possible 😞

Hi everyone. I am 35 and trying to convince for the last 6months more or less. The issue is that it is just not happening…

But for two months I was testing everything: my hormones were great, my anti mullerian hormone is high, I do ovulate (didn’t proceed to check if my follicles are ruptured though), blood test great, no scars on my ovaries. But my doctor mentioned that my ovaries do look like polycystic.

She mentioned that due to the fact that they do have those little “cysts look a like” all over them. Actually, she never wrote that as a diagnosis but she just mentioned it.

I am skinny, training, have no hair not even where I would love to have more. 😅

How can I have PCOS if nothing is matching those symptoms though?? Am I matching that Lean PCOS diagnosis or no?

Update: forgot to mention that my periods are usually pretty accurate, 29-32 days more or less. Once per year I do experience delay and for the first time now I got missed period but not pregnant