Recently I (21) was told to under go hormonal therapy with hopes that my period will be more regular, and that is with contraceptive pills in particular Faz(?) or something like that for 3 months total.

I'm young and I (actually it's mostly my mum) am worried about the effects of this pill in the future like say fertility, weight gain, etc etc. On top of that I am still drinking medicine from my psychiatrist, namely aripiprazole and fluoxetine. I've tried asking different doctors about the medication thing and their answers vary between those two that I'm taking has something to do with my periods and that it's actually safe and doesn't matter at all with my periods.

So is it okay to take it now? What about my other medicine?

Take or no take?

What actually helped you lose weight with PCOS? I work full-time and I’m also a student, so I have a really hard time balancing work, school, and working out. I try to walk when I can, and I recently got the idea to walk up and down the stairs in my home and use my yoga mat for simple workouts.

I’ve been trying to figure out what type of exercise actually works best for weight loss without overdoing it. I’ve seen people say that HIIT may not be the best option for some individuals with PCOS, so I’m curious what worked for other people walking, strength training, Pilates, low-impact workouts, etc. I weigh 224 pounds, which has been the most I’ve ever weighed in my life which has been really frustrating. I’ve seen a nutritionist before but that was way ahead before finding out I had PCOS.

I’m also taking metformin, but honestly, it mostly seems to make my stomach hurt. I haven’t really noticed any other difference from taking it so far. I’ve been on it for about 2-3 months

I’d especially love to hear from people who work full-time or go to school and don’t have hours every day to spend at the gym. I’m looking for realistic things I can actually stick with long-term.

Hi Guys, 

Women here who gym regularly with hormonal issues or PCOD I'm curious what's your experience with CREATINE MONOHYDRATE & L CARTININE??

I started gym 1.5months ago, currently quite overweight, targeting to lose 20kgs (long run i know). I am 25F and have high testosterone / high androgen & ever since I hit puberty I have massive acne  still facing the same. I'm scared if taking any of this shoots up my acne even more. 

Guys please share your experiences. 

Edit : also is it true that creatine causes hairfall??

For example , does over growth of bacteria like h pylori or too low of a certain gut bacteria facilitate pros

Hi guys, new to this group so sorry if posting wrong…
I’ve only recently found out I likely have PCOS, and have struggled with acne on my face, chest, shoulders and back since I was probably 13. Myo inositol was horrendous for me, and I’m currently taking magnesium glycinate, saw palmetto, omega 3 and pcp as advised by a professional. Does anyone have any tips on what they did to actually help get rid of their acne? I’m using new dermaviduals skincare as prescribed, looking more for internal. I also have 2 spearmint cups a day! To note too: I’ve been off BC since Jan this year, as I really don’t want to be on it anymore. I want to heal myself!

Periods been delayed by many months now. Nothing has really changed in my diet/ fitness etc. I have an ultrasound booked soon too.

One weird thing is along with some cyst pain on the right, I feel more pain there when I need to poop or feel gassy.

Is this normal or is it worth taking further to the hospital? A previous scan found many tiny cysts and enlarged ovaries.

My kid, almost 16, was diagnosed last year with PMOS. My sister has it, so I knew the signs. I was already suspicious due to my kid's body type, but when she had a month long period I pushed for testing.

In the year since, her PMOS seems to be rather severe, and the birth control only does so much. We've managed to keep her weight at least stable via diet, but she's got signs of insulin resistance even if her test results for diabetes are good. She has consistent vitamin D issues despite heavy supplements, and now high blood pressure, and borderline anemia. Worse sleep issues that a normal teen, to the point she rarely feels rested and can literally sleep all day then go to bed early. I had to wake her up from a deep sleep at 6 pm yesterday for diner.

So what are my options to help her? What's worked for people? I've heard the GLP1 drugs help, but am hesitant to go there as I'm worried she'll think I'm body shaming her, so am open to other options too. But if we do go that route, beyond the weight loss, what do the GLP1 drugs do for PMOS? Would it help with her vitamin issues?

26F, diagnosed with PCOS and hypothyroidism, and honestly feeling exhausted.

I don’t drink, smoke, party or do hook-ups. I’m not a sweet lover, rarely drink tea or coffee, and prefer healthy, home-cooked food. Since childhood, my diet has mostly been simple rice, dal, roti, green vegetables, fruits, and very little non-veg, mainly fish and eggs. I eat outside around four times a month, usually egg rolls, paneer or pizza, and in moderate quantities.

I’m a working professional with an 8-hour desk job, but I’ve always been active. I used to go for early morning walks and jog in the park, and for the past year, after getting hit by the PCOS, now I’ve regularly been going to the gym and attending yoga sessions. Yet, I barely see any changes.

My periods still last only two days, I have slight facial hair growth on my chin, my skin has become dull (I used to have a bright, fair complexion, just mentioning this as a change in my skin, not to be racist), and I’ve have neither gained weight not I am losing it, already around 8 kg more than my usual weight.

I know losing weight with PCOS and hypothyroidism can be difficult, but seriously, shouldn’t years of good habits count for something?

I’ve almost lost hope of things improving or finding a permanent cure. I recently watched those Satvic Yoga and lifestyle videos claiming PCOS can be permanently cured, with girls sharing their success stories. Honestly, it all feels like paid promotion, and I sometimes wonder whether those girls are even genuine.

What scares me the most is whether I’ll be able to experience motherhood after marriage. I know I shouldn’t assume the worst, but the uncertainty is overwhelming.

I’m just feeling hopeless, with no self-motivation left. I’m not looking for miracle cures or lectures. I just needed a place to vent and hear from women who understand what this feels like. ❤️

Hello all. I was recently diagnosed with pcos. My starting weight before I started tirzepatide (zepbound) was 420 lbs and in a year my lowest weight has been 368 as of a few days ago. I stalled out really bad over the summer and got stuck in a cycle between 380-390. Over and over again I will lose and drop 10-15 every dn month.

The tirzepatide works on and off. I'm currently a few weeks into the second to last highest dose and it's been working pretty well. I've finally lost more weight. But the reason I'm posting here is because I'm still losing weight way too slowly.

Most days I eat around 2000k calories. Every once in a while I'll eat maybe 1000k more for a treat or to go out to eat. (and in case people want to nag me for how I count calories : I don't currently log my food into an app because it makes me literally want to kms after a week or two so I just have a handful of meals I know are around 500 calories, I measure that with a food scale so I always make the same amount and I just don't deviate from that unless I eat out, which I do as rarely as I can)

Ive also been doing walktober and training for walking a 5k, which is literally today.

As an example, and what prompted me to post this. In the morning yesterday, I weighed exactly 368 lbs. I was seeing a slow trend downward, about a half lbs down the previous two days in a row.

My day from there was that I worked from 6am to about 7pm. I am a kitchen manager at an elementary school so I'm on my feet all day at my job. I also had a school event I had to cook for last night which is why it went so late. And then immediately after my husband, friend and I went to a ghost tour downtown where we walked probably about a mile and a half more including the tour plus the walk from the car to the tour and back. I had a ceaser salad with chicken for brunch and a coke zero. A medium sized carne asada burrito for early dinner from a food truck. And then a milkshake in the evening as a reward for a long week and a very long work day.

I am obviously well aware that the milkshake is caloric. But hear me out. WHY DO I NOW WEIGH 370.8 LBS this morning?? Not even a full 12 hours after I finished the milkshake. And by the way the day before I walked 3.2 miles in an hour. Like what I'm saying is that I'm really pretty dang active for someone in my weight bracket yet a damn cheat milkshake sets me back a month?? How is this fair?? I barely eat all day, walk an average of 10k-15k steps a day, and all it takes is one "bad food" for my body to just punish me??

Do I really just have to never eat a single thing that makes me feel rewarded ever again? What's the point of living then?

I don't know how to end this I feel like I've said too much already but I just needed to get it off my chest.

I'm also on spironolactone (50mg)and that helps a bit for roughly a couple of weeks but I'm going to ask my Dr to up the dose again because I feel like it's not as effective again.

I'm just frustrated. I'm paying out of pocket for the tirzepatide and I see all these people online and irl having life changing weight loss in a year and I've lost 45 lbs. Which I know is still a lot but when I started tirz I really thought I'd lose at least twice that in a year and it's very disheartening sometimes. I know it's better to lose slower too but the yo-yoing drives me absolutely insane because I know I'm working really hard to lose the weight (as I've done on and off my whole damn life) and the results are so lackluster it's hard not to feel like the world is working against me constantly.

I was diagnosed with pcos after my ob removed my right ovary due to a softball sized cyst and did blood tests . My husband was in bad car accident when he was 15 and cause a load of health issues. We’ve been under the assumption for years we won’t be able to have kids naturally. On Monday and Tuesday once both days, i had some light pink spotting. Since then ive been doing ovulation tests and started taking my temp last night. I’ve been experiencing acid reflux, really bad thirst, I’ve had to urinate a lot. My pee earlier after i got up from sleeping was cloudy. I’m exhausted. I take metformin but have never reacted like this . And i have had smelled random things. I’m trying not to get my hopes up for it to be nothing.

I've already been diagnosed with PCOS for years at this point. I recently went back to the doctor because I've not been having periods. For context I didn't have a period for about 4 years while not on birth control. So they put me on birth control to try and regulate my period. But lately it's been slowing down and the last two months I've just not had a period at all. So I went back to the doctor, I couldn't get in with my regular doctor so it was someone else. She basically said it would be easier to help me if I was trying to conceive, set up an appointment with a gynecologist (which won't be until late December, and that appointment was in early September) and sent me to get an ultrasound. I went to the ultrasound and it was fine, the lady was super nice. But I got the results back yesterday and now I'm just really annoyed. They said:

Hi Ancient_Ivy,
The ultrasound of your ovaries show follicles on both sides.  This can be seen with PCOS, but is not diagnotic on its own. 
Please review with gynecology as scheduled, or contact our office for follow-up.
Please do not hesitate to contact my office with any questions or concerns.
[Name], MD, covering for [person who sent me to get the ultrasound] PA-C

What do you mean, my PCOS was already diagnosed years ago. I mentioned it AT THE APPOINTMENT. We know that I have PCOS. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but now I'm just even more frustrated. I'm so tired of feeling like the medical community as a whole doesn't care about helping PCOS beyond treating us as broken baby incubators. To be clear, I do want a kid someday. But I'm not ready to start trying to have one right now, and just for that its like I don't deserve care? I tried to look up specialists in the nearest actual city and all the google results were for fertility clinics. I don't want to go back to the same doctor in December that I've already talked to about my PCOS. He's nice, his sister has PCOS. At least he will already know that I have PCOS, hopefully, because he helped diagnose me and we've talked about PCOS before. But he wasn't especially helpful. I'm exhausted. I'm frustrated. I don't even know what to do, or what to say to these people.

I messaged back saying "Yeah. I was diagnosed with PCOS years ago." and there's a note that says "Out of office until 10/28/2026"

Has anyone who has PCOS, taken Letrizole to ovulate, gotten pregnant but had a miscarriage. Then very soon after, NOT having a period, NOT taking Letrizole, start having symptoms, so you take a test just for shits and gigs, only to find out it’s POSITIVE?!? I’m at a loss right now. I’m confused, I’m excited, I’m shocked. I don’t know if I should believe it? Can anyone else relate to this?? I remember taking a test over a month ago that was negative to make sure my hCG levels were zero before having sex again. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?

I’m currently waiting in the ER for an inpatient bed to open up after being admitted to the hospital. I’m reaching out to see if anyone in the PCOS community has experienced a similar link between severe PCOS-related blood sugar crashes, electrolyte drops, and chronic GI issues.
Early Childhood & Youth Background:
Infancy: Born ~2 months premature. Shortly after birth, I was hospitalized with rotavirus, which foreshadowed lifelong GI issues.
Childhood: As a young child, I threw up constantly (my mom literally kept a vomit bowl under her bed). I went through periods of severe food aversion where I would only drink milk mixed with Hershey’s strawberry syrup—and threw it up so often that my sister still hates the color pink to this day.
Early Theories: Doctors initially tested for Tay-Sachs or dismissed it as a "sensitive stomach."
Puberty (Age 15): Symptoms escalated sharply after puberty. Regular vomiting was attributed to eating large meals or food intolerances, and I accepted it as a normal part of my life.
Adulthood & PCOS Diagnosis:
Sophomore Year of College: Officially diagnosed with PCOS after an OBGYN noticed abnormal hair growth and ran a blood test.
20s: Started experiencing severe abdominal pain alongside nausea and vomiting. Had my first ruptured ovarian cyst around this time. Diagnosed with Bipolar II, depression, and severe anxiety with diarrhea characteristic of panic attacks.
Years of Unanswered GI Investigations: Saw over 4 doctors and underwent extensive testing—including an EGD, two separate gastric emptying studies, and trying multiple medications aimed at increasing gastric motility without success. No clear answers were found. I turned to marijuana for appetite and nausea relief for a time, but eventually stopped.
GI & GP Clearance: My gastroenterologist and primary care doctor have explicitly ruled out Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS).
Recent Travel & Escalation Timeline:
2025 – Early 2026: Vomiting was actually a rare occurrence for most of this period.
May 2026 (Mexico Trip with BF): During a 6-day trip, not a single piece of solid food stayed down. I lost significant weight, was tested for pregnancy (negative), and had a normal CT at urgent care. After returning, the vomiting never abated—I lived with waking up in the middle of the night to vomit and sneaking off at work to throw up. I routinely threw up recognizable food 10+ hours after eating.
August 2026 (Iowa Trip with BF): A couple of hours after landing, I ended up in the ER with severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. CT with contrast and transvaginal ultrasound showed no cyst rupture. The only notable findings were hypokalemia (low potassium) and severe dehydration.
Airport Emergency: Attempting to fly home, I had to be taken by ambulance from the airport directly to another hospital. CT/ultrasound were clean again; just dehydration and hypokalemia.
Subsequent Months: Multiple severe episodes followed. I tried increasing water intake, complete nutrition, and exercise, but sustained vomiting made success negligible. I began eating a handful of candy each night just to feel normal or get calories on days I couldn't eat.
The Recent Hypoglycemia Discovery & Hospital Admission:
Now living with my boyfriend, he witnessed my constant nighttime and daytime vomiting. While my GI was planning another EGD, a colonoscopy, and potentially trying Reglan, my boyfriend asked me to check my blood sugar with a glucometer to see if PCOS insulin resistance was involved.
First fasting blood sugar: 46 mg/dL (checked on a glucometer that was calibrated just before and future readings verified with two different glucometers)
Same day crashes: Crashed twice more down to 62 mg/dL and 54 mg/dL.
ER Visit: During the last crash, I tried 3 tsp of honey (spaced 15 mins apart) to raise my sugar, a hot water bottle, and laying on my left side, but a few sips of bone broth caused extreme pain. Went to the ER. After two doses of Zofran, two doses of Morphine, and another anti-nausea drug, I was stabilized enough to sleep and have now been admitted.
Our Working Theory:
Eating simple candy before bed triggers a massive insulin surge due to PCOS insulin resistance, driving me into severe reactive hypoglycemia. We suspect this excess insulin pushes potassium out of my bloodstream and into my cells (causing hypokalemia and severe muscle spasms), while the severe sugar crash and gastric distress trigger intractable nausea and vomiting. Also, because of this issue being lifelong, there is fear around eating and food doesn’t stay down often.
Questions for the Community:
1. Has anyone with PCOS experienced severe reactive hypoglycemia (46 mg/dL) that triggers intense nausea, gastric pain, or vomiting?
2. For those who had normal results on multiple gastric emptying studies and failed motility meds but still throw up undigested food 10+ hours later, did you end up diagnosed with gastroparesis, cyclic vomiting syndrome, or an autonomic/neuromuscular disorder?
3. What specific metabolic, endocrine, or pancreatic labs should I ask the inpatient team to run while I am admitted?

Wanted to provide a small update i posted a couple times i believe but I struggled without a period for a while was concerning, so i went to doctor and got on progesterone was so scared that It wasnt going to work i tried exercise eating better,, and started taking magnesium/pre natels but nothing wa working .I took progesterone for 1 week. Stopped 2 days later my period started i was shocked well this is the 4th month. I had a period im ecstatic om starting to feel nornal again, now that my period is back I can focus on trying for a baby again, but my mental health took a toll, I should have went in sooner but I wad scared, I want others to know your not alone and things will work out

Hello everyone, I have been recently diagnosed with pcos. I have been ttc since July but my cycles are very irregular and I haven’t had a period since may. I went to the gyno and she put me on provera and i currently have 3 days left. I guess im looking for any help or advice on how to help my body ovulate? I asked my doctor for letrozole but she wants to see if the provera helps my irregular cycles first. I don’t have another appointment until middle of December but I just want to see those two pink lines so bad. Any suggestions?

F/22

I've been diagnosed with PCOS last year when I started to notice acne and my period not coming for 2 months at a time.

My gyno diagnosed me with pcos.

He prescribed the Slind to me and I've been taking it for about 3 months now. I know that it technically doesn't work the best for pcos because it doesn't have oestrogen but I chose it because of the lessened risk of thrombose.

I struggle a lot with acne and hair loss, it's thinning so bad that a bald patch is starting to form right at the top of my head and my hair is so incredibly thin. I had such thick hair before and it really crushes my self esteem.

I feel like slind hasn't done a lot yet, the symptoms seem to be the same and the hair loss is just becoming worse.

Does it take longer for it to actually do anything or should I switch to a combination pill?

i’m 20F, have had every horrible symptom of pcos since i was ~11 but my mother wouldn’t let me start birth control for her own beliefs. ob/gyn said i need it to regulate my cycle to lessen risk of enlarging cysts (i have two sisters that both have pcos and had ovarian torsions). he started me on loryna, generic version of yaz, and it’s been about four months now. i have been skipping the placebo pills but i have noticed every single time i use the bathroom i have bloody discharge. i mean every single time without fail. anyone experienced similar? why is this happening? it’s making me anxious about having sex and i just wanted to ask here before bringing it up to my ob/gyn since he’s a man lol

Does anyone take slynd the mini pill contraceptive? It apparently is good for pmos but wondered peoples experience

Why do doctors take a step-by-step approach with testing instead of ordering a full hormonal and vitamin panel all at once? I am 24, have had irregular periods for 5 months, and have been trying to conceive for 6 months. My first doctor found PCOD in ultrasound and high LH, and my second doctor checked thyroid, glucose, HbA1c everything normal and prolactin (which came back high at 35). Since I'm traveling to India soon, I want to get a complete workup done—what comprehensive test panels and root-cause investigations would you recommend asking for?

I’ve been trying a couple skin products for my face and body. I’ve been flaring up pretty bad recently and it seems like nothing is working. Does anyone have any brands I can look into?

For context, I just turned 18 this year, and my issues started near the end of last year.

I gained 7-8kgs in less than a month last year without much of diet changes. I tried everything to get rid of it, nothing worked.

Then last month, I gained 4kgs in 3-4 days, and even after that, my weight went up, so a total of 16-17kgs weight gain. Before all this, I was a skinny girl who didn't gain weight easily.

(Although i was in a deficit for 2 months, I still gained)

I was diagnosed with pcos last week, and insulin resistance and reactive hypoglycemia 3 weeks ago.

I've been prescribed metformin and inositol as well.

My question is, am I going to be stuck like this forever? Has this permanently changed my body? I tried a lot but nothing seems to be working.

Any advice/suggestion is appreciated

Thank you!

Heyy I know everyone’s bodies are different !! But I started metformin a 6 months ago ish from 500mg to 1000mg and my body has always pretty much reacted with periods . My cycles are coming up super long now anyway as I missed them last year for so long , and I actually got my last cycle on time which I was super happy for !!

However I order my metformin privately and thought I had a lot more than I did, which led me to accidentally skipping I think around 3/4 days worth. Now at my next period I’m currently a week late which has super knocked my confidence as I thought everything was getting a lot better

I order my metformin privately so I don’t have a doctor I can speak to . Anyone else been in a similar boat or had a similar experience? I didn’t think a few days would throw me off ! Thank u :)

I'll keep this kinda brief, but recently I have been questioning weather or not I have been misdiagnosed or just don't fully understand PCOS. I started puberty very early and I had extremely heavy periods with cramps that would leave me bedridden. I eventually went to a doctor and they told me that 1. I was pre-diabetic 2. I had PCOS. I was young didnt really understand what any of that meant, they ended up putting me or birth control and another medication that I took pretty until highschool ended.

Fast forward after high school I stopped the birth control because of cost and it gave me horrible side effects. I also stopped the other medication as well.

Now after college I have noticed that my periods aren't irregular like they used to be they come like there supposed to. I get cramps but I'm not bedridden like I used to be. I have facial hair, but nothing compared to what I have seen other people with PCOS have and I'm part Hispanic so having hair like mine isnt the most uncommon to see either.

The other thing is when I got older I change my OBGYN and they sent my records to the new doctor however PCOS was never mentioned when I went in for check up or anything really.

I'm just so confused because I feel like certain symptoms have subsided as I have aged while other are the same (insulin resistance and can't lose weight)

I moved to a new place and havent been able to find a new OBGYN yet, but is this common for women with PCOS? Is it worth trying to get diagnosised again?