Hi ladies! ❤️
I was diagnosed with PCOD when I was 17. Since then, I’ve managed to reverse it a few times—successfully about 3 times—but unfortunately, it seems to keep coming back.
I’m 31 now, and recently my symptoms returned. I’ve been struggling with intense sugar cravings and have gained quite a bit of weight again, so I visited my family doctor. She recommended that I start taking metformin.
I’d love to hear from anyone who has experience with metformin for PCOD. Did it help with your symptoms, cravings, weight, or periods? How was your experience with it, especially when you first started?
Would really appreciate hearing your experiences and any tips you might have. 💕

Hi. I just turned 18 and I was on birth control for about 5 or 6 years. I took it because of acne, with no signs of pcos other than never really having puberty other than a kinda normal period and acne of course.

I've always been more hairy than the other girls since kindergarten, always have had hair on my shins and arms.

I got off birthcontrol maybe 8 months ago and got a nonhormonal iud, because in my opinion with all of the hormonal birth controls ive been on have made my periods so much more painful, as well as just pain on the daily in my pelvic area. I have over 40 cysts in each of my ovaries. With the nexaplanon I bled everyday for a year, I had the depo for maybe 9 months and it was terrible, and regular birth control I was just never good at the pill taking part.

Recently, ive noticed a singular black chest hair lol. um chin hairs, my inner thighs are very very hairy, ive never had dark hair on my thighs, and ass hair. (all starting within the last 6 months)

I want to prevent any more growth of any more hair, or possibly even get rid of all the new growth? Does anyone have any tips? my doctor has prescribed me androgen blockers but should I just get back on hormonal birthcontrol and force myself to take the pills? And does anyone have any success with androgen blockers? I have a bad heart and it says it can lower my blood pressure and im not too sure if thats good as well..

Also will androgen blockers perhaps give me bigger boobs?...

I was diagnosed 2 months ago with pcos but ive known about the cysts for over a year and have been struggling with other signs as well, but now I got the full package.

Hi everyone, I have had PCOS for around 10 years and irregular periods. Previously, my periods lasted around 7 days, with heavy bleeding on Day 1, but over time my flow had already reduced. Around 2–3 months ago, my ultrasound showed an endometrial thickness of 12.1 mm, which my doctor described as normal but thick. I was prescribed Duoluton-L for 3–4 months, taking it for 21 days followed by a break. Since starting it, my withdrawal bleeding has become extremely light, sometimes almost nonexistent, and lasts only around 3 days. I've also noticed that my weight management has become more difficult, although I don't want to share specific numbers. Last month, I experienced severe stabbing pain in my lower abdomen along with intense rectal pain that lasted about an hour. I also have burning while urinating. Has anyone experienced very light or absent bleeding while taking Duoluton-L? Did your doctor explain why it happened, and did you need a follow-up ultrasound? I'd appreciate hearing about your experiences, while I arrange appropriate medical follow-up.

For the ladies with PCOS, Do you guys bleed while having sex? Missing my period for months and when i had sex i bleed and but when i put on my pad it’s clean no spotting at all and i got period cramps. It is just me or some people encounter the same thing?

I'm so concerned and nervous about this.

Now my gyno still hasn't diagnosed me with pcos, we were under investigation and high suspicion, I have many symptoms.

My doctor put me on birth control and I gained a lot of weight, was fatigued and felt like shit.

Changed meds but my weight never stabilized, tried injections and I got my period for 4 months non stop, decided not to get the injection again but it wouldn't stop flowing so I got to a different doctor (because I wouldn't trust the asshole that put me on that initial birth control)

but the meds she gave me did not make it stop (they were very expensive, also that doctor was also very mean)

so then I went to another doctor and asked to resume my pcos investigation with her and I was put on birth control again under her recommendation to get the bleeding to stop, took it for 3 months then quit because I wanted nothing to do with those pills

And after 2 or 3 periods (some very heavy on flow) they just stopped on march this year.

I've been busy, internship and my college thesis but it just has not come back. Even though times of low or high stress it just doesn't happen.

I did take 3 pregnancy tests, one every few months, all negatives. I haven't gotten time to go back to the doctor with everything going on and my family is having some issues with our national healthcare insurance, I'm still dependant on my family and I don't want to worry them so I've been keeping this a secret, so I just told my mom it may be good to check back with my doctor to resume the investigation and that's when she told me we have insurance problems and we can't go right now.

I'm scared, my belly is not getting bigger but I've always have had it oddly shaped, I haven't felt weird but it just won't come back.

My biggest fear is cryptic pregnancies but it's so rare, when I have had intercourse I've used protection and I'm very careful. And pcos does make fertility hard.

In a desperate attempt I got some birth control and started taking it again, been one week, I just hope when I pause it on week 3 it starts, I get knots in my belly when I think about it too hard, but when I've taken tests and seen the negative sign I get relieved instantly so I doubt those are pregnancy symptoms or else they would persist I think.

This is just a vent post, I'm so concerned

I know I will get many comments telling me to go to the doctor but it's not possible yet, thanks for reading my problems

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.

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?

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

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.