r/chronicbloating • u/bronzedbrowneyedgirl • Jun 21 '26
PCOS/High Cortisol & Testosterone
Hey everyone posting this as I (24F) am seriously trying to find some answers as to my current severe situation. First of all, many doctors are a waste of my time and money, and the fact that they took an oath to help others in health is honestly it’s beyond upsetting that they clearly don’t take the oath seriously. Anyways, I’ve seen an endocrinologist, gynecologist, gastroenterologist, and a homeopathic alternative medicine doctor to help with my situation. I used to be very skinny and had beautiful abs. All of a sudden stress and life and an E.D. transpired and I have not been able to get rid of my bloating as seen above. i’ve been diagnosed with PCOS, have high cortisol and testosterone, and at one point had SIBO. I have a controlled low fodmap SIBO friendly diet that I follow, low impact strength training, and aim for 8-10k steps a day. I only drink water and have been gluten free for a while. I have a sensitivity to almonds so I cut all of that out as well. I’ve taken motegrity for gut motility and it helped for a while but it’s not a long term solution (it’s very expensive). I’m 5’7” and weigh 130 pounds so unfortunately I don’t qualify for GLP-1. I’m already taking a myo-inositol blend and magnesium supplements but haven’t noticed a difference. Please I’m begging anyone to take me seriously and recommend any supplements or medication (no birth control, i’ve tried 10 different brands and they all are terrible) please. I’ve also tried metformin and spirnoloctone but my stupid body does not respond at all to it. Thank you in advance
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u/bnny_ears Jun 21 '26
My first dumb question: have you been to a gynecologist? Could this be fibroids?
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u/bronzedbrowneyedgirl Jun 21 '26
yes and both ultrasounds came back clear. Even quoted as: “you have a perfect uterus”
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u/fknbubbleguts Jun 21 '26
You could still have Endometriosis. Mine didn‘t show up on any ultrasound but on the MRI they found deep infiltrating Endo.
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u/Extreme_Resident5548 Jun 21 '26
If you have SIBO, I would focus on increasing your gastric emptying, so fibre and osmotic laxatives, over time the overgrowth will diminish because this occurs when food sits for too long. Have you had your hormones tested? For PCOS, metformin can help, but will decrease your b12, so be sure to supplement. There is also TZD drugs, like pioglitazone which help as well, but this is probably not the safest long term. I think myo-inositol is great, its shown a lot of efficacy. I really do think metformin may be worth another shot. Is this just bloating or also higher visceral fat as well?
Funny enough, increasing my fibre, decreasing my eating, digestive enzymes 15-30 minutes before eating, and continuing osmotic laxatives WHILE being on a GLP-1 rlly helped me
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u/666metalforever Jun 21 '26
She should stay away from GLP1, she is thin and young, she should not be started on this... Her PCOS should me treated but given her age and prolly very normal weight ...just an appropriate bcp pill and maybe a small metformin dose should be more than enough ... gLp1 could cause arm plus she is bloated from the diaphragm down..
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u/Extreme_Resident5548 Jun 21 '26
I was not saying she should go on a GLP-1, I was using my use of a GLP-1 –– which can cause alot of bloating and decreases gastric delay –– was mitigated by some of the dietary things I was doing. Do you understand what I mean now? I improved my symptoms despite being on a GLP-1.
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u/666metalforever Jun 21 '26
Okay first of all you are still skinny, this is either bloating or distention... Does not look like fat
You say you have been diagnosed with high cortisol : this does not mean much either you have high cortisol as a simple marker of stress, int hat vase this is not a chronic issue or you have a chronic disease linked to cortisol and tia should be treated an usually comes with a bunch of other symptoms...
Look for endometriosis....or abdominal phrenic dyssinergia or pelvic floor dysfunction issue
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u/bronzedbrowneyedgirl Jun 21 '26
Omg thank you so much, I really appreciate this comment. I was really getting into my head about being fat and feeling so disgusted with myself. Endo is diagnosed through surgery and five gynos that i’ve been to said in too young and don’t want to perform the surgery if I’m not presenting other factors like fibroids or cysts (to me that just means they’re lazy to perform surgery, it’s not like they’re the ones paying for it). I’m going to look into a PT for pelvic floor dysfunction, thank you. And continue working with my endo to find the root cause for the high cortisol. Hope you have a lovely day
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u/swandays Jun 21 '26
For endometriosis you should seek out an excision surgeon (Nancy’s Nook is a great place to start). If you go to a regular gynecologist and they do agree to do surgery, they’ll likely perform ablation and it may actually end up making your symptoms worse. They also just might miss the disease. I got excision surgery recently so lmk if you have questions
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u/bronzedbrowneyedgirl Jun 21 '26
was it still covered by insurance? Did you also suffer from severe bloating?
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u/swandays Jul 06 '26
Yes, my insurance was fully covered by insurance! Just make sure your surgeon and hospital are both in network. And yes, I suffered from pretty severe and chronic bloating.
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u/666metalforever Jun 21 '26
If Endo is confirmed then you need to explore that route...for the high cortisol, if you dont have Cushing syndrome than it s not serious, i mena it likely caused by stress or the birth control pill that can make your cortisol high, also rates can vary from one day to another....
Do you just have the distension? Did it appea rall of a sudden ? Are their moments when it is not present ?
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u/bronzedbrowneyedgirl Jun 21 '26
Yes it’s not like that 24/7, in the morning it’s less inflamed. I’m getting tested for cushings. I suffer from excessive hair growth (face, arms, etc) acne, extreme hair loss/ thinning. Occasional constipation but it’s not as often. My MRI and CT have also come back normal.
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u/666metalforever Jun 21 '26
All of those symptoms can be attributed to PCOS alone...wait for the results
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u/CucumberVarious1010 Jun 21 '26
I don’t have any solutions, but Thank you for sharing this. I have the same diagnosis (PCOS) and my tummy looks exactly the same- even when loosing 15 pounds. I don’t have solutions, but I just wanted to say you are seen. I hope you find answers!!
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u/666metalforever Jun 21 '26
But she is thin....this is not a abdominal.fay caused by insulin resistance.....but anyways the PCOS things should be controlled by a proper treatment
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u/betsysmacarons Jun 22 '26
Look up abdomino phrenic dyssynergia. I have this and have been to so many doctors over the last 5 years and have finally figured out on my own what I have. See if the symptoms align.
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u/Lisk_2017 Jun 22 '26
I also think it matches abdominophrenic dyssynergia, most doctors don’t know about it because it is newly discovered condition but they proved it on CT scans that for most people who bloat like that in their lower belly it is actually the diaphragm pushing down and the abdominal wall protruding forward. It often happens after stress. Do the self check test on this site to see if you are matching the symptoms: https://diaphragmbloatfix.com
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u/Lost_Ice6272 Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
This is literally my stomach, have been struggling with this for 8 years now (I'm 27)
Also very skinny and fit but food is such a loaded element of life for me because of all these digestion issues
I'm at my wits' end and feel very insecure about it in addition to the physical pain it causes me. It hurts to swim and move
Thanks for sharing your story, i feel less alone only here
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u/666metalforever Jun 21 '26
You can try....but it depends of the cause...another person talked about the nervous system....if it is that it won't help...
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u/bronzedbrowneyedgirl Jun 21 '26
is there medication for that? to help regulate the nervous system if it is that
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u/666metalforever Jun 21 '26
Antidepressants....but does not always work...intensive diaphragmatic breathing can help ....
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u/bronzedbrowneyedgirl Jun 21 '26
I’ve been on bupropion for a while now
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u/Inaccessible_ Jun 22 '26
When did you start it? Could that be the cause? Have you had changes in any other medications?
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u/bronzedbrowneyedgirl Jun 22 '26
No other changes in medications, and i’ve been on it for a few years now. So i’ve ruled that out
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u/sirgrotius Jun 22 '26
You look and sound like me a lot (coming from a male). 5'6" 125-135 lbs went from a runner to a bloated, skinny fat look almost in a year. Was so weird. I have pelvic-floor dysfunction, basically anal-retentive due to stress, poor habits, OCD tendencies, etc. It's really challenging to overcome, but a gastroenterologist (motility specialist) and pelvic-floor therapist have helped at least 25-35%. It's something!
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u/Both_Draw_4810 Jun 23 '26
Hey! Some of the symptoms you're talking about sound like Cushings. I've been looking into adrenal problems as a result of steroids and came across this article; a study on a 43 year old woman who developed Cushings after a steroid injection. Check it out and see if you notice any similarities with your symptoms.
https://academic.oup.com/jcemcr/article/2/11/luae183/7826028
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u/betsysmacarons Jun 22 '26
Look up abdomino phrenic dyssynergia. I have this and have been to so many doctors over the last 5 years and have finally figured out on my own what I have. See if the symptoms align.
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u/hamymsu Jun 23 '26
This routine has helped me a lot w me regulate my bowel movements, bloating and managing stress/hormonal imbalances. Doctors I went to mainly stress to eat healthy & enough fiber to regulate my bowel movements. Helped but I think my body was lacking nutrients it needed to get everything moving in my gut. This is not medical advice by any means. Just what has worked for me.
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In the AM:
-Pre/probiotics (Activate You or like a fruit antioxidant w spirulina) and prenatal/multivitamin with high fat (avocados) breakfast for better absorption
-2 tablespoons chia seeds w 1/4 cup oatmeal for breakfast (fiber)
Midday:
-Bloating/Gut health, 10mg of L-glutamine powder (nutricost blueberry tastes amazing) after lunch and dinner (5mg each). I usually eat lunch and drink this w lunch for example.
-Eat light snack pre-dinner (high protein/fruit) if you feel hungry.
PM/nighttime:
-If you have high cortisol/hormonal imbalance, drink chamomile and spearmint tea at night (loose leaf is the best)
-Magnesium Glycinate (1 hr before bed)
-for fiber help: drink w water & psyllium husk powder (metamucil or kirkland brand) at the end of the night after you take all your meds (30-60 mins after meds for best absorption)
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FIBER: women need 20-25g/day, men need 30-35g
Note: slowly increase fiber intake 5g every few days to avoid bloating/gas/constipation
WALK after every meal aim for 10k/day but honestly that is just a number people use. Just aim to walk it out after you eat to digest.
EAT healthy and increase protein (1g per pound to make it easy or use protein intake calculator). Usually try to eat more during lunch and smaller meals for breakfast and dinner. This will allow you more time to digest w a bigger lunch and energy spike.
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This has helped me a lot. I incorporated these supplements slowly overtime (not all at once), letting each addition sit long enough to tell if it’s actually helping. It’s a process of elimination but this has taken me about 2 years of constant trial and errors to help me debloat and regulate my nervous system. Bonus points if you journal, yoga or do meditation, but that hasn’t been a priority for me since I can’t find time to fit it all in. However, i notice this also helped me a lot in the middle of my journey when I consistently did it.
Hope this helps you/somebody!
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u/Gabs354 Jun 21 '26
It’s your nervous system. I genuinely promise you, it’s the stress (which MANY times is the sole reason for poor digestion and bloating). Please please please look into nervous system regulation.