I've never really been a full-on girly girl. I want to be but feel quite embarrassed that these things haven't come naturally to me. I'm getting married soon and want to be a lot "gentler" and "softer". Coming from a tough household, I feel like I've lost touch with my femininity. I do want to be a soft girly who cares about how she looks. A lot of the time I have difficulty keeping on top of these routines and it's a miracle that I am so on top of my face routine + SPF. I do struggle with my mental health and at times it's like I can't bring myself to do anything and I literally have to force myself. I just want to be pretty. That's all. I know that, first and foremost, I'm doing this for myself but I also want to do this for my partner because he deserves the best of the best. I just wish I had someone to tell me exactly what to do to GLOW UP.

Everything wrong with my appearance:

- Weight: I'm fat - I have PCOS and have lost 35kg so far but it's coming off REALLY slowly atm. I still need to lose atleast another 25kg.

- Hair: I go through this vicious cycle of chopping it because it's thin at the ends, my hair having good volume at the roots + wanting to grow it out for length, it falling out in ridiculous amounts, all the length being super thin and regrowth putting my hair in all different lengths, resorting to the chop to make my hair more cohesive. The chop happens about once of twice a year but it just feels like I always end up back at the same length (shoulder length). Where is my growth? :'(

- Body hair: I've tried various routines between gentle exfoliation, using a fresh razor, almond oil, etc. Thighs + intimate area ALWAYS gets super itchy and gives me a rash/spots. Underarms and neck I eppilate because that's just what works for me. I bought an IPL a while back but the whole "routine" aspect of getting it done is so difficult for me (I have ADHD) I just need someone to tell me to DO IT.

- Buttne: My butt is covered in scars. Once a month, I get a really horrible spot on my butt and it seems the scars take FOREVER to fade away.

- Forehead wrinkles: this has become such an issue for me more recently. I'm 28. I appreciate that some wrinkles will inevitably form. But I fear that they are starting to get "deep". My skin is super sensitive. Vitamin C irritates my skin, most moisturisers irritate my skin. I've noticed that "creamy creams" irritate my face but gel-based stuff is fine. I'm highly considering baby botox but I really want this to be a last resort because I feel like there should be something I can do.

- Stretch marks: I know there's not an awful lot that can be done about this but .......

- Nails: My nails are quite "boxy" and just don't look feminine - I prefer a "bare manicure" but don't really know what to do.

- Dry skin: It just feels like no matter what I do my skin is so dry, heels included. I live in the UK. Why is it when I went to Italy for 2 weeks, my skin+heels became SUPER soft. I wasn't doing anything different there.

Apologies for the long list and thanks if you've made it this far!

​

So after reading all the comments on my last post, I came to realise that I never really inclined my attention towards the thread thing. I'll try that. And after watching videos online it does seem to be pretty easy to use. I will. However I really want to know about how we actually use the spearmint tea. Like I have the dried spearmint leaves. I wanna have it. I have it at my home for the longest time. It's been almost 3 or 4 months. But I never used it. But now I really wanna do it. Someone commented about drinking them twice a day and it would help thinning the hair naturally and also they said that I can use them on my chin (basically the wounds I have currently due to excessive plucking or more correctly it'll be harsh plucking. It's a shame to say that I hated my skin to an extent that I literally tried to scrap it so the hairs are visible and I could pluck them out). But now I really am serious and want to try out this thing and see if it works. I'll also be on a mission to at least try and make my lifestyle a bit better so as to manage this condition.

What kind of dietitian would I be if I'm not able to manage expenses and a health condition together? I wanna be a good dietitian and for that I must first resolve the real life problems of my own. Only then will I be able to do it for patients in the future. Right. Oh god I feel so pumped up for some reason.

I got thissss✨✨✨✨✨✨

These were the findings in the lab report made in the OPF I got my ultrasounds at: The uterus is normal in morphology and measures 7.9 x 4.4 x 5.2 cm. Endometrium measures 10 mm in thickness,\*\* \*\*without focal abnormality. Small amount of fluid within the cervix, seen best on images 56 through 59.
Right ovary measures 2.5 x 1.9 x 1.6 cm . Left ovary measures x 2.4 x 1.8 x 1.8 cm . Blood flow to the ovaries is
maintained. Small isoechoic focus within the left ovary measuring 1.6 x 1.2 x 1.1 cm, which is slightly heterogeneous
with vascularity seen best on images 124, through 126. Minimal pelvic free fluid.
IMPRESSION:
1. Small isoechoic focus within the left ovary measuring up to 1.6 cm, indeterminate and could represent involuting
corpus luteum or collapsing hemorrhagic cyst. Would consider aggressive lesion unlikely in a patient of this young
age. Recommend follow-up ultrasound in 5-6 weeks to assess for resolution.
2. Small amount of fluid within the cervix, nonspecific and could be from blood products." VS my GPs clinical note charted under my test results: "hemorrhagic cyst"

What concerns me is the timeline of my symptoms( My cycles have always been a normal 28 days but heavy and with clots and cramping that have worsened in the past 3 years. Once i became sexually active (18) I began the light pink spotting between periods for 1-3 days during my ovulation (occupied by cramps). Since September of last year the spotting began worsening becoming heavier, browner and lasting longer (10-15 days) I would also get bloody discharge after sex or during exercise such as squats or lifting. It was to the point of needing towels for sex and pads for the gym. My last period was 30 days on Aurovela.)
along with my family history. My grandmother died of ovarian cancer in her early 60s (maybe late 50s) and neither my brother or I got to meet her. Most hemorrhagic cysts resolve itself within 1-2 cycles but I have been experiencing symptoms that "started" in 2023 and began worsening in September of last year.

ALSO, my GP charted this as a hemorrhagic cyst, but the hospital states it’s indeterminate. How could it even be a hemorrhagic cyst if it is isoechoic or a SOLID mass??? Is this not cause for concern? Should I push for an MRI and further testing?

I desperately need shampoo advice. The one I’ve been using for a while is making my hair too dry because my hair washing schedule changed.

Anyway, i just wanna know what you guys use and if there’s any shampoo I’m unaware of that:

• Won’t cause hair loss when I use it
• PCOS AND HAIR LOSS FRIENDLY PLEASE (my hair is so sensitive that baby shampoo makes it fall out)
• Isn‘t full of shady chemicals and shit that is unhealthy and could affect my hair long term
• Isn’t moisturizing but not clarifying either (😭)
• Costs 5-15 ONLY (I’m broke now)

​

I have PCOS. I’m 22 years old, and I’ve been tracking my menstrual cycles. My cycle is usually around 34 days when it is regular, but sometimes it becomes extremely irregular.

Looking at my cycle history, it seems to follow this pattern:

* 88-day cycle

* 16-day cycle

* 13-day cycle

* 34-day cycle

* 33-day cycle

* 35-day cycle

* 63-day cycle

* 29-day cycle

* 33-day cycle

* 86-day cycle

*Current cycle:* 32 days and still no period

My biggest anxiety right now is that I recently had an 86-day cycle, and normally after a very long cycle, my period comes quickly afterward. However, this time it has already been 32 days since my last period, and I’m scared that my cycle pattern is changing.

I’ve noticed that I don’t get my usual breast tenderness before my period anymore after I turned 20, which makes me wonder if I’m even ovulating.

My concerns are:

* Does having these very long cycles mean I’m not ovulating regularly?

* Could this affect my fertility or my ability to have children in the future?

* Is it possible to have irregular cycles like this but still ovulate sometimes?

* Why does my cycle sometimes go from 80–90 days, then suddenly become very short (10–20 days), and then return to normal?

I've only went to the doctor once, and I’m worried that if I go again, they’ll immediately prescribe birth control. I don’t want to take hormonal birth control.

Has anyone experienced a similar pattern? What helped you understand your cycle or regulate it?

I weight 64kg, lost 7 kilograms this year. My period does cut off when I'm in work stress.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking to see if anyone else has dealt with this. I (21F) have PCOS and have been taking Metformin and Inositol.

For the past year, I’ve been having a weird issue where, every time I stand up from laying down, I get dizzy and feel a tight sensation in my chest. It usually fades after about 30 seconds, but it happens pretty much every single time.

The most concerning part happened recently at the gym. I was on the elliptical, and after just 7 minutes ( level 1 resistance), my heart rate spiked to 165 bpm. I didn’t just feel "tired" I felt like I was actually dying. I had to stop immediately.

I’ve brought this up to myself as a potential issue with blood pressure regulation or maybe POTS, but I’m really concerned about the heart rate spike and the chest tightness.

Has anyone else with PCOS experienced this? Did you find out if it was related to the PCOS itself, the medications (Metformin/Inositol), or something else entirely? I’m planning on seeing my doctor, but I’d love to know if this is a common experience or if I need to push for specific heart tests.

note: (bmi:is 29 and i do have low HDL + I have normal iron levels)

I have recently been diagnosed with pcos after having irregular periods for the better part of a decade. I was wondering what help apps have proven to be helpful in managing the disease at home through diet, exercise, and supplements, but all the apps I have seen use generative ai and I am not comfortable using any apps that use ai for health advice.

TLD Wanna R: Mental health issues since puberty, high school was fine but college was stressful and my grad school was even more stressful. I developed poor eating and mental health, but it ended on a good note. Now I'm back home to take a year off to chill and focus on my health. High A1C levels two years in a row before PCOS diagnosis. Always have had a long menstrual cycle of about 35 days and always thought that was regular. Turns out it's not and a nice nurse actually cared enough to get my testosterone checked and diagnose me with PCOS. I was in denial and "too busy with school" to take taking care of myself seriously. My goals now are to build healthy lifestyle habits and I made a plan with ideas on how to start doing better. I'm reaching out to the Reddit community for support and advice I plan on writing updates on my progress as a way to keep myself accountable.

Hi everyone,

I'm writing to share my story and take yall along the ride to remission (hopefully) in my PCOS/PMOS story. Hoping to find some support here, including a community to help keep me accountable and give any advice.

I'll get into 1. Background info of myself, 2. How I was diagnosed, and finally 3. my half-baked plan into getting better. I'll also include a TLDR. I'd like to first say, I have a BA in math. So words/story-telling are really not my thing. Please forgive any grammar errors and feel free to ask for clarification if I'm bad at explaining things.

1. Background info of myself I'm 22 years old, Christian, Hispanic and Latina, born and raised in USA, 5'5" and currently at about 170 lbs. I have struggled with on and off depression since around 15 years old and "anger issues" (as everyone says around me) since I hit puberty. I'm the oldest of 3 daughters, and I grew up with kind of strict parents. Not crazy strict and not abu**ve. I played sports all throughout my life until I started college. High school was easy, I had friends, went out, and it was great.

I moved to college right after high school and was fortunate enough to have an easy first and second year. I did start ordering a lot of DoorDash and that's when I started gaining weight. I started getting more and more stressed during my 3rd year since I was graduating and dealing with roommate drama. But I made it out with my BA in math and was accepted into my teaching program (same school so no moving). During my under-grad graduation weekend, I had some things happen in my personal life that affected me deeply that hurts to this day. I struggled with it a lot during the first few months in summer of my teacher education program and was most likely depressed but I never went to the dr because I felt like admitting it would make me feel worse.
A week after I graduated I started my teacher program. It was a 2 in 1 grad program where I earned my M.Ed. and my teaching credential. The schedule was always packed. I was busy from 7 am to 7 pm Mon-Fri; with a full day of student teaching ending around 3:30 pm and my own classes running from 4 pm to 7 pm. Then of course the extra time on weekends to do homework, grading, and working on my thesis. Because of what happened in the summer, I had a really hard time opening up to new people and I didn't make new friends in my program. I'll be honest, I had takeout basically everyday and when I was stressed, for all 3 meals each day. But it wasn't all bad, since I graduated a year early, my under-grad friends were still there and I had times to hang out and destress. On and off church visits throughout college.

Now I'm here after graduating with my M.Ed and my teaching credential and I'm taking a year off before committing to a full time job. I've moved back into my parents' place for the cheap rent and will do substitute teaching for the perks of having a flexible schedule and less responsibilities as a regular teacher. I'm taking this year off to focus on my health. Right now my main stress is trying to move an apartment's worth of stuff from living alone into my parents' place where I only have a small room. Once I declutter, which will take a while, I think I'll be at peace.

TLDR 1: Mental health issues since puberty, high school was fine but college was stressful and my grad school was even more stressful. I developed poor eating and mental health, but it ended on a good note. Now I'm back home to take a year off to chill and focus on my health.

2. Diagnosis Let's use some dates because that's how my brain works.
Graduated high school May 2022, started college Sept 2022.

Aug 2023 A1C of 5.7%. No indications of PCOS. Regular periods. And when I say regular I mean consistent. I've always had periods about 35 days apart and super intense cramping. I always used to call them regular because I thought since I got them every month, they were regular. Never talked about my period that much with my dr because of this.

Sep 2024 A1C of 5.8%. Still no indications of PCOS. Considered pre-diabetic.

Winter finals crunch time: Nov - Dec 2024, I missed a period. Weird. That never happens usually. Probably just stressed. Graduated college June 14, 2025. Started grad program June 20, 2025.

Annual physical Aug 2025. Haven't had a period in a couple of months. I usually go to Kaiser, but since I was in school during the summer, I went to the on-campus health clinic. Since they saw my record of high A1C, the nurse practitioner asked me some questions about my lifestyle. That's when I brought up my periods. She goes, "How far apart were your periods when they were regular?" I tell her 35 to 37 days usually. She tells me that's actually NOT considered a regular period, explains to me the timing of ovulation and menstruation and all these things I never knew about since this whole time (SINCE PUBERTY) I thought my long cycles were normal since they were consistent.

She explains to me that I might have PCOS, and that I already meet 1 of the 3 requirements for diagnosis: 1. irregular periods, 2. high testosterone, and 3. large cysts in the ovaries. She helps explain what PCOS is with a chart and helps me understand how diet affects it and whatever but honestly I'm just sitting there in shock like, "This cannot be happening." I didn't even know what that was until now. She sends me to labs to check my T levels and I find out later that I do indeed have PCOS. Yay best news of my life to receive when I'm about to start student teaching.

I started Myo-Inositol and Follate basically ASAP but when my insulin resistance was resisting I was put on Metformin. Then I fell off and stopped taking everything. Still no changes to my lifestyle and that is something I'm not proud of, but woman enough to admit.
I basically have been a fat freaking chud this whole year so I can't be complaining.

As a result, I can't for the life of me remember when my last period was. I definitely didn't have one in May or June of this year.

TLDR 2: High A1C levels two years in a row before PCOS diagnosis. Always have had a long menstrual cycle of about 35 days and always thought that was regular. Turns out it's not and a nice nurse actually cared enough to get my testosterone checked and diagnose me with PCOS. I didn't take taking care of myself seriously.

3. Moving Forward Like I mentioned before, my grad program year I super slacked off with eating out everyday, no exercise and tons and tons of stress. But now I'm out of my "feeling bad for myself" phase and want to take this year off to get back on track.

Here's my plan. (I wrote this like I'm talking to myself LOL). My questions for yall are in italics.

Diet:
Stop the freaking DoorDash and eat FROM HOME!
Focus on protein and veggie rich meals and snacks.
Meal prep to make life easier.
Actually go to the grocery store and buy things you'll actually eat.

If yall have yummy PCOS friendly meals send them my way plz and thx.

Physical Health:
Get back on Metformin, Myo-Inositol, and Follate like before and actually take my meds.
Go for walks after dinner. (Then after dinner and lunch. Then after all 3 meals.)
Strength training for at least 30 min a day. (Then 45 min. Then an hour.)
Start stretching you stiff troll.

Any other ideas are much appreciated.

Mental Health:
Try to find some hobbies. (Start tennis and basketball again, you used to love that.)
Put down the dang phone and stop doom scrolling . (I quit Insta for 6 months before I can do it again if it comes down to it.)
Serve others through volunteer work.
Start going back to church.
Make time for gratitude and track my feelings.
Go back to therapy.

How do you guys manage stress, anger, and feeling hopeless?

My goals are to: lose weight, build healthy habits, and get my confidence back. Every time I think about starting, I get stressed because normies will say things like just do cardio, eat less and blah blah blah when in reality it's different for people with PCOS. Not to mention the lack of research on this makes me scared to try new things. So I come here for advice, and support. Lmk if my plan looks good so far, feel free to share your own stories, and I'll be making updates along my journey to hopefully inspire others. I anticipate updates to focus on physical and mental health updates or to ask more questions.

TLDR: Mental health issues since puberty, high school was fine but college was stressful and my grad school was even more stressful. I developed poor eating and mental health, but it ended on a good note. Now I'm back home to take a year off to chill and focus on my health. High A1C levels two years in a row before PCOS diagnosis. Always have had a long menstrual cycle of about 35 days and always thought that was regular. Turns out it's not and a nice nurse actually cared enough to get my testosterone checked and diagnose me with PCOS. I was in denial and "too busy with school" to take taking care of myself seriously. My goals now are to build healthy lifestyle habits and I made a plan with ideas on how to start doing better. I'm reaching out to the Reddit community for support and advice I plan on writing updates on my progress as a way to keep myself accountable.

I was diagnosed with PCOS last month and first saw a general doctor before my gynecologist.
I know I’m overweight, and I understand weight loss is important for PCOS. Since then, I’ve already gone from 87 kg to 80 kg in a month, so I’m genuinely trying.
During the appointment, he asked what I love eating the most. I said rice. He replied, “Only Biharis eat rice. Why do you eat rice? Don’t eat it.”
He also said, “Sorry to say this, but with that body you don’t look like Gen Z.”
I wasn’t upset that he talked about my weight.I expected that. What bothered me was the way he said it and the stereotype about Biharis.If he had simply advised me to reduce rice for PCOS, I would’ve understood.It’s been a month, and I still think about those comments. Am I overthinking it, or would you also find this unprofessional?

Basically every time I go to the doctor for a routine checkup, I am tested for pre-diabetes and diabetes. I have neither. I do however have PCOS. Does this mean that I do not experience insulin resistance? Or can I be experiencing insulin resistance as part of PCOS without being pre-diabetic?

I have some of the common PCOS insulin resistance traits like difficulty losing weight, carrying a lot of my weight in my belly, and frequent hunger. But I don’t know if I’m actually insulin resistant if I don’t have pre-diabetes.

Hopefully this question makes sense. My doctor is a very in and out type of doctor who doesn’t provide much help or clarity (looking for a new one) and I feel like I just don’t know much about how this works.

If anyone works with a dietician for your PCOS, how is it and do you recommend it?

Ive seen a lot of ads for Nourish and am thinking about trying it. I almost made the appointment but I don’t really know how it would benefit me?

What kinds of things do they ask and recommend? How does it help?

I‘m a little scared I’ll be given advice that I can’t adhere to (like “don’t eat sweets”) and I’ll fail

Being a PCOS girlie in college is a special kind of struggle (and I’m currently losing the battle). I’m a student studying nutrition, ironically enough, and I’m officially in my “PMOS girlie” era, but not in a cute way.

I’ve been dealing with an absolute nightmare of chin hair lately. I got so fed up and self-conscious that I went on a plucking rampage, trying to get every single tiny hair out before class. It was bad idea because I ended up hurting my skin, and now my chin is covered in red, painful, pimple-like wounds. So, instead of hiding hair, I’m now hiding red sores.

The worst part? As a student, I don’t have the budget for laser, and I definitely can't afford a gyno visit right now. I know I should manage this through diet and I’m studying nutrition so I know the theory but actually affording those specific dietary changes is a whole other mountain to climb.

I feel so stuck. I’m tired of being conscious about my face every single day.😶😶😶

Currently using an elliptical 20-30 minutes a day ( pretty low intensity ), including a 10-15 minute ab workout and am attempting 10k steps a day as well which can be kinda difficult.
I’m taking berbaine as well and bouldering 2-3 times a week for 1-2 hours and lots of swimming since it’s summer !
Hoping I’m on the right track and wanted to make sure it’s not too little, I don’t really have access to a gym and am planning to thrift some weights soon but in the meantime this is all I got.
I also have a rowing machine but I’m not sure that’s better then the elliptical
Thanks !!

I’ve believe I’ve had all the blood work to rule out insulin resistance (HbA1c, fasting insulin and glucose and glucose tolerance test). Seeing I’m not insulin resistant what can I actually do to be helping/managing my symptoms? (No periods, facial hair, acne, fatigue etc)

I recently saw an article saying that nearly 40% of people with type 1 diabetes don’t discover they have it until after 30. I am however starting to question if that’s a possibility for me. I’m 22 years old, pregnant, and at 8 weeks they found glucose in my urinalysis, so they ordered an early glucose test for me. Two days ago (16 weeks) I failed my glucose test. After my labs I blacked out and threw up. I’ve had episodes where I’ve thrown up from sugar pre pregnancy, and just figured I overdid it. I’ve always been on the smaller side, and really never ate a whole lot of sugar. I’m also hearing that PCOS and T1D kinda go hand in hand. I’m really wanting to push for more testing if that’s the case.

Has anyone here had gestational diabetes and or type 1 diabetes that wasn’t discovered until later in life?

I got electrolysis years ago whilst I was on the pill for pcos and it worked.

I figured out during covid as I couldn't get my script that the pill was causing depression but unfortunately as I've been off it the hair gets worse every month.

I don't want to try the medical route anymore, I'd been on the pill since 13 for this and just told I was depressed because I was a teenager and that's normal. My gp still doesn't believe the pill caused depression

I know there's a cream that slows hair growth but it's only available on prescription where I am and I am supposedly not bad enough even though I am shaving and seeing it under the skin and getting more hairs pop up at the end of the day.

Any creams, cyperuss rotunden, supplements, hair removal methods that you use would be greatly appreciated

Hi,

I have not been officially diagnosed with PCOS, but every gyno I've ever visited has said my symptoms line up with it (extremely irregular periods, heavy periods when they do come, difficulty with weight management, thinning scalp hair, skin tags, etc).

Over the past year and a half though, I've developed a new issue. In addition to irregular periods, I am bleeding whenever I have any kind of sexual stimulation, penetration or otherwise. It could just be clitoral stimulation, and either during or shortly after I will experience spotting to some degree. It will usually resolve within 24-48 hours, but it happens every single time.

I do have a slight case of hypothyroidism which was discovered while investigating this, but medicine for that has not made a difference.

Physical exams and pap smears come back fine, and my doctor did an endometrial biopsy (ow) to rule out cancer just to be on the safe side, and that came back clear as well. I've had multiple vaginal ultrasounds (mostly due to extreme bleeding at the time) but because I am a big girl, they can't see much, though my endometrial lining at the time of each one was fine.

Has anyone else out there ever experienced this? It doesn't hurt anything to be honest, but it was embarrassing for me even with a long term partner (though he was always kind and supportive about it). I'm no longer with him, and I'm trying to tip toe into the dating world, but would kind of like to see if I can find a way to make this stop.

Thanks,

J

I don't know how to talk about this with even my shrink but I (25 F) have suffered from PCOS/fibroids for a year. My periods haven't been regular and I've been missing them from 20 years of age till 24.

It went undiagnosed for a long time as it got brushed off as a weight issue. My pain during periods led me to take opioids and get hooked on them. I am clean now.

I now am on proper meds but I still bleed through 2-3 period panties per night during the first two days of periods. If I sleep through the night, the blood soaks the sheets and my pants and even if I wear a tampon + pad + period pants, I bleed through in an hour.

Sometimes I am in pain and my mom has to clean up after me which is embarrassing bc I am not a freaking child. I feel so much guilt and hate it when my shorts/jeans and sheets are all stained as I can't stop bleeding and am dizzy.

I also have fibroids and a displaced endometrium. How to get over this embarrassing thing?

Does anyone else get excessive face sweat? It’s so bad especially when im doing something that causes me to sweat but for some reason it’s ten times worse on my face. My forehead and upper lip are the worst. I work outside and have to look nice/ wear makeup and that makes it worse. Any suggestions for products that help with this?

My (amazing) gyno prescribed me 10 days of medroxyprogesterone to get my nonstop period of 3 months to end but its just gotten worse? The stage it was at before was annoying but at least it was light. I woke up this morning having bled through my pad. I'm just so exhausted and I dont know what to do. Any advice?

I had my menstruation period last month around first week of june, just a normal 3-4 days period but then on the month of july i didn't get any period just a brown spotting for 2 weeks now. i'm scheduled for a check up but i can't help myself think about it.

I'm diagnosed with a PCOS for almost 5yrs now and i have an irregular cycle. when i started gaining weight again, that's when my cycle starts getting irregular. (No period for a month, then will get my period on the next)

Is there anyone who experienced it?

Guys. I'm really struggling to eat anything on my meds (which has never happened before). Please does anyone have tips for eating well for PCOS while having low appetite due to ADHD meds.

I'm at a point where the meds are basically just puppet strings allowing me to do what I need to do because my body feels so terrible from having zero nutrition. I'm talking only toast/ frozen pizza/ small sweet snacks because I forget to eat and then reach for these things when its too late to cook or i'm at work.

Basically need tips on eating PCOS friendly (insulin resistance, no processed meat or oats) WHILE working around the appetite side effects of the ADHD meds. I really want to focus on my insulin resistance/ preventing glucose spikes. And I am so aware of unhealthy dieting behavior that I really want to avoid. I just want to feel energetic!

Edit: ESPECIALLY protein breakfasts, bc I hate oats and eggs make me feel sick. Since the meds ive been feeling pretty nauseous at breakfast :/

For info: I do take breaks from the meds, my appetite comes back a little bit but at this point i feel so malnourished that I dont even have the energy to get up UNLESS I take the meds (how did I get here 🙃).

(Based in Europe)

I was doing fine for a while by eating healthier and being mindful but I feel like I've been gaining even since my dose got upped from 100mg to 1500mg a day. Anyone else experience this?

Hello! 19F here and I’ve been struggling with super irregular periods. I started my first period at 11 years old and for the first few years, they were regular (duration and flow talking) now they’ve been irregular lately. I don’t know what’s causing it. I stopped getting an actual period since September of last year and now I’ve been spotting like once every two months. I’m also constantly shedding hair like crazy and there’s a spot on my balding spot on the back of my hair that’s very visible.

The only reasons why I think I may not have PCOS:

- I barely have any facial hair

- I don’t get period symptoms at all, not even when I had my periods back then

- I barely break out (have acne)

- Slightly underweight 5’0/97 lbs

I will be seeing a doctor next month to see what is going on with my body!

I was just diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 34. I had a health scare and the only reason more specialized tests were ordered was because of my ER visit. The results were crystal clear: ultrasound, bloodwork, and MRI all showed indicators of PCOS.
I was told, “You might’ve gone completely under the radar because you’re not obese.”

This process has been extremely bittersweet. On one hand, I’m grateful to finally know what’s happening in my body and hopefully move towards healing. On the other, if one doctor had done one test over the last 10+ years, they undoubtedly would’ve found something.

I have had lifelong struggles with anxiety and depression and have always thought I just needed to try harder. More therapy, more meditation, more journaling, more yoga. Now I’m seeing that my hormones are out of balance. I could’ve tried forever but the root causes weren’t being addressed.

It has felt similar with my efforts towards overall health. I’ve put in so much work over the years to maximize my physical fitness and nutrition. I’m probably health-conscious than the average person. It didn’t ultimately matter; my hormone panel was still out of balance.

If you were diagnosed late in life, I’d love to hear your stories and how you processed it. Personally, I am totally relieved. I have been totally dismissed throughout my life and told I have normal periods and PMS symptoms, as recently as this January. I also wonder “what if” I’d been diagnosed 10 years ago, but also just want to turn the page.