Because fuck that, it’s 2026.

Went to a new gyno today to establish care and do my annual exam. There was nothing wrong with my old gyno (Planned Parenthood), other than they canceled my appointment hours before on the day of and their next available was in January. I’ve been spotting since July while on Slynd and I was trying to come to a solution sooner rather than later.

Anyway, during my exam, we go over the fact that I had a Pap smear within the last 3 years and it was normal (therefore there was no need to do it today). I keep trying to bring up my concerns, but she just keeps circling back to irregular bleeding which I don’t necessarily have outside of being on Slynd. I have other symptoms like testosterone (hair growth), my hair is thinning, cystic acne, mood swings, painful periods (that I’ve had since I was 9).

I kept trying to explain that I had other symptoms, not irregular bleeding, but I can hardly get a word in and she’s just throwing information at me at a million miles a minute, not giving me time to process the information or ask questions. She said I could see a dermatologist (I have an appointment scheduled but couldn’t get in til February), regarding mood swings, she said my antidepressant that I haven’t started yet should help with it. Which is crazy, because my last one that I took with Slynd didn’t.

Then, she hit me with “you could try exercising 30 minutes a day.” I’m 27 and 265 pounds. I exercise 5 days a week, weightlifting 3 of those 5 days. She would’ve known that if she would’ve taken the time to hear my concerns or get to know me at all instead of rushing me in and pushing me out within 15 to 20 minutes.

And at the end of it all, I ended up getting a Pap smear anyway, that I didn’t even need.

I cried when I left the office and my entire way to work. When I got to work, I sent her a message in MyChart telling her my POV and that I hope she does better going forward, but I’ll be going somewhere else.

I made an appointment at planned parenthood again, and now we’re back to the drawing board.

I feel like so much PCOS advice assumes you can afford specialist foods, supplements and a completely different food shop. Not everyone can do that on top of their usual expenses!

What advice have you found hardest to follow because of the cost? And have you found anything that works for you without spending loads?

I love this community and I know we can't change the name bc PMOS is already taken, but I wish more people would use the official name for the condition.

Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) is more inclusive of everyone and highlights the true nature of what we deal with on a daily basis.

My doctors and therapist are already in the habit of saying PMOS and I wish we as an online community would use it more.

Thankyou for coming to my ted talk 🫶

My beloved endo opened her own new practice but it’s out of state, so I couldn’t go with her. She gave me my treatment plan to move forward with the new dr I’d be given and to give her my food and workout journal. I am diabetic t2 from PCOS.

This endo I met said she doesn’t care for GLP-1s unless I was morbidly obese and that too many people go blind to trust it (?). I said I cannot eat any less with how much I work out (only 1250 calories/3 days cardio, 3 days weight lifting) and she said I’d just have to get used to not eating like ‘I may have used to when I was a kid’ (?????), and to be thankful since others have it worse than me. Her words, not mine.

I said Im starving all day long, and I can’t recover well. And when I added an extra 300 calories to see if I was eating too little, I gained another 10lbs. I’ve been eating this much food for about 3 years, and before that, only 1550. I only eat between 30-50 carbs a day.

I started crying and she told me maybe anxiety is getting to me and maybe I should consider a therapist. That’s how I left the office. No renewed prescriptions.

I think Im just venting. It hurts so bad to start at square one. Why is this person even practicing? Funny thing is, my therapist and last endo were connected. She’s going to have a field day with this one.

edit: thank you for your support. It was hard not to be incredibly emotional.

I'm beginning to really struggle how I can help my girlfriend (early 30s) from her continued self esteem issues. She struggles with her body image, self confidence, and allows a lot of people in her personal and work life to completely walk all over her. (My biggest concern).

Now I have read all about being an emotional support person. Yes I'm there, I didn't actually know what PCOS was until I met her. Since I've been there for her emotionally on this. Drove her to her sono appointment and will accompany her for whatever she needs on this front.

The reason I'm posting this here is because I believe it does have a connection to her PCOS. She is struggling quite a bit mentally on that front. I'm a bit more worried at times. I understand it could be difficult to manage self esteem and your own value while dealing with this.

What I will not accept however is the world walking all over my partner. When she is with me she has nothing to worry about. But I'm not always there for her in person, she works in the public service sector. I've encouraged her to be assertive and not allow colleagues and general public patrons to continue I guess treating her in a way that I believe she doesn't deserve to be treated in. I don't want to give specific examples, we can remain general on this.

What can I do? I'm thinking of signing us up to a MMA class or maybe bring her to the gym with me. (I live 45 mins away from her). We see each other twice a week.

As someone with PCOS, how can I gently navigate this situation? I don't want to do nothing. But I want my girlfriend to be a bit more assertive then she is right now. She is also overtly apologetic even when she has no reason to be. She lives like others are on a pedestal. And I need to position her to be more of a queen to herself, to love herself and be selfish towards herself.

I'm all ears for responses. I want to be better man to her always, so if I'm wrong for thinking any of this please let me know.

I was just confirmed with having PCOS as I suspected for a while now. While on the phone with the doc they mentioned getting back on birth control would be the biggest help. Then they saw on my chart how I've just recently started experiencing migraines in the last few years and recanted their statement saying how BC can increase more migraines. (I strongly believe they started after getting confirmed I was anemic and currently on iron supplements, which they have subsided but still pop up here and there, if that info helps at all)

This is just the first little step in this personal journey for me and I deff didn't feel very reassured with the doc as it was through my Medical. (They talked very fast trying to basically get me off the phone and pretty much saying 'too bad so sad') So trying not to spiral too fast and give up hope but what else is someone supposed to do when they're practically told they're shit out of luck? What's the point of living if you're just constantly drowning and you can't enjoy anything anymore?

Any suggestions on where to start? I've been wanting to get back on BC but worried about the migraines getting triggered. I guess HRT is about the same as BC but without the baby-making blocking right? This all doesn't help with me thinking I'm constantly dying or filled with all sorts of bad things like cancer or clogged arteries, thinking a heart attack is just around the corner.

((Rant and steam-blowing below to express how frustrating this has been))

I started BC back in middle school cuz my periods were horrible, causing me to miss out on school, laying in bed (or on the bathroom floor) all day in pain unwilling to move and swimming in blood. I recently got off BC because it was time to take out the (arm) implant and I wanted to see how I'd react, see if my body has changed since the decades I started. While my period pain and flow is significantly less, it's still ever month though unpredictable at times, I am now dealing with all the horrors of going through puberty again. Going through it as a teen is nothing compared as a full grown adult in their mid 30's.

I always struggled with my identity as a woman. Always felt ugly and less than whatever a woman "should" be. Short, hairy (and I mean the real deal not that cure little wispy light BS) and just all around not quite right. I had a few years, literally less than 5 of feeling like I was FINALLY settling into my horrible adult carcass and then this shit fucking starts up. Like I mentioned, I've delt with thick and abundant body/facial hair all my life but this is a new level for me and it's really fucking me up mentally. I feel like I'll never get to feel attractive, let alone ever have sex again if I can't keep up any remotely humane image. I've had the "am I possibly trans" discussion with myself but for several reasons I don't feel that is what is right for me at this point in my life.

Just another gal just trying to live in a world where we're more interested in flying cars, occupying other planets instead of helping the people and environment on this only rock we got!

Im so tired. Genuinely. I've been in the gym for about 5 months now. 2lbs. That's all I've lost. Now, when I look at myself, I've probably gained it back because I'm developing a double chin.

I genuinely don't understand because my fitness has improved. I can lift heavier, finish a long circuit faster, and I don't have to use my asthma inhaler anymore as my lungs have gotten stronger. But here I am. Fat faced with a developing double chin.

I also feel like my girlfriend is lying to me because she loves me. She says I'm not getting fat or puffy and to her I look smaller (flat out lie).

Like.. do I really have to cut out everything tasty to lose a semblance of weight? And when i do do it, I get so tired and hungry. Then I find out exercising like a normal person can make me fatter???? Cause of stress hormones???

Im so hungry and I'm so tired. Like what even is the point of me doing all this exercising if I keep getting fatter???! The kicker is my family doesn't allow me to weigh my food because I am in recovery for an eating disorder. Everyone keeps lying to me that I look good but my clothes don't fit, my breasts have grown, I have visible back rolls now.

And when I do reduce my meals, I get so hungry that I end up consuming more sugar.

Im so tired of all this. Genuinely now that im trying to do this the right way I am having ZERO visual results and when I was fasting like 3 days a week and eating one meal I drop 44lbs in the same amount of time I've been at the gym 2 hours 4 days a week.

I feel like I've lost all my self-control, and I get hungry so fast. Then I end up going over maintenance. I just wanna look like a woman. Like the fatter I get, the less I feel and look like a real woman. Idk man.

I know I'm gonna get the comments of "lock in" and "develop some self control" and "start going to the gym 6 days instead of 4 because 4 isn't enough "

I swear I'm trying. I just need to figure out how to make food so unappealing that I don't want it as much anymore.

Im not asking for sympathy or anything. I just needed to get this out because everyone in my life keeps saying fitness is more important than appearance, but why can't I be fit and all the effort I'm putting in show up too?

Frustrated. I’m on zepbound and paying out of pocket. I have only lost 7lbs in 7 months. I’m so frustrated.

I started tracking my calories about 2 weeks ago but didn’t change food habits. I’m between 1600-1800 per day, sometimes under 1500. I have a lightly active job where I walk 5k-12k steps per day. I am always so exhausted so I try to weight train a few days a week when I have energy. My TDEE is 2800 for my height, weight, and activity level, and 1800 for 2lbs/wk of weight loss. I’m clearly under that.

I have to be upright for 3 hours after meals bc of acid reflux so I can’t really snack at night to get any more healthy calories in and I just can’t bring myself to eat during the day. I don’t know what else to do! :/

irregular cycles and coarse facial hair. no cyst on US, testosterone without SHBG 19.7, free (dialysis) 2.2

my endo said if my labs were normal I don’t have it and this is just normal for me.

what is interesting is

cortisol was 10.5, after dexamethasone suppression test it was 5.2? (isn’t it supposed to be <1.8)?

estradiol is 10.7 - low

glucose 97 with insulin 8.6 — making HOMA IR 2.06?

so I have several symptoms of issues but I’m afraid she’s going to tell me this is just…normal. And send me on my way. I have so much trouble losing weight also and that’s a main driver. I exercise so often and eat so well it’s really getting to me

Please tell me there's something out there like Dave's Killer Bread or something that's both keto/low-GI & able to keep my meal from shooting through my digestive system whenever I try to do this hugely good thing to fight my insulin resistance.

& this literal shit's happened even when I've made a regular habit of taking supplemental fiber like Metamucil, too.

Bc this whole rapid diarrhea thing's happened even when I've had a bunch of cheese or meat, both generally known to encourage shit liek constipation, with my fiber-rich vegetables.

I've had IBS for years & it's to the point that if I ever had to go on metformin, I'd probably have to quit my internship bc that job requires I be able to keep my usage of the restroom to my scheduled breaks & quick enough I also have time to eat something before going back to work if needed, neither of which would be doable for me if I was seriously diarrhea-prone for at least multiple days straight as is the norm when taking metformin.

Also still easing into trying to take inositol, the myo version alone this time bc when I took the 40:1 version I couldn't sleep at all, bc I've heard that's often successful against insuli8n resisstance.

Literally the one thing about PMOS / PCOS I need or even want to get rid of is the insulin resistance bc that's probably made me diabetic (I get a really disconcerting syrupy-sweet BO at night unless I've been anal about not taking in anything not low-GI all day, even a few days, and I haven't been stressed out at all that day), & ofc that's the symptom that's going to be incredibly difficult to fight.

Of fucking course.

Guys, can somebody explain it to me bcs doctors didn't properly and I'm at a loss at this points. My weight increased so much, I'm already at a calorie deficit, the doc said I have PCOS and tried to make me take injections for weight loss which I well refused, gave me birth control which made me super sick and I stopped taking it ( asked another doctor before doing so) and just took myotin sachet. It was for 3 months. I did get my period again normal and now this time it's going late again, I have started eating healthy not that food was ever an issue for me, starting working out , worked on my stress because all I know that in those days my anxiety and stress was massive and I get migraines too. I think my high cortisol was the cause bit she didn't really say anything. My insulin was high too, hormones were all normal and she said that it is like minor like not too sever don't know what it means tbh. Idk what to do. Like when my periods are like super late which the 3 month thing happened only once no matter how clean I eat or how much I exercise or walk I just keep gaining weight. I did notice that I am more active now and we'll my sleep is gone to 8hrs just well reversed but I'm trying on that that too but what can I do to get my periods without medicine and lose this weight. Can anyone educate me, tell me their experiences and what worked for them. Oh my water intake is kinda low too. Just wanted to put that there too

It takes so much time, energy, and money to manage my symptoms. I take Zepbound, spironolactone, and BC. I also get laser hair removal, and have been working with a dermatologist to get treatments for my acne and hair loss.

I'm very fortunate since my symptoms are largely managed, and I do feel feminine and comfortable in my body. I sometimes feel like I'm too shallow to have a baby.

I just worry a lot about having a baby and watching my body change, having to stop my medications, and losing money so I can't afford my treatments. Also, less time/energy for working out, rest, sleep etc.

Just really curious how motherhood impacted your symptoms, body image?

First I hear don’t workout a lot 2-3 days/week is enough. Then I hear 4 days is minimum and to do heavy lifting minimal cardio. Then I hear long light cardio is best and 10k steps with Pilates. Then I hear HIIT is great. Then it’s not. Then I hear past 7k steps is the same as 10k. Then I hear low to medium carb is best. Then I hear it’s the type of carb. Then I hear protein maxing. Then I hear fiber maxing. Then I hear if you have insulin resistance it’s a whole different ball park then other types of PCOS/PMOS.
I’m in college, I’m working, I’m stressed tf out. Idk what to do anymore. I don’t want to weigh every ounce of food I intake, although that is the sure way of doing CICO and I don’t take medication and am strongly against it. Even if you are on it you STILL have to put in the work. But then if you don’t sleep and rest enough it was all for nothing. Idk what I’m doing anymore. Even my doctors don’t know where my fatigue is coming from. All labs are normal except for HDL and LDL which can be reversed from working out and less saturated fats and ofc more veggies, but I’m so worried about losing weight that I keep looking at the number yo-yoing. Then race and age and height all come into play and I’m inconsistent. Like what the fuck. I’m just tired. I don’t wanna do ts anymore. Why me? I want to be healthy, I want to live! But I feel like I can’t with constant fatigue and depression and anxiety. I can’t even relax with my second midterms coming up again. Like I wanna be able to not have to shave my beard as much. I wanna have energy to wear the things I want to wear and style my hair and do my minimal makeup. I wanna go out and meet people. I want to have a s/o. But this all feels so far away from current me.

Please forgive how vacuous this question is.
I have PMOS/PCOS and experience very swollen breasts in the run up to my period. I am convinced they grow a few cup sizes during this time, and they get quite painful.

On Friday, I am going to a Halloween party, and I have been planning/building my costume for weeks. It fits perfectly, but I am starting to feel that pre- period swelling emerging. I am super worried that by Friday my boobs will be in full-size mode and ruin the fit of my costume. I know this sounds completely ridiculous- but I would rather be comfortable! (There is a cat-suit involved, with no wriggle room, and I am top heavy enough as it is).

Does anyone have any hacks on how to alleviate this type of swelling quickly? I’ve been reading about things like Evening Primrose, but apparently it takes weeks/months to get into your system properly and have an impact.

Thank you in advance !

My periods a year ago, when I was diagnosed with PCOS, my periods were practically non-existent, it was almost gone for half a year, but after losing 20 kgs, it has been nothing but regular.

Now I don't want come off as rude or a know-it-all but, all I can say is that you should walk daily (to reduce bloating too) or do back stretching excercise or yoga. First, don't be harsh on yourself, don't fast.

Include seeds and nuts in your diet (by diet I mean, what you eat overall, not literal restricting diet)

Drink plenty of water (3-4.5 Litres)

Cut off snacks completely (But if you're a sweet tooth, bananas can be great). Do Cardio workout (especially for belly and back), because in PCOS, all you can genuinely do for your Periods to become regular, is to either lose weight or maintaining a healthy diet (if you're slim)

Because periods can be irregular to both the body types nonetheless your weight.

I hope this helped!

Thanks for reading.

Looks like I ovulated for the first time since we started tracking 2.6 years ago! I’m 7dpo and super super hopeful. I checked both with cm and Lh sticks. They both confirmed it. I have been on metformin since April, which could be apart of it but other than that this is the first time with ovulation inducing meds. Has anyone had success with ovulating on their own and conceiving ?

i’m 23, i was recently given an ultrasound and blood work to figure out what is going on. I initially asked for a checkup because of my insane hair growth and awful periods. My results for the ultrasound came back and i had several cysts and a larger cyst on my left ovary. My dr then messaged me saying my results show pcos.
my symptoms include
-cysts
-horrible acne
-higher testosterone
-several cramping
i’m not on any birth control because im on psych meds so i was always worried about the interactions, but my gyno recently gave me the ring so i will be starting that soon to help with cramping.
im just feeling a bit lost because i don’t feel as though i fit the criteria or maybe im just not educated enough on pcos, but my periods are pretty regular, i have missed 1 period in the last 5 years, i just have very intense and heavy periods where i often have to call out of work, im not overweight, i have a bmi of 23.1, i am someone who can gain and lose weight very quickly tho, im not insulin resistant, ive spoken to my primary dr and all of my glucose numbers are great.
im just having a lot of anxiety around all of this and am hoping someone can give me some information. I will be seeing my gyno soon but the earliest appt isn’t until december.
im very new to this so im not even really sure what pcos really is and how it’s impacting me or what im supposed to do, sorry if this doesn’t make any sense, just looking for some help/information.

I’ve noticed that a lot of people on this subreddit are asking for advice on Pcos and they are saying that their doctors told them that they may have Pcos and just there’s no point in doing tests or formally diagnosing them.

So I just have a question, has this happened to many people before?

Hello, I am a 25 yo woman. Since this summer, I've been losing a LOT of hair especially and I could (still can now) perceive a thinning of my front line. This situation was making me extremely anxious as I never suffered hair loss before. I went to a doctor that prescribed me a blood test, turned out I had an iron deficiency. However, I could not understand how I could lose so much hair from iron deficiency, it felt like something else was off so I went to a gynecologist. We checked my ovaries and she prescribed me a new blood test. The news came out like a knife in my heart, I have PCOS and Androgenic Alopecia...Why now ? I am at a loss. My mom tells me to be strong but I wish I didn't have to, I just want to enjoy my life without worrying about getting bald lol... Anyways, sorry for the venting ! For the people suffering from AA and iron deficiency, what did you doctor prescribed you ? I am very nervous about losing my hair and want to start minoxidil but I only see my gynecologist in 20 days to talk about the latest tests results and see what we can do to lower my androgens levels...Is it a bad idea, should I just wait and try to ignore the hair loss for now ? Thank you for the ones that had the courage to read all of it, I'm all over the place, I'm sorry.

Hi everyone! I’m 36F and have had PCOS since I was 15.
I’m considering starting Yasmin, which my gynecologist prescribed to help manage my symptoms, and I’d love to hear about other people’s experiences.
My periods are generally regular, and I might skip one or two periods a year. They’re not particularly heavy, and my weight’s been pretty stable between 70 and sweet 75 kilos since I was around 16. I am overweight my BMI is around 26 and getting weight off is a struggle.
My scans have generally looked good, but there are a lot of follicles in both ovaries, and I have painful ovulation, especially on my left side. When I was 25, I started getting uti like symptoms and at 31 had bladder inflammation that required surgery, and since then my bladder tends to flare around ovulation, and ovulation is painful. The pain and inflammation are particularly noticeable on the left side, around the same area where I experience lower abdominal pain.
My gynecologist prescribed Yasmin to take continuously to suppress ovulation and hopefully help with these symptoms.
I’m thinking about starting, but I’m a bit nervous about side effects, including blood clots, mood changes, weight gain, and hair shedding. I’d love to hear positive experiences from people who have taken Yasmin, especially for ovulation pain or bladder issues. Has suppressing ovulation helped you with similar flares, and did you notice any changes in mood or weight?
Thanks so much for sharing.

3-4 years ago, at 28/29, my thick loosely wavy hair suddenly drastically thinned & fell out. The new growth was coarse and curly: it was bizarre. Slowly at first (and then progressively more and more aggressively,) I developed cystic acne when I didn’t even have bad skin as a teenager.

Blown off by my condescending b**** of an old primary care doctor in 2022 that something had suddenly shifted… was told at 28 that my hair and skin was “age related” (lol.) finally got a referral to dermatology summer of 2023, diagnosed from visuals alone with androgenic alopecia.

Over the next 8 months, every pore on my face became an inflame deep cyst—I also packed on weight as a very active person—prescribed tretinoin and spironolactone, they have helped immensely.

Periods got weirder, mental health grew worse & the weight gain became completely baffling because I live to run - finally got myself to an on-gyn, she sent me a DM about my ultrasound results the other day.

A lot to take in… my A1C is fine. Are GLP-1s covered by insurance if you aren’t considered medically obese (my BMI is, ugh, like 28-29 right now, I think 30+ is the dividing mark?) is metformin helpful if you aren’t diabetic? What the hell can be done about this?

Thank you in advance & sending my solidarity: although a relief and validating to finally have confirmed, and as bitter as I am that it took so long, this certainly isn’t a fun club to be in and I look forward to learning from & bonding with this community!

Hello all, I am currently on a journey to find out what has been causing some issues I've been having for years. I have dealt with anxiety and various digestive issues since childhood, but in recent years my mental health has continued to decline and I have been having issues with pain on my right lower side and severe nausea.

I have seen a GI and did various tests, only getting a diagnosis of IBS. I see a therapist and have been diagnosed with GAD and potentially OCD. I just started looking into gynecology to see if something like endometriosis or PMOS could be causing these issues for me. I have done various pelvic ultrasounds and CT scans due to digestive issues but never under the referral of a gynecologist.

I saw a new gyno a few months ago and explained to her my digestive issues, particularly nausea, mental health struggles, and other symptoms I have been experiencing, like fatigue, pelvic discomfort, acne and slight hair growth on my jaw, and hair loss. I do still get a period every month, even though they are sometimes a few days late or early.

She diagnosed me with PMDD or PME since my mood gets worse around my luteal phase and ovulation. She also ordered lab work. I am slightly low on vitamin D, ferritin, and B12, but not out of normal range. My insulin was slightly higher than optimal but not considered high. My thyroid is normal. My androgen levels are normal but my free testosterone is almost elevated, right at the threshold. I also received a pelvic and transvaginal ultrasound that as far as I know did not show any cysts.

Where should I go from here? Some of these results seem consistent with PMOS but I don't know if I meet all the criteria. The digestive issues and pelvic pain seem more aligned with endometriosis but I am hesitant on getting a laproscopic surgery for it since it is an invasive surgery. I just don't know what is causing my symptoms or what I can do to help them.

Edit: I am in my early 20s and have a normal body weight.

im 23 and was just diagnosed sbojt 2 months ago but didn’t really get any info on it or anuthing from my doctor but i’ve been on a weight loss journey for about a month now and i’m losing the pounds but i’m also losing a lot of hair. my hair was really thicker as a teenager but past few years it’s definitely thinned out a bit and now a lot more with losing weight. i’ve been taking myo inositol and d chiro inositol supplement and switched my diet around a bit. is there anything i can do it take for hair growth that anyone here has success with?

Helloo, I’ve been diagnosed with PCOS when I was 15 and I got diagnosed with endometriosis on top of that last year when I was 20. Over the past year I’ve been working hard to lose weight and keep off stress cause I used to overwork myself to an unhealthy degree, and I managed to lose 27kg and I’m finally at a normal weight! My periods are getting more regular now, Just today I finally got my first 28 day period cycle for the first time ever in my life!
However, even if my period got regular, I noticed my beard is getting thicker, as everytime I tweeze it, I notice there’s more hair follicles than the last time I tweezed it. Last year it was only a small tiny patch but now there’s atleast 30 hairs all over my lower chin/neck area. How could this be if my periods are getting regular and my hormones are supposedly less out of wack?

Hey girlies,
I just got diagnosed with lean pcos and insulin resistance and I’ve started metformin which has worked wonders.
I am currently on slynd and wondering whether to come off. When I am off contraception(pre metformin) my hair is shiny and healthy but the weight gain is crazy and I get melasma and sweating, I go back on contraception and my weight automatically goes back down and the other issues go away but my hair is insanely thin where you can see my scalp and I’ve car parks and it’s just dead. I am wondering is it possible these side effects won’t happen now that I’m on metformin ?
If anyone has been through this or regained their hair whilst on contraception??
I’m desperate to know!