Looking for any hacks or even just your experience getting through the fatigue to exercise.. or is it just sheer willpower? I’m trying to get this under control naturally through lifestyle changes.

I feel like it’s constantly on my mind currently. I feel it’ll never happen for me, I’m envious of people who get pregnant so quickly and easily and I know that’s awful to think and now say out loud 🥲

Obviously this isn’t a one size fits all. But thought I’d share what worked for me.

I’ve always been on the leaner side of PCOS, but I was a super chunky kid that didn’t lose weight until puberty. I lost a lot of weight freshman year of college basically starving myself, but when I started to weightlift I gained all of it and more back. From 2018 on I was working out extremely hard. 6 days of 2 hour lifting sessions, and no matter how I tried to eat or train I could not lose weight, or inches. At all. And I was constantly hungry and just wanting to eat more.

I gained a lot weight during COVID, and all of a sudden my periods were debilitating. I never really had bad period cramps, but this took me out for a week and I just had to stay home and rest. Extremely unusual for me. Then I started to cramp really hard even outside of my period, got bad acne flare ups often, and I was diagnosed with PMDD. I would basically have one good week a month after my period and before I ovulated. Then I would ovulate, and it was just hell. Pain, depression, anxiety.

I had one gyno who said “this just happens” to women my age. I was about 23/24. I had another who said depression wasn’t real and I should not eat carbs and just go outside.

I had ultrasounds that found nothing and FINALLY I asked for a hormone test from my PCP and brought it to a new gyno, actually a male doctor. He took one look, did one exam, and said yup you have PCOS. I was in like the 99.9th percentile for my level of testosterone. And one of the only FDA approved treatments for PMDD was Yaz, or Loryna. I took birth control when I was 19 and it made me extremely anxious, but I thought okay what the heck.

Oh my GOD it was like night and day! All of a sudden the anxiety just dissipated. I had been dealing with a really toxic relationship, and all of a sudden I was able to go “you know what? No thanks” rather than pandering to him like I had before. My periods were more regular, with basically no pain, and I actually found it a little easier to lose weight. And I also did a little test later when that toxic guy pressured me to go off of birth control, and yup there was all the anxiety back. I had taken antidepressants and had dealt a lot with anxiety but this finally felt like I was pulling the curtain back on the actual cause. And my acne basically stopped!

For cravings/hunger I take 4,000mg of Myo Inositol a day and that helps me a lot. I still eat when I’m hungry, and I don’t restrict myself, but it lowers my will to graze and have sugar.

The biggest thing for me was finding out I have ADHD and starting vyvanse. So much more of my anxiety melted away, when I’m taking the medication I just don’t mentally spiral as much. It’s lifted my sex drive, and also helps reduce cravings and lose weight even more! I know that’s common with stimulants, but I figured if anyone suspected they were ADHD maybe this would make them curious enough to go to their doctor.

Anyways! Just my two cents! Your mileage will vary!

I was recently diagnosed with PMOS around four months ago at 19. Ever since being diagnosed I’ve done extensive research into what could possibly help and the overwhelming answer has always been “diet and exercise” and I am TIRED!!! I need people to stop pretending that’s a valid answer for a fucking genetic disease. I’ve been vegetarian for years and get at least 10k steps every single day and have done so for the past year and my insulin, cholesterol, and blood pressure have all stayed sky high as well as my weight. I’ve struggled with severe acne and obesity since hitting puberty and the only advice I’ve been given by doctors is to “stop eating donuts and run!” (Yes a doctor literally told me that) I am so fucking exhausted. I cant help but be intensely angry every time I see another negligible disease that exclusively affects men be cured and yet life threatening ailments that only harm women remain a mystery. I have yet to meet anyone else suffering with pcos that holds the same anger as me and it really hurts because they’re so caught up in the belief that diet and exercise will genuinely make a difference. Even if it does, it’s minor and impermanent, and in the end the only thing you’ll be stuck with is an eating disorder. I used to never understand people who didn’t trust doctors but now I find myself never wanting to walk into the doctors office ever again. I am exhausted

Hello everyone. I was dark hair on my upper chest above my breasts that prevents me from wearing anything that isn't a tee shirt or a fully buttoned up shirt. Has anyone tried any hair removal remedies that worked in getting rid of it or sufficiently lessening it? Thank you in advance.

I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life. I feel like I’m wearing a fat suit. I had a very stressful May-July and I gained 20 pounds and I can’t seem to get it off. I hate how my body looks and I wish I can just get the extra weight off but it’s hanging on for dear life

I shave my face and have a lot of ingrown hairs. I think it’s due to me not having the best shaving routine. I use my facial brush before I shave, then lather on my cleanser and shave with the grain then against using a safety razor.

Does anyone have any tips or product recommendations?

The hair used to be super thin/fine but I was insecure about them so I started using an epilator which caused a lot of ingrowns. My facial hair is super thick now :( maybe threading is better?

So
I have this problem…
I feel as though advice online is always to do weights
But
When I do weights I feel like I get bigger…
And my goal in life is to look smaller

So I’ve been sticking to cross trainer 3-4 days a week during my lunch break)

But it’s not helping me lose weight - I find that eating anything over 1200 calories means I don’t lose weight, which I’m finding very hard to stick to.

I’m wondering if I should be be doing 2 days of cardio and 2 of weights?

What do you do? What has worked for you?

Can we ban the recurring “boyfriend made an app for his girlfriend with PCOS” posts? They’re essentially ads/self-promo and should be banned under the soliciting rule.

I feel like at least once a week I will see one and I'm getting tired of it. They don't provide any helpful discussion. Does anyone else feel this way? Thoughts?

Hi everyone, I’m having an endometrial biopsy soon and I’m terrified of the pain I may feel. Many people say it’s painful, but quick so I’m hoping I can tolerate it. I spoke to a friend and they said it should be manageable especially if I get the cervical numbing shot.

I need this appointment and I’m trying my best not to cancel. Please let me know of any positive or at least not terrible experiences. Anesthesia is not an option for me. Thank you!

Hey there!

I have gained quite some weight in the belly area within the past few years. It’s quite frustrating, and I don’t feel like myself anymore.

Currently, I’m really motivated to go to the gym and hope to regain some control over my body.

Unfortunately, there are mirrors everywhere, and it can be quite annoying to keep staring at my body. One area that especially annoyed me today - as I was wearing tight biker shorts - was the area right above my pubic bone. I feel like it’s not only gotten thicker in generally with the weight gain, but it also seems somewhat unshapely.

You know how that area looks like a V. Both sides of the V seem to be much bigger, like swollen almost (without feeling swollen). It just looks super weird when I look down, as it’s not one “fat hill” but like a valley type of situation. Don’t know how to explain it! I hope it still becomes clear what I mean.

Has anyone been able to control their stomach fat through workouts? Or is that basically impossible?

I recently posted my workout in the workout subreddit, and instead of getting pointers as I hoped, I had a “personal trainer” DM me to ask for pictures - to judge my workout better 😅 I’m hoping this post won’t elicit messages like this even though the content is a bit more descriptive than a list of exercises 😂😂😂

As somebody suffering with PCOS I just wanted to share this as it seems this medicinal mushroom is extremely overlooked.
Like many with PCOS I’ve struggled with fertility issues for a very long time. Had been taking no precautions against pregnancy for about 5 years then decided to start taking medicinal mushrooms for reasons unrelated to TTC & suddenly fell pregnant within 2 months!!
Due to “lack of studies” I stopped taking them and pregnancy resulted in miscarriage but if it were to happen again I think I’d just continue to take them despite advice against this.
Truth be told I haven’t been taking them recently in fear of falling pregnant because I just knew deep down the pregnancy was related to the mushrooms.
Anyway fast forward to where I’m at currently, once again wanting to take mushrooms to balance my hormones in order to control Hirsutism & HS (which I’m sure is related to the PCOS) and I’ve just been reading that in clinical studies Maitake induced ovulation in 76.9% of woman with PCOS which is HUGE!!
On top of this after taking for a while and having bloods done the doctor told me my vitamin D levels were good.
Considering I’ve always been told they were too low & wasn’t taking any supplements I was quite amazed hearing this, that was until I read that Maitake is the strongest food source of Vitamin D.

I just thought I’d share this to start a discussion around this incredible mushroom that nobody seems to be talking about.

I have regular periods but have been trying to conceive for 9 months. I have PCOS and have had excess chin/facial hair for the past 3 years. What helped you conceive with PCOS? Is it possible to reverse or manage PCOS naturally?

I’m not on birth control. I was on a glp1 for almost 2 years and lost about 60 pounds. I started in September 2024 and lost around 40 pounds by January 2025. After that, I hit a major plateau, and it took me almost another year and a half to lose the remaining 20 pounds.
I was getting frustrated with how slow the progress had become, and it was also getting expensive, so I decided to stop taking glp1 about a month ago.
So far, I haven’t gained any weight back, but I did notice that my period is late. I’m now over a couple of weeks late.
At first I didn’t really think much of it but then I realized that my period had actually been very stable the entire time I was taking the glp1 In fact, my periods were lighter and less painful while I was on it.
Now that I’ve stopped, I’m wondering if the change could be related to stopping the glp1 or the changes my body is going through after being on it for so long.

Hi everyone I really need some help or just someone to talk to.

I started a GLP-1 5 months months ago and I’ve lost around 8 kg. But for the past two months my weight keeps going up and down. I’ll lose a kilo then gain it back the next week and it feels like I’m just stuck. Weighing myself every week and seeing the same numbers over and over is starting to really trigger me. I’m already having a hard time mentally after stopping Prozac and losing my job. Now I’m also struggling financially and I’m starting to wonder if I’m just wasting my money on this.

I really want to lose the weight. I’ve been miserable about my weight my whole life and I genuinely thought this was finally going to be the thing that worked for me. I have PCOS and I haven’t had my period in 6 months. I also don’t feel like I eat a lot so I don’t understand why this is happening.

I can’t count calories or macros because tracking food is really triggering for me and can literally make me want to kms. I know a lot oI’ve lost 8 kg on a GLP-1 but I feel like I’m getting nowheref people say you need to track everything but I just can’t do that without it affecting my mental health.

My sister lost a lot of weight on a GLP-1 and I think I expected the same thing to happen to me. Instead I feel like I’m just fat and unemployed and broke and failing at this too.

I don’t really know what I’m looking for by posting this. I guess I just want to hear from people who had a slow start or had their weight fluctuate for months. Did it eventually start moving again? Is 8 kg actually a normal amount to lose in 5 months?

Also I had an eating disorder in the past and I still struggle a lot with body image. If anyone has been through something similar while taking a GLP-1 how did you deal with the mental side of it? Especially without counting calories or constantly weighing yourself. I feel like the scale is starting to control my mood and I don’t know how to stop thinking about it.

Please be kind. I’m already having a really hard time with myself right now.

Hi everyone! So I was recently diagnosed with PCOS/PMOS. I had previously been on birth control pills for 10 years starting in middle school for acne. I went off it about 8 monthes ago and had yet to get my period so my Dr sent me for bloodwork and ultrasounds which then showed PCOS.
Within weeks of stopping birth control I gained atleast 20lbs and it continued and now have probably gained a total of 30-40lbs. In the past when my weights fluctuated I had an easy time getting that weight back off but now it’s just been stuck. I know this is due to the birth control managing PCOS without me knowing. I’ve just felt so discouraged about it and hate what I look like.
After looking more into PCOS I have discovered things about myself I thought were normal or whatever are actually caused by the PCOS so it was comforting in a way to know there’s a reason behind symptoms I have.
My doctor prescribed me metformin 500mg a day for a week and then instructions to start taking it twice a day after that to have it up to 1000mg a day. He told me it should help with my symptoms and mentioned it should help for weight loss. I haven’t started it yet as I’m super nervous and have seen so many people talk about the GI problems.
I’m looking for any positive experiences on it ? Or if your experience didn’t go well then what worked instead? Any other tips or things I can try to help with my PCOS symptoms and help lose weight ? Anything at all is helpful!!

How long did it take for you to start seeing weight loss after changing your diet to better suit your PCOS?
I’ve been eating clean and working out 3–4 times a week, mostly strength training, but over the past month I’ve lost only a little over 1 kg. 😩 And honestly, I feel like it would all come back if I started eating more.
I know weight loss can be slower with PCOS, but I’m starting to feel a bit discouraged and could really use some motivation right now. 🥺 I’m trying to stay consistent, but it’s hard when you put in so much effort and barely see any results.
Would love to hear your experiences and hopefully get a little motivation to keep going! ❤️

After unprotected sex, How does it work on people who have pcods or any other menstrual issues? Any delays or anything which can happen mentally or physically? Would it disrupt hormones for 1-2 months? Any one who experienced it please drop it here.

Anyone microdose on glp-1 to keep PCOS symptoms at bay? I started mounjaro end of June, lost 30lbs, hit my target weight and I feel GREAT. My main concern is the inflammation returning. I was soooo puffy all over. I’ve cleaned up my diet & go to gym regularly. I’m on 2.5mg of mounjaro and thinking of doing every 2 weeks. Now that I’ve hit my goal weight, I’ve had a lot of GI upset on my last dose so I skipped this weeks.

Can you still have PCOS if you get your period every 2 and a half weeks? I get my period around every 18-20 days . But most people with PCOS say they miss periods or don’t get them at all.

I have hadSevere period problems from age 16, with very heavy bleeding and pain severe enough to cause fainting. I Started Microgynon as a teenager and remained on it until age 20/21. Family changed doctors. New doctors told me to stop microgynon due to high blood pressure.
After stopping the pill, periods did not return for around a year. Off to the doctors I went!

Blood tests showed elevated prolactin. They believed I had a tumor on my pituitary gland. 1st mri was told I did. Was sent for a second mri but this time with contrast was then told I had no tumor?

Had an ultrasound, but the results were never properly communicated. Ultrasound people don’t communicate with hospital or doctors? Couldn’t remember what they said i was bursting for a wee nor can my mum who was in the room remember

During this point I had a one off appointment with the gynaecologist at the hospital. Who basically read my doctors (gonna name her dr c) notes. Asked me about my ultrasound and proceeded to tell me to lose the weight. He also prescribed me norethisterone to kick start my period which never came. And also to start the microgynon as it should make me naturally regulate with out helps you guessed that didn’t work

Was then diagnosed with PCO not pcos and put on microgynon once again by Dr C. Dr Cs appointment then became focused on my weight. I was referred to weight loss clinic which I heard from once. Didn’t really receive any advice other than to walk my non existent dog and stop eating chocolate bars all at once from Dr C who was significantly bigger than myself. I stopped going to see her as every time I left feeling like a lazy gluttonous pig.

Despite stopping the weight appointments I still had to keep going back to get the prescription for microgynon that I was once against refused by the same doctor who adviced me to take it due to my high blood pressure (I always have high blood pressure at the doctors I have white coat syndrome. I had to take it on my own machine which had normal results!)

Around this time I am 22/23, I started to do my own research. I learnt that the pill is basically a fake period and masks the real issue. So I decided to stop the pill and stop going to the doctors full stop.

But for the past year the symptoms are starting to affect me mentally.

Now age 24 my Periods only occur about 3–4 times a year.When they do occur, they are heavy, clotty, and painful. I often leak through the pad on the first two days of my period. During the period my hips/pelvic area kills with a constant ache that spreads to my legs.

I used to have lovely thick hair. Now my hair is horribly thin and I’m visibly balding. No matter what product I use it continues. This has made my self esteem hit rock bottom

I have also continued to gain weight significantly. I was around 16 1/2 stone when I started going to the doctors in 2023 as of today I am 18stone 8 lbs. I have gained a stone since January last year. This is the main thing I want “fixed”. I really hate my body I can’t fit into anything and don’t get me started on how it’s affected my breast size. My weight gain makes me want to cry and never leave the house. I no longer recognise myself in the mirror and yearn for the day my chin reappears. I’m not the most active person and this is where I struggle. As for diet despite what Dr c thought I ate. I do not have a bad diet.

Unlike your classic pcos symptom of hair growth I’m not to bad. I have dark follicles on my cleavage and occasionally grow the odd thick hair on my chin. But I’ve also started to learn that it can affect hair growth on normal places like your legs where i do suffer from I think. I just presumed I was hairy?

I have very faint pigmentation on my neck and inner thighs. Which i thought was normal.

For the last year I get utis around the time I’m due on.

I suspect I have insulin resistant PCOS. I could be wrong but that seems the only logical answer right now.

After some persuasion I finally returned to dr c today to discuss periods once more. As soon as I tried discussing it I was instantly 21 again and being advised to be put on microgynon again as it will help my womb lining(which I understand) and to lose weight again. The pill this the pill that. This magic pill will also make my hair grow back? Then how comes I was losing it even when I was on it? My mother who was with me for emotional support as well as being my voice as I often get tongue tied kept telling dr c that I didn’t want to go on the pill at all. Dr c then moved on to her favourite person the professor! Aka the gynaecologist and his love for the pill. The same pill that she kept refusing me.

The conversation then moved on to my weight. My mother then asked her about the weigh lost jab (which dr c is on herself and has made her lost a ton of weight). I’m not sure where I stand on the weight loss jabs I know it’s not the magic answer for everything and I wasn’t expecting to walk out with it. Dr c then shut my mother down with “no she is of child bearing age”. Children? The least of my problems at the moment. I’m not afraid to admit I’m a 24 year old virgin so dr c does that matter right now?

Eventually after dr c saw that me or mother was gonna be dismissed with the pill. I got what I aimed for a blood test appointment and a referral to the ultrasound people. I want to start my diagnosis journey from the beginning. Despite coming out with what I wanted, dr c made me feel like a fool. Like I was lying and that I’m just fat. I cried on the way home I was just so angry.

Next time I have to go to the doctors I’m gonna request to see a new doctor.

I am dreading the results of this blood test. If they come back ‘normal’ what an earth am I gonna do.

Am I going insane?

Recently, I've been trying to put into habit into calorie counting that I bought myself a food weighing scale.

Has calorie tracking worked on anyone with PCOS/PMOS? If so, mind giving me some advice or tips on how to stay consistent on tracking my calories?

I’ve been struggling with my weight a little lately. I’m considering trying intermittent fasting, but I’ve never done it before. Would anybody be willing to share their intermittent fasting routine? And how long you stuck with it before feeling a difference?

I am so frustrated. I’ve made several life changes, I do Pilates and lagree a ton, I eat 99% home cooked gluten free meals, and started ovasitol and birth control at the advice of my OB few months ago. Yet the scale has been hovering around the same place for a YEAR! Maybe even longer. I guess I’m glad I’m not gaining but I’m not small by any means and I’m actively trying to not maintain. Since recording my waist and hips have gone down 2ish inches but the scale is just so stubborn. I’m trying to avoid GLP-1s. Does anyone have any advice on what to do?? I feel helpless at this point

Looking for low impact workouts for PCOS, where Pilates has been recommended to me. Does anyone else do this, and if so, do you have any free YouTubers or something related that I can do Pilates at home? :)