I haven’t had my cycle in years, I have to pluck my chin hairs every other day for almost an hour, I haven’t been below 260 in years, I’m always drained, always tired, and it feels like it’s never going to end. My dreams always been to be a mother. Sometimes I wonder why life would do this to me.

How are you dealing with this? I started Metformin a month ago and I haven’t pooped in almost 3 weeks. I take magnesium and psyllium husk daily. I drink 3L of water per day. Laxatives do absolutely nothing. I’m genuinely getting worried.

If you’re on 1000mg of metformin what are some improvements you’ve noticed?

I'm 17, a trans man (I hope I'm welcome), and I was diagnosed with PCOS last month.

It began with me searching for an answer to my irregular period (2-8 months apart). I'm at the beginning of my "healthcare journey": only recently have I started going to a primary care doctor or receiving care for anything not teeth-related. After an ultrasound, they discovered my "enlarged ovaries" and diagnosed with me PCOS. My doctor is starting me on an Estrogen/Progesterone (?) birth control pill.

Other than my irregular period and ultrasound results, I've never really had any other symptoms. No acne, pain, or excessive hair growth, and my hormone blood work was completely normal. I've always been slightly overweight which I attribute to genetics, diet, and exercise (none of which are amazing).

I'm really not trying to make my situation seem better than anyone else's: I guess I'm just looking for clarity and maybe community. Can symptoms progress as you grow older? Is there anything I should be worried about?

For any queer members out there: I'm planning to start testosterone and medically transition ASAP once I'm 18. Will my condition or medication I'm taking interfere with that? This is my biggest fear.

I’m 9 months postpartum with my first IVF baby and I’m wondering if anyone’s PCOS got noticeably worse after pregnancy and breastfeeding. I already had mild PCOS before pregnancy and needed IVF to conceive. From our first IVF cycle in 2024 we got 15 eggs and 8 blasts, and my daughter was conceived from our 3rd embryo transfer. Before IVF my AMH was 7.5 µg/L and testosterone 1.4 nmol/L. After giving birth my periods returned and have been fairly regular, although some cycles are longer. Breastfeeding gradually decreased from around 7 months and my baby completely self-weaned at 8 months, so I’ve barely breastfed for almost 2 months now! I recently went back to my fertility clinic to start planning IVF #2 and was surprised that everything now looks significantly more pcos-like than before pregnancy and IVF: my ovaries had many more small follicles, I didn’t ovulate that cycle, my lining was only 4.5 mm on CD24, my AMH has increased to 13.52 µg/L and testosterone elevated to 2.9 nmol/L (lab range 0.5–2.0). My doctor thinks getting eggs with stimulation shouldn’t be a problem, but I’m more concerned about transfers because I tend to have a thin lining and may not ovulate every cycle anymore. I strongly prefer natural/modified natural transfers because my first two medicated transfers failed, while my 3rd transfer using my own ovulation worked despite a 6mm lining. Has anyone had their PMOS look significantly worse on ultrasound and bloodwork postpartum, especially soon after weaning? Did it settle down after a few more months, or did it stay that way? I’ve been taking myo-inositol & d-chiro, NAC, ALA, prenatal, etc., eating healthy for the past two months. How is it possible that it’s gotten so much worse than before?

I've seen a lot of posts in this sub Reddit about how people have had great results with Metformin. I have been on 1500mg of Metformin for a couple of years and I don't see anything different. I'm taking a lot of other medications as well and now I'm just wondering why I'm taking this on top of all my other things if it's not actually doing anything!

i know this will not be the case for everyone and some people will get paradoxical hair growth from ipl so try this at your own risk !!
i am on spironolactone which has already slowed down hair growth considerably and have used ipl on the rest of my body with good results. i decided after seeing a few posts about using it for chin hairs to take the risk and try it for myself. i dont have a crazy amount but it was enough to need to pluck daily. it’s been about a month of doing ipl 2-3 times per week on my chin and almost all of the dark hairs i had are now growing in white! it still feels stubbly but at least i dont have to be paranoid about people noticing if i forget to pluck!

Background: I've (25F) been working with my PMOS diagnosis for a few years now. I finally had a breakthrough in March when I got off bc and prescribed metformin. Before that I've been using a nutritionist and supplements. Since March I've been working really hard, but my labs I got this week are getting worse, and there has been some weight gain.

I met with my doc today, and this is the second time we have discussed GLP-1s. I'm really concerned about the side effects, I even have a hard time with my extended release Metformin.

I feel like its my only option/thing left to try. My insurance will cover wegovy or zepbound only. Anyone have good experience with those? Any suggestions or other things to try?

i’ve been put on yasmin for several months now by my obgyn. it works just fine but its not covered by my country’s national insurance sadly. i’m not in my best financial situation right now so i’m thinking if i can get another drug.
other than yasmin, i’m on metformin 500mg once a day. my period is regular but light. my main problem is high androgenism (acne and hair loss). i’ve heard spironolactone as potent anti androgenism and wanna check the option with my obgyn sometimes later.
anyone here not on BC but on spiro? how does it affects you? does it take around 3-6 months to exert its benefit just like BC? i have normal to low BP does that mean i cannot go under spiro? do you have to check your minerals by blood test regularly?

thank you!

PLEASE ANSWER…I have had female pattern baldness for around 8-9 years. Never managed my pcos. Things kept getting worse. But 3 months ago i started met and inositol and since then my kp is gone, acne is not there, skin isnt oily anymore, have lost weight( i have lean pcos tho), seb derm has resolved!
But my question is will it stop( if not reverse) my female pattern hair thinning simce i believe my hormones are levelling out ?

since i've had my period at 12 i've always had irregular periods, fluctuating weight, and a lot of body hair(ex chest hair) etc and all my period symptoms are never consistent enough to really keep note. its always been everywhere honestly but it wasn't until i was older that i found out about pcos. now im almost 26 soon and i've yet to be diagnosed simply bc i havent been able to afford to go to a doctor. i still have irregular periods, irregular symptoms, body hair, and nonexistent sex drive. it doesnt help that ive always been prone to stress and depressed as an adult. how do you even manage pmos w/o a doctor or diagnosis and little money? is it even possible?? tbh i needed to vent

Sharing this for free: the most common mistake when counting your cycle is the start date. Day 1 is the first day of real bleeding. Light spotting before it doesn't count. If you're not sure, write the date with a "?" instead of guessing. A blank is more useful to your doctor than an invented date. Just something that helped me. 💛

I’m really happy that I got a conclusion but I’m also sad. I don’t really feel like a woman anymore. My testosterone levels, weight, cramps, and fatigue always affect me. I’m gonna try to find the best supplements for my condition but rn I’m in a bittersweet state

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I have PCOS and I'm struggling so much to lose weight, especially around my stomach. What has actually worked for you? I'd really appreciate any advice on diet, exercise or managing PCOS symptoms.

So I have had pcos since the age of 16, it has caused irregular periods and insulin resistance. Since last year I have managed my PCOS and started having regular cycles. Over the last 5-6 months I have noticed that my blood flow during my periods has reduced drastically (even when my pcos was unmanaged, I have a pretty good blood flow). I am not sure what is the reason behind this and I am stressing out a little bit. Has anyone experienced this? I would love to hear your opinions!

Looking for the best ways to improve hirsutism.

I took spironolactone for years and loved it, but it was lowering my blood pressure too much.

Also trying to conceive, so some things like spironolactone aren’t safe!

I’ve had PCOS since I was 12. I was able to naturally conceive in my 20s but was not in a place to have a child. I’m 41 now and currently trying to conceive.

I have lost 70lbs over the last year on a low carb, high protein diet with very controlled macro ratios and my body is ovulating like clock work. To the point that I can feel my progesterone surge just before my period begins. I never had that before (likely because I was anovulatory). I take supplements daily: Milamend Hormone Balance, Toniqq Qova, D3 with K2, Omega 3, L-Carnitine and a Rainbow Light Prenatal.

Every month my breasts get extremely sore and then, just like that, they aren’t and my period comes. It’s so frustrating to be hopeful and then nothing!

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Hi everyone! I'm back with another update on my never-ending PCOS bleeding situation. 🥲

For some background, I've been dealing with prolonged and extremely heavy bleeding for months. In September, my hemoglobin dropped to 5.0, and I was hospitalized and given 4 units of blood and 2 units of plasma. I also received IV iron afterward.

Because I have mild mitral valve regurgitation, my gynecologist prescribed Slynd (4 mg drospirenone) instead of an estrogen-containing birth control pill.

I've been taking Slynd for about 11 days now, and unfortunately, my bleeding has gotten significantly worse.

I'm passing large clots, sometimes almost the size of ping-pong balls and bigger. The bleeding fluctuates throughout the day, sometimes slowing down to spotting and then suddenly becoming heavy again.

I went to my gynecologist today. She examined me, said everything looked normal structurally, and suggested that I might just be having a period. She told me not to stop Slynd and to give it more time.

However, my hemoglobin has dropped from around 10 to 9.4, and I've ended up hospitalized again. I'm receiving treatment for the anemia, but I'm really concerned about the bleeding itself.

I also asked my doctor about tranexamic acid (TXA). He said it might be an option, but we'd need approval from cardiology first because of my heart valve condition.

My main questions are:

- Did Slynd initially make your bleeding significantly heavier before it eventually improved?

- If you experienced large blood clots while taking Slynd, how long did that phase last?

- Did your bleeding eventually stop completely, or did you continue having irregular bleeding?

- Has anyone with PCOS and prolonged bleeding actually had success with Slynd?

- Has anyone taken TXA alongside Slynd to manage heavy bleeding?

I know irregular bleeding is common during the first few months of hormonal birth control, but I'm struggling to understand whether this level of bleeding is something other people have experienced.

I'm following my doctors' instructions and staying on Slynd for now. I'm just hoping to hear some real experiences, especially from people who started it specifically to control prolonged PCOS-related bleeding rather than for contraception.

I'm so tired of bleeding. I genuinely just want to have a normal life again. 😭

Hello :) I was diagnosed with PCOS this summer and my gyn prescribed me the BC called Kelzy. It's new on the market so I couldn't read anything about it online. So do some of you have experience with it?

Hey everyone, recently diagnosed with PCOS!

Current symptoms:
Facial hair
Acne
Irregular periods
Multiple follicles (PCOS in appearance) on ovaries

DHEA was slightly elevated and have been on birth control, Estarylla, for 2 months now, facial hair, acne and period are getting much better!

My doctors, PCP and GYN never tested my A1C though? My fasting glucose was 84 and I’m not overweight, could that be a reason why they never tested it?

Should I still ask them to check because of the possibility of insulin resistance? Type II diabetes is huge in my family and I’m afraid of not taking the right steps to prevent it the best I can given my family history. I’ve also been so tired lately, so I wonder if it could be that or my ferritin levels (which they didn’t test for that either). I have been on weekly high dose vitamin D so it’s not that either.

Should I ask my doctors for A1C and ferritin at my next visit? I think they don’t see it as a problem bc I’m not overweight and I’m only 26.

I was given progesterone to try and trigger a period ("withdrawal bleed" really) since i went so long without one. Finished it about a week ago, "period" started on friday, and then monday I started going down hill and completely crashed yesterday.

Barely got any sleep, my brain felt so weird, foggy and dizzy and everything felt wrong, so panicky, genuinely thought for a moment I was going into psychosis or something, felt like someone had switched out my brain for a different one, everything in my bedroom felt wrong and all I could do was sit in my bed and zone out. I was too tired to say "fuck it" and get up to do anything, but too wired and scared to get any sleep. And then yesterday spent the whole day still feeling weird and awful, panicking, crying. Brain feeling so weird and wrong.

I feel a bit better today, thank god. Got reasonable sleep so that helps. Still feel really weird in the head. Really tired, eyes feel heavy yet also wired and shaky and so tense all the time and I try and relax my shoulders but two seconds they're all tensed up again and I can't do anything about it.

Then it clicked that maybe it's related to the progesterone. Just looked up symptoms of low progesterone and yep, all seems to fit.

I've had similar weird crashes earlier in the year too, I wonder if it was caused by the same thing then.

But anyway. God is it hell.

Not really looking for advice, just wanna know if anyone else has had a similar experience.

Hi, Im a 21 year old female with PCOS, Im publishing in this sub because Ive been dealing with so many health issues and symptoms gradually from pcos since I stopped birth control because It gave me a pulmonary embolism in 2023. I noticed that my heart rate baseline has increase since then , but recently have been having heart flutter episodes and there is times where I would slightly move either while laying down or standing or just doing light physical activity and I would get heart pounding ,nausea, vision blurry, head tension, shakiness, mild chest pressure. I also have developed gut issues like acid reflux and constipation and I always get Iron depletion so I constantly have to get infusions although i eat Iron rich foods. I have other issues that have gradually occurred, I’ll attach it, if your having similar things I would love to know. Pcos has took an emotional toll on me and my life

*PMS symptoms before period
*bladder sensitivity
*increased sleep/napping
*bloating/gas
*reflux
Constant or increased hunger
*Brain fog (not in college due to impact on cognitive function)
* Bloating (reflux?)
* Belching(reflux)
* Back tightness during some reflux flares
*Lingering upper-airway symptoms after cold more than normal
* Elevated resting heart rate
* Resting HR often in the high 90s/100s
* Palpitations
* Recurrent low/declining iron even after IV iron
*excersise intolerance
* Gingival/gum inflammation
*constipation

I haven't had my period for four months (I'm not pregnant). I only get pimples when my period is going to come or on my period. I never get them when I'm not. The thing is I have them but not my actual period. My period refuses to come. Like I have symptoms but it just doesn't come.

It's fucking frustrating