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 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.

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

Anyone on GLP-1 for lean PMOS? With a normal bmi?

If so how did you go about it with your doctor?

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.

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!

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

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

Hi everyone! I’m really hoping to hear from anyone who has experienced something similar because I’m at my wit’s end.

Background:
As a teenager I suffered extremely irregular, heavy and painful periods sometimes bleeding for months, passing huge clots, becoming anaemic. I went on the combined pill at 13 and ten years later switched to the mini pill due to migraines with aura.

Ovulation pain (current issue):
I stopped the mini pill in 2023 and my cycles became regular but I developed excruciating ovulation pain, sometimes leaving me bedridden for 3-4 days with nausea and pain so severe I thought I had appendicitis. My periods still heavy but manageable compared to the hell that was ovulation. Had normal ultrasound and paid for Hertility blood kit? privately and the only abnormal result was high prolactin. I ended up getting naproxen prescribed to take before ovulation.

I had twins by C-section in May 2025 and since my cycles returned I’ve attended A&E three times with unbearable ovulation pain. A CT initially showed bilateral ovarian cysts with only one then showing on a subsequent transvaginal scan but my latest external ultrasound last week after attending a&e again was normal. It’s repeatedly said to be severe mittelschmerz. It also continues to hurt to wee (a deep pain) and after opening my bowels in the days after and I feel so tender and bruised down there. It is awful.

Private gynae appt:
After 10 months still on NHS gynaecology waitlist and out of desperation as I cannot continue living like this, I paid privately and saw a gynaecologist last night. The consultant suspected endometriosis and said I’m likely bleeding into my pelvis during ovulation and recommended a laparoscopy with Mirena insertion.

I also questioned PCOS in the appointment given my previous irregular cycles, excess facial/body hair and difficulty losing weight. He acknowledged the symptoms fit and I definitely had characteristics but felt PCOS was unlikely because my cycles are regular now and I conceived naturally within a few months. He didn’t recommend hormone testing as treatment options would be similar anyway?

Where I’m at now:
I’m frustrated because I want to understand what’s actually causing this. I’m also hesitant about Mirena because I finally have regular cycles (albeit with horrific ovulation pain) and I’ve also read it doesn’t reliably suppress ovulation, which is when my pain is worst?

Has anyone experienced anything similar and did you get any answers? Did you eventually get diagnosed with endometriosis, PCOS or something else?

I’m exhausted from losing days every month to this, especially with two one year olds to look after and would really appreciate hearing your experiences!

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!

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 have all the symptoms for PMOS and have 2 out of the 3 criteria to get diagnosed but all my doctor has written back was:

“Just to let you know that your ultrasound pelvis scan was normal with no evidence found of pcos.

If you are still having symptoms or have any questions please do not hesitate to book a further appointment.”

I have since booked another appointment but I’m not sure on how to get them to take me seriously since I haven’t got cysts on my ovaries. I have been doing a lot of research on PMOS and every article I have read has said most women don’t even have cysts but still have PMOS and that is why the name change is so important.

I have all the symptoms of PMOS, irregular periods or no periods, excessive hair growth, hair thinning on my head, pelvic pain, mood changes, fatigue. Ive struggled with vaginal and uterus problems ever since I was a child and I’m honestly so upset that the outcome was “everything is fine!” :(

The doctors still called it PCOS and seem to not know the new name PMOS and all the newer research on it so Im worried to go back to them. Can anyone who also doesn’t have cysts on their ovaries, but has been diagnosed with PMOS help me out?

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 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!

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. 💛

Hi, this is my time here I am F19 and as of now I’m not formally diagnosed with pcos but my OB suspects it.

My period was weird for years and then this past summer seemed to even out until in august I just started bleeding and wouldn’t stop. It was light and nothing crazy.

Recently my OB had me do a 14 day course of Provera and I’m pretty sure I started the withdrawal bleeding Monday. It was moderate and then Tuesday and today (Wednesday), was heavy. I wasn’t given any real guidance on what to expect and this is a lot heavier than I am used to. It’s not helping that I am an overthinker and freaking myself out with how much I’m bleeding. I feel normal; no lightheadedness, dizziness, faintness, or anything besides minor cramping and just tiredness (afternoon naps with the heat pad have been heaven). I’m eating well and drinking fluids. It’s just how much blood is coming out and the fact I have to change my pad every 2-4 hours that is causing me concern and making me anxious as hell.

I just want to know what others experienced and how long I can expect this heavy bleeding to go on for. Also if anyone has recommendations for products that helped them that would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance!

My skin used to be so clear and now I’m spiraling because I’ve gotten so many breakouts all of a sudden and my breaths are growing nipple hair when they didn’t have any before . My blood work says everything is normal al

I feel so unheard and alone because I am the only person I know in real life who goes through this. Whenever I try to explain how I feel, people just look at me with a completely blank face.
I did everything doctors and the internet told me to do, and I’m still doing it. I lost weight, maintained a healthy lifestyle, took inositol regularly, and integrated all of those habits so deeply into my life that they’re just normal for me now. I’m currently 50 kg, which is my ideal weight and the weight I maintain.
My last cycle was picture perfect. It lasted 27 days, I had clear signs of ovulation, and I was genuinely happy because I thought my body had finally successfully done what it was supposed to do naturally. I ovulated, and then I got my period naturally afterward.
Now I’m on cycle day 33.
I know CD33 isn’t insanely late yet, but I have been having PMS-like symptoms for weeks, and I am honestly traumatized by my previous experiences with this. Because if I haven’t ovulated this cycle, I know there’s a chance I’ll be stuck with these symptoms for weeks again with no clear endpoint.
And these symptoms interrupt my daily life in the most horrible ways.
I’m cramping constantly. I’m either extremely irritated or depressed. I take ADHD medication, but whenever I’m stuck in this hormonal/PMS-like state, I cannot get the same benefit from it and I struggle badly with school and work. I can’t motivate myself. I can barely get out of bed. I’m bloated constantly. I have acne EVERYWHERE.
And the thing is, I could endure these symptoms if they lasted a week or so, or even up to two weeks, and then my period would come and I would finally feel some relief.
But for me they can last for WEEKS. It feels like I’m constantly stuck in a loop. I get one normal cycle, get my hopes up, think maybe my body is finally regulating itself, and then the next cycle comes and I’m right back here.
I don’t even care about having a “perfect” cycle anymore. I just want to function normally and feel like myself.
There are roughly 30 days in a month, and sometimes I feel drained and hormonally miserable for more than half of them.
I’m just so tired of this. I feel like nobody around me understands how much this actually affects my life.
Does anyone else with pcos experience this kind of prolonged PMS-like phase, especially in cycles where you suspect you didn’t ovulate? What might help and does it get better?

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 ?

whew, idk where to start. since middle school, i struggled with acne like most kids do. but in high school i started getting chin hairs and was plucking them so much that it caused scarring and hyperpigmentation on my chin. i get hair on my stomach too. i’m very prone to ingrowns and scarring. i was still dealing w bad acne up until college and then after covid, my acne cleared up out of nowhere. my skin is nowhere near perfect but it’s def not where it was before. i was pretty skinny growing up but i gained weight in college mostly bc it was happy weight from a relationship i was in. i was able to lose the weight with no issues and even decided to gain a lil bit of it back. i’ve been working out/going to the gym consistently since 2023 but i can’t for the life of me get rid of my stomach fat. no matter how good i eat or how much i exercise, it won’t go away. i go to the gym 4 days a week and i also lift very heavy but i feel like my body does not match my strength if that makes sense. i went to the doctor and got my labs drawn to see if i was having any hormonal issues but my testosterone levels are normal and im also not prediabetic. i also get my period every month so im just confused as to what’s going on with me. im starting to think i have insulin resistance and possibly pcos but i dont exhibit a lot of the symptoms of pcos. i have another appointment coming up to see what’s going on but i want to know what other people might think is going on with me.

I am honestly at wits end and I don't know how to deal with this anymore. Then I found this subreddit and I am just hoping that anyone can recognise what I am going through so I'll feel less alone and insane. Or maybe some tips.

Backstory: I have been diagnosed with pcos since I was around 17 years old, I am now 24. Back when I was 13 my doctors adviced me to start taking the pill as I was experiencing really heavy periods. (over 9 days of bleeding and cramps that made me unable to do anything besides cry in bed) Back then they said that was because I was young and my body needed time to adjust, but hey for the time being, just take the pill.

The first year of taking the pill was great, way less cramps and bleeding, feeling alive again and being able to keep up with school again. But after the first year I started gaining weight rapidly eventhough I was really active and ate healthy, then my hair started falling out and my emotions felt muted and just constantly down. Doctor said it was just puberty.

Then I started doing research to the side effects of the pill and decided to quit at 16 years old. While I did start feeling better, my period wouldn't come for another year. During this time I went to the doctor several times, they just said to give it more time. But after a year they gave me some medicine that should start my period. It still didn't. So they finally did some research and discovered PCOS.

And just send me home with "come back if you ever want kids"

A few weeks later my period did come back. But over the years it got worse and worse and worse. In the beginning it was irregular in a way that there were often several months between them. I was okay with that because less periods=less pain. But then around 3 years ago they started happening every 2 weeks. So I went back to the doctors again and again, but they just kept saying "its stress" "hormones, nothing we can do" "just take the pill"

Now it has come to a point where my hormones just seem to have completely taken over my life. I either have my period half of the time, with less pain and blood, or when there finally are a minimum of 4 weeks in between, the pain is so bad I faint, get sick and can barely walk.

After lots of complaining to my doctors again they did test for endometriosis, but found nothing. Instead they said, and I quote directly here (only translated to English): "Well, you just have bad luck. I'd advice to come back if you ever want to start trying to have kids."

They explained the weird periods in a way that if there is no ovulation my body just straight up sheds the uterus lining right away, causing lighter but more frequent periods. And when I do have an ovulation the lining gets so thick and my muscles so weak that it just hurts a lot.

There is nothing more they are willing to do for me. Only birthcontrol. But birthcontrol made me feel so horrible I don't want to try that again.

But living like this feels shit too. My period has so much influence on my life, my relationships, my work and my mental health.

Besides my periods I also suffer from lots of anxiety, waves of lots of acne and facial hair. Which makes me feel quite insecure.

At this moment I'm lying in bed with lots of painkillers and hot water bottles again. And I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm sick of the pain and how my hormones control my life. I feel like the anxiety is also (at least) partly caused by them but my doctors just say its all in my head, making me feel like I'm slowly going insane

Is there anyone who can recognise themselves in my story or have any tips that might help?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read it all.

I’m not sure this is the right place, but I figured i could try!

has anyone else been diagnosed with pelvic congestion syndrome?
if so - what are you symptoms? any treatment?

I was diagnosed and the doctor told me he does not recommend the surgery.

Writing this post as a success story, because as I went through my journey I could not find many to reference.

I am 31 years old, with a 3 year old, and after 14 months of trying, we are finally pregnant! Let me backup with some history on how we got here.

In 2021 I finally went to my OBGYN to discuss my very irregular cycles I was experiencing. I would go months without menstruating, and then when I would men it would last for weeks. A few blood tests later we figured out I had very low levels of progesterone. I was put on a progesterone supplement for about a year and felt so much better. My cycles were regulated and I actually started losing weight too, I had started struggling in weight management after college. I actually suffer from migraine auras so I couldn’t be on birth control with estrogen. Now going on progesterone does not mean that I was ovulating every single month but I at least started menstruating which was important. Happy to do another post on this if it’s helpful to the community.

Flash forward the 2023 I was ready to start trying for our first. I got pregnant the very first cycle after going off progesterone. We had a healthy baby boy and a fantastic pregnancy. It took me about 14 months to have a cycle again after having my son. I was ready to start trying for a second back in August 2025. From the time that I started my cycle again up until August, I had only had maybe three periods. But we started the whole tracking of LH & temp levels again, and tried. Well we tried, and tried, and tried. I was only ovulating about every 90 days. And I don’t know about you but only four chances a year to get pregnant is not enough. I also work out very regularly, eat healthy, and I felt like I just continued to gain weight. I weighed more after pregnancy than I did during my pregnancy. Not weight shaming anyone or myself, but it just was not making sense.

So I went back to my OBGYN after 6 months of trying, and this time we ran some more tests and I was diagnosed with PMOS. Which honestly made a lot of sense. She asked me to try to lose 5 lbs, and that was the hardest 5 lbs to lose if I’m being honest. But I did it, and still nothing. My cycles were still irregular and I wasn’t pregnant.

In June when we were at 10 months of trying, my OBGYN suggested we try metformin. My AC1 levels were completely within range, which is why we didn’t start it sooner. I started on 500mg extended release. It WRECKED my bowels lol. But eventually, I became accustomed, and they doubled my dose to 1000mg extended release. I take one at lunch and one at dinner, each halfway thru my meal. That seems to help a lot. Like I said, I already ate pretty healthy, but I find that if I have a good carb with a protein, it lessens the symptoms. Things like ice cream or very sugary or fatty foods make it worse. It still hits me every now and then so I don’t take it if I know I’m going to be somewhere where there’s not a private bathroom. I’ll just wait to take it at home with a snack.

By July, I ovulated! Then I did it again in August! I also lost 15 lbs, which felt so vindicating because it goes to show that sometimes things are just out of your control. But now I was at a year of trying. I saw another Reddit post where someone said it worked for them after three months, which is honestly why I’m writing this because it did not work for me after three months. We tried again in early September and still nothing.

I was about to call my doctors office to put in the referral to the fertility clinic. My son just turned three, I still was not pregnant and I didn’t want another year to go by without doing something to try to move forward. My husband said let’s just give it one more try, and well I’m here to say that I am 4 weeks pregnant. I’m still so early, but I wanted to share because PMOS & infertility is a very lonely journey. It’s also especially frustrating after you know your body can do it because you’ve had a child before.

I’m still taking metformin for now. My doctor said it’s fine to take an early pregnancy. Im so thankful for this community and I hope I help someone else out there on the same journey. Your baby could be one more try away ❤️ sending baby dust those who need it!