i have both pcos and insulin resistance, and my sugar cravings are completely out of control. i know that i need to cut out sugar to fix my health and manage my insulin, but i seriously do not know how to actually do it.

im pretty sure i have adhd too, and my brain *only* works when i have sugar and caffeine in my system. theyre the only things that motivate me to get my work done. ive tried cutting sugar out before but it costs me academically and physically since i have to stay up late to study.

any advice on breaking this cycle?

I am conducting a capstone research study at Aga Khan University exploring young women’s experiences of diagnosis and living with Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS), previously known as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
You may be eligible if you:
Are a woman aged 18–30

Currently live in Karachi

Have received a PMOS/PCOS diagnosis from a healthcare provider

Are comfortable in English, Urdu, or both

Participation involves: Individual interview: 30–60 minutes
Online survey: 10–15 minutes You may participate in the interview, survey, or both. Participation is voluntary and confidential
Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSePl3vIozOwCulZGLTdzLddfrg59vcyoXhHL1YslaaJXNnroA/viewform?usp=header
If you’re interested in participating, please contact me to receive further information about the study.

I recently got my diagnosis for my PCOS however, I can’t help but compare myself to so many other women who’s symptoms seem so much worse than my own to the point where I feel as though I’ve made everything up.

I know this sounds so stupid in retrospect but I know PCOS can come in all forms but for some reason I look at myself as though certain aspects aren’t severe enough and therefore, can I really feel the way I feel?

Any advice to sort of help me get out of this mindset because I fear it’s setting me back. I fear a trigger has been set off since i’ve been told I should take Wegovy which is a huge thing but again it’s this idea of I don’t deserve it.

I've been taking 100/150mg of Spiro daily to regulate my hormonal acne for since march. I started on 100mg and then my doctor upped the dose to 150mg and I now alternate daily, I love it my skin has never been so clear and manageable and having a super light cycle! I am taking it in combination with a birth control to regulate this.

I recently noticed some dizziness and occasionally being light headed and I was hoping there was something I can do to manage this side effect?

If anyone has some suggestions please let me know!

Hello! I just saw my OBGYN today because I have PCOS and I’m 4 months postpartum. I’ve had night sweats since before I was pregnant or gave birth, but they have been terrible since giving birth. Multiple times a night, needing to switch bedding and clothes. I also got my period 2 months postpartum and I’ve had a cycle that was 44 days and now current cycle has been 40 days. PMS mood, cramps, and headaches off and on the past week.

The doctor recommended birth control with a low dose of estrogen. Or an estrogen patch with progesterone.

I just don’t feel like I have enough information about what is going on in my body. Like most medical appointments, I don’t feel like we had enough time to explore what she was saying and learn about complex systems in my body.

What are other people doing? When I asked her about hormone specialist or options for PCOS she basically affirmed the challenges but said that OBGYNs are all I need for PCOS care and that birth control is really helpful. Where do I go? What should I do next? Thanks!

I absolutely hate getting my period, I know I need to get it but it's just such an inconvenience and obnoxiously unpredictable. Having to have products on you, the extra step when using the bathroom, having to remember you're wearing a tampon, remembering to re-insert a tampon when done, etc, etc.

But at the same time anytime I do get a period its some small miracle that my body actually decided to do whats is supposed to.

Not sure why I struggle so much and its not even the social "taboo" about it or the "shame", I just don't like all the extra steps lol I miss birth control, I wanna go back on it yesterday.

But on a bright note this is actually a really good sign considering we have our first phone consult this weekend with our new fetility clinic 🙌

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk whine session.

Hello everyone. I got my fertility panel done yesterday and my AMH came out to be 4.89 ng /ml. I have super regular cycles! Since my husband and i are ttc i track ovulation and bbt, consistent for the past 3 months. My tsh, lh, fsh and fsh to lh ratio are in line. Im waiting for my docs appointment but want to know if 4.89 is very high given everything else is within range.

Hi! 20F AFAB here. I've had a herniated disc since I was 17 yo. I've been trying to get on fitness for a while. I try to leave an hour to myself as long as it's not a low-energy day, which makes it around 3 days a week, more if I'm lucky.

I have psychological issues, primarily chronic anxiety. I have been cleared by my doctor on blood tests and my inability to eat most of the time. Lately, I've been starting my day with a coffee, ending it with a very light meal/snack or just fruits... again, if I'm lucky. It's a stomach and sensitivity issue, on taste and textures, including several side effects from pills. I do not have an eating disorder or anything similar.

Whenever I exercise, I try to eat more and close the remaining gap for calories or protein with protein shakes.

I cannot go to a gym. I workout at home.

So far I've been testing myself on how far I can go. I warmup, do the exercises the doctors gave me for the herniated disc on my lower back, I do some calisthenics. So far, these are stuff I've been doing for years. It's fun. What I've been testing are the lifts.

I've been able to do: 5 kg on each arm, going at the same time — lateral raise 15x3, 5 kg on each arm bicep curls 20x3, 10 kg calf rises 30x3, and 5 kg bear db slides 15x3. I rest for 1-2 minutes between sets to take a breath or drink something. All of these feel almost easy and I've been loving the energy reset it gives me.

So far, since last week when I started, these have been making me feel better along with calisthenics, feeling my whole body move. Though I haven't been able to find anything to move my whole body, legs or chest, with weights that are especially good for my disc, or at least unharmful. I've noticed I've been feeling better, more energetic and lighter. Can I get some recommendations on what to add or remove?

TLDR: Trying to move body w/ weights trying to lose weight, gain muscle overall, and get more flexibility and stronger muscles to help herniated disc on lower back. Looking for tips or recommendations on whatever I can add to my workout. 3 days a week, barely.

Been taking spearmint tea daily, 2 cups.

P.S. Forgot to mention somehow... I do this whole workout thing mainly to lower testosterone levels esp since I don't take birth control anymore. Though I've gotten a liking to it and thought I might try to lose weight and help my stiff muscles along the way. Hence the heavier mention.

I’ve heard a lot of controlling your pmos is changing your eating habits. Problem is, trying to figure out what to eat stresses me out and stress makes me not hungry so I end up not eating. Then I get to the point where I’m starving and end up binge eating. I will be talking to my doctor about this too but would love advice from people actually going through it as well.

Hello! First time poster (ever!) here. :)

I am having a hard time finding snacks that are low-carb/won't spike blood sugar, while still being somewhat convenient and/or grab-and-go? I am gluten and dairy intolerant as well as trying to generally eat low-histamine for HI, so I usually end up feeling more clueless than before after reading typical recommendations. Just hoping there might be someone here with a similar crazy cocktail of complications to me, lol! Thanks :)

How many mg are you on if youre taking reta? I am taking 4mg. I started:

1 mg for 1 week

3 mg for 2 weeks

4 mg for 1 week. Im probably gonna stay at 4mg. But im terrified to get on the scale (incase I see no improvement). I see compositioning but I dont think im down anything significant.

Hi! Im an 18 year old girl and I want to get my face waxed for the first time, but im worried about the side effects and all the things waxing can cause, such as skin being pulled off, bruising, scarring, folliculitis (this one REALLY worries me), etc. What are some ways I can prevent or treat these things when I get waxed for the first time? What can I expect to happen?

Also, just to be clear, waxing won't make my hair come back prickly and dark, right? It's currently soft and darkish blonde/light red.

Thanks!

hey all. im pretty desperate at this point to feel 'normal' with my BMs. I have had gut health issues all my life, (IBS-C), as well as PCOS, recovering from IMO SIBO, etc. if anyone is in the same boat as me, what have you done to improve your gut health, improve frequency of BMs

any help would be greatly appreciated xx

Background: I (24F) was just diagnosed with PCOS. I initially went to my PCP because after being on birth control for 7 years, I decided to take a break to see if it would help with some anxiety issues I’ve had. I was an athlete undergoing rigorous training ages 14-22 and thought that was the cause of irregular menses. I now have a “normal” BMI and just exercise moderately, so I thought my cycle would be normal. I went off birth control in November 2025 and didn’t get a period until September 2026. In July 2026, I decided I wanted to figure out what was going on, so I went to my PCP. She ordered standard bloodwork which all came back fine and sent me to a gyno. I had one appt with my gyno and she ordered hormonal bloodwork and an ultrasound.

Hormones:
Hormonal bloodwork came back normal except my DHEA-sulfate was in the 830s, which is super high, and I know it’s higher than what most people with PCOS have. List of hormones that tested in normal range:

-testosterone
-DHEA
-TSH reflex to T4
-Prolactin
-hCG
-FSH and LH
-Estradiol

Ultrasound:
Normal, except polyps on both ovaries numbering LESS THAN 20 on each side, which is technically below the range for PCOS.

Adrenal CT:
After DHEA-sulfate came back so high, gyno ordered CT scan to make sure I didn’t have a hormone-producing mass on my adrenal glands. CT scan came back clear.

Now what?
Once the CT came back clear, I wanted to know what to do next to figure out why my DHEA-sulfate is so high. Gyno said it’s probably PCOS and offered spironolactone if I have any other symptoms (acne, abnormal hair growth, hair thinning), but I have no other symptoms. She didn’t really say anything else, and I guess I was just expecting more guidance.

I guess I’m just lost on what to do next. I’ve been doing a lot of research, but it’s a lot of information to process. These are obviously questions I can ask my gyno, but curious if anyone here has any thoughts:

- Are there other blood tests I should ask for (like cortisol)?
- Do I need to get tests done for insulin resistance?
- I would like to get a hormonal IUD because I feel more at ease on birth control, but I don’t want to treat birth control like a bandaid. Should I stay off until I know exactly what’s going on with my body?
- Are there other questions I should be asking my doctors?

My gyno is like 95% sure I have PCOS, I have had dark spots (specifically a dark neck and other areas) since I was a child like I remember having it since middle school, but there’s other dark areas as well, I’m also black so it’s more prominent/noticeable on my skin. I’m just wondering is all the effort I’ve been putting in to get rid of the dark areas on my neck even worth it? Will it ever really go away? Has anyone ACTUALLY cleared it up? If someone had cleared it up what did you do and please be a specific as possible.

I got my labs back from my endocrinologist today and everything was normal (save for my A1C and vitamin D, but I'll get into that later). Even my testosterone had dropped from my last round of labs from one year ago (and even then, the level from last year was considered high on the scale my OBGYN uses, but normal on the scale my endo uses). The only thing that was abnormal was my elevated A1C, as I'm prediabetic, and my low vitamin D.

I'm totally at a loss. I have so many PMOS symptoms (hirsutism--especially on my face, trunk and lower back; prediabetes due to insulin resistance; overweight + difficulty losing weight; skin tags), but my periods are mostly regular (I've only skipped once) and now I guess my androgens are normal too. I'm honestly not even sure if getting a pelvic ultrasound would be worth it now.

I'm kind of beside myself right now, like I seriously don't know what's wrong me aside from the insulin resistance and low vitamin D. I kind of just want to give up on my health and say that I'm just predetermined to be like this.

I am so exhausted, I feel like I’ve tried everything.

My teen years I was 145-147 lbs consistently. I basically never worked out. Only walked a lot.

In college I was leaned towards 150-155 lbs. Fine. I looked basically the same, I was just lifting a lot of weights.

Now I’m 25, and I’ve gained 15 lbs in 6 months (165 lbs). My clothes are fitting different, I see differences in my stomach and thighs. I’m 5’8, so I’m not considered very overweight and I probably appear pretty thin or athletic built to a lot of people.

The thing is, I never changed my lifestyle. Since the age of 23, I have been consistently eating well and working out.

This past year I have tried eating in a 400 calorie deficit for over 3 months while weight lifting 3 times a week, getting in 8-10k steps, and doing yoga 2-3 times a week. Outside of that I’m active too, most of my hobbies are stuff like hiking/backpacking and climbing. I eat mostly whole foods, hit protein goals, eat enough fiber, get 7-8 hours of sleep on the regular, rarely drink…

I started working with a dietitian because my A1C was one point away from being prediabetic. I’ve worn a CGM for a month now and I’m eating for insulin resistance, like swapping rice for quinoa and doing smaller portions of stuff like sweet potato (made my glucose spike like crazy). I am aiming for 35 ish grams of carbs per meal. I also started inositol per her suggestion.

So all that being said, how do I lose these 15 lbs? I’m not comfortable in my own skin anymore. All I can think about is losing weight and I’m terrified of gaining more, since that seems to be my trajectory. I’m back to counting calories, now 1800 a day. I’m so so tired. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know :( I feel like all the posts I see here the only success people have losing weight is with glp-1…

My weight has increased 60lbs over the past year. The turning point was an allergy test that came back negative and a multiple month long gluten trial where I didn't even eat enough for an accurate celiac test. I've cut out the 14 foods that have shown up on previous allergy tests and weight has stabilized. However my nutritionist wants me to track food which makes me depressed and disordered with my eating.

This in mind does the pcos pal app take into account food allergies or is it pretty cookie cutter with food advice?

Apparently I have no insulin resistance! I did the glucose test for two hours! While I’m relieved to hear this… what other things could be the cause of my pcos?

Hi, 22F here! I got diagnosed with a few years ago and I’ve been reading about it ever since. I’ve read that average PCOS women can get pregnant but only via IVF or some assisted reproduction. Is this a thing? It is not possible for us to get pregnant naturally? This is the only way? I'm slowly gaining weight despite being active and having a decent diet. I also have regular supplements and drink spearmint tea which made me get periods but i don't believe i ovulated and they just felt like anovulatory bleeds.

Edit: Been on the NHS gynaecology waiting list for months so wondering what they will offer me realistically when i get to the top.

Any responses appreciated as reassurance would be amazing 🥺

Thanks

Hello everyone. This is my first post here so I'll try my best to explain everything as much as I can.

I'm 29 years old, female. I am 168 cm, 104 kg. I have PCOS, endometriosis, ME/CFS and hypothyroidism. I'm being monitored for PCOS, surgery for endometriosis is coming, I'm treated for hypothyroidism with medication called Euthyrox.

I've never been skinny, honestly. I've struggled with weight my whole life and my self image is low. I tried every diet under the sun. From KETO, LCHF, plant based, vegetarian, high protein, etc. And haven't had success. The only success I've had with weight loss was during high stress periods and when starving.

Right now, I'm on WEEK TWO of weight loss. And so far, I haven't lost a single kg, which is so disheartening. I'm gonna share all the details on what I'm doing.

FOOD:

- My daily calorie intake is 1800 calories. I'm using an app called MacrosFirst to calculate my macros and came to a conclusion, that I eat around 1400 calories a day, not covering all the macros. I struggle mostly with protein.

- I cook and grow my own food. I'm from Europe, living in a village. So I work with fresh ingredients. I eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, I still struggle with protein.

- I eat GLUTEN FREE and LACTOSE FREE due to my PCOS and endometriosis. I try to eat as low inflammatory as I can.

- I drink water only and occasionally having one Red Bull here and there. I don't drink soda, juices or anything. That has been for years. I also drink tea, which I sweeten with honey. I avoid sugar as much as I can.

- I don't eat fast food or a ton of junk food. Here and there, I indulge in some chips and that's pretty much it.

EXERCISE:

- I go on daily walks 4-6 kilometers. I definitely cover 8K steps a day, sometimes 11K.

- I do strength training 4 times a week, cardio 2 times a week and having a 1 rest day. I make sure to warm up prior and cool down after.

SLEEP:

- I go to sleep late but I sleep around 7 hours a night. I also take a nap when necessary. But because I struggle with sleep, I take Dramina (Dramamine) to help with sleep.

SUPPLEMENTS AND MEDICATION:

- I take Euthyrox for my hypothyroidism.

- Probiotics.

- Digestive enzymes.

- Magnesium glycinate.

- Vitamin D.

That's pretty much it. If there's anything that I need to add, please let me know. I'd be really happy to hear some advice or suggestions, on what I can do.

I only got diagnosed this year at 30 but I have always had a similar pattern of severe stress event - high DHEAS - very oily skin - hair falls out - chronic fatigue - acne. I then have periods where I feel normal and don’t struggle with those things as much.

I was diagnosed this year by clinical features and size of my ovaries as my insulin, testosterone is always fine and my DHEAS are the only ones that are sporadically high.

I know it’s complex but I am going off a vibes based on here but I feel like my stress and mental illness (OCD!! So always HIGH CORTISOL lol !!!!) cause a dysfunction that gives me insulin resistance that gives very obvious clinical features but not on blood work. I always had regular periods and no polycystic ovaries. I do have stage 4 endometriosis which is primarily ovarian cysts so my ovaries have been completely cleared of multiple endo cysts.

God bodies are weird ?!

I (23NB) went to an endocrinologist for the first time (for my PCOS) and described to her my debilitating chronic fatigue. My quality of life has been steadily declining for the last six years and the past three have been just awful: I don’t have a social life outside of my partner and best friend, I go to sleep/nap right after my 9-5, and weekends are spent physically recovering from the work week, most of the time sleeping on and off all day. Chores and home life are becoming nearly impossible.

My doctor said that, contrary to my research and what my PCP and OB/GYN have said, chronic fatigue is NOT a PCOS symptom. I’ve had an at home sleep test and it came back clean. My endocrinologist ran some blood tests and told me to start taking a daily multivitamin. My tests showed a lack of Vitamin D and she directed me to take 2000 IUs daily. She thinks this is the reason for the fatigue.

I haven’t noticed a difference in the first week. I’m just wondering if maybe I should get a second opinion? Do any of you experience fatigue like this? Any advice appreciated.

Edit: WOW, I did not expect this response! Thank you for all the support and advice in this thread— this community always makes me feel less alone when it comes to my health issues. I appreciate everyone’s perspective here 🙏

I figured I’d answer some questions that keep getting asked: Yes we tested vitamin D, iron, vitamin B, folate, ferritin this round (a couple weeks ago). We’ve been using hormone levels (progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, androgens) that were collected two years ago. The only abnormal result for the vitamin, etc. tests was my vitamin D level at 20.7. I am somwhat insulin resistant, my PCP describes it as “pre-pre-diabetic.” I am not taking Metformin or any weightloss drugs currently and don’t plan to— tried MF for a few months, it’s not for me. I am now on birth control (Yaz) to help with PCOS symptoms, 2wks in and my acne is horrific and I can’t stop crying. 🤩 Sorry if that’s all TMI, but I hope it helps give some context!

Edit 2: I want to clarify. I associate insulin resistance and PCOS— THAT is what I meant by PCOS causing fatigue or fatigue being a symptom of PCOS. Yes, it would moreso be a symptom of the insulin resistance, however my IR is caused by my PCOS, which means the fatigue is caused ultimately by PCOS. That’s my train of thought, sorry if I caused confusion with that, I know it’s not technically correct but maybe that makes more sense?

I have purchased the inositol and berberine supplements and I am preparing to start taking them, but I’m curious what the best way to do this is? Do I start first taking one- like maybe inositol- for a few weeks and then add berberine? Or do I just start both with low doses at the same time? Thoughts? Experiences?

Help me! I’ve been so constipated and can’t go which then makes me super bloated. How can I go regularly. I find I’m bloated and then one day out of the week it finally hits and I go. But I wish I could be more regular. I probably only get like 15g of fiber a day. I also read with PCOS I should be getting at least 30 if not more for insulin resistance. I don’t do gluten or dairy because it makes me bloated. I need all the suggestions please!