Any other ladies have PCOS?

goodbyefreshman15

Just curious how common it is. It makes weight loss quite a struggle!

PunkyRachel

I have it too, diagnosed when I was 20 and yes it makes it harder to lose weight. I've been 2 years and still not at my GW. Having PCOS in general just sucks! I don't know how common it is, I only know 3 people in real life that have it. I hate explaining to people, they just don't understand at all usually.

amosmoses88

I have it. Have been diagnosed since summer 2010. It has slowed down my weight loss A LOT. I have been on Metformin off and on since then and it helps. But the stomach pains, the bathroom issues---shew. But I have IBS so it's hard to distinguish which is which. I know it hurts!

fmob31

I also have PCOS and have a hard time dropping weight. I tried Metformin and Actos, both made me very sick along with the abdominal pains and dizziness. I had to stop taking those medications in order to function.

goodbyefreshman15

I have it. Have been diagnosed since summer 2010. It has slowed down my weight loss A LOT. I have been on Metformin off and on since then and it helps. But the stomach pains, the bathroom issues---shew. But I have IBS so it's hard to distinguish which is which. I know it hurts!

I also have IBS! Such an..uncomfortable condition.

Jelise24

I do too. It does make it harder to lose weight. I have to be VERY strict with food choices if I want to lose weight.

goodbyefreshman15

I have it too, diagnosed when I was 20 and yes it makes it harder to lose weight. I've been 2 years and still not at my GW. Having PCOS in general just sucks! I don't know how common it is, I only know 3 people in real life that have it. I hate explaining to people, they just don't understand at all usually.

I asked because I don't know anyone in real life other than me!

goodbyefreshman15

I also have PCOS and have a hard time dropping weight. I tried Metformin and Actos, both made me very sick along with the abdominal pains and dizziness. I had to stop taking those medications in order to function.

I was on Metformin for a little while, but I felt worse on it. Don't have any experience with Actos.

Marcia315

I have it too.

littlelexical

I have both PCOS and Thyroid issues It is hard, really hard - but you can do it - honest. I have heart issues, so no metaformin or other drugs for me that are often prescribed. And while i uise to be able to exercise HEAPS to manage my weight as a child/young adult - as my heart got worse - that got harder too.

Explaining to other people is always difficult, but, in the end, its none of their business anyhow - so - try not to take their belief/disbelief/understanding/non-understanding to heart - until you go through it & have a reason to be interested in it, read up about it, research it & fully understand it yourself - you generally cant/wont... And it is a pretty complicated thing for someone who has no awareness of it to understand

Try to eat a PCOS friendly diet - that means things that dont aggravate your condition (which is what most PCOS specific diets focus on) But also one that helps the whole endocrine system flourish & strengthen.

Dont forget - PCOSers generally need a little more sleep than the average bear too. So if you have issues with sleep - try and look at this whole experience collectively & get on top of it all - it will only help in the long run

Huge amounts of luck for your journey.


One last thing (sorry for the HUGE post) I say this constantly... If someone tells you you should/shouldnt eat something for PCOS - always question why? And do your own research too. Ask the important questions - further than 'will it fill me up' - ask "what is it doing inside me?" - "what is it doing to my system that is good/bad?"
Unfortunately there is a lot of PCOS information out there that only focuses on you 'feeling full' or 'having energy' but isnt so helpful when it comes to actually making you feel, or function any better inside

Miasen

I do, and im kind of bitter about the fact that PCOS is such a neglected disease. I have had 3 different doctors diagnose it, and none of them went on to explain it or discuss possible treatments.

Now I want to get pregnant, and atleast I have a great fertility doctor that takes me trough those steps. At the same time im working with the weightloss. Going good so far

Skarlet13

I have PCOS and celiac. Interestingly, when I went off gluten my period resumed. I also get a tonne of sleep. I started at the end of November and have lost 10 lbs.

sophie_wr

PCOS too...
as somebody said, the Drs are kinda bad with that... if you dont want to get pregnant, they dont do anything (and I have experience with Drs in two different countries, well that's the same BS everywhere)

I lost the 20 first pounds easily but have been struggling since....
Good luck and add me as a friend if you want !

lmhbuss

I have it also! It's a pain in my a**! I honestly don't know nearly enough about it, considering that I HAVE it though. I was on metformin for awhile but often had episodes of mild hypoglycemia as a result (shaking, feeling a little confused, etc) and that was the end of that for me. It apparently runs in my family as my sister and mother also have problems with it.

bribrijean234

Hi everyone. I am 26, i have iron and b-12 deficiency anemia and was just diagnosed with PCOS, which frankly has been somewhat of a relief for me - just knowing what it is. I've steadily packed on a couple pounds a year since I was in high school, but within the last 4 months I started gaining weight at a ridiculous pace for a total of about 35 lbs even though I was exercising like a nut doing MAXXOUT for 1-2 hours a day and eating fairly clean. I've been getting blood work once or twice a month during that time and finally at the beginning of the this month my doctor caught the insulin resistance, connected it with my extremely long, heavy, painful periods and inability to lose weight or inches and the outcome - PCOS. It certainly explains a lot of the problems I have had for the majority of my life. Ive been on BC since I was 16, still have heavy periods, but at least they don't last 2 weeks at a time anymore. With that part already under control, my doctor added Met, started me out taking 250 mg for two weeks, and today i switch over to 500 mg. I've actually lost about 7-8 lbs in those two weeks alone, which after months of gaining 1-4 lbs a week, seeing the scale go down has put me in a very good mood. Hoping that the weight loss will continue, but I know better than to expect the fast rate to continue. I read up on the insulin-resistance diet and I am slowly adjusting my eating to follow that method.

So far i've been a bit frustrated when sharing with friends or family. Many keep trying to tell me that it's just an excuse and that i must be cheating when i say im eating healthy and exercising otherwise i would obviously lose weight. I also shared with my best friend and when i mentioned that it could mean difficulty having a child someday either getting pregnant or carrying full-term (the anemia is gonna be an issue already) and how upset i was about that possibility, she just shrugged at me and said oh no big deal you can just adopt then. I get the impression that if you don't have PCOS its impossible to understand. I rejoined MFP to find support and inspiration because I am not getting any from the people closest to me. Feel free to add me!

MommaSherryB

Glad you joined MFP, I am sure you will find plenty of support here. Is there any type of food plans that you have tried? Lower carb?

The lower carb has helped alot of my symptoms and helped me to lose the last bit of weight and maintain current weight.

kristilynnhales

I have PCOS. I didn't start gaining a lot of weight until puberty and shortly after high school I was diagnosed with PCOS. PCOS makes losing the weight very hard. I tried calorie counting alone, but it wasn't working for me. I am now counting carbs and keeping myself under 25 carbs a day. I avoid potatoes, bread, corn, and rice. It seems to be helping the weight come off.

tospaa

I have PCOS, along with insulin resistance of course. I tried Atkins 2 years ago and I've lost 33 pounds in about 4 months. Low carb is definitely working, but I don't find in sustainable. So I'm trying to lose the rest with good old calorie restriction and exercise now. I might also add, Atkins caused my cholesterol to rise significantly, but it also helped me with my insulin resistance.

And metformin, it really helps! If you can't use the regular version (I know it's terrible), use the extended release version instead. It makes side effects less of a problem.

goodbyefreshman15

Glad you joined MFP, I am sure you will find plenty of support here. Is there any type of food plans that you have tried? Lower carb?

The lower carb has helped alot of my symptoms and helped me to lose the last bit of weight and maintain current weight.

I do try to eat fewer carbs..however, I am in college, so my food choices are often limited.

sbcrook

I have PCOS too. Glad to see there are others who have had some success on this website. I've had mild success previously on WeightWatchers, but moved and there are only terrible leaders here so I'm going to try this site out. I'm on metformin ER and it's been much better than the regular. Used to make me really sick, but now with the ER and taking it at night, I don't see many side effects. Here's hoping I have some success this time.

ChelleSC

I also have PCOS. Was diagnosed after gaining 50 lbs while following weight watchers and not having a period for 9 months. That was in 2009. I have had 2 children since then (both needed clomid to be conceived). We wanted a 3rd, but this time even clomid isn't helping me to ovulate. My doctor said to focus on weight loss and diet, so that's why I am here! Does anyone know or or want to start a PCOS support group on MFP? I'm looking for PCOS specific support friends on here because our journey moves in much smaller steps than most. It's a bit discouraging seeing the rapid weight loss that friends without PCOS experience. OF course, great news and I celebrate with them, but it's hard when I eat healthier, exercise more and don't have the same rate of loss.

As far as how common it is most literature says it's estimated that 5-10% of women between 20 and 40 have it.

I've learned that just counting calories does NOT work for me. Avoiding processed foods, eating higher protein and higher fat(healthy fats) does help. I just had a lack luster week. Look back and saw I hadn't been eating as many raw veggies and had slipped into eating lower calorie junk foods.

If you are looking for a PCOS buddy, too, send me a friend request!