Hello! I found out about a year ago that I have PCOS and I've been in total denial ever since. My husband and I went to Sam's club and did the BMI body calculator and it was scary high (42% to be exact). If you have any tips that can help me along the way, please share. Thank you for letting me join your group!

Hello, my name is Rachel. I'm really excited to see this group posted on here! I'm 21 years old and was diagnosed about two years ago after a very early morning run to the hospital, thinking I had gotten stabbed in my sleep. For all of you ladies with PCOS you know exactly what I mean. At first, I was really scared. I'd never heard of PCOS. I'm so glad that there are more and more support groups popping up everywhere. I'm looking forward to hearing about our successes and our not so successful successes in dealing with PCOS and weight loss.

Thank you so much for starting this group. I've been diagnosed for years and most of what I read is discouraging. But I'm heartened to know we're not alone and that with consistent effort we can see positive changes. I'm happy to report slow but steady weight loss by staying mindful about what I eat and remembering to log it daily. I get frustrated by the slow progress, but am excited about the idea that we can put this into remission if we are consistent and vigilant about our behaviors. Some days, the biggest motivator is the fear of diabetes and subsequent dementia in the future. Depressing but true.

Most days, I appreciate the comraderie of fellow women in the same struggle at varying degrees. I think I'm pretty lucky and my case is not as severe as some and I try to keep that in mind. May we all have the strength to take each day as it comes, to strive for our goals, and to forgive ourselves the slips and falls that are inherent in life.

Hello everyone, My name is Tenille and I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2009. After several months of missed periods, my doctor finally decided to test me for it because I have always had irregular periods and issues with weight since I was a child. Now I've been trying to lose weight because my husband and I would like to start a family eventually, and having this condition plus being overweight defenitely doesn't help.

I must say it has been a challenge to lose weight, it seems we have multiple things working against us. The fact that this condition causes weight gain and then makes it harder for you to lose weight it's almost like all we have to do is look at food and we gain weight, it's rather easy to through in the towel, but since I've been on MFP the support is amazing and I'm so glade this support group was created for women like us because we have to work twice as hard to get to where we want to be physically. Also, discovered for us living with PCOS we have to be aware of our carb in take, we are carb sensitive if that helps anyone, I discovered that the hard way after 3 weeks of working out hard and no results and no weight loss. Finally stumbled across a website regarding PCOS and learned that we should try to consume no more than 50 to 150g of carbs per day and any breads or pastas should be whole grain or whole wheat. I tried this for one week and the weight fell off. It's still a challenge I still have a ways to go before I reach me goal weight, but knowing more about this certainly helps fight the battle!

So please anyone feel free to add me and hopefully we can encourage one another and accomplish our weight loss goals together!!!

Hi ladies!

Yes I do have PCOS, sorta bites but is manageable.

Actually factually, a lot of stuff I learned about how to manage my PCOS was on dailystrength.com. What kind of medicine is prescribed (metformin is popular (since PCOS does cause insulin resistance), birth control, anti-depressants etc), where to go (endocrinologist, ob/gyn) and how to deal with them and other things to do.

For instance, I've been drinking red raspberry leaf and working out regularly, and those unsightly dark spots are fading. Sorry if this comes off as a plug for another site, but it is pretty cool and the women there are super supportive. I was hoping a group would open up on this site because weight loss can get stalled if you have PCOS and yes, it can be SUPER FRUSTRATING.

So, I recommend going to check out the site, and if not, I'll try to answer questions. I'm no expert but I've learned a lot and I love to share info. With some help from my doctors and support from other ladies, I'm handling my PCOS pretty well. ^^

does the red raspberry leaf help with PCOS and weight loss?

I can't say directly if it does or not, but I have lost weight while drinking it.

Thing is, red raspberry leaf tea helps with menstruation. I'm not sure about everyone else but one of the problems I suffered with PCOS was irregular periods. This is far from a simple issue. No period can mean a hormonal imbalance (which is common with PCOS), hormonal imbalance means mood swings, acne, hair growth (where it shouldn't normally be growing) and hair loss. Also, if you are looking to have kids in the future, getting that under control will help, yet just as a heads up, us ladies with PCOS sometimes have problems having children. Fertility treatments can help.

Another tea I drink (I am an avid tea drinker but CAFFEINE FREE...since caffeine is not too good for our ovaries) is sugar balance by triple leaf. The taste is eh, but it seems to help. It helps with insulin resistance. Signs of insulin resistance are dark spots under your chin, arms or thighs and it can get pretty intense (also birth control can help with this by evening out your hormones). With exercise and a little help with your insulin resistance, you should be able to bring your numbers down.

If weight loss is your main and only goal, I'd recommend talking to your doctor. A common thing given to PCOS women is metformin, but once you are on metformin, you don't come off. It seems to only work as long as you are on it. It is usually prescribed to diabetics, but it has been introduced in the PCOS agenda as well. I've heard women having weight loss on this, but I've also heard of women who get no improvement from this and undesirable side effects. There are other prescriptions out there as well as supplements you can take. Try adding cinnamon to stuff, it is known to help too.

There are so many other options you can take with PCOS too (acupuncture, yoga, nutritionist, exercise, more teas, anti-depressants, increasing water intake, RESEARCH, etc etc etc)

Honestly if I was to go into incredible detail, I wouldn't get to sleep tonight lol. So, I'm willing to share what I know, and a lot of the ladies on the site I mention before are too. I have a feeling some of them know more than I do, but I'm learning a lot and honestly, in a months time, I've gotten a better grip on it so it is not impossible to manage. ^^

There is no miracle pill or activity to handle PCOS but working to better getting a handle on it is...amazing...to say the least.

Encouraged to see this group, just joined fitnesspal yesterday. Was diagnosed with PCOS about 6 years ago in my early thirties, but I'm pretty sure I've suffered since late teens. Had not even heard of it until the gyno wrote it down for me and told me to look it up, which I did and of course the best the thing is to loose weight and exercise. I lost eighty pounds and had thirty to go and then this past year basically went into a deep depression and gained 60 pounds back and so here I am feeling extremely disappointed in myself and embarrassed. I'm hoping to get back to a healthy mind and body, not looking for a perfect number, just balance.

Funny story about when I was diagnosed. Funny now, but kind of humiliating and embarrassing at the time. But if you can't laugh the only other option is to cry. My regular doctor (tiny little women with no tact) was looking at the gyno report that said I had PCOS and she said "Oh, of course it's PCOS, I hadn't thought about that and she got real close to my face and peered intensely at my upper lip and said "do you have mustache?" I mumbled a quick "mmm-hmmm." I had been waxing for a while by then, so I guess you really couldn't tell with the naked eye. I guess when you think about it, it was a good thing she had to ask because it meant that I was keeping that symptom under wraps.

Hi all! I was diagnosed about six years ago when I was TTC my first child. Went on metformin, started eating a low glycemic index diet, focused on selling my house to raise money for IVF, and... wham. Pregnant. I had no idea I had PCOS for many years, because I was on BCP from 20 to 28. Now I feel like the best things I can do to manage my symptoms are paying attention to what I eat and exercising. (And tweezing ). I've recently fallen deeply in love with running - just finished running Ragnar with an awesome team and I'm working on the Cool Running 10K training program this month. All this exercise has me in fantastic spirits.

I'm so glad to see this group, if only for one reason... I get so tired of seeing all the posts on MFP saying "you aren't special, if you eat X calories you will lose weight, you can eat whatever foods you want, it doesn't matter." Maybe that's true if you aren't dealing with insulin resistance! If I eat crappy food I easily gain five pounds in a day or two. It's nice to have a group of women who get that!

Hi all! I was diagnosed about six years ago when I was TTC my first child. Went on metformin, started eating a low glycemic index diet, focused on selling my house to raise money for IVF, and... wham. Pregnant. I had no idea I had PCOS for many years, because I was on BCP from 20 to 28. Now I feel like the best things I can do to manage my symptoms are paying attention to what I eat and exercising. (And tweezing ). I've recently fallen deeply in love with running - just finished running Ragnar with an awesome team and I'm working on the Cool Running 10K training program this month. All this exercise has me in fantastic spirits.

I'm so glad to see this group, if only for one reason... I get so tired of seeing all the posts on MFP saying "you aren't special, if you eat X calories you will lose weight, you can eat whatever foods you want, it doesn't matter." Maybe that's true if you aren't dealing with insulin resistance! If I eat crappy food I easily gain five pounds in a day or two. It's nice to have a group of women who get that!

Hey I totally agree with you, it's sucks everyone else not dealing with PCOS can eat what they want, but we have to watch it even if we're counting calories. Glade also to know we're all in this together and we wont let PCOS control our life!!!

Hi everyone, I'm Amanda. I kinda diagnosed myself when I was 17 by looking up all my weird symptoms through my best friend google. A bit after, doctor told me I did have it and that I'd be going on BC. I have been on it ever since and I'm very glad I found this group of people that actually speak about it. So hard finding a good community, hope to make a lot of friends on here.

Thanks for the encouragement and I appreciate the work you are trying to do. Read your article in the other post and it was nice to read this information from someone who actually went through it themselves.

Hi everyone!!! I am 27 and was diagnosed quite a few years ago. My first thought was oh no, I won't be able to have kids. Especially since I am heavier! This is why I started my weight loss journey because I some day would like to have children of my own. I know that having PCOS isn't the end of the world, but it is a pain in my butt!!! I am glad to see that there was a group for us ladies so that we can get the support and motivation that we need!!! Feel Free to add me as a Friend! :happy:

Hi everyone!

I was recently diagnosed with PCOS (back in July 2012) and it sucks, but I feel lucky to have found this group because just reading the advice and stories from all of you helps. It helps me not feel so down and depressed about it when I can see that others are going through the same thing, so I need to stop feeling sorry for myself and do my best to live with it like so many other women. Thanks!

Ok after reading some of the post, I am sitting here crying. I never realized there were so many of us out there. I have thought I was alone since I was 12. I am now 26. I was diagnosed three days prior to my 12th birthday, and my doctors had no clue how to handle it. Birth control had no affect, and I have become so use to dealing that I no longer discuss issues with anyone. I still go through months with no period. ( It has been 7 since the last one.) My family is super supportive, but they don't understand. My sister has a lot of the symptoms but doesn't have PCOS. I am extremely obese and I finally feel like I may learn even more about this disease. I am willing to support anyone on here that needs it. I didn't realize it had been fourteen years......