Any ladies out there with PCOS?

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Hausisse1
Hausisse1 Posts: 165 Member
edited May 2015 in Motivation and Support
I think I may have PCOS; I'm not experiencing symptoms right now because I'm on birth control (progestin, gildess fe 1/20) but I was thinking of going off of it and wondered how other women dealt with the symptoms (my main concern is the dreaded abdominal fat, as even slender women with PCOS gain weight there, though my only symptoms before BCP were lab values, acne and amenorrhea).

I've never been overweight so I'm maintaining and monitoring my macros with MFP. :) Sooo how do others deal? How successful have you been at dealing with symptoms etc?

Replies

  • mloylo0182
    mloylo0182 Posts: 4 Member
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    Hi there! I have recently been diagnosed with PCOS. After being on the bc pill for almost a decade, I stopped taking it last summer and ended up gaining about 15lbs, primarily in my stomach. I just wrote a blog about it my issues/experience so far. If you'd like to read it go ahead and add me! It's been a struggle, to say the least.
  • loren0911
    loren0911 Posts: 17 Member
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    I was diagnosed 22 years ago. Couldn't take the pill because of a blood clotting disorder so I had to suffer through some symptoms. I was never more than a few pounds overweight, and I did develop diabetes, but as I got older, a lot of the symptoms just resolved themselves, which my doctor said happens a lot if you control diet and weight. There is hope!!
  • the_nerdgasm
    the_nerdgasm Posts: 86 Member
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    My biggest symptom was acne. Holy hell, I got so many zits before I got birth control, more than I ever did as a teenager. BC and a round of antibiotics have mostly fixed my face, with the exception of scarring.
  • epixstudiosnh
    epixstudiosnh Posts: 72 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2006 but I think I have had it for a long time. I started gaining weight as soon as puberty hit and couldn't lose it no matter what. It is horrible! I can't take BC to control my hormones and am allergic to metformin so it has been a struggle.
  • Hausisse1
    Hausisse1 Posts: 165 Member
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    mloylo0182 wrote: »
    Hi there! I have recently been diagnosed with PCOS. After being on the bc pill for almost a decade, I stopped taking it last summer and ended up gaining about 15lbs, primarily in my stomach. I just wrote a blog about it my issues/experience so far. If you'd like to read it go ahead and add me! It's been a struggle, to say the least.

    I noticed you mentioned in your post about your diet; as it turns out, a lot of weird things affect the diets of women with PCOS. If you haven't, think about taking a look at floliving.com! I'm going to follow her protocol in the hopes that it will help me deal with some of the symptoms of PCOS.

    But it's really nice to feel a little less alone in this. I might private message you- I get really nervous about having to deal with PCOS :x
  • marmaladepixie
    marmaladepixie Posts: 83 Member
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    I was diagnosed with pcos when I was 25. Biggest problem was cystic acne and hair thinning. Birth control always kept most of my symptoms at bay, but 2 years ago I had to stop taking it because of the type of migraines I get. Within 3 weeks of stopping I gained 10lbs, and another 10lbs in the next few months. I am slowly starting to lose the weight I gained, but have to be much more careful calorie wise than I was when taking BC. I do not have insulin resistance, but understand that it can be common in women with this condition. I don't eat much dairy or peanuts as they seem to make my testosterone levels go up... green tea also seems to have that effect
  • JoopyJoop
    JoopyJoop Posts: 2 Member
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    I have PCOS. Was diagnosed when I was 19 and I am 27 now. I've always been overweight. The biggest thing for me is the irregular menstrual cycles and the belly gain. I gain pretty much all my weight between my chest and hip area. I stopped taking BC back in December and I haven't had a period yet this year. But gained 20 pounds. Hopefully I can start losing weight before I end up with full blown diabetes or need a knee surgery
  • Nerdycurls
    Nerdycurls Posts: 143 Member
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    I was diagnosed in my mid-20's but experienced symptoms well before that. I don't use birth control because it didn't really help-- losing the weight was the best way to reduce/get rid of the symptoms. The insane bleeding ended up after I lost 15 pounds.

    My hair has been falling out a lot since then, so I have to eat well, drink lots of water and take vitamins. YES, the vitamins do help but I treat them as a supplement. It took a couple of months to start seeing a difference, but it takes a few months to really start to see results in your hair and skin.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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