Any other women with PCOS trying to change their life?

I have PCOS, no thyroid and a heart condition and yes I am back trying again to get my weight under control. With all these problems it is really important I win this fight.

Yes, because the IR turned worse I have been working hard to get my blood sugars in order and to normalize my hormones (so I take Metformin and progesterone and exercise). I'm a normal-weight PCOSer, though, so getting really skinny won't help me any. I have lowered my carbs significantly, of course. That does help the glucose issue a lot.

I have PCOS, but it has improved a lot with my weight loss. Weight loss at the start was super easy, and the weight just basically dropped off as long as I drank water and munched away on fatty foods, taking care not to overeat. The final 20kg is more difficult because my body is keto-adapted and now requires more of a calorie deficit. I don't really cravy the carbs I've lost anymore, after 6 years of this. I just feel healthy, and that's what is important.

I was diagnosed with PCOS 28 years ago. Yikes. I was once tolde that I was a "classic case"in a room full of med students who were staring at my ovaries. Nice.

I went 15+ yrs without a period, had a massive heart attack at 35 and have diabetes. I wish I had gotten my act together years ago but I feel like I am making progress now!

Carbs are where it counts, at least for me, diet wise. Keeping them low and under control just seems to get everything working right.

One thing that amazes me is how little progress there has been in the treatment of this in the last decades. Be vigilant with asking for your treatment and if one doctor won't listen don't be shy about finding one who will! Best of luck to e everyone!

krbkrat wrote: »

I was diagnosed with PCOS at 23 (normal weight, 5'7" 140 at the time of diagnosis...so took awhile because it was 2003 and they didn't think I could have it...).

I am now 36, borderline obese, 190lb, 29.8 BMI (so for all intents and purposes obese). No kids. Take Metformin daily as well, periods every 35 days. Not looking to have kids - hubs and I do not want them - but looking to prevent more health problems and know I need to lose weight.

I will send each of you a friend request - would love to have other women dealing with PCOS in my court!
Best,
Kristi K

Wow! You and I have the same height and about the same weight. I'm heavier. I couldn't believe I was considered borderline obesed. It's hard when you carry your fat well and have equal amount of muscle like me. I need to lose 31ib, 5'7", currently 201ib. I've lost about 40ibs already and losing weekly now!!! At one point my weight was climbing 5 ib a week eating about 1600 kcal a day or less and active due to job. I had a lot of iron deficiency and hormones so out of whack I needed hormone therapy. Didn't have thyroid problems though. My depression spiked out of control. It was a brain thing for me and needed meds to help with sleep and receptors that's been damaged due to a life of extreme and constant stress.

I feel this (PCOS) has a lot to deal with the brain. I'm losing weight and getting more frequent headaches and fatigue a bit though I'm taking my vitamins and eating balanced meals. I take extra vitamin D and garlic but my immune system still needs help at times lately as I change. I can't help but to think its the stress on my body again. I used to work nights 12 hour shifts and now I'm out of work with the kids focusing on health and a better scheduled job and I'm getting sick here and there. Sinus issues the biggest though no infection. My hormones has changed how sensitive my body is to things and I have nose bleeds in dry air though never before. It's so wired getting old. I've always been real healthy and able to endure anything. With depression I have limits now that I have to be content with.

Hello everyone! I also have been diagnosed with PCOS. 27 (soon to be 28 in a few days!) years old, obese, and looking to lose my first 30 lbs to help with ovulation when I decide to begin planning for a baby! My OB recommended taking this year to focus on eating right. I already exercise 3-4 times a week but don't see much improvement in numbers on the scale. I also take Victoza once a day to help with type 2 diabetes. Glad to connect with everyone!

Brindog_ wrote: »

Ldenzel wrote: »

I have PCOS and have been having issues getting pregnant. I'm hoping losing weight will help me get pregnant.

Same here. I'm hoping for the same thing.

Hi Ladies! I have PCOS, was diagnosed in my early 20's. I found MFP a couple years ago, and by learning proper portions and trying to stay in my calorie goal I managed to loose 65lbs in about a year and a half I believe. My goal weight was 175. I wasn't "trying" to conceive as the Drs had told me for years that it was impossible. When I got down to about 177-176 I just could not loose the last two lbs. Took a test and found out I was pregnant. It was such a shock and such a blessing. He just turned 3 last week.

Please don't loose hope. It can happen. I'm now trying to loose the 35lbs I put back on. It's beyond time. I dont want to end up back where I was.

Good luck and God Bless!

I have PCOS, (And the chin hair to prove it!). I've found that eating a Ketogenic diet works well with losing weight and "treating" PCOS. The holidays this year really derailed me, but I'm back on it this week. If you want to know more about it, look up Dr. Jeff Volek. He is a professor at The Ohio State University, and a colleague of mine, that does research on the Ketogenic Diet and how it helps those that suffer from PCOS and other issues.

The positive for me is that the diet is amazing and I get to eat really good food. Just found out today that the parmesan spinach and artichoke dip at Giant Eagle is pretty keto and that's all I've been craving! Not to mention..... Bacon. #NuffSaid

Cfirsdon wrote: »

aggelikik wrote: »

Honestly, other than fertility struggles, which was a big issue (and those of us who have managed to have kids officially have a "mild" problem), I do not see PCOS as a problem, now that I am done with pregnancies. Pregancies were hard, getting pregnant was hard, carrying to term was hard, I had gestational diabetes, but now this phase of my life is over, it is something I do not even notice any more. Hirsuitism is a problem, but not something really serious in the big picture of health problems one could have, and I wish I would not accumulate every tiny bit of fat on my belly and nowhere else, but again, not something I would really consider serious.

It goes beyond being able to carry children. Untreated here's a part of the laundry list of issues we can get:
Type 2 diabetes
High blood pressure
Cholesterol and lipid abnormalities, such as elevated triglycerides or low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol
Metabolic syndrome — a cluster of signs and symptoms that indicate a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis — a severe liver inflammation caused by fat accumulation in the liver
Sleep apnea
Depression and anxiety
Abnormal uterine bleeding
Cancer of the uterine lining (endometrial cancer), caused by exposure to continuous high levels of estrogen
Not to mention those cysts can rupture

going along with your last point, you don't necessarily have to have to have cysts to have PCOS (didn't know this until I met my current endo) as long as you meet 2 out of the 3 main criteria.

I have lean PCOS. I was diagnosed officially in 2013 after having recurrent miscarriages. But I'd suspected I had it since my early 20's. I had severe acne, hair showing up in weird places and my period was always late when I was getting it..(35 to 50 day cycles) ....or would go AWOL for like 8 months.

I've never really been overweight except during pregnancy and I was slightly overweight or high end of normal BMI for the year after my son was born. Before my son I had 2 back to back miscarriages. Took Clomid to concieve my son. Then had another miscarriage when he was 14 months old in October 2015. This time it was twins...conceived without Clomid.

After the most recent miscarriage I decided to lose the baby weight from my DS and eat healthy and take supplements to help improve my egg quality (CoQ10 and myo-inositol). I'm eating more balanced, not specifically low carb but lower carb and higher fat and protein. Also whenever I have carbs I true to pair them with adequate amounts of protein so they don't cause my blood sugar to spike and keeps insulin levels lower.

I've lost 15lbs and I'm back down to my wedding day weight. Ready to try again with Clomid.

Cfirsdon wrote: »

aggelikik wrote: »

Honestly, other than fertility struggles, which was a big issue (and those of us who have managed to have kids officially have a "mild" problem), I do not see PCOS as a problem, now that I am done with pregnancies. Pregancies were hard, getting pregnant was hard, carrying to term was hard, I had gestational diabetes, but now this phase of my life is over, it is something I do not even notice any more. Hirsuitism is a problem, but not something really serious in the big picture of health problems one could have, and I wish I would not accumulate every tiny bit of fat on my belly and nowhere else, but again, not something I would really consider serious.

It goes beyond being able to carry children. Untreated here's a part of the laundry list of issues we can get:
Type 2 diabetes
High blood pressure
Cholesterol and lipid abnormalities, such as elevated triglycerides or low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol
Metabolic syndrome — a cluster of signs and symptoms that indicate a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis — a severe liver inflammation caused by fat accumulation in the liver
Sleep apnea
Depression and anxiety
Abnormal uterine bleeding
Cancer of the uterine lining (endometrial cancer), caused by exposure to continuous high levels of estrogen
Not to mention those cysts can rupture

There is no treatment for PCOS. There are lifestyle changes which can control symptoms (I know for myself that I have symptoms as soon as I hit the normal to upper range of healthy BMI, am mostly ok below this, or reduce physical activity) and there are medications to treat symptoms.
Most (not all) of the above mentioned issues are related to obesity. A lifestyle change will solve these.

I too have PCOS and IR...it's a struggle to say the least. I'm currently trying a high protein diet to see if it helps me at all. I am desperate to have a cycle on my own so that I may have a chance to conceive. Has anyone had any success with any of the "fad" diets out? Numerous doctors have told me the only way to lose the weight is surgery. I hope this is not true. At the most I weighed 325 and now I'm down to 268 but the weight is taking forever to drop.

Hi everyone! I am 26 and I was diagnosed with PCOS officially in Summer of 2012. In highschool I always stayed active and ate basically whatever I wanted. At 15 I went on birth control for severe periods and the intense pain they caused me. My periods would completely cripple me. The first month alone I gained 16 pounds. My personal belief is that this is what derailed my hormones.

Months and years later of steady weight gain (and absolutely no weight loss), I hit 230. I usually hovered around 150 before. Finally my sister in law was pretty certain I had PCOS due to my symptoms and urged me to get checked out. I was lucky enough to have a great GYN doctor who also has it. She immediately sent me for blood tests and glucose testing. Sure enough, I had every symptom, testosterone levels were too high, glucose test measured my sugar about 10 points too high after drinking the solution and coming back two hours later. I was put on Metformin and lost about 10 pounds the first month.

I take Metformin 850 2x daily with meals and 100 mg of Spironolactone to lower testosterone, as well as Metoperol 50 mg for blood pressure. Until November 2015, I took birth control but have since stopped. Not trying to get pregnant but I want my hormone levels to balance out on their own. Being on them caused my libido to taper off gradually until it no longer existed.

Weight loss is now possible with the medications, however I'm back up to about 230 after maintaining 220 with no effort. It really sucks to be sitting here at 230 after finding out I have PCOS. Wish I had caught it 85 pounds ago!! Trying to finally get this weight off for good, I've always been sick of being overweight because inside I feel like my old fit self, but now I literally can't stand it anymore. I'm tired of hiding behind black clothes, and hiding from the camera.