PCOS

CaitG0902
CaitG0902 Posts: 10 Member
edited November 25 in Health and Weight Loss
I was just diagnosed this morning with PCOS. I spoke to my doctor a bit about what that means, what symptoms I have that could be a result of this diagnoses, and she gave me a rx for birth control to help regulate the hormones. I had already been trying to watch/control my diet and started back at the gym again, and now I'm looking into different supplements I can take that may help as well. If anyone has anything they'd like to share with me, I'd appreciate it...and if you wanna add me so we can help each other out, awesome!

Replies

  • DragonHasTheSapphire
    DragonHasTheSapphire Posts: 184 Member
    Hey there! I've had PCOS since I was 11 and am now 18. I often had skipped cycles, did this happen with you? You may have an issue with bloating, and I found taking a high quality probiotic helps with that, just in my experience. Certain foods may trigger PCOS bloating, even healthy ones like cauliflower and broccoli. I wouldn't worry about the weight gain, it was stress for me. In other words, it won't make you pile like 20 lbs on as long as you watch it.

    I would experiment with the amount of calories you eat, if you find the numbers on the scale climbing over a period of time (because weight can fluctuate) then you may need to lower your calories, or if you find your weight is dropping suddenly, increase it by maybe 200ish calories and see from there.

    I know dairy bloats me if I drink something like milk, so I avoid It and stick to plain yogurt, it doesn't do me too bad. I'd just stick to the healthy food and exercise :). I never took supplements other than the probiotics, and I'm still fine.

    I take Trinnesa birth control if I spelled that correctly, I used to take Lo Lesteroin Fe (or something like that) and it kept making me have cycles 2 or 3 times a month for a period of 6 months, so I got switched back to the good ol' birth control.
  • DragonHasTheSapphire
    DragonHasTheSapphire Posts: 184 Member
    I also forgot to add you may experience pain from the common non-cancerous cysts that may be present on your ovaries. I haven't dealt with this much, but I know other women have
  • CaitG0902
    CaitG0902 Posts: 10 Member
    Haliedragons12 wrote: »
    Hey there! I've had PCOS since I was 11 and am now 18. I often had skipped cycles, did this happen with you? You may have an issue with bloating, and I found taking a high quality probiotic helps with that, just in my experience. Certain foods may trigger PCOS bloating, even healthy ones like cauliflower and broccoli. I wouldn't worry about the weight gain, it was stress for me. In other words, it won't make you pile like 20 lbs on as long as you watch it.

    I would experiment with the amount of calories you eat, if you find the numbers on the scale climbing over a period of time (because weight can fluctuate) then you may need to lower your calories, or if you find your weight is dropping suddenly, increase it by maybe 200ish calories and see from there.

    I know dairy bloats me if I drink something like milk, so I avoid It and stick to plain yogurt, it doesn't do me too bad. I'd just stick to the healthy food and exercise :). I never took supplements other than the probiotics, and I'm still fine.

    I take Trinnesa birth control if I spelled that correctly, I used to take Lo Lesteroin Fe (or something like that) and it kept making me have cycles 2 or 3 times a month for a period of 6 months, so I got switched back to the good ol' birth control.

    Thank you! Periods have always been very irregular, some times only 2-3 a year. Trouble getting pregnant. Hair growth on chair and hair loss at scalp. Weight gain and trouble losing. I'll keep playing with my diet and exercise routine. Hoping the supplements may help with other symptoms, like trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, fatigue, mild depression and anxiety. Thank you again!
  • simranmann2014
    simranmann2014 Posts: 18 Member
    Hi All! Feel free to add me as a friend. I'm committing to my gluten free diet because it's best for PCOS and I want to look good for a cruise that I'm going on with my boyfriend and his family.
  • JMcGee2018
    JMcGee2018 Posts: 275 Member
    Not me personally, but my best friend has PCOS and has found that a ketogenic diet helps.
  • dangernene
    dangernene Posts: 30 Member
    Hello! I was diagnosed with PCOS about 15 years ago and the main things that have helped me are weight lifting and reducing my dairy, tofu and red meat intake. But weight lifting really is the best thing I've found to help with my symptoms.

    I can't take oral contraceptive because it screws with my mental health so much but if you have really painful/heavy periods I can recommend the coil (the hormonal one).

    Metformin is unlicensed (at least in the UK) but often used to help with insulin resistance - this can often lead to a drop in weight, reduced hair growth (chin/chest etc) and increased fertility. It can also give you an upset tummy so watch out!
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Search the forum - PCOS has been discussed a lot. A low carb diet is commonly done.
    Ask your Dr. before taking any supplements (many of which are scams).
    Are you hypothyroid?
  • CaitG0902
    CaitG0902 Posts: 10 Member
    Cherimoose wrote: »
    Search the forum - PCOS has been discussed a lot. A low carb diet is commonly done.
    Ask your Dr. before taking any supplements (many of which are scams).
    Are you hypothyroid?

    Dr said everything was fine with my thyroid, but I wonder... After doing so much of my own research on hypothyroidism, because people around me kept telling me to have it checked, and then reading about all the symptoms, I thought it was highly likely that was the cause for everything going on.
  • nobodysgirl333
    nobodysgirl333 Posts: 1 Member
    edited March 2018
    CaitG0902 wrote: »
    Thank you! Periods have always been very irregular, some times only 2-3 a year. Trouble getting pregnant. Hair growth on chair and hair loss at scalp. Weight gain and trouble losing. I'll keep playing with my diet and exercise routine. Hoping the supplements may help with other symptoms, like trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, fatigue, mild depression and anxiety. Thank you again!

    I also have PCOS and have experienced all the same symptoms. When I discussed future pregnancy with my doctor it was recommended that I work with my doctor to assist in getting pregnant if unable to conceive after a year or two. So talk to your doctor about options available to you.
    I hope you are able to reach your goals and manage your symptoms.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    You don't need a special supplement, other than any medication your doctor has prescribed you. Supplements don't cause weight loss.

    Weight loss is about eating fewer calories than you burn. This means that you can choose to follow a diet that's keto, gluten free, vegetarian, whatever, but you absolutely do not have to do any of these things in order to lose weight. You have to eat fewer calories than you burn. You can do that by following some named diet, or by eating what you want as long as it fits your calorie goals. I have PCOS and lost 100 pounds by maintaining a calorie deficit. I didn't pay any particular attention to my macros, other than making an effort to eat enough protein.

    Some people with PCOS, however, follow a low carb diet for symptom management, as PCOS is metabolically related to insulin function for many people. If you're interested in this, I would recommend talking to your doctor about your insulin function--this should be something they check routinely for folks with PCOS.
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