PCOS

[Codiaeum]

I'm getting so frustrated I just need to vent haha. I was diagnosed 4 years ago and my GP did the typical come back for help when you want to get pregnant. I've recently changed to a different surgery as I moved, so I spoke to them about struggling with my symptoms and that I would like to discuss the possibility of Metformin. He said it sounds like a good idea but that I would need up to date blood tests, so I did them last week. I had a message yesterday saying they wanted to speak to me as soon as possible to discuss the results, so I called up and they've booked me a call back for the 29th of June! Now I am just wondering what they've found and I'm desperate to know if I can start the tablets or not. I know it's only a month and doesn't make much difference when I've waited this long but I just want to feel better now

Aww, I'm sorry. I always wonder what their point is in saying "as soon as possible" as clearly "soon" isn't a possibility for them. It makes people so anxious to be told they want to discuss things

 

[Blond3g1rl]

I'm getting so frustrated I just need to vent haha. I was diagnosed 4 years ago and my GP did the typical come back for help when you want to get pregnant. I've recently changed to a different surgery as I moved, so I spoke to them about struggling with my symptoms and that I would like to discuss the possibility of Metformin. He said it sounds like a good idea but that I would need up to date blood tests, so I did them last week. I had a message yesterday saying they wanted to speak to me as soon as possible to discuss the results, so I called up and they've booked me a call back for the 29th of June! Now I am just wondering what they've found and I'm desperate to know if I can start the tablets or not. I know it's only a month and doesn't make much difference when I've waited this long but I just want to feel better now

Good luck getting the metformin. Mine refused to renew a prescription as apparently it ‘doesn’t work’ for PCOS

 

[CrimsonCountess]

It's so hit and miss isn't it, I don't understand why there's no standardisation of how to treat it. My GP said it was a really good idea and that he thinks I should have it and then others like yours say it doesn't work. No wonder we're all bloody frustrated

 

[Blond3g1rl]

It's so hit and miss isn't it, I don't understand why there's no standardisation of how to treat it. My GP said it was a really good idea and that he thinks I should have it and then others like yours say it doesn't work. No wonder we're all bloody frustrated

Mine was originally prescribed by a private GP who specialised in women’s health. It was my NHS GP who then refused it

 

[oksobasically]

I’ve decided to come off my contraceptive so I can get my fertility levels checked and I’m excited and anxious- I’ve been on it 16 years, on the mini pill and without a period for the past 7 or so and when I went on as a teen it was because of having horrific periods. Hopefully easier now, but you hear it can take absolutely months to start back up.
I’m not trying to conceive but after spending all this time thinking it just wasn’t possible for me, I just need to see for sure.
Anyone got any tips coming off and getting them to start again sooner or is it more of a wait and see thing?

 

[CakedCat]

I’ve decided to come off my contraceptive so I can get my fertility levels checked and I’m excited and anxious- I’ve been on it 16 years, on the mini pill and without a period for the past 7 or so and when I went on as a teen it was because of having horrific periods. Hopefully easier now, but you hear it can take absolutely months to start back up.
I’m not trying to conceive but after spending all this time thinking it just wasn’t possible for me, I just need to see for sure.
Anyone got any tips coming off and getting them to start again sooner or is it more of a wait and see thing?

It's very much wait and see but....
Eat fats (nuts, seeds, fish, dark chocolate etc), limit caffeine, try to minimise stress and prioritise sleep. I also found the 'take advice as if trying to conceive' tips helped even though not trying to conceive as essentially, it's the same point you want to get to.

 

[pecan]

Anyone got any tips coming off and getting them to start again sooner or is it more of a wait and see thing?

Do you mean getting your periods to start again sooner? Sadly it’s not the kind of thing you can ‘force’ to happen. I’ve been on and off the combi pill for the last 18 years so I know it’s frustrating when you want your body to have some kind of it’s own natural rhythm.

In terms of helping your cycle, keep your stress levels low if possible - cortisol will wreak havoc. Nourish yourself with nutritious foods, birth control pills can be quite harsh on the gut and digestive system. Some form of exercise might help too. You might have an active job, or you could try going for walks / runs / whatever. I found that my cycle was at its most consistent when I was exercising frequently, before that it was all over the place. Obviously these things still won’t force your period to come back but it’s about trying to bring your natural hormone levels into some kind of balance - tricky with PCOS of course.

Another thing to note is that even if your period does return, there’s no guarantee you’re actually ovulating. It might just be withdrawal bleeding / anovulatory bleeding - common with PCOS. When I came off the pill I started tracking my basal body temperature straight away. I’m not trying to conceive but I wanted to know if I was ovulating. I learned how to use a ‘Fertility Awareness Method’ to track my cycle using certain biomarkers like basal temperature and cervical mucus quality. I’ve been able to confirm ovulation for the last 5 cycles which feels really good. I log it all in the Read Your Body app along with symptom tracking and whatever else.

 

[oksobasically]

Thank you so much @CakedCat & @pecan , this is all so helpful

 

[pecan]

Can anyone recommend some leggings / bottoms for extreme bloat?

I’m having such a difficult time at the moment with constant intense bloating, abdominal pain and lower back pain and I’m so, so uncomfortable in everything I wear. (Wondering if I should be querying endo with my GP?) I cannot stand the feeling of any waistband. I have some joggers and in a pinch I cut the waistband open to unpick the elastic and remove it. They only just stay up now

 

[Lizzie Mintdrop]

Can anyone recommend some leggings / bottoms for extreme bloat?

I’m having such a difficult time at the moment with constant intense bloating, abdominal pain and lower back pain and I’m so, so uncomfortable in everything I wear. (Wondering if I should be querying endo with my GP?) I cannot stand the feeling of any waistband. I have some joggers and in a pinch I cut the waistband open to unpick the elastic and remove it. They only just stay up now

I don't wear leggings but I do wear chub rub shorts from Snag, which are very comfortable and stretch very easily and they do leggings, so I imagine they'd be very comfy and stretchy too.

With regards to the bloating, you could have slow gastric emptying, like me. This causes bloating, abdominal discomfort and lower back pain, for me. I've been taking myo-inositol and berberine for it for the last 6 months and it's stopped it, largely.

 

[Donald23]

Can anyone recommend some leggings / bottoms for extreme bloat?

I’m having such a difficult time at the moment with constant intense bloating, abdominal pain and lower back pain and I’m so, so uncomfortable in everything I wear. (Wondering if I should be querying endo with my GP?) I cannot stand the feeling of any waistband. I have some joggers and in a pinch I cut the waistband open to unpick the elastic and remove it. They only just stay up now

Rheals clean greens and hormone balance have sorted my bloating out so much. I take with some fruit juice in the morning, the only times I bloat now is when I’ve over indulged on cheese and bread

 

[bbbbbbb123]

Can anyone recommend some leggings / bottoms for extreme bloat?

I’m having such a difficult time at the moment with constant intense bloating, abdominal pain and lower back pain and I’m so, so uncomfortable in everything I wear. (Wondering if I should be querying endo with my GP?) I cannot stand the feeling of any waistband. I have some joggers and in a pinch I cut the waistband open to unpick the elastic and remove it. They only just stay up now

Can anyone recommend some leggings / bottoms for extreme bloat?

I’m having such a difficult time at the moment with constant intense bloating, abdominal pain and lower back pain and I’m so, so uncomfortable in everything I wear. (Wondering if I should be querying endo with my GP?) I cannot stand the feeling of any waistband. I have some joggers and in a pinch I cut the waistband open to unpick the elastic and remove it. They only just stay up now

leggings with a thick waist I find are a lot better or i wear a jumpsuit xx

 

[pecan]

I've been taking myo-inositol

I was taking this a few years ago but I stopped for some reason. I’ve been trying to get hold of it from MyProtein for ages but it’s been out of stock. Just checked and it’s back in stock and on offer for less than a fiver! Thank you for reminding me, I’ll give it another go.

 

[London_Girl]

I have recently found out about taking myo-inositol for PCOS. However, I can't tell if the cons outweigh the pros eg regulate periods but growing facial hair, just wondering if anyone else has taken it and it helped regulate your period without any unwanted side effects?

 

[Donald23]

I have recently found out about taking myo-inositol for PCOS. However, I can't tell if the cons outweigh the pros eg regulate periods but growing facial hair, just wondering if anyone else has taken it and it helped regulate your period without any unwanted side effects?

Currently taking for 6 months. Other than one mole sprouting more hair (under investigation for other causes), I’ve had no side effects. I do take other vitamins to outweigh certain things. Current vitamin list is Myo-inositol, probiotic, omega 3, multivitamin, apple cider vinegar and just start co-enzyme q. Probably be stopping the multivitamin once I’ve finished this set as I’ve found it’s added nothing

 

[Lizzie Mintdrop]

I have recently found out about taking myo-inositol for PCOS. However, I can't tell if the cons outweigh the pros eg regulate periods but growing facial hair, just wondering if anyone else has taken it and it helped regulate your period without any unwanted side effects?

I haven't noticed any increase in facial hair whilst I've been on it

 

[sleepflowers]

What do you guys use for facial hair removal? Mine isn't terrible but I have a lot of strong peach fuzz with random long dark hairs and it makes me feel soooo self-conscious Atm I use a mini trimmer thing, tweezers, I need to start electrolysis again but just wondering if anyone had any good products to recommend in particular

 

[Lizzie Mintdrop]

What do you guys use for facial hair removal? Mine isn't terrible but I have a lot of strong peach fuzz with random long dark hairs and it makes me feel soooo self-conscious Atm I use a mini trimmer thing, tweezers, I need to start electrolysis again but just wondering if anyone had any good products to recommend in particular

I've just bought spearmint oil to treat my facial hair, it's supposed to work. There have been clinical trials where it's been found to be effective and I've heard anecdotally that it works too. Here's hoping it does the job

 

[Redline]

Who would be best to go see for more treatment?

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 19 (I'm 42 now). At the time, all the doctor did was put me on the pill (as my periods were irregular and heavy) which I eventually came off a couple of years later because they were playing havoc with my body.

Since then I've not really done anything for it. My weight is high (230lbs), still get facial hair and heavy bloating. During lockdown I managed to lose 30lbs and in the process really helped with some of those symptoms but then with work and commitments it's blown back up. But I think it's time to try and sort this out. But with my doctors being useless I've decided to go private, but who do I go to. Should I try a gyno or endro?

 

[Lizzie Mintdrop]

Who would be best to go see for more treatment?

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 19 (I'm 42 now). At the time, all the doctor did was put me on the pill (as my periods were irregular and heavy) which I eventually came off a couple of years later because they were playing havoc with my body.

Since then I've not really done anything for it. My weight is high (230lbs), still get facial hair and heavy bloating. During lockdown I managed to lose 30lbs and in the process really helped with some of those symptoms but then with work and commitments it's blown back up. But I think it's time to try and sort this out. But with my doctors being useless I've decided to go private, but who do I go to. Should I try a gyno or endro?

Definitely endocrinology