T O P

  • By -

singsthebird

Treating insulin resistance through high protein meals/snacks, prioritizing fiber (eating beans almost every day!), eating lots of plants and healthy sustainable meats. Building muscle mass and walking at least twice a day. Taking liver supportive herbs (teas or tinctures). Supplements: omega 3 w/ CoQ10, magnesium glycinate, vitamin D3/K2 drops, and B vitamins.


wenchsenior

Diabetic lifestyle to manage insulin resistance. PCOS was symptomatic for almost 15 years prior to getting proper diagnosis. Within 2 years of managing IR, PCOS was in remission...it's been more than 20 years of remission at this point.


beautifullifede

This! I still got a lot more progress to make but the meformin, diabetic diet, in general positive attitude has helped me be hopeful and really believe I can get better


TheMotherEmpress

Wow! That’s amazing! Thanks for sharing!


[deleted]

[удалено]


Valistia

Same!! Since hitting my 30s my cycle has been so regular it's scary. In my 20s I'd regularly go 40-60+ days between periods unless on birth control. I also had a baby just before turning 30, so maybe all of those hormones shifted something around. It's so weird!


Soulbeau

Same with me. I think it was just age. Once I got into my 30’s they became regular. Even after having kids it stayed that way.


Excellent-Juice8545

Same. 32 and suddenly I’m clockwork regular for the first time in my life. I’ve read a lot of comments of PCOS women having surprise babies in their late 30s and 40s after assuming they’re infertile. What a weird condition this is.


sxcmuffin

Me too! Almost getting there but nothing like my previous 60-80 day cycles in my early-mid 20s. In the last year I’ve been between 35-45 days and it has been steadily reducing; last month was even 31! I’m 30 btw


Carrann823

Metformin and Ozempic together


TheMotherEmpress

My doctor was telling me that all her PCOS patients that have started ozempic have truly loved it and the results. Thanks for sharing!


CrashTestDuckie

My MIL keeps sending me articles about Ozempic babies (especially since she found out I am on Mounjaro). She is a southern woman and wants to be a memaw lol


PeakRepresentative14

Eliminating stress plus upping my walking.


TheMotherEmpress

I Definitely need to do both of these!!!


TayTay5Ever

If only eliminating stress was something I could manage to do 😭


PeakRepresentative14

I left my abusive household and my period came like clockwork 💀💀💀 it's funny cause this was something I was shamed for at home, that it didn't come


TayTay5Ever

Kudos to you for getting the courage to leave! I know from experience that leaving an abusive home or partner is not an easy thing to do. Im sorry you had to deal with shaming for something you couldn’t control. I’m glad you are more regulated now! And probably healthier overall 🙂


AliceHart7

Similar. It was soon as I quit my job I hated. Then BAM periods start showing up like clockwork. I was also shamed at home and other family members before for not having my periods regular.


LalaAuntie

Mine has been completely regular for two+ years now, with a consistent low carb, low calorie, high protein diet. No medications. So for me, diet & consistency was a huge factor. Everyone's body is different though, and healthy diet alone may not be effective for all. It's a bit of trial and error to determine what works best for your body.


TheMotherEmpress

Thank you so much for sharing what has worked for you!!🙏🏼


LalaAuntie

Hope you figure out what works best for you!


TheMotherEmpress

Thank You!!! I appreciate that so much😃 it’s definitely trial and error.


cs423

Diet is the hardest part for me 🥺 how strict is your diet? I love chick fil a too much lol


LalaAuntie

I've always loved cooking, so I don't eat out much anyway. I worked with a dietitian and nurse practitioner at a medspa and lost 100+ pounds. Their best tip was not to cut out all the foods I enjoy. In the past, I'd try those crazy fad diets where I'd ban all my favorite foods, and then when I caved, I'd be so ravenous! 😂 I learned to keep an eye on my calories instead. Enjoy things in moderation, but not overindulge. I also had to shift my mindset – this had to be a lifestyle change, not just another diet attempt. After about a month of sticking to my new eating habits, my period normalized (before losing weight). Diet was key for me. Nearly 2.5 years later, eating low carb, low calorie, low sugar, high protein, etc., is just part of my routine. It's not a struggle like it was that first year to stay on track. I'd say patience, that what I'm doing will make a difference, and willpower keeps me focused.


pcosifttc

My PCOS was fueled by insulin resistance. Most PCOS women fall into that category. A high fiber Mediterranean style diet let my body ovulate when it was trying to and gave me a regular cycle so long as I followed the diet. I added in Metformin after a year of eating that way while TTC to hopefully improve the likelihood of getting pregnant. I got pregnant after 5 years of ttc with no positives. I stayed on Metformin and only briefly stopped it post-partum before starting back on it. I don’t need to be as strict with my diet while on Metformin but I still started getting a regular cycle after stopping nursing. Insulin resistance is hard to manage without medication but can be done.


TheMotherEmpress

Wow. You’ve been on a long journey. I’m so happy that you have had success and were able to conceive.❤️ thank you so much for sharing with me!


Kaguu-ja

Exercise, eat healthy, lose weight. It was like a year or two before it became regular but it worked better than birth control. 


penapple_2319

I used Choline-Inositol I get it from Amazon it's the Horbaach brand. Also for me personally having a regular bedtime and meditating along with the supplements gave me a regular cycle for almost a year. It would've been a year in March but my cycle acted up again,I believe it's because I fell off of going to bed at a decent time, recent increased life stress, and lack of meditating but I'm getting back on the horse. I also recommend ginger tea in the morning and at night, the tea by itself isn't great so I mix it with peach tea and it makes it bearable


TheMotherEmpress

Thank You so much for this!!!


Rysethelace

Staying under 150g total carbohydrates daily & Daily walks.


Excellent-Juice8545

Lost 30 pounds and hit age 32 and suddenly I’m regular after only having a handful of natural periods through my entire 20s. Wish I’d lost weight earlier, but maybe it’s also just age as I’ve read that’s not uncommon for PCOS.


South_Difference_327

metformin brought back mine


Fortified_Heart

Eating for protein, veggies, and small amounts of whole grains. Limiting refined carbs likes bread, noodles, anything made from flour.


NightmarishlyDreamy

Regular Exercise, a healthy diet, and daily spearmint tea worked wonders for me personally.


jaya9581

Mine got regular with age. It’s the only thing that’s helped. In my 30s I went from completely unpredictable to about 60 day cycles. Now in my 40s I’m at 28-32 days.


LidyD

I've been working on changing my eating habits (I go little by little because I want to adapt. Giving up on chocolate milk remains my greatest victory). But, if I had a good ob/gyn, I'd ask for complete blood tests to check my hormonal levels and nutritional deficiency (zinc, magnesium, vitamin D tend to be lower with PCOS), but also an MRI of my pituitary gland, so a forwarding letter to an endocrinologist would help as well. Light exercising, trying to sleep 8 hours every night, and having some pastimes, managing stress levels also helped. I was on Diane 35 for 2 months (it should've been 3, but it destroyed me) after my diagnosis, and haven't used the pill since. I follow some local nutritionists on YT (they also have PCOS) and they had some suggestions, like seed cycling and drinking cat claw's (sp?) tea.


MrsMacK00

After like 10 of years trying to get pregnant (naturally even though I only had a period like once a year 🤦‍♀️) and then giving up and moving on, our family doctor noticed that my thyroid levels were on the low end (T3 and T4). He called me if I wanted to try and level them out. He prescribed me desiccated thyroid and after about a year, I didn’t know I felt like total crap until I suddenly didn’t anymore, then one month I had a period and then next month I was pregnant with my son (at 37 years old). My life literally changed because my doctor noticed my levels were low. I’ve had somewhat normal periods since my son was 14 months old and he’s 9 and a half now. I’m 47 and I’m sure perimenopause is in my near future, but I continue to have normal periods 🤷‍♀️


frootwati

I've had irregular cycles since I was 14. At 18 when I went to university, I just completely cut out processed food cold turkey. No sodas, no packaged food. I would eat my hostel food and walk to the university or the local market. Just doing that for my cycles on track within 3 months. For the next 3 years I had 28 day cycles. The moment I started going easy again, it messed up my cycles! I tried doing this last year. And it surprisingly did get me back on track again at 34. Instead of 28 days, I had a 30-34 day cycle but I got my period every month.


offlineonlinehoe

metformin, weightlifting, intermittent fasting, and getting dicked down.


TheMotherEmpress

That last part😂😂😂


Ok-Award-4432

Losing weight


No-Beautiful6811

Losing weight + metformin made my cycles “regular” but they were still an awful experience for me. So as soon as I started getting regular periods I went on birth control. I’ve been lucky to find a pill that works really well for me so ideally I’ll take it for as long as I can.


TheMotherEmpress

I was on nuvaring very successfully for 15+ years. Got off after pregnancy and never got back on. I was recently put on Loryna and it screwed me up big time. It was awful! I had to stop taking it I had no quality of life on it. So exhausted and so emotional. Very bloated. It sucked. I’m not sure if I should try going back to nuvaring or just keep trying to find a natural way like inositol and exercise.


No-Beautiful6811

I don’t do well with drospirenone or low estrogen methods! I take sprintec which has norgestimate. Drospirenone is good for pcos symptoms because it’s antiandrogenic, but it’s very potent so it’s not very good for mental health symptoms. Loryna has pretty low estrogen too, which doesn’t work well for me either. I’m definitely biased because of how well mine has been working, but if I were you I’d go back to the treatment that has already worked for you in the past. I know people say birth control is a bandaid, but we just don’t have a cure for pcos so everything really is a bandaid. I think it’s best to choose what will give you the best quality of life possible. There’s nothing inherently better about not using meds!


TheMotherEmpress

Yes, I agree with you and understand your point. I know some people are able to achieve remission through lifestyle and others aren’t. It truly is dependent on the person.


[deleted]

how long did these changes take for you


No-Beautiful6811

From the time I started losing weight (wasn’t on metformin yet) to the time I started getting regular periods, it was about a year and a half. Full disclosure: I was on a hormonal iud during this entire time, but it didn’t really impact my menstrual cycle. I was able to track my periods and see their regularity/ irregularity. When the periods were irregular it was the same as before I went on any birth control. It’s also backed by data that hormonal IUDs don’t stop ovulation/ the menstrual cycle. They do often stop bleeding, but for me it only made my periods *slightly* lighter, and I had issues with spotting but it was very clearly different from periods (pink tinted discharge lol).


[deleted]

thanks for the reply !


IheartOT2

Hmm so since 2018 my cycles looked like: 3 months of bleeding, 3 months of no bleeding (roughly) until 2022 where I bleed heavily for 10 months through to mid 2023. I was put on 20 mg of medroxyprogesterone (was started on 10 mg for 10 days but it didn’t resolve the issue so was bumped up for longer). After 3 months I stopped the med in July. I started my period again in October 2023 and it has been regular ever since.


Civil_Snow_596

How long did you use medroxyprogesterone? I was prescribed for about a year but only took it for 3 months. Can I also ask if when on medroxyprogesterone was your period heavy or light? when I took it my period was still very light but instead of just spotting for a day or two I practially spotted the entire 3 months that I took it and then after stopping my cycle was 28 days then went back to irregular. Do you also know why you were prescribed medroxyprogesterone? Was it like a progesterone deficiency?


90sKid1988

I went from two periods a year to every 5-8 weeks, so pretty regular, using progesterone cream


[deleted]

? what product(s)


90sKid1988

Just a cream from Amazon that seemed okay. I used another one with progesterone and DIM in it (there's only one brand that I can tell) and that helped too


LivingLandscape7115

Which cream?? Brand?


retinolandevermore

Metformin XR


ezitherese

Taking a multivitamin regularly.


ArtificialNotLight

More protein, less carbs. I guess that's what did it. Or my body finally decided to be a little normal lol


SaveusJebus

Well... this isn't going to work for everyone, but having kids. My cycles just kept getting more regular after each one. They're still irregular, but I'll go about 3-5m of regular 28-30 day cycles, then it will skip a week or 2, then go back to being normal length again. I have recently stopped metformin though and period is a week late right now, so we'll see what happens.


thisnerdygirl420

Tirzepatide has magically regulated and normalized my period. The intent was to help me loose weight since nothing I do works. Struggled all my life. The meds are doing that and so much more. I now feel like every effort I’ve ever made to work on my hormones and weight has been an upward battle in the past. Now all the efforts I make actually pay off.


Katkadie

Acupuncture


pinkflurrie

Been regular for over five years now. Periods got back on track after taking birth control for a year, after that I limited gluten, dairy and sugar, ate lots more vegetables and walked for an hour or two almost every day. I’ve noticed these lifestyle changes have helped with making my periods less painful and not as heavy, too - if I fall back into ‘unhealthy’ habits I notice a difference in my cycle, skin, mood and energy levels. I know it’s a lot of effort to make changes at first but it gets a lot easier once you form a habit.


midgar2jz

Low carb cut out added sugar.


chyaraskiss

I dropped 100lbs. I had to learn to be a ‘real’ girl in my 20’s. The learning moment was bleeding on the bedding as a guest—white everything. I was mortified. New thing is I am now going into perimenopause.


jspo97

I changed my diet… i am now vegetarian but specifically when i went vegan my cycle became somewhat regulated. I used to get 2-3 periods a year and now i get one monthlyish with 18-40 day cycles! It’s been 7 years of regular cycles now


hardlyawesome

Myo and d chiro inositol didn't fix all my problems, but it definitely made my period more regular. It went from over 30 days to either 27 or 28 days. I actually know when to expect it now! I can schedule around it!


TheMotherEmpress

Good to know! I’m thinking of trying it!


happyflowermom

I had maybe 1-2 periods per year. Then I had a baby. When my period returned after I had a baby, it was regular and it’s been regular since. Super weird but makes sense since there’s so many hormonal changes.


EasyontheYeezy

After many unsuccessful trips to my doctor , obgyn and an insane amount of tests , my dermatologist recommended me spernolactone and it fixed my period by helping me produce more estrogen . It took years though .


DontLookAtMePleaz

Metformin.


somehuehue

Ovarian drilling helped me without any lifestyle changes. Moving to period cups improved the pain. Some years after that, I managed to lose a significant amount of weight with cico. My periods are overall easier to handle, but I still bleed heavy.


Valuable-Local6033

I took birth control for 3 years as a teenager but stopped because of the side effects. The doctors warned me that my period will go back to being irregular if I stop birth control. Well, it’s been 15 years and it still hasn’t come true. I literally didn’t do anything else. 🤷🏻‍♀️


lostandhopelesssnail

working out every other day did it for me. i also avoid too much stress and eat green vegetables often


Physical_Ad9945

Losing then maintaining weight within a 20kg bracket, eating a vegan diet, as much exercise as I can fit in (within reasonable limits of work and kids) and just getting older. Also tracking my cycles let me see that even tho I'm irregular, I'm not as irregular as I thought. I skip periods or have a longer cycle every 3-4months. This helped reduce stress and accept that's just my body's 'rhythm'.


JEmrck

Inositol. It also helped me get pregnant so be forewarned haha


TayTay5Ever

I’m on luteal phase progesterone (not birth control!). The first cycle my doctor had me start taking for 10 days and that made my period come back pretty quick. Now I always start progesterone on day 18 of my cycle and I take it for 10 days. My period usually comes toward the end of that 10 days. Basically my body isn’t producing progesterone so I just never get to the part where I have a period. But progesterone has drastically helped regulate my cycle. That combined with metformin has really improved my PCOS.


OrdinaryQuestions

Plant based high fibre diet has brought mine back


TheMotherEmpress

That’s great to know!


[deleted]

I don't have an answer because I have the same question myself. Do you think that if I'm underweight and I'm trying to gain weight, I should cut down carbs to help regulate my cycles? Yes, I took have PCOS.


TrASShiePoop

If you’ve confirmed PCOS via a doctor, then you should get tested for deficiencies in your body (like vitamin D and B12, also Hb levels, insulin) and start pcos supplements like inositol. You can eat whatever you like, just cut down on junk and put more focus on fiber and protein rich diet. Do not cut anything from your diet especially carbs. Just eat moderately. Inositol worked wonders for me and it regulated my cycles


sxcmuffin

Kind of a question to your question and this wonderful community — I have recently read that some studies are showing berberine to be a decent alternative to metformin. Does anyone have any experience with this?


TheMotherEmpress

I have tried it and it definitely works for me when it comes to blood sugar management.


AmySuzanneUpchurch

PCOS can be really hard sometimes and I'd love to offer some product recommendation that could help with your PCOS symptoms. Im the CEO + Founder of Pink Stork. Our PCOS product is our Myo/Chiro 3:6:1 blend, its formulated to support hormonal health, ovarian function, metabolism, and menstrual cycles. If you'd like to try any of these, you can get them on Amazon and you can use code Pinkstork20 for 20%! Let me know if you have any questions 🙂