(Part 3) Best products from r/PCOS

I swapped to the Keto diet and implemented Intermittent Fasting about a month ago. It is completely opposite of everything I've ever done diet-wise, but I'll be honest, I'm seeing great results on it. I'm down 15lbs in 3 weeks, which is just insane because before I'd struggle to lose 1lb. I would suggest Simply Keto by Suzanne Ryan as a great starting place to understand what Keto is and how to approach it. It has some really great recipes in it as well and my husband and I pick from it every week to build our meal prep.

I love the Keto Chili and the Grilled Chicken & Bacon Ranch Kabobs. So good!

It is totally possible to ovulate but not have a period. In a woman with 100% normal function, she'd ovulate somewhere near the middle of her cycle, conceive, and then not have the next period two weeks later. So, yeah. You could have gotten pregnant. I would go get a blood test ASAP. And, depending on your type of PCOS, I would recommend using ovulation tests for a month to see if you have significant fluctuations in your Lh levels. A significant spike would indicate ovulation. I use these to see if/when I will start ovulating (I don't currently, but I am on meds and dieting so that may change!) http://www.amazon.com/Wondfo-Step-Ovulation-Strips-50-Count/dp/B004IJHDN6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425582295&sr=8-1&keywords=wondfo+ovulation+tests Good luck, OP! And congrats - maybe? - on baby and your engagement!

you might research berberine over metformin. many women have shown good results with it. it's also an over the counter supplement and doesn't have the negative effects of metformin.

i love nightshades (tomatoes and peppers mostly) so i am so not looking forward to testing whether they give me reactions or not. but what you're doing looks similar to a low fodmap or autoimmune paleo style elimination diet. i myself do basic paleo and it helps. i follow herbalism and functional medicine approaches to health, which connects autoimmune issues to each other similarly to how you have figured out on your own.

you also might find a great deal of good information in this book. i just picked it up. though i know a lot that is covered in the book already, it does have good information on dosages of important supplements that help with pcos support.

I am kind of late to your post, but I wanted to offer you the Insulin Resistance Diet. http://www.amazon.com/Insulin-Resistance-Diet--Revised-Updated-ebook/dp/B000VMBYL6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382756101&sr=8-1&keywords=insulin+resistance+diet

I saw a nutritionist and lost most of my weight pretty quickly with something that pretty much mimics this diet. It's lower carb, not no carb. What seems to work for me is to have my carb or sugars (Example: Apple) with protein (Example: 1 oz low fat cheese). This seems to help my body not turn everything directly into fat. Not sure if it will work for you, but I hope maybe it will help some. I wish you all the best. Feel free to ask any questions.

I posted this comment on another thread; I'm cutting and pasting an edited version here for you:

... I also did laser hair removal, and although it helped some, it wasn't the permanent, miracle fix I was hoping for.

I recommend trying the Seiko Cleancut Personal Shaver. I've used one for about 8 years now (in fact, I have two). It's affordable, about $50. You can buy replacement heads for $25, but I've never bought a replacement because I haven't needed to. It's powered by one C battery. It's reasonably quiet and easy to carry in a purse (I often take it with me to social events, to "touch up" discretely in the ladies' room when I need to).

... this thing is a dry shaver, so all you need is a little baby powder or corn starch on your skin (to absorb oils), and run the foil head over you skin and, "voila!" the hair is gone, at least for awhile (I use it twice a day). It gets very close to the skin; close enough that I don't have that five o'clock shadow look. And, because it's a dry shave, it has never irritated my skin.

... At the risk of sounding like an over-dramatic infomercial, finding the Cleancut was sincerely one of the most important moments of my life.

I hope you find something that will work for you! Good luck!

My cycles have always been irregular, never had them go normal.

I will put in my 2 cents and tell you that if you really want to have a child, go visit your OB/GYN and tell them. If you've been trying to get pregnant for at least 3-4 months on your own, they will most likely prescribe you something like clomid to try. They may even give you progesterone to help regulate your cycles before you start clomid. Super cheap meds even without insurance.

Don't wait too much longer, it only gets harder for your body to have children as you approach 35. I started trying when I was 25, Ping ponging between doctors and a miscarriage later, I had my first when I was 31. Second when I was 33. I'd like to have one more, but I'm getting older and the last one was rough on my body.

My point is, if you end up needing more help like IUI or IVF, those things take time. Your 30 now, but you could easily be looking at having a child at 32.

Read the book Taking Control of Your Fertility. Really understand how the cycle works. The more you know about how it should work, how to predict and test your cycle, the better chance you will have of getting pregnant. Also, buy some cheap ovulation test kits. Test daily. Take your temp and chart it. FertilityFriend is very helpful.

Used to be an aesthetician and recently diagnosed. So hard waxes (the ones you don’t need to use a fabric strip on) are much less irritating to the skin and perfect for facial waxing. In order to do this at home you will need 4 things:

1. A wax pot to heat up the wax. They can be found on amazon like this one I have used and would recommend: GiGi Wax Warmer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0030ZRS7A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_PZ5TBbG8YBZDR
   
2. Wax... any hard wax should work but if you’re not a professional I can’t stress enough how much I would recommend using this brand and type: Satin Smooth Wild Cherry Hard Wax with Vitamin E, 14 oz. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B5LQT7Q/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_C15TBbGC4GX7S
   The issue many beginners have with using hard wax is getting it the right consistency/temperature and many hard waxes may become brittle when drying because they were overheated. This wax becomes more of a rubbery consistency making it super easy to use.
   
3. A wax remover/baby oil to help get off any small pieces of wax that may be left over or stuck on to skin
   
4. Tongue depressors for applying the wax. Or any disposable wooden stick of your choosing. The larger the area the bigger the tool being used.
   All in all should cost you around $45-$50 to get started but is super cheap in the long run because you only need to replace the items pretty infrequently.
   Remember to ALWAYS double check the wax temp by testing a small amount on the inside of your wrist before applying it to more delicate areas. Also the wax consistency should always be around room temperature honey... if it’s any more liquid-y than that it’s too hot.

-Vegan diet: no dairy, no eggs, no meat, no seafood. This helped the most and took a few months to notice new growth.

-Supplement B-Complex, biotin, and MSM. Not sure if the biotin and MSM are actually doing anything but they're cheap (I buy at Trader Joe's) and my hair is growing well so why not.

-Coconut oil and jojoba oil hair mask x2-3 hours, once a week. I take several scoops of coconut oil and rub quickly to warm to a liquid in my hands (you can also microwave until soft) and add some jojoba oil to the ends. Wrap hair in a plastic shower cap and leave on for a few hours. Rinse with a gentle shampoo free of sulfates. Again, I like the shampoos at Trader Joe's or Pureology. This keeps my hair hydrated and healthy-looking and prevents that dry-frizz I get.

-No regular heat styling. I let my hair air dry in the evening and flat iron it no more than 2x month for special occasions.

-No coloring.

-Treatment for any OTHER concurring medical issues in addition to treatment for your PCOS (I take synthroid for hypothyroidism).

Good luck and happy hair-growing!

I was also suspicious that I wasn’t ovulating. I bought some cheap test strips on amazon like these: Ovulation Test Kit HCG15-LH40, 15 Pregnancy Test Strips & 40 Ovulation Test Strips with 55 Urine Cups Reliable & Quick Early Pregnancy Test https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M6QJ179/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_vce4CbFVE4577

It’s a pain in the ass to test daily, but you basically use them once a day right when you wake up. I keep a notebook, tape, and pen right by the toilet, and taped each finished test to the paper in order and jotted down the date and time.

After a full cycle of doing that, I learned that I didn’t ovulate (at least for that cycle), so I read up on natural ways to sort of force your body to ovulate.

I ended up using soy isoflavones, like these: Puritans Pride Non-GMO Soy Isoflavones 750 Mg Rapid Release Capsules https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004R66DNQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6ee4Cb4EMQXRP

Ovulated the very next cycle, and was pregnant within a couple months. I think I could even feel myself ovulate, like it made it’s stronger. The slightest twinge on one side.

It’s definitely not an exact science, but it worked for me. Good luck to you!!

That'd be pretty cool. I currently use a combination of strips to monitor mine:

• Easy@Home bluetooth thermometer for daily basal. My basal temp fluctuates wildly since I have allergies but I did kind of see a trend the one time so far I've ovulated.
  
• Easy@Home LH strips to monitor daily after day CD4-3dpo. These are the cheapies that you can get for 100 for $20. They work but are a bit noisier than I'd like so I use...
  
• Pre-mom semi-quantitative LH strips when it looks like I'm seeing a surge, usually 3dbo to 3dpo.
  
• Proov Progesterone strips (CD8, 3dpo-7dpo) to confirm ovulation.
  
  This is fairly expensive monthly (~$70/mo) but I'm doing unmonitored letrozole cycles right now and so it's cheaper than taking the day off work and driving 6 hours several times.
  
  This gave me a really clear picture last cycle: https://imgur.com/a/o64Eqgz, confirmed with the progesterone strips, and then menstruated exactly 14dpo as expected.
  
  Something like the 10 parameter urinalysis strips that did estrogen, lh, and progesterone each dip would be awesome, or a meter like my blood glucose meter that automatically measured the amounts. It'd probably be insanely expensive, since the progesterone strips themselves are $5 per and the semi-quantitative (high quality) LH strips are $1 per strip.

Sometimes I'm bad - being an Italian giving up cheese has proven to be difficult! But, I've been working on cutting out dairy completely for a few years now and here's my list:

Soy or coconut milk, depending on the use - I find plain soy milk is the easiest replacement for milk in savory recipes.

Veganaise to make my own ranch dressing or vegetable dips.

Avocado for sour cream (lots of burrito bowls in our house!).

Tofutti cream cheese - I actually prefer it to regular. Their sour cream isn't so great though, IMO.

Coconut milk ice cream - and I make my own dairy free ice creams sometimes, but it's been an experiment for the most part.

It's worth looking at some vegan recipes for some of your normal favorites - mac and cheese, enchiladas, lasagna, etc. If you're not much of a cook, some of the recipes can seem a little daunting, but once you're more used to the typical replacements, you can cherry-pick what "normal" ingredients you can leave in.

If your grocery store has a "natural" section, and I imagine most do these days, spend a little time wandering the aisles, especially the refrigerated section - try a few of their dairy free options, figure out what your options are in your area and what actually works for you.

A couple of my favorite cookbooks:

Vegan Cooking for Carnivores

The Cheesy Vegan

Good luck!

(Edited to add a couple points I forgot!)

Hi! I started taking this Inositol about a month ago. I kept track of how I started taking it:

Day 1: 1 tsp (2.9 grams) in the evening
Day 2-3: 1 tsp AM/PM (5.8 grams total)
Day 4-11: 1.5 tsp AM/PM (8.7 grams total)
Day 12-today: 2 tsp AM/PM (11.6 grams)

I am using Inositol to also treat anxiety. Honestly after the first two days of using Inositol, even at the lower dose, I FELT less anxious. I have never felt so calm in my life as I have this last month. I'm also sleeping much better. It's been a relief for me and as you can see I am not quite to the 12-19 grams that is recommended for anxiety/depression.

I am feeling confident about being able to take care of myself and improve my health and a lot of that comes from the calmness that I do believe Inositol has given me.

In addition to Inositol, I also take the Pill, Choline, D-Chiro, and I just started Berberine a few days ago.

I also started a keto diet the same time I started Inositol. The Inositol is not magic for me with weight loss like some women experience. Maybe it's because I am already at a weight that is considered normal. I have lost a few pounds just in the last couple days with tracking calories.

Back to the sleep thing - I don't feel lethargic anymore and I used to all the time. I don't know if that's due to the Inositol or starting the Pill - which is now giving me hormones I haven't felt in a year. (No period on my own in over a year so my Dr. gave me bc)

Give the Inositol a shot. I think you may be pleasantly surprised!

I just got off my BC for other reasons, namely it wasn't helping anymore. This is like the 6th BC that I have been on and they all stopped working after awhile. I finally decided to get off the cycle and control it on my own. I did a bunch of research and found two things. Low carb diet and cinnamon supplements.

Low Carb Diet - This helps to control the insulin levels in our system which keeps the excess hormones from triggering. It also keeps the body from having to store the excess insulin in fat cells (why we always gain weight around the stomach area). Controlling blood glucose levels through diet has been proven to be the best way to reverse PCOS symptoms. This is also the best way to lose weight! I have lost about 6 lbs since April when previously just eating low calorie (1200 net cals/day) I gained 40 lbs over 4 years. I know where you are coming from with the doctors. It took me 6 different doctors to finally find one that told me about how my diet effects my ability to lose weight and control my symptoms! It was finally a nurse practitioner who got me on the right track! Even losing 10% of your weight should help you see a decrease in symptoms!

This blog is one woman's journey through PCOS that seems pretty typical of the women that I know who are eating low carb.

This book explains how everything works inside the body with the hormones, blood glucose levels and insulin. I believe it actually recommends a low glycemic diet but I have found that for women with more harsh symptoms low carb works better. You might have to expierment with what works for you.

For more low carb information check out /r/keto and /r/xxketo

Cinnamon Suppliments - I started taking these around the same time I started keto so I am not sure which thing does what but I do know that I all around feel better. Many women reccommend these and here is why.

Edited to add: Changing your diet may seem ridiculous and way harder than is feasible but trust me it is worth it. After the first 2 weeks or so when you start seeing changes you kind of become addicted to the feeling! Trust me! I LOVE my bread, pasta and desserts but as soon as I realized that I wasn't feeling sick after every meal and my acne was going away, not to mention my mood swings were basically non-existent I felt that it was worth cutting those out of my life!

Well, besides going to the doctor and asking their opinion (mine put me on Spiro for awhile which while it was a bit rough on my cycle did help not only with my adult acne did help with my hair growth, and some can recommend a gel but mine was not covered by my insurance and was EXPENSIVE so I passed) I recommend being diligent with shaving. I know, sounds like a hassle, but I have this facial hair trimmer and it works wonders. I know some people who have done laser and electrolosis (sp) which they all have said have grown back, so I've never gone that route myself. I also tweeze the prickly hairs pretty much daily if I can on my chin, but anymore I just shave in the morning and don't deal with it.

Hope that helps! I know its a pain and it seems like the worst thing ever, but its pretty manageable if you keep up on it. I just do all my stuff in the morning before putting my makeup on. The only ones that ever really get me are the wacky "waddle" hairs I don't realize I don't get until they are really long! Just make sure you have a nice mirror and you'll be fine!

sounds like you're on the right track! yes, you can totally indulge occasionally and still lose weight and be healthy. as for spending a lot of time in the kitchen, i do spend more than i used to, but i don't slave away. this is how i cook fish. you can use whatever spices/veggies you want. you just fold it up in some parchment, cook it for 10 minutes on high heat, and voila. takes almost no time, and it's perfect for single servings, so your intolerant spouse doesn't have to eat it! also, the same guy who wrote the glycemic load diet cowrote a glycemic load cookbook if you need help coming up with quick, healthy dinner ideas. you may even be able to find something your spouse will eat! :)

keep up the good work!

You can buy them online. A friend of mine makes them at Tiffany & Tot on Facebook. But they sell them on amazon, on Etsy. It generally has an absorbent inner layer. Then the back is something waterproof. The front is either cotton or athletic wicking jersey or fleece. Then you clip them around your underwear with wings. I’m sure you could make your own if you are a sewer. They make patterns.

https://www.facebook.com/tiffanyandtot/photos/a.1601716346546909/1601717139880163/?type=3

https://tiffanyandtot.wordpress.com/2017/05/29/cloth-pad-general-information/
I get her Titans. They’re like 20”? They’re SUPER long. Which I love for overnight / heavy bleed.

I have one of these overnights. They’re organic cotton. They feel nice but not as long as I like.
Hesta Organic Cotton Reusable Cloth Menstrual Pads (environment-friendly), Set of 3 (jumbo(overnight), Wing/Brown) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X6HQ53S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mNpxCbB5P87Z9

I also have one of these. I don’t like them as good as Tiffany’s. They’re not as long. And they’re a little thicker. But it’s hard to find the athletic wicking jersey I like.
https://etsy.me/2RIVy7P

I've never done keto. I've always had excellent results on VLCD (very low calorie diets), which obviously give fast results, but you have to work hard to keep the weight off. These diets tend to be very low carb diets, putting you in ketosis. However, being on a VLCD is not necessary or realistic long-term for PCOS management and weight loss, which are your aims. I found a good PCOS nutrition book to be helpful when I was first diagnosed. It helped me understand what I should avoid (refined carbs and sugars, basically) or at least reduce my intake of (carbs and red meat) , in order to help my symptoms. Seafood is great, and definitely better in many respects than meat. It contains less chemicals (vaccinations etc), a lower harmful fat content, and less hormones to interfere with your own. Keeping your blood sugar levels steady and making the best food choices is achievable when you're taking a balanced approach, following, for example, a low GI regime. That way, you'll be avoiding the things that make symptoms worse, you'll reduce your risk of diabetes and insulin resistance, and you'll lose weight. I think taking note of calories is also very important.

A couple of books I found to be useful are listed below:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0007131844

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0071499849

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0340896019

Hope this helps!