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PCOS In Reverse - AMA

So, for years I've struggled with PCOS, and was pretty hopeless about the prognosis all together. I started dissecting my medical history, doing copious amounts of research on the syndrome and related conditions, looking into natural methods of balancing/restoring my hormones and it's finally paying off.

I had an endocrinologist appointment yesterday, where she informed me herself that my APCOS seems to be in reverse, although I am still prone to it if I don't take the necessary steps/measures to keep it under control. I'd really like to help whoever else is dealing with this horrible disorder - ask me whatever!

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Wow, that's amazing! Well done.
How did you balance your hormones?
Damm I went yesterday and they said the best they could do was prescribe the pill or metformin:/
The hair growth and acne really throws me off. I’ve only had my period ONCE this year and that was by taking hormones to force it out of my system.
Reply 3
Original post by ShootForTheStarWs
Wow, that's amazing! Well done.
How did you balance your hormones?


Well, it wasn't easy and I'm still actively balancing myself out. But basically I was diagnosed at age 15. My doctor put me on birth control, which I was on up until 21. I am currently 22.

At the time, I'd gained a lot of weight (usually I was always 220lbs) & got up to about 277lbs. My symptoms were terrible. Hair falling out, dry/oily skin, pimples (which I NEVER get), hair growing in places it shouldn't. My depression and anxiety was at an all time high & I was starting to experience side effects from being on the pill.

At that point, I decided I wanted to get off of the pill but would need to lose a few lbs first. So, I got myself down to about 250-220lbs by walking on the treadmill and modifying my diet. Losing weight was easy at first because I had a lot to lose. But I basically started off simple.

When I really started to notice changes is when I began altering my diet/relationship with food. I used to eat whatever & too big of a portion of food. So, smaller portions, cutting out inflammation-inducing food.

For me, the cause of my PCOS was definitely my weight and what I was putting into my body. My current diet consists of organic products; water, salmon, chicken, shrimp, scallops, veggies, fruit, nuts, yogurt, almond milk. I don't drink any liquids except water (and sometimes organic orange juice or almond milk for smoothies). I completely cut pork from my diet and barely eat beef. I got rid of everything that was processed in my house (although I don't mind eating something that is a little processed if there are minimal ingredients on the back/no red flag ingredients). I swapped regular table salt for sea salt. Stopped drinking regular milk, hardly ever eat eggs and limit the rest of my diary intake because it causes mucous production and creates inflammation in the body. Along with the dietary changes, I only eat when I am hungry now. My first meal doesn't start until after 10 A.M. and my cut off point for food is 7 P.M., plus my portion sizes are much smaller now.

For exercise, I make sure to do at least 1 hour and 30 minutes of walking each day. And I will do short intense workouts later on in the day. The thing with PCOS is that our bodies are already going through a lot, so exercising too little or too much can cause adverse effects. The best exercises are cardiovascular & HIIT (but at short intervals). The goal shouldn't be to stress the body out to the point where it triggers excess hormone production.

Lastly, supplementation. I take vitamins and tea to help with my body. Probiotics are good to balance gut flora. I also take fish oil, flaxseed, biotin, choline & inisitol, vitamin d, and a women's daily pill. I also try to do daily Epsom salt foot soaks to get magnesium into my system transdermally & drink two cups of spearmint tea each day because it's been shown to significantly lower testosterone levels in women with this condition.
Reply 4
Original post by Anonymous
Damm I went yesterday and they said the best they could do was prescribe the pill or metformin:/
The hair growth and acne really throws me off. I’ve only had my period ONCE this year and that was by taking hormones to force it out of my system.


To be honest, I wouldn't even go onto the pill or take metformin. There are so many side effects they don't tell you about when discussing your "options." I did the birth control thing, and I didn't help at all. At best, it masked the symptoms, making them appear to be less problematic.

Medicine is great for certain things, but PCOS is not one of them. You have to get to the bottom of what could be causing your hormones to be out of whack. For me, I was overweight, always stressed, needing more physical activity and not eating the greatest. Years of that led to the activation of genes that are prone for me to develop PCOS under specific circumstances.

So question is, what do you think could be causing your hormones to be imbalanced? Maybe I can try to help you figure out what method could work best for you, since there are multiple variations of PCOS.
Original post by x_716
To be honest, I wouldn't even go onto the pill or take metformin. There are so many side effects they don't tell you about when discussing your "options." I did the birth control thing, and I didn't help at all. At best, it masked the symptoms, making them appear to be less problematic.

Medicine is great for certain things, but PCOS is not one of them. You have to get to the bottom of what could be causing your hormones to be out of whack. For me, I was overweight, always stressed, needing more physical activity and not eating the greatest. Years of that led to the activation of genes that are prone for me to develop PCOS under specific circumstances.

So question is, what do you think could be causing your hormones to be imbalanced? Maybe I can try to help you figure out what method could work best for you, since there are multiple variations of PCOS.


I think it is the weight. I’ve always been a very chubby girl but ever since ive gone through puberty I’ve gotten even fatter. I really need to control is and am trying my hardest.
I was offered the pill last year but my mum didn’t want me taking it. This year they offered metformin but I honestly don’t think I have anything to lose
I already have very bad hair growth everywhere, my hair is very thin on my head and the acne on my back. I do believe it’s my weight causing this but I’m just stuck on HOW to lose it.
Wow, thanks for this comprehensive post. Organic food is really expensive though.
What's wrong with eggs?
Reply 8
Original post by ShootForTheStars
Wow, thanks for this comprehensive post. Organic food is really expensive though.

Well, I'm from the U.S. and here I shop at Aldi's which is surprisingly affordable. There are smart ways to shop organic, or at least locally grown.

And there's nothing wrong with eggs. I've just found that for me, it works best to avoid them majority of the time because it creates a lot of mucus. Most animal products do though.
Reply 9
Original post by Anonymous
I think it is the weight. I’ve always been a very chubby girl but ever since ive gone through puberty I’ve gotten even fatter. I really need to control is and am trying my hardest.
I was offered the pill last year but my mum didn’t want me taking it. This year they offered metformin but I honestly don’t think I have anything to lose
I already have very bad hair growth everywhere, my hair is very thin on my head and the acne on my back. I do believe it’s my weight causing this but I’m just stuck on HOW to lose it.

Yeah, sounds similar to my experience, minus the complete absence of a period. I started gaining a lot of weight after sophomore year of high school and the hair loss continued ever since.

And the metformin isn't really going to help. The pill also has longterm effects that you don't want to be experiencing.

My suggestion for you would be to cut out diary, pork, sugar, refined carbs and pork/beef. Only drink water, get at least 1 hour of cardio per day and start counting your calories/adjusting portion sizes. Avoid processed foods as much as possible.

I lost almost 100lbs literally from changing my diet and walking (!!!) I'm currently at 180lbs (highest weight was 277lbs) & I'm just now thinking about a gym membership. It'll take time but you will see results if you are consistent.

And for my hair issues, I use a mixture of jojoba oil and rosemary oil & put that onto my scalp three times a week. It helps to promote hair growth. And I take spearmint tea twice a day to lower my testosterone.
What do you mean when you say your PCOS seems to be in reverse? Are your hormones and ovaries completely normal now?
Am glad that worked for you but following that isnt feasible for everyone and the whole spearmint tea thing etc just seems like a fad
PCOS affects everyone differently, weight loss is of course recommended and does improve the condition (that is factual) however given the fact PCOS causes weight gain obviously it makes it harder if that symptom affects you more than others.
Added to that birth control can cause weight gain and other drugs if pcos isnt the only thing someone has

Original post by black tea
What do you mean when you say your PCOS seems to be in reverse? Are your hormones and ovaries completely normal now?

I would be interested to know this too...
PCOS cant be cured, the symptoms can be improved but it wont ever be cured by diets etc or any current medication
Reply 12
Original post by black tea
What do you mean when you say your PCOS seems to be in reverse? Are your hormones and ovaries completely normal now?

Okay...

The simplest way to explain this is to use an analogy. You know how a person develops cancer in their body? Generally, there are a lot of triggers (i.e food, environmental factors, stress and genetic predispositions) that come into play and wreck havoc onto the body. Well, sometimes through lifestyle changes, combined with treatments, going into remission is possible. So while they still have cancer, and are prone to it, it's not currently activated.

It's a similar deal with PCOS. The symptoms and related conditions can be managed, treated, and reversed through lifestyle changes.

For me, my issue was never with my ovaries. My periods were irregular because of being overweight, not eating the correct foods leading to inflammation, inactivity, stressing and lack of sleep. All of these factors activated the genes that make me prone to PCOS. So eventually my hair started shedding, I started growing hair in places I shouldn't, and began experiencing acne, eczema/dry & oily skin.

I was on birth control because doctors told me that was the only thing that would help... Wrong. I basically changed my relationship with food and started exercising daily. Meditation helped to keep my stress levels down and I've used other natural methods to help balance out my hormones a little.

It's not in remission yet, but it's well on its way. I've been experiencing a lot of hair growth on my head, no more shedding...my skin issues are no more, and the hairs that were growing in on my body have started to lighten again. So it's getting better and my symptoms are becoming less of PCOS-criterion.
Original post by x_716
Okay...

The simplest way to explain this is to use an analogy. You know how a person develops cancer in their body? Generally, there are a lot of triggers (i.e food, environmental factors, stress and genetic predispositions) that come into play and wreck havoc onto the body. Well, sometimes through lifestyle changes, combined with treatments, going into remission is possible. So while they still have cancer, and are prone to it, it's not currently activated.

It's a similar deal with PCOS. The symptoms and related conditions can be managed, treated, and reversed through lifestyle changes.

For me, my issue was never with my ovaries. My periods were irregular because of being overweight, not eating the correct foods leading to inflammation, inactivity, stressing and lack of sleep. All of these factors activated the genes that make me prone to PCOS. So eventually my hair started shedding, I started growing hair in places I shouldn't, and began experiencing acne, eczema/dry & oily skin.

I was on birth control because doctors told me that was the only thing that would help... Wrong. I basically changed my relationship with food and started exercising daily. Meditation helped to keep my stress levels down and I've used other natural methods to help balance out my hormones a little.

It's not in remission yet, but it's well on its way. I've been experiencing a lot of hair growth on my head, no more shedding...my skin issues are no more, and the hairs that were growing in on my body have started to lighten again. So it's getting better and my symptoms are becoming less of PCOS-criterion.

So you basically had PCOS symptoms not PCOS.....
You have to have an ultrasound to see the unfertilised eggs collected in your ovaries to be diagnosed, i have never ever heard of anyone be in 'remission' for pcos, its not like cancer at all and cant be cured. I am unsure what you mean when you say 'activated' the genes.... it's not like pokemon. The exact cause of pcos is unknown but current scientific studies say it relates to hormone exposure in the womb. If it was caused by being overweight every overweight woman would have pcos which is obviously not the case.
You have reversed the symptoms not PCOS itself
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by x_716
Okay...

The simplest way to explain this is to use an analogy. You know how a person develops cancer in their body? Generally, there are a lot of triggers (i.e food, environmental factors, stress and genetic predispositions) that come into play and wreck havoc onto the body. Well, sometimes through lifestyle changes, combined with treatments, going into remission is possible. So while they still have cancer, and are prone to it, it's not currently activated.

It's a similar deal with PCOS. The symptoms and related conditions can be managed, treated, and reversed through lifestyle changes.

For me, my issue was never with my ovaries. My periods were irregular because of being overweight, not eating the correct foods leading to inflammation, inactivity, stressing and lack of sleep. All of these factors activated the genes that make me prone to PCOS. So eventually my hair started shedding, I started growing hair in places I shouldn't, and began experiencing acne, eczema/dry & oily skin.

I was on birth control because doctors told me that was the only thing that would help... Wrong. I basically changed my relationship with food and started exercising daily. Meditation helped to keep my stress levels down and I've used other natural methods to help balance out my hormones a little.

It's not in remission yet, but it's well on its way. I've been experiencing a lot of hair growth on my head, no more shedding...my skin issues are no more, and the hairs that were growing in on my body have started to lighten again. So it's getting better and my symptoms are becoming less of PCOS-criterion.

So essentially, your symptoms have gotten better because you have lost weight; you don't have any evidence that suggests you have "reversed" your PCOS.
Reply 15
Original post by CoolCavy
Am glad that worked for you but following that isnt feasible for everyone and the whole spearmint tea thing etc just seems like a fad
PCOS affects everyone differently, weight loss is of course recommended and does improve the condition (that is factual) however given the fact PCOS causes weight gain obviously it makes it harder if that symptom affects you more than others.
Added to that birth control can cause weight gain and other drugs if pcos isnt the only thing someone has


I would be interested to know this too...
PCOS cant be cured, the symptoms can be improved but it wont ever be cured by diets etc or any current medication


Well, people tend to overlook the effectiveness of homeopathic methods to treating bodily ailments. I understand it can seem sketchy and won't work for everybody, but I can attest to its benefits through my own experience. What worked for me may not work for everyone, understandably. Regardless, I want to share my knowledge and methods in the case that it can help others.

I've done extensive research on the condition, given I have it. You do not need to have cysts on your ovaries to be diagnosed. Nor do you have to be overweight. Some women have lean PCOS, others suffer from metabolic, adrenal, or stress PCOS. It's all about figuring out what is causing your body to reach this state and reversing it by changing your way of life.

PCOS affects every woman differently. Some don't even experience hair-loss or hirsutism. It could be solely reproductively centered. And oddly enough, women of Mongolian/Asian descent are less likely to experience hair shedding due to the fact that they have less hair follicles on their bodies.

There are also levels to your symptoms. At my worst, my symptoms were extremely bad. I lost more than half of my overall hair, had chin and lip hairs growing in black, and severe anxiety/depression. I'd rate my current status a 3 out of 10, which is a huge improvement. Mind you, I got off birth control about a year ago and decided to take the natural route. Since then, I've seen a lot of improvements.
Original post by x_716
Well, people tend to overlook the effectiveness of homeopathic methods to treating bodily ailments. I understand it can seem sketchy and won't work for everybody, but I can attest to its benefits through my own experience. What worked for me may not work for everyone, understandably. Regardless, I want to share my knowledge and methods in the case that it can help others.

I've done extensive research on the condition, given I have it. You do not need to have cysts on your ovaries to be diagnosed. Nor do you have to be overweight. Some women have lean PCOS, others suffer from metabolic, adrenal, or stress PCOS. It's all about figuring out what is causing your body to reach this state and reversing it by changing your way of life.

it is current accepted knowledge that weight loss helps manage pcos symptoms, proclaiming you have cured pcos however by losing weight is inaccurate.
Perhaps not in the states but here in the UK you need a blood test and an ultrasound to be diagnosed, if the issue isnt in your ovaries why would you have polycystic ovary syndrome. They are not cysts, as i mentioned before they are unfertilised eggs collected in your ovaries and need to be present to have a diagnosis.
Of course you dont have to be overweight to have it, im not sure where i suggested that. On the contrary you said you activated the pcos 'gene' (of which there is no such thing) by being overweight and having an unhealthy diet.
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by CoolCavy
it is current accepted knowledge that weight loss helps manage pcos symptoms, proclaiming you have cured pcos however by losing weight is inaccurate.
Perhaps not in the states but here in the UK you need a blood test and an ultrasound to be diagnosed, if the issue isnt in your ovaries why would you have polycystic ovary syndrome. They are not cysts, as i mentioned before they are unfertilised eggs collected in your ovaries and need to be present to have a diagnosis.
Of course you dont have to be overweight to have it, im not sure where i suggested that. On the contrary you said you activated the pcos 'gene' (of which there is no such thing) by being overweight and having an unhealthy diet.

Just to point out that they are indeed right and you don't have to have enlarged/polycystic ovaries for a diagnosis - you need 2 of: androgen excess (either on bloods or in terms of symptoms - e.g. acne), absent or reduced frequency of periods and enlarged/polycystic ovaries. So it is possible to have a diagnosis of PCOS without having polycystic ovaries!
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by black tea
Just to point out that they are indeed right and you don't have to have enlarged/polycystic ovaries for a diagnosis - you need 2 of: androgen excess (either on bloods or in terms of symptoms - e.g. acne), absent or reduced frequency of periods and enlarged/polycystic ovaries. So it is possible to have a diagnosis of PCOS without having polycystic ovaries!

Thanks for correcting me :smile: i only know what i got told when i was diagnosed so am happy to be corrected
I agree with you that the OPs title is false, had they reversed pcos they would be up for some scientific award :wink:
Reply 19
Original post by CoolCavy
So you basically had PCOS symptoms not PCOS.....
You have to have an ultrasound to see the unfertilised eggs collected in your ovaries to be diagnosed, i have never ever heard of anyone be in 'remission' for pcos, its not like cancer at all and cant be cured. I am unsure what you mean when you say 'activated' the genes.... it's not like pokemon. The exact cause of pcos is unknown but current scientific studies say it relates to hormone exposure in the womb. If it was caused by being overweight every overweight woman would have pcos which is obviously not the case.
You have reversed the symptoms not PCOS itself


Actually no. I was diagnosed with PCOS at age 15 - which was confirmed through an ultrasound and bloodwork. PCOS is a condition that affects hormone levels in women. It used to be refered to as Stein-Leventhal syndrome {definition: also called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), disorder in women that is characterized by an elevated level of male hormones (androgens) and infrequent or absent ovulation (anovulation)}.

As I mentioned, my symptoms were irregular periods and hormomal issues that led to male-pattern baldness (i.e the hair shedding) and hirsutism. My ovaries were fine but my testosterone levels were elevated and in range with PCOS. Also, mine was more metabolic because of being overweight. I was prediabetic according to my bloodwork and had very high cholesterol.

And there are plenty of women in remission of their PCOS symptoms. You just have to do your research.
https://thepcosnutritionist.com/about-clare/

And obviously PCOS and Cancer are not the same. It was an analogy. Someone who has had cancer treated successfully goes into remission. If your PCOS is treated successfully, symptoms will start to reverse. It takes months to see changes and improvements though.

And that's my point - women with PCOS are genetically prone to developing the condition under proper circumstances. There are women who are 600lbs and don't have pcos. And it's not solely about weight, as there are so many variables at play. Inflammation, stress, and hormone imbalance all work together to create the perfect storm that is PCOS. There is science to back up that it is also genetic.

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