25 year old girl and PCOS

[VividHare]

Hi everyone, I’m 25 years old and was recently diagnosed with PCOS. My doctor told me I have small cysts on my ovaries. Here is my situation: I don't actually eat a lot, but I have a major sweet tooth and sometimes I go overboard with sugar.
I’m on the shorter side, and I feel like my upper legs and arms are constantly swollen/puffy. My face feels like a 'potato' most of the time due to inflammation. Honestly, I feel like a 45-year-old woman with 4 kids instead of a young woman in her 20s. It’s really affecting my self-esteem.
How do you deal with this? What are your must-do habits or tips for the swelling and sugar cravings? I’m open to any kind of advice or personal stories. Thank you so much!

What do you usually eat on a normal day?

Hi, I have PCOS and had lots of sugar craving. I was recommended a low GI diet so less sweet/sugary foods but also less things like white bread and whites pasta and more protein and complex carbs, berries and healthy fats. I found that changing my diet meant I wasn’t hungry, didn’t get the sugar crash/tiredness slumps and therefore don’t crave sugary foods so much. Now i find I prefer things less sweet. I’m not perfect but I can definitley feel myself getting tired and sluggish if I have a period where I am eating more sugary foods.

Ask for a referral to endocrinology. Most GPs dismiss PCOS and will simply suggest going on the pill to force regular cycles.

In fact PCOS is often caused by insulin resistance causing hormonal imbalance.

Your sugar craving and puffy face suggest this. Do you also have dark skin on the back of your neck, underarms or other crease areas of skin?

Addressing insulin resistance by having a lower sugar and carb diet can help. You may also need something like metformin to address the insulin resistance.

You need a blood test that includes your fasting insulin level.

We are very lucky that my daughter was referred to an excellent endocrinologist who has been so thorough in the testing they have done.

I would also suggest a multivitamin with folic acid, evening primrose oil and a supplement called Myo Inositol. You might want to try and have the blood tests first though.

Popeyes :D pasta etc…

Thank you, you're very kind. I did what you said! My vitamin D levels are very low. Other than that, there are no other problems, but even if I diet, I can't lose weight. Yes, I have disgusting black marks on my body. I can't wear short-sleeved shirts. Even sexual intercourse scares me (there are black marks there too).

You are me when I was 25, I was diagnosed with PcOS, couldn’t lose weight, dark velvety skin underarms, groin and neck. No treatment, just the standard “eat less, move more” crap from the dr. Got pregnant at 30 after 3 years TTC and no help other than being t9 I was too fat and needed to owe weight. Got Gestational diabetes, ended up on insulin and metformin which meant I actually lost weight while pregnant but it was stopped as soon as I had DD. Diagnosed with T2 diabetes in 2024 when I was 41 and given medication, eventually they gave me Mounjaro because insulin and metformin weren’t reducing my sugar levels enough. 18 months later, I’ve lost 9 stone, my sugar levels are in the non-diabetic range and my periods are regular for the first time ever.

Be a squeaky wheel! Keep bothering the doctors till you get metformin to help regulate your sugar levels and make sure you get a yearly HbA1c test.