Menopause when you have PCOS

[DameEdnaAverage2]

Hi all,

So, as the title suggests, I have PCOS, diagnosed 30 years ago in my early teens, fast forward to now and I am obviously at that glorious age where everyone is starting to go through Peri-Menopause and it's got me wondering...

How the hell do you know you're going through Peri when the symptoms of that and PCOS as almost identical. I already have the inability to lose weight, insomnia, thinning hair, excess hair everywhere else, anxiety, mood swings...I could go on but you get the idea! I'm really interested to hear if people who have gone though it became worse and you got more aggressive symptoms, or had something unusual that alerted you...? I'm also curious to know if HRT had a positive effect on the PCOS symptoms? I live in hope that, for once in my adult life, I'll get to feel "normal"!

Ah, the joys of being a woman!

Fellow PCOS lady here, and going through menopause.

I hope you have now discovered that PCOS is a syndrome, a series of symptoms, that respond favourably to environmental factors, particularly healthy living and lifestyle, plenty of exercise. To a point of you being able to eliminate it. Most critical factor IMO being eating clean - think whole foods, largely plant based, no alcohol, no dairy. Menopause is no different in my experience. When I avoid eating like a teenager and major on veg I lose weight. Symptoms flare up when I've had alcohol and don't exercise

I have had a particularly bad lot of extra thick hairs grow on my chin. Some are grey so my only option is electrolysis. That has been effective removing the worst of it.

I haven't had any different or worse symptoms, often less bad symptoms, than other non-PCOS friends going through menopause.

Look at the Human Being Diet or principles of Bright Line Eating for weight loss. You can lose weight. You just haven't find the way that works for you.

Thanks for your reply, Curious. Oh, I know all about PCOS. It's my specialist subject (unfortunately!)

When I said "Inability to lose weight", that was poor wording on my part. I probably should have said "difficulty losing weight and keeping it off", as I lost close to 100lbs in 2007 (and battle daily not to regain it). It took me 3 years of low calorie eating and extreme exercise but I got there in the end. Sadly, though, It had little effect on helping the worst symptoms that I had hoped would go. The only thing that improved vastly was my skin and my periods became regular. No complaints about that as it helped my fertility and gave me my DS.

I also gave up alcohol at the same time I started my weight loss journey, I don't drink at all now and I eat healthily and exercise daily to keep the weight off as I know what I face if I don't do these things. I've also tried laser hair removal and I have a Philips Lumea for home top ups...I'm still incredibly hairy! I guess I'm just unlucky that my PCOS is pretty severe. Even trying Metformin was a bit of a dud. I do agree with you though that a clean lifestyle is best and I plan to keep that up. I'm just bracing myself for what's to come, but I'm hopeful to hear your menopause journey hasn't been worse than your friends without PCOS. Fingers crossed.