Advice for 18yo w PCOS

[AliasGrace47]

I hope it's ok to post here. I know it might seem strange, but I've received much better advice on family problems on here than other ones. When I was 14 my GP suggested I might have PCOS. I had been through quite a lot of stress w an abusive father trying to get residence & so my mum thought weight gain might be due to stress, as I did sometimes comfort eat during this time. I had & still have excess weight in what I've read are the typical places : stomach, thighs, bum, hips. Also moderate facial hair, which I wax, & sometimes irregular periods. They are pretty regular though, & not v painful unless I eat a lot during them. They may have been irregular due to stress, I have a lot less stress now.
I'm also lesbian & apparently PCOS is more likely if you are.
After the GP, I kept an eye on what I was eating & exercise regularly. I have a balanced diet w lots of veg, fish, lean meat, nuts, some fruit, Carbs are from a slice of bread in morning w scrambled eggs, & sometimes potatoes at supper. Frustratingly, it makes no difference to the weight!
Unfortunately, there was more stress for the past few years w caring for an ill family member who lives w us, & other abusive people. Health concerns took a back seat. Diet kept as it was, but I didn't follow up the PCOS concerns as I should.
I now want to address it. I'm going to the GP to investigate properly, but in the meantime I'm reading up on it. I've seen stuff here recommending low carb diet, which seems similar to what I'm doing. Would I have to go keto possibly? I don't really want to go on medication or weight loss jabs, I'm already on steroids for asthma. But I would if there were no other options. It's not just the weight ofc, I'm also concerned about diabetes, among others. & fertility.
Advice much appreciated!

Where on earth have you got the information that PCOS is more likely if you are a lesbian? That sounds like total rubbish. I've never heard that before and I was diagnosed nearly 10yrs ago.

There are some great PCOS friendly food insta accounts. I like Smart PCOS Choices, although it's American so I sometimes have to adapt recipes a little. I also went on metformin for a few years (in the run up to TTC and in between having my children), which helped give everything a boost as well. So even if medication is recommended, it doesn't have to be forever. It's more important to protect your health than worry about taking another medication.

Be warned that many GPs have very little knowledge about PCOS and will likely just tell you to go on the pill. If you can see an endocrinologist (either privately or through an NHS referral), you will get better advice. You might have to wait a while though.

Thanks for the advice! I'll write more later as I have to finish some work now. I found the lesbian thing via this study - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15533359/

There are some doubts as to the validity though. I'm on PCOS reddit & some people there claim a connection, sometimes saying their attraction to women stopped or lessened on metformin, & some saying the opposite. That did worry me a bit as I don't really like feeling medication could interfere w my feelings. But if I need to take it, I need to take it, & hopefully it wouldn't.
My mother is very against my taking the pill. I would if it was best, but I have friends who've got unpleasant symptoms from it, so I'd rather not if there's other viable options.
Yes I will def see an endocrinologist. My GP is nice, but I'm not sure if she knows much on pcos..
& will follow smart PCOS choices.

Bumping- more advice would be really apprecoated

I don't have PCOS so have zero experience.
I do intermittent fasting and listen to podcasts relating to this especially ones that Gin Stephens hosts. She talks often about the benefits of IF for helping with PCOS.
It's free, you can still eat the food you want to and has all sorts of health benefits.

Thank you, Horatio. I'll look into that.

@AliasGrace47 I was diagnosed with PCOS around the age of 14. Unfortunately GPs really don't know a lot when it comes to pcos.
Intense cardio isn't really recommended (I didn't know that for the longest time); strength training is much better.
I follow pcos.weightloss on Instagram, and have learnt so much more from her than anywhere else.

There are different 'types', and unfortunately GP won't be able to tell you much about that. The difference is to do with hormones, as we will have a difference in excess testosterone or excess oestrogen and so on.

Working on mental health is extremely important to, and you might have seen some research articles suggest for some women childhood trauma might have been the trigger. I don't know a lot about all that.

Hope you do find what works for you, 

My 23 year old daughter was diagnosed with PCOS by an NHS endocrinologist last year. She had only had four periods in as many years and had piled on weight. He prescribed Metformin which kickstarted her periods straight away and they have been regular as clockwork ever since. She's also shed 3 and a half stone but that has also been in conjunction with a Slimming world based diet. She is like a different person, so much happier. Only problem is now the hormones are fixed her pmt has returned with a vengeance.

I have PCOS at times I could go 8 months without having a period. Metformin did help regulate them although I had to stop taking it because it made me feel sick constantly. Once I did my periods were all over the place again. The one thing that has helped massively though is going gluten free. I switched to a gluten free diet last year and have had a regular period ever since. The other thing you want to try and avoid is dairy products. Weight loss for me is always slow although I don't particularly care much for exercising