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Warning: this topic is about female reproduction. If you are not mature enough to discuss these matters please do not post and bring any unnecessary stress to woman who already have enough to deal with. Anyone with fertility problems or endometriosis or any concern is welcome.

What is PCOS?

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine system disorder among women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS may have enlarged ovaries that contain small collections of fluid located in each ovary as seen during an ultrasound exam. It is very common as approximately 5-10% woman of child baring age have this.

A diagnosis is usually made when you have any two of the following:
Irregular, infrequent periods or no periods
More facial or body hair than is usual for you
Blood tests which show higher testosterone levels than normal (mine was higher insulin)
Ultrasound scan showing polycystic ovaries (mine showed none)

Symptoms:
infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods
excess hair growth
acne
obesity/weight gain/difficulty losing weight
elevated levels of male hormones
thinning scalp hair

Causes:
mostly unknown
excess insulin
low white blood count
not strictly inherited from parents to children, but it may run in some families
being overweight or obese

Can result in:
Type 2 diabetes (10–20%)
High blood pressure (but this could be due to being overweight as well)
Cholesterol and lipid abnormalities
Metabolic syndrome — increased risk of cardiovascular disease
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis — a severe liver inflammation
Infertility
Miscarriage
Sleep apnea
Depression and anxiety
Abnormal uterine bleeding
Cancer of the uterine lining (endometrial cancer), due to constant exposure to high lvls of estrogen and less than 3 periods a year
Gestational diabetes or pregnancy-induced high blood pressure
Increased risk of stroke/heart disease later in life due to the long-term insulin resistance
Preemies

Treatments (not cures):
Lose weight (aim for foods with a low glycaemic index [low GI])
Unwanted hair can be treated as normal, also see spironolactone
Medication- Metformin, spironolactone (not when TTC), birth control
Acne can be treated like normal, also see spironolactone
Birth control pills to help regulate your periods
Fertility treatments

Brightside:
PCOS does not increase your chance of breast, cervical or ovarian cancer (except in case of endometrial cancer).

Websites (all offer info of course):
PCOS Diva - diet
PCOS Diet Support - diet and success story
PCOS Foundation - support group in your area
Patient Info - more details
La Leche League- breastfeeding with PCOS

Thank you Pretty pretty bacon for the following on ttc:
Surviving Infertility Treatments: What I want you to know

Thank you MegaTurkey for the following:
Patient Info 2 - long-term info

Extra:
Do Summer 2015

Quick and general info guides for diets:
~side note- eat only a single serving of everything. Due to PCOS and your body's way of digesting, its better to eat about 200-300 calories less than your recommended calorie amount. Please adjust as needed by adding or removing snacks. You can download "My Fitness Pal" app for free to help with calorie counting~

Paleo:

EAT:____________________________________DON’T EAT:
Grass-produced meats_____________________ Cereal grains
Fish/seafood_____________________________ Legumes (including peanuts)
Fresh fruits and veggies____________________Dairy
Eggs___________________________________ Refined sugar
Nuts and seeds___________________________Potatoes
Healthful oils (Olive, walnut, flaxseed,________ Processed foods
macadamia, avocado, coconut)_____________ Salt
_______________________________________ Refined vegetable oils

Pro-
Rich in soluble fiber, antioxidant vitamins, phytochemicals, omega-3 fatty acids, monounsaturated fat, and low-glycemic carbohydrates.
Gluten free and low in added sugars, trans fats, salt, and high-glycemic carbohydrates

Con-
Heavily reliant on meat
Falls short on some micronutrients, namely calcium and vitamin D.

Paleo Diet 101
Beginner's Guide to Paleo
330 Simple Paleo Recipes
Paleo Meal Plan

Low GI diet:

Can eat anything on a low gi scale

Pro -
Lower your risk of heart disease
Curb inflammation
Created for diabetects and insulin resistant people
Lose weight and keep it off

Con-
GI response of foods can vary tremendously from person to person, and can even change within the same person from day to day
Very difficult to gauge whether or not the diet is actually being followed correctly

GI food list
American Diabetes Association
Web MD
7 day low GI Meal Plan

Keto diet:

Same as Paleo but can eat some carbs and dairy

Pro-
Improved Fat Loss
Original intended benefit of inducing ketosis was to prevent epileptic seizures

Con-
Highly restrictive nutritional guidelines
Consuming a high-fat diet to sustain ketosis can be detrimental to your long-term health

Pintrest keto diet for PCOS
Reddit Keto recipes
The Charlie Foundation - keto info
Keto Diet Menu
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Paleo Diet vs Glycemic Index Diet

Ketogenic Diet vs Paleo Diet

Thank you 1-800-OMG-STFU for the following (I in no way am saying to spend any money, these are simply success stories from dieters on low-carb) :
PCOS weight loss success 1
PCOS weight loss success 2
PCOS weight loss success 3

Questions:

When were you diagnosed?

What medications have you been taking?

Has it progressed?

Cured? (I know it can't be cured. What I mean is are you at a place where you have cycles and such without the use of medicines.)

Have you been able to conceive?

If so how long did it take?

Feelings on adoption or surrogate mothers?

Things you have done to help?

Personal info:

~~OPEN~~

My periods suck. On bad days it feels like someone is trying to twist a corksrew through my belly into my back; on good days I'm just insanely horny, I want to ride everything with a c**k & a pulse.

Thank ******** Christ I don't have to deal with all that other s**t, too.

One of my friends has horrible cramps. She has endometriosis