Energy sure is a problem with PCOS! For one, the problem is in the pituitary gland with PCOS, not just the ovaries. And with that...your body has a lot of problems with a lot of different things. Processing sugar is one of them. So in some cases...we have the same kind of issues that relate to that...lethargy can result from too many complex sugars being put through the body. It's why most women with PCOS gain weight around their core...or midsection and have that "apple" shape. It means your body is having a hard time with sugars...and it's a ***** to lose but it can be done! Eating right is always a plus. I haven't done much dietary work on specific diets, so I'm not familiar with the South Beach...but a low GI or Glucose Index diet is good for anyone really and it's hardly a diet. Basics of it...lots of nuts with the exception of cashews. Fruits are touchy...like watermelon is absolutely horrible for the type of sugars it has...but cherries are great! You can look up GI listing of fruits and find plenty of lists. And basically...low you can eat often enough...medium is now and then...and high is just rarely. That goes with other foods as well. Also as a general rule, eat more fish and chicken and less red meat and avoid pork a whole lot. Don't worry about going to extremes. That right there will help with your energy levels! If your body has a complex sugar...a lot of times if your having trouble digesting the sugar it will spit out a lot of insulin to compensate, which makes you feel "off" or tired because there's way too much insulin in your system. Think of the balance of a seesaw with sugar and insulin, if you eat say..nuts...it's like having to balanced kids on there. But if you eat a half loaf of bread (going to extremes here
) it's like a 200lb kid comes over and jumps on one end and to get the other side down...a 300lb kid comes over...then one more 150lb kid comes to the other end to help it balance out. That's not the way your body is supposed to work if your normal...but a flawed pituitary can cause it to work that way. So a balance of diet rather than a strict one can be very helpful.
As for the crying...well...finding out about a traumatic medical thing always makes you upset...but other than that. Your pituitary also controls a lot of hormones for emotions. So your seritonin is probably off as well as estrogen and testosterone and others. This will have an effect and cause a depression. There's herbal things you can take for it that are very mild. St. Johns Wort, HTP-5 (which is good for natural weight loss and depression and headaches and insomnia), SAMe (for natural weight loss and estrogen acceptance by the body), and those just for depression. But making sure you stick to your exercise is one hell of a help in the long run and in the short run. Try just to throw some added sit-ups and some jack-knives in there to help with the weight loss...it can do wonders sometimes.
I've never taken glucophage, but I've taken birth control and it's done one hell of a number on me so I refuse to take it anymore and have resorted solely to homeopathic meds...but they're worked amazingly so far...and I'm only looking up from here. The problem with birth control is that it helps to regulate your estrogen level...and that's all well and good for someone who's normal...but with PCOS your body is fighting with the birth control because it really thinks that the pill is throwing it out of wack. Your body produces what it thinks is normal (due to the pituitary gland). The pill makes more estrogen, so your body pumps out more testosterone to try and balance it out...which may work with you for a while...but it doesn't REALLY fix much and often times causes more problems than what it's worth. The main thing is to try and kick start that part of your body to work naturally...but that's just my opinion. It takes longer this way, but I've had less complications.
As for the cramps, I know that red raspberry leaf tea helps a lot if you make it strong and take about 3 cups a day. Put heat on them...the rest depends on where they are and how strong and exactly what they feel like and if you have anything that comes with it like passing blood clots with your period. Sometimes, there's not much you can do...but often times there is...you just have to find the right person to let you know.
Hope I helped at least a little bit
