I started going out with my girlfriend in Jan 2008. Around that time, she started having some severe mood swings and i started noticing a few spots on her face, which had previously been unblemished. Before she knew it, her entire chin and face was engulfed in bad acne and she was getting severely depressed on an almost daily basis. I had to be awfully careful about what i said or did because it had the potential to make her cry hysterically or make her frighteningly angry. In addition to this, she started getting periods twice a month. A 2-day period in the middle of the month in addition to her "normal" period every 28 days. However, these periods were severely painful and i often had to find ways to relax her and somehow relieve the pain. The erratic moods were even worse during those days and she often got depressed over the smallest thing.
We then found out she might have PCOS, which eventually got confirmed by a subsequent visit to her doc. The doc put her on BCP and that helped with the acne and "regulated" her period to a once a month thing, however she still kept getting depressed about her appearance and the moods, although not as bad as they were, are still somewhat difficult to manage up to this day.
We have been together now for over a year and a half and we have had our ups and downs but iv stuck with her because i think she is worth it but there have been times when i've questioned if it will work out.
I came across this site while doing some research on the condition and have found great encouragement by some of the stories i have read by you amazing women. I can only hope i can rub off the great strength i find in your stories on to her so we can battle her condition.
She is quite small and was stick thin prior to getting pcos but has since put on weight. She is not fat by any stretch of the imagination but compared to her figure before, she gets quite depressed and often cries that she is "fat". Even though i tell her she is not, she cries and screams and calls herself ugly and then gets severely depressed for days.
In the past few days i have become determined to step up our fight against this condition and have gone on the internet and researched tirelessly (up all night). I have come up with a few things which i think will help us in the long run, but i was hoping you experienced cysters could help out further by providing me a nudge in the right direction.
Right now she is still on BCP and it seems to be helping with her acne and period pains. The other day i told her to buy some multi-vitamins and start taking them and it seems that it has improved her mood and energy levels a bit(she is also anaemic). I have also started researching calcium, magnesium and chromium and heard that they will help with her weight gain, IR and general PCOS symptons however i told her to hold fire with those pills until i find out more about which is ideal to take. I also learned about metformin and i hear that this drug is the ultimate in symptom reduction when it comes to PCOS. She is going to see her doctor tomorrow about getting it prescribed but one of her main concerns is that her acne will return if she takes it. what can i tell her? Her mother is also diabetic so it seems she probably does have insulin resistance.
Hi MrTW you are so wonderful to be so concerned about your girlfriend and I commend you for all of the research you are doing.
If your girlfriend is open to trying natural remedies, I am taking a herb daily called Holy Basil and it is amazing. I highly recommend it. It claims to "elevate spirit" and balance blood sugar. It certainly has elevated my spirit.
B12 is also very important and being deficient can cause mood swings so I would recommend a B12 shot for her if her doctor is willing to provide it.
I am also on 1500 mgs of metformin per day and find this very helpful.
Take good care - your girlfriend is very lucky to have a man like you!!!
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I applaud you for taking such a interest in your girlfriend's health. If she's willing, this would be a great site for her also. It is good to log on and vent with other cysters who know what you are going through.
In addition to metformin, I'd highly recommend a quality fish oil supplement. It is very beneficial for mood.
Take Care,
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Proud parents of Richard III born on July 3, 2008.
THANK YOU LORD FOR BLESSING US!!!!
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I think the multi-vitamins have helped in improving her mood over the past few days but she still complains about her weight.
She is on BCP and is claiming its caused her to put on a lot of weight. is this true?
Ideally i would like her to be off the bcp anyway and on alternative meds because she has been on it for over a year now and it has totally killed her sex drive. Plus shes also worried about the long term effects of staying on the pill too long.
My next step is to get her on to B12, magnesium and calcium supplements but i am unsure of the dosage and what ratio to make her take them in.
BCP'S definitely make you put on weight. I don't know anyone who hasn't gained at least a little bit while on them.
While I haven't tried the following myself, I had a friend who literally relied on this daily to get her through. She had gone into deep depression and her family referred to it as her "niceypoo". the term cracks me up, but it was a serious thing. Reliv is the brand. You can do the daily and the energize... supposed to be SUPER wonderful!
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Baby#2 Due April 2010 (Placenta Previa)
"Selah Grace" if a girl (means-pause and reflect on the grace of God)
NO CLUE for a boy name!
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I didn't get a chance to read all of the responses but here's my 2cents.
What a refreshing post from a gentleman, trying to help his lady!
Here is what my endocrinologist prescribe for me, and it helped. I lost 50 pounds and have maintained it, and am no longer IR, etc. I still have PCOS though which is the syndrome part that doesn't necessarily go away, you just control it. But my symptoms are far less bothersome.
was told these help with the levels in some way:
vitamin e twice a week
vitamin c daily
fish oil 3 times a day (I could only do 1 or 2)
multivitamin
baby aspirin
metformin
Then he had me see a nutritionist to learn about carbs, which ones were good/bad, and how to set a meal plan that would work for me. It wasn't so much making a weeky menu but knowing which foods to have on hand for my meals. And then he also had me start exercising daily, atleast 30 minutes. That helps with diabetes too, not just to lose weight but balances out your sugar and insulin.
I also did my own research, found a book called the insulin resistance diet which was great. Teaches you how to balance carbs so that you do not spike. If she has white rice, white bread, potatoes, etc., as a part of her daily life, get rid of them! Introduce fruit, water, wheat bread, etc. THere are great products out there that are tastey!
Good luck.
__________________ ME/DH 32 TTC since 2001 DX 2002
Proud Mama of the Amazing Rockstar - born 10/16/09
Sadly my babies went to heaven too soon at 15 weeks (October 2008)
I am a thin woman with PCOS who just started metformin. I think it's supposed to improve skin problems, along with all the other symptoms of PCOS.
(I know anecdotally everyone says they gain weight with BCP, but studies don't back it up... people not on BCP gain weight too, unfortunately. Like the previous poster said, she might think about a low glycemic index diet (South Beach). It seems to work wonders for a lot of us.)
She's very lucky to have you. I hope you find something that works!
Exercise!
(the best mood booster and all around medicine)
Take walks, bike rides ect.
I wish my man cared about me, like you do her, my DH is indifferent and very standoffish for any "female problems." Untimatly she has to take care of herself but with your gentle support and reasurance that she is a beautiful woman it will get easier.
thanks for the kind words guys. i gave her all the supplements i bought her from the health shop today and she was very touched by the interest i have taken in her condition. i definitely see a starked improvement in her emotions though, far less depressive bouts although they are still there. hopefully that goes away with the fish oil and met (once she gets on that too).
im gonna make her go to the gym 5 times a week starting from next week for her 300 minutes a week. she is starting to get a bit of a stomach now but i am going to make her lose that. the problem is that if she is insulin resistant, my theory is that being on the pill doesnt actually sort out the insulin part of pcos so over time she is building more and more insulin resistance, hence the weight gain. i am desperate for her to get on the met and hopefully all of these other vitamins she is using helps too.
i bought her calcium/magnesium pills along with vitamin d3. can anyone tell me what the specific benefits of each of those supplements are?
thanks for the kind words guys. i gave her all the supplements i bought her from the health shop today and she was very touched by the interest i have taken in her condition. i definitely see a starked improvement in her emotions though, far less depressive bouts although they are still there. hopefully that goes away with the fish oil and met (once she gets on that too).
im gonna make her go to the gym 5 times a week starting from next week for her 300 minutes a week. she is starting to get a bit of a stomach now but i am going to make her lose that. the problem is that if she is insulin resistant, my theory is that being on the pill doesnt actually sort out the insulin part of pcos so over time she is building more and more insulin resistance, hence the weight gain. i am desperate for her to get on the met and hopefully all of these other vitamins she is using helps too.
i bought her calcium/magnesium pills along with vitamin d3. can anyone tell me what the specific benefits of each of those supplements are?
To be honest, the best way for the Insulin Resistance part is Metformin, I am meant to be on 1500g a day, and have meant to be since I was 13, but as a typical teen never bothered to take them, I balloned within two years from 11 stone to 16 and a half which made me extremely depressed I never really ate a great deal more than average people so it made me even more angry and so i started drinking at a young age, in january of this year, I weighed 17 and a half stone and I am only 19, I decided I had had enough, so I dieted and started at the gym...but most importantly I started taking the correct dose of Metformin, I now weigh 12 and a half stone and it has only taken me like I said since january of this year to do so...I am still losing gradually now even though I havent actually gone to my gym in the past 3 months due to slacking haha...and it has also meant I have gone down to 100g a day..
She sounds like she is very lucky to have you, the fact that you've made it this far and have cared enough to do the research and go out of your way to help her should mean alot in the long run..But my best advice is Metformin for the weight..its the only thing that has ever helped me as it actually helps your body process the glucose properly and therefore doesnt make you crave more food (note crave, not want) and means you dont have excess insulin running around your body causing hormone problems, or unprocessed...or used glucose running through your system storing itself as fat...this is also why she probably feels like she has less energy, her body wont use glucose properly, it doesnt use it as energy it just stores it as fat so she doesnt have the fuel if you know what I mean...a rather long winded reply but I hope it persuades you to try it out because its helped me out tremendously.
and well done, and keep going cause us little or even big ladies are worth it in the end..
I had similar challenges with my first girlfriend. Only you and she can determine whether the fight is worthwhile, but you are retaining great perspective. Stay the course, and the path may brighten. I wish you patience and temperance.
Thanks rayj. When we first started going out, i thought that the moods were just "women issues" and was very close to breaking up with her. However i took a leap of faith and decided to stay with her, and as time went on and the symptoms of her PCOS started manifesting itself, i began reading up online and saw how cruel the disease actually was. Once the doc put her on the pill it did stop her crying every 5 minutes but her underlying depression didnt go away.
I managed to tolerate her behaviour for another year after that but we did have some pretty major arguments in the mean time. then i came across this website and started reading up on everyones success stories and treatment plans. It took me a few months to actually approach her about this was because 1) shes hypersensitive and 2) she was busy with studies. But now that her studies are out of the way, i sat her down and i told her what she can do to help herself. She has already agreed she wants to lose weight and shes got a gym membership already. i have told her she needs to do 300 minutes a week, every week and along with the supplements i have given her im hoping i can report back with some success to you guys very soon.
Like i said, the final piece of the puzzle is her doc to prescribe her met and come off the BCP. She's concerned about a return to her acne if she comes off the pill but iv told her not to worry about it because it seems to go away in most women. If the doc doesnt prescribe her the met, im just gonna buy her it for her online.
From what iv read on this site, many "thin cysters" like her who arent necessarily insulin resistant still benefit from the met.
right about the met. I am no longer IR but there is still a benefit to taking it as it helps with other symptoms and regulating things.
__________________ ME/DH 32 TTC since 2001 DX 2002
Proud Mama of the Amazing Rockstar - born 10/16/09
Sadly my babies went to heaven too soon at 15 weeks (October 2008)
Man looking for help with his little lady 
