Hi everyone! I was recently diagnosed with PCOS. A little background, I came off Tri-Sprintec birth control last May (age 25) after being on it for 8 years. I had been wanting to stop taking it for a while and my body was starting to get sensitive to it, as in if I took it 5 minutes late I would get a period in a few days. And two periods a month was NOT fun. This went on for about 8 months before they tried me on Sprintec and it made me extremely nauseous. I didn’t have a period the first month after stopping, but it regulated until October when I didn’t have one until the end of November. I thought it was stress-related or my body still getting adjusted to not being on the pill.

Fast forward and today is the first day I have had a period since it ended at the beginning of December. In that time, I had recurring UTIs, abdominal pain, low sex drive (weird for me), and nerve pain down there. No ultrasound was done, but blood tests revealed a hormonal imbalance. Plus, acne (way more under control now than when I was a teen and maybe one or two here and there now) and some pesky hairs (which I’ve always used hair removers on) all pointed to PCOS.

Prior to BC, I never had issues with menstrual irregularities so I thought it was strange I didn’t exhibit that for the 4 years prior to getting on BC. I have always felt a little hairier than most girls and have been super self-conscious of it, especially in high school. While on BC in 2012, I asked my PCP to test for hormonal imbalances and only testosterone was tested and it was normal. I assume that’s because the BC was helping with that.

My body type doesn’t really fit the “typical” PCOS type. I’m 5’4 and have weighed between 120 and 130 most of my adult life. I exercise regularly and am a vegetarian and eat pretty clean as it is. I’m trying to approach this holistically and hope to manage my symptoms without medication or getting back on BC, which I believe to be the root cause of any anxiety I’ve ever experienced and erratic emotions. But, I’m not opposed to these options if it comes to it.

So far, I’ve been experimenting with mint tea blends, specifically with spearmint. And have cleaned up my diet even more.

I’ve read through lots of posts, but what do you all prefer or see that helps the most for you? I do have hypothyroidism so I can’t take anything (herbal or not) that could possibly interfere with my synthroid.

I also just wanted to share my experience and diagnosis because these posts helped me understand a lot about PCOS, aside from other sources, and that I’m not alone! I’m not excited about this, but I’m glad to finally understand the root of my issues and know there’s means to manage them!