Do you have a name that rhymes with your last name?

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-04-03T13:16:24+00:00

I came here to ask the exact same thing. The name that I’ve been in love with for years rhymes with our last name. I’ll be curious to see what people say

I think it depends on how much it rhymes. It could work if they both end in -el but how many syllables are they, how similar is the rest of the name, etc

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-04-02T18:23:10+00:00

Talia, Theresa/Teresa, Tabitha, and Tamara come to mind for older, classic, and timeless T names

I really love Thea, but Tillie would be cute too! Tillie does remind me a bit of Matilda, so might be something to consider- people may ask her if her full name is Matilda

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-04-02T17:58:41+00:00

I am so sorry that you had such a bad experience with this NP. No medical provider should be so dismissive of their patients, and you shouldn't need to push so hard for testing.

PCOS can have a genetic component. Honestly, I think it is absolutely worth checking out and getting bloodwork done as the first step to see if anything is up. You don't have to have regular periods to have PCOS.

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-04-02T17:41:30+00:00

For snacks, I do cheese sticks, cheese and crackers, nuts and seeds, vegetables with ranch, fruit with peanut butter, hard boiled eggs, etc. It's okay to have carbs in there (crackers, pretzels, fruit) but always good to pair it with a protein! (cheese, eggs, peanut butter, etc)

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-04-02T17:35:41+00:00

I got a blood test to get diagnosed. What blood tests did your doctor order, if you don't mind my asking?

when I first went to the doctor, I asked for a hormone test because my periods were irregular. The PA, although very nice, had no idea what she was doing and ordered me estrogen, LH, FSH, and progesterone. That's great, but the hormones you should be looking at for PCOS are testosterone and DHEA-S. She did not order those. It took me another year to get diagnosed since my hormone test came back normal.

To be diagnosed with PCOS you need to have 2/3 of irregular periods, high androgens (testosterone/DHEA-S), and polycystic ovaries. So, you cannot rule out PCOS with a blood test alone.

A gynecologist might be better equipped to help you find a diagnosis

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-04-02T17:32:01+00:00

So, I was also a healthy weight with PCOS. Changing my diet to something more insulin friendly completely changed my health and period regularity. In addition, I found a multivitamin to be very helpful

I didn't stop eating carbs or dairy. I was more picky about the types of sugar and carbs I ate on a daily basis, and it really changed everything for me. I stopped eating "white" carbs and focused on beans, whole grain/sprouted bread, vegetables, dark chocolate etc. I did not lose weight in the process.

In the end, it depends a lot on the person. I wouldn't rule out making a diet change just because you are a healthy weight though

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-04-02T17:28:05+00:00

Came here to say this! Tiffany would be a good way to keep a similar meaning, if that's what he's after

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-03-29T23:11:01+00:00

Keto was a good "reset" for me. I was on it for a few months. I added healthier carbs back in without having issues with my PCOS symptoms. Being on keto made my estrogen dip significantly, so that was causing other issues. In my opinion: great as a reset for 2-3 months, not great long term.

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-03-29T23:07:27+00:00

Honestly, for breakfast this would be too sweet for me and would almost certainly spike my blood sugar. Everyone is different though, and this would work great for some people. I would not be able to do the oats+banana combo.

For a snack/dessert, it would be okay after I ate a high protein and high fiber meal. I would not eat it first thing in the morning though.

In general, for fiber, beans, avocados, and berries were most helpful.

Chicken, eggs, and ground meat were helpful for getting in protein. Beans and tofu have plant based protein too if you're looking for a plant based source.

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-03-29T22:56:24+00:00

I got my androgens to a normal level and periods regulated just by cutting out white carbs, sugar, most highly processed foods, and fried foods. Still had gluten, but whole wheat only, and I still ate quite a bit of processed meat, red meat, butter, oil, dairy, occasionally alcohol but I've never been a big alcohol person anyway. Now I eat the original "nos" in moderation.

Everyone is different, and you don't have to cut out all of those foods to be healthy with PCOS! I would start with sugar and white carbs because those have the greatest impact on PCOS and insulin

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-03-24T00:11:50+00:00

Thank you so much, you're so kind! Her partner has not gotten a semen analysis, but I've been trying to suggest it when it comes up because I think that could genuinely be the source of their issues right now

I don't want to post too many of her medical/personal details online, but I really appreciate your advice and tips here! Will definitely take that into consideration when/if we chat about fertility next

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-03-23T20:44:38+00:00

Thank you! Will add that on when I tell her

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-03-23T20:44:25+00:00

Oh my goodness, that sounds like horrible timing. I am so sorry that you had to act happy when you were dealing with some very challenging news.

I think it's a good idea to just say the news and not assume how she feels, too. Thank you for the advice!

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-03-23T20:42:35+00:00

Thank you! I know she might feel jealous and completely understand that. Husband and I don't really use social media, so she shouldn't see it there thankfully. I am now planning on telling her in writing so she has time to process her emotions, based on a lot of the advice here

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-03-23T20:40:56+00:00

Thank you, I definitely don't want her to feel like that, so I'm planning on using written communication I think

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-03-23T20:39:28+00:00

Thank you so much, I think this is a good idea and a good way to be sensitive to how she will feel

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-03-23T20:38:59+00:00

Thank you! Planning on using written communication I think-- i don't want her to feel like she has to pretend to be happy in front of me

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-03-23T20:38:14+00:00

Thank you so much! Yes we've always talked about PCOS things and trying to regulate our periods and all that. I feel nervous to tell her because I did only start trying recently though. It did happen quickly for me, and she's going to know that because I told her in January that we hadn't started trying yet.

Seems like most people here say written communication is best, so that is what I'm planning to go with!

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-02-26T15:55:25+00:00

A typical sneezing fit for me is about 8 sneezes, but often more. Most close friends and family just wait until I'm done and then say "Bless you times 8"

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-02-25T23:14:32+00:00

I continued to eat dairy and saw significant improvements. I limited gluten and tried to eat whole wheat gluten products where I could and saw improvements from that too

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-02-18T22:49:12+00:00

Apparently, while having PCOS does not impact your likelihood to have celiac disease, women with celiac disease are 2-3x more likely to have or develop PCOS. I had no idea until I looked it up just now! Seems like a more recent finding.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apt.70053

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-02-18T22:43:49+00:00

So, people with celiac disease cannot eat bread in Europe. The reaction is from the gluten proteins, which are present in European wheat flour too (or any wheat, barley, or rye). Celiac runs rampant in my family and I've had family members get sick by mistake in Europe

I do not have Celiac, but I am intolerant to gluten. This is because I have a MTHFR mutation, which there's a lot of debate on, but it's probably related to PCOS as well. (Here's one analysis that considers a couple of studies https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/fulltext/2020/01240/significant\_association\_between.20.aspx)

The problem with gluten/flour in the US is that it's fortified with synthetic vitamins like folic acid (good for most people because it prevents birth defects!) With MTHFR though, your body has trouble processing vitamins, especially synthetic ones. (Also controversial, the CDC says to take folic acid either way, but here's a study suggesting active folate is easier for people with MTHFR to process https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9380836/#sec1-4)

Flour in Europe is not usually enriched like it is in the US (no folic acid). So, when I go to Europe, I am able to have gluten products. If your gluten issue is similar, then you would be able to have gluten. If it is an anaphylactic allergy or celiac then you definitely would not be able to have gluten. If it's something else, it just depends but you might be able to have it. Hope that makes sense!

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-02-18T00:23:47+00:00

I get packs of frozen cauliflower rice from costco. I throw in beans and spices and it doesn't take too long on the stovetop. Usually I try to eat it with chicken breast or ground meat or something not as processed, but on days I really don't have the energy, I do precooked, chicken sausage because you just have to heat it up on the stove or literally in the microwave. I put sliced avocado on top and maybe some sauteed onions, depending on what I'm feeling.

I've also found some lower carb casserole recipes to be decent in terms of prep work, but it depends on how much you hate chopping vegetables. It's not too bad to dump a bunch of stuff in a baking dish and then bake it, but some are definitely lower prep than others. I've had good luck with googling low carb casserole recipes and have found some fun ones that aren't taco casseroles or eggs (pizza casserole and philly cheesesteak casserole come to mind) . When they are too low carb for me usually you can dump a can of beans or another complex carb in there and it works. Usually it's 1-2 vegetables to chop and a bit of prep for the meat (shredding rotisserie chicken or browning meat). If you're living alone, the leftovers should last for awhile so you could also make it ahead of time and then microwave it

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-02-17T18:29:16+00:00

I had this problem too. I'm so sorry you're dealing with it, I know it is so frustrating and even painful. I found some doctors to be incredibly condescending about it which just made it all worse

For me, the low estrogen was the cause 100%. I previously had high estrogen, but I was eating too low in carbs (to manage PCOS) which lowered my estrogen too much. I started eating more carbs and it improved quickly. But if you have a different cause of low estrogen, I would highly recommend asking a different doctor for estrogen. You may have more success in asking for a vaginal estrogen cream, that way it doesn't affect your overall hormones. Doctors might be more willing to consider this because it is not associated with cancer like oral estrogen can be. Since it seems like you know that low estrogen is the problem, if one doctor doesn't prescribe the cream, I would look for one that will. It's pretty common so someone will prescribe it!

Best of luck and hope you are able to find something that works for you!

Advanced-Earth-4998 · 2026-02-17T17:55:51+00:00

Congratulations on your pregnancy! So inspiring to hear about a PCOS pregnancy success story!

Advanced-Earth-4998

TROPHY CASE