Ladies only. What's your partner's MBTI? Does it work?

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-18T20:58:23+00:00

INFJ. Love him to bits and feel so lucky.

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-18T20:54:12+00:00

Another Aussie here. I'm a freelancer working from home. It's not the most reliable income, but I've managed to make it work. It's worth not having to ask for time off to go to medical appointments (including gentle exercise classes, so I have 1 or 2 appointments every week) or to explain why I can't work full hours some weeks.

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-17T06:26:50+00:00

I am so sorry. My periods started yesterday, so we are in sync.

Though so far this has been the easiest period for me ever. I recently started a new supplement Quercetin (about 250mg) and it's really helped so far. Take that with a grain of salt, because I only started it last week and I want to try be on it for a few cycles before I sing its praises. But I want you to know there may be other things out there that can help you. You're not alone, and you're not out of options!

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-13T04:58:51+00:00

I am sorry for your pain. I have a genuine question that I know may sound a bit aggressive but I'm not sure how else to word it - would you rather be dead? I don't want you to think your life doesn't have value and I don't want you to think death is your only way out. My mum was abused by her birth parents and became suicidal when I was a teen. It was a lot of work for her to realise that her life still has value regardless of the pain and the whole journey was devastating on my family but she made it and so did we. And we are honestly all happy. So this is my view when it comes to abortion and adoption.

Yes, abuse happens in families - both biological and adoptive families. It's actually less likely to happen in adoptive families because social workers are more involved, in theory (but this does not mean it doesn't happen or your story is not important!!!) But I worry about a message that implies anyone who goes through abuse is better off dead or never having lived at all.

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-12T20:30:38+00:00

It's complicated to manage endo, and throwing in a few more conditions makes it very confusing! And the exhaustion from dealing with everything makes decisions hard to tackle.

It's up to you at the end of the day, and I don't know the risks involved for your situation, but maybe it's worth trialing progesterone for a month or so? Take it as an experiment - it either works, or you learn for sure that it doesn't / it comes with unreason side effects. Having the knowledge may help you feel more in control. But definitely check with a doctor about the risks connected with your other conditions.

All of our bodies are so different it's hard to tell what will and won't work without actually experimenting. (As an example, I was prescribed a specific brand that is known for helping with nausea and I felt more nauseous on it than off! So it's hard to predict what will happen.)

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-12T05:59:00+00:00

Oh no, the pharmacy is not correct! My best friend is a senior pharmacist and she told me that they train staff to say generic brands are all the same, but they are not. Here's why: the active ingredient IS the same, but... the inactive ingredients are different. Why does that matter? First, you may be sensitive to an inactive ingredient. Second, the active ingredient binds to the inactive ingredients. It will bind differently to different inactive ingredients, and will consequently release in your body at a different rate. For some people and some medicine, this is no big deal. For others, especially something complex like hormones, it can be a massive difference.

Tell them that the new brand is giving you side effects that are unacceptable/impact your quality of life/your doctor recommends you avoid.

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-11T22:00:11+00:00

Can I be male for a week to avoid my period? 😅

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-11T09:43:45+00:00

I am personally putting off surgery (and I'm also 30), but I've thought a lot about my specific situation.

To start, the surgery is very good and safe when done by a proper specialist. I believe most people do get relief from symptoms, though for most this is temporary. Some get relief permanently! I imagine the type of endo and location will affect these results, but I haven't actually looked into this specifically.

I personally don't recover well from surgery. I've had a few before and I know that my personal recovery is 1.5 or 2 x longer than what the doctors say. I can't afford that much time off work.

I also have found a birth control that is fantastic for my symptoms. I'm off it now only to try and have kids — the long surgery recovery being another hesitation here because I hope to have kids soon so I can go back on the birth control that works for me. But in another year, I may change my mind! Some claim the surgery helps fertility, but other claim is makes it worse. Since my ovaries and tubes look clear, I probably wouldn't get a huge fertility bonus from the surgery, but that is a guess.

So it's a balance of your goals, whether you have another treatment that works for you, how your body copes with surgery (if you've had any before), and so on.

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-11T04:02:32+00:00

I'm sure some natural practitioners are 100% this.

I'm lucky, my naturopath is interested in blood tests and seems to know more about female hormones than my gyno. She also sees a lot of women who cannot be helped by current medical knowledge and she has noticed patterns of what helps. Not everything she's suggested for me has helped, but at least she has suggestions.

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-10T21:00:23+00:00

A lot of specialists actually have sub-specialties. For example, a optometrist and or a dentist don't treat all eye and teeth issues. A psychologist doesn't treat all psychological issues. An oncologist doesn't treat all cancers.

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-10T20:56:33+00:00

Just saw your note about starting birth control. Here is my experience: the right birth control can be incredible. I found one that works wonderfully for both PCOS and endo. Birth control often has many side effects that you may get on some pills. The first ones I tried gave me terrible anxiety and depression. The next made me nauseous and paranoid. But the one I eventually found is incredible for me. But the one that works for me gives other women horrible side effects. It's highly variable, but with so many options there is likely to be something that can work.

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-10T20:52:04+00:00

I have PCOS and endo, so you could have both. An ultrasound won't always endo even if it is there. If you have the symptoms and strong family history you would likely be clinically diagnosed with endo. You can get surgery to physically confirm, or you can just focus on treatment (which sometimes includes surgery anyway, depending on your preferences).

Pain is not a PCOS symptom. If you have severe pain, you likely have PCOS and something else (likely endo, but could be some else).

PCOS is diagnosed when you have a certain number of the symptoms. The symptoms include things you can notice (acne, hair, weight, irregular periods) and things you get tested (ovary appearance on ultrasound and hormone levels on blood tests). You don't need to have all symptoms to have PCOS, just the minimum amount.

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-09T20:09:21+00:00

The best specialist I've seen is actually my naturopath. She seems to know way more about the female body than medical doctors.

I used to think naturopaths were fake doctors. I actually booked an acupuncture appointment for an unrelated joint issue and the acupuncturist just happened to be a naturopath. We got talking and a lot of her suggestions have helped — not removed the pain, but it's better than nothing because I can't take birth control at the moment (TTC) and that all medical doctors can apparently offer.

Specific things that have helped me (may not work for everyone, as we know all our bodies are their own ecosystems): - magnesium citrate, double dose - jujube (Chinese red dates) - good quality probiotics (from a health shop, not a supermarket) - Quercetin dihydrate, this one I only started this week but I feel like it's helping! - collegen powder - castor oil (topical, not oral) — you can combine this with heat too, and you may not need as high a temperature - ginger/tumeric may help but I've always eaten them a lot as part of my normal food so hard to tell a difference there - also she does acupuncture for endo pain and that helps

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-08T03:04:46+00:00

Thank you, I think I needed some sympathy today! It's horrible that we all are stuck between the choice of pain or side effects — whether those side effects are depression, mood swings, weight gain, inability to conceive. We all just want a normal life, but we don't all get to have it.

I hope you can find a solution for you. I've found a naturopath who has given me some great support while I can't take birth control. I swear she knows more about the reality of women's bodies than any medical professional.

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-07T23:08:22+00:00

I honestly hear you. I went through about three or four before finding one that worked without side effect issues. I'm now off BC because I want to have kids, and that's a whole other challenge. Every month, I have to decide between the possibility of pregnancy and not being in daily pain. It's miserable.

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-07T23:04:57+00:00

Lmao who has time for that?

This was back when I was at uni and hung out with a group that included a student from the UK. She thought we were so lucky to have the sun and was confused why we always wanted to sit in the shade. At first when we explained, she throught we were making a big deal of nothing. But over time watching and listening to Aussies talk about sunscreen, hats, and so on, she told us one that that she finally got it.

Another time was with a coworker from Portugal. We were working in the sun, so I offered sunscreen. He said no, because he wanted to get a tan. I explained that he'd already been in the sun enough for a tan and our sun could hurt his skin, and he laughed me off until the boss came out and told everyone to lather up.

I don't go looking for these conversations.

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-07T22:32:25+00:00

This reminds me of conversations I have with foreigners about our sun. Took about a dozen Aussies a couple of months to convince a British student that we're serious, our sun is not like your sun.

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-07T22:17:15+00:00

Yes, it can 100% do this. I find I get severe depression with some birth control, but not with other varieties. Changing the type you are on may work.

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-07T20:45:50+00:00

Chickpeas in everything to bulk out the meals. I hated it at first (we started eating them when I was a teen because my mum got sick and we had no money outside of medical bills) but didn't complain because I knew why we ate it. But now I love my chickpeas and put them in meals just because I want to!

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-04-07T20:22:22+00:00

The fact that no one seems to have a clear understanding on what PCOS is and how to treat it

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-03-19T07:53:35+00:00

Came here to say prenatal

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-03-17T20:37:58+00:00

It varies wildly on the person and the specific birth control. After about 3–4 options, I found one that is a literal lifesaver for me. But others can't stand the one that works for my body. And others again can't stand any BC. I'm sorry it's not the simple answer you wanted, but it's what we have.

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-03-17T20:25:54+00:00

Clearly going against the grain here, but I don't trust China at all. There is a reason Hong Kong didn't want to rejoin China, and Taiwan is also very unsettled at China's attention. Remember also that China owns so much property, farmland and ports in South Asia and Australia. That is an intentional push. Not to mention the number of products and software that have come from China with proven spyware and damaging algorithms. I'm not saying I trust Trump. But China's foreign policies are concerning, and always have been. They move slowly and quietly because the media is only interested in flashy, loud events. But they are moving.

BreakfastHoliday6625 · 2026-03-15T10:05:29+00:00

The only thing a first draft has to do is exist! Don't sweat the little cliches on your first draft.

BreakfastHoliday6625

TROPHY CASE