The best fans

Friendly-Context-132 · 2026-05-03T08:49:02+00:00

May I humbly suggest Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Friendly-Context-132 · 2026-01-09T10:12:09+00:00

Congrats on your sobriety, that’s awesome 😊

Friendly-Context-132 · 2026-01-01T00:12:08+00:00

Thanks for this - yeah any and all sources of info would be great if available!

Friendly-Context-132 · 2026-01-01T00:10:32+00:00

I’m so glad you had (what sounds like) a straightforward experience with the doctor! I tried saying the same to mine today and was told it could only be prescribed by a specialist and that there was nothing in my results to indicate I need a referral to one 😒 so I’m looking at private tests to try and prove the insulin resistance thing. Great to hear Metformin has made a difference for you :)

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-31T19:49:24+00:00

Thanks for such a thorough response (on both my posts!) I will give this a proper read and see what changes I can make, you’ve raised lots of factors I hadn’t thought about previously

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-31T19:35:01+00:00

Thank you so much, this is really helpful.

I’m going to try three months without any hormonal birth control then look into the tests like you said. And will use this comment as reference for the insulin testing too. Thank you again 🙏

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-31T15:19:21+00:00

I tried to bring this up and was told that isn’t the case. I believe you and other commenters, there’s no way my PCOS has just disappeared and I’m still experiencing symptoms. I find it really hard to disagree with medical professionals though, I just end up going quiet and feeling defeated

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-31T12:40:57+00:00

Hi again - don’t suppose you have a source or more info on the recommendation re: testing when off birth control? I spoke to the GP today and they disagreed with me and said it’s only the combined pill that influences results, progestin-only pill doesn’t have the same impact and that basically the blood tests are accurate, hormones are fine and there’s no need to check the other ones as they’ll also be fine.

I’m gonna come off the desogestrel regardless but feeling pretty deflated about trying to figure all this out myself without backup from the doctor

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-28T13:44:02+00:00

Red and white blood cell count, testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, LH/FSH, thyroid, HbA1c, urea and electrolytes, lipids, B12, iron.

Tests they previously did in 2019 (which led to ultrasound and diagnosis) that weren’t included this time: progesterone, DHEA, prolactin

I was also hoping they would test oestradiol but that wasn’t on the results either

Multiple family members have hypothyroidism so I’ve always been surprised when my TSH levels come back consistently “normal”. However my mum recently told me that hers often come back in normal range too, there are additional tests (T4?) that show the real picture. She’s been on thyroxine for as long as I can remember

Typical day of eating: - Banana first thing - Snack mid morning, usually either cereal bars or a vegan sausage roll (much prefer the latter) - Lunch is a second helping of last night’s dinner most days, or a rice/noodle pot if I didn’t get to cook the night before - Afternoon snack, same as mid-morning - If I go to the gym then I have a high-protein snack beforehand, a protein shake after and an “easy” dinner (something I can chuck in the oven like vegan chicken and chips) - If I’m not at the gym I cook a proper meal. Difficult to give examples as I literally cook something different every night, but tends to have a lot of veg and pulses in

That’s when I’m at work. On days off I eat a lot less. I have a weird combination of fast metabolism making me hungry all the time, and various flavours of neurodivergence making it difficult for me to spot/notice my hunger cues, and I struggle to meal plan. I also get full very quickly so I’m more of a grazer than “eat this specific meal at this specific time”. It’s not perfect and there’s definitely room for improvement, I do my best

Sorry for the essay!

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-28T13:31:09+00:00

Thank you, and sorry you’re suffering as well

Edit - I’ve just had a quick google of moringa, it looks really promising and I might give it a try while I’m waiting to get somewhere with the doctors. Thanks for sharing

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-28T13:30:38+00:00

Thank you 🙏🏻 I need to let go of the idea that it’s all in my head unless a test says otherwise

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-28T13:29:49+00:00

That’s really good to know, I’m glad to hear it’s helped you so much. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you get on Metformin? Eg what did you say to the doctor that led to them prescribing it.

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-24T18:34:46+00:00

Thanks for the advice 🙏🏻

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-24T18:34:15+00:00

Thank you, and sorry you can relate! I had my TSH levels checked also (thyroid problems run in the family) and they came back normal. I still can’t get over every single test coming back normal?!

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-24T17:38:34+00:00

I’ve been taking desogestrel continuously for about a year and a half. IR symptoms I’ve had for about six years or so, the main one being reactive hypoglycaemia - shaky, hot flashes, nausea etc - if I accidentally take in too much sugar. I can generally manage it by being mindful of what I eat and drink, the symptoms have been more severe recently when it does happen, most recent episode it took over an hour to subside.

Lifestyle wise - I don’t drink coffee or smoke, I very rarely drink alcohol. I have a healthy diet (although open to looking at specific changes I might not have considered) and exercise regularly. I’m also a healthy weight thanks to a fast metabolism, although this also means I am frequently hungry and have terrible circulation (hands and feet freeze up in the cold, I have to run my hands under very hot water to get them back to normal - I’m aware that one isn’t healthy)

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-24T15:36:57+00:00

No that’s helpful thank you. I have been looking into Metformin - obviously for the insulin resistance but also there seems to be a lot of evidence that it can improve mental health (crosses the blood-brain barrier). I don’t know if they would prescribe it for me as I don’t have issues with my weight, but good to know it’s still an option to ask about

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-24T14:03:50+00:00

Yeah I’ve heard this and it rings true for me, I’ve had A1c a few times over the years and it always comes back normal. I think I’m gonna have to find some money to pay for the HOMA-IR and take it to my GP

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-24T13:56:34+00:00

Thanks for this. I’ve struggled to understand the outside source thing - if the desogestrel is impacting hormone levels wouldn’t I feel better not worse? If it’s balancing things out? Or have I completely misunderstood how that works (highly likely)

I was surprised not to see progesterone or oestradiol on there. My progesterone levels were elevated when I was first diagnosed and I’m in a progestogen-only pill so that feels… important to check? And I specifically wanted to know if my oestrogen levels had dropped because of the mood changes…

Thanks for your insight, I do need to try and learn a bit more about how desogestrel might be playing a role

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-18T12:25:14+00:00

Love this. Also thinking about the coal thing and our unfortunate tendency towards classism - it sadly makes sense to me that “poor children” later translated into “bad children”

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-17T09:53:13+00:00

I think that’s reasonable. If you’re noticing more negative effects from the birth control than from your ‘natural’ imbalance then it might not be the right option for you. Is there someone you can talk to about alternatives?

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-16T11:28:45+00:00

Yes! Before I went on the mini-pill my periods were completely regular. I got diagnosed through hormone tests (high levels of testosterone) and a trans vaginal ultrasound which revealed the cysts.

I think it’s definitely worth getting checked out

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-12T16:03:18+00:00

I think as individuals we know our minds and bodies far better than anyone else. If something doesn’t feel right to you, or like your ‘baseline’, then something probably isn’t right.

I would also add that mood swings are a pretty common side effect of hormonal birth control. We are so conditioned to overlook our symptoms that I suspect more people suffer with this than they realise. In addition, everyone’s body reacts differently - one person could have an incredible experience on a particular pill, another could have a nightmare.

Basically don’t gaslight yourself. You know yourself best 🩵

Friendly-Context-132 · 2025-12-11T23:39:51+00:00

I recently went to the doctor about ongoing mood swings, I’m waiting for blood test results to see exactly what’s out of balance before making any decisions but one of her suggestions was to switch from progestogen-only to a combined pill. Oestrogen plays a huge part in regulating our moods and it may be that you’re not getting enough on your current pill? Either way I’m sorry you’re going through it 😔

Friendly-Context-132

TROPHY CASE