Why I Started My PCOS Diary — My Diagnosis Story & What I've Learned

My period first became irregular when I was in 8th grade.

It had started normally enough in late elementary school, but sometime around age 13 or 14, it just… stopped showing up on schedule. I went to the doctor, had some tests done, and was told everything looked normal. "You're probably just under a lot of stress," she said.

Looking back, that was true — I was dealing with intense social anxiety and stress that I hadn't even fully acknowledged to myself. My body knew something was off long before I did.

Treatment Was the Last Thing on My Mind

Honestly? I wasn't bothered. Having a period only a few times a year felt like a convenience, not a problem. I only went to the gynecologist when my mom pushed me to, and even then, I'd get an ovulation-inducing injection or medication and move on without giving it much thought.

It wasn't until I was an adult — when I finally decided something had to change — that I went on my own and got a proper diagnosis: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

The Symptoms I Had from Adolescence into My Mid-Twenties

Here's what PCOS actually looked like for me.

Hair grew on my arms and legs, and as I got older, my head hair became noticeably thicker and coarser — almost wiry. At its worst, someone once told me my hair looked like "pig bristles." I laughed it off, but it stung.

My scalp was constantly itchy. Not just mildly irritated — we're talking oozing, flaking, the kind of thing that looks like severe dandruff. Every dermatologist I saw called it seborrheic dermatitis and left it at that. Not one of them connected it to PCOS.

What set my case apart from many others was my weight. Through my mid-twenties, I was never overweight — I hovered around 50–52 kg, which is on the lean side. Because of that, weight management never felt urgent, and I largely ignored the hormonal side of things.

The Day Inositol Changed Everything

By the time I reached adulthood, I was exhausted. My scalp was oozing, and I was battling relentless intrusive negative thoughts that I couldn't shake — it got bad enough that I sought free counseling through my university's mental health services.

After a lot of googling, I came across inositol and decided to try it.

The results were beyond what I expected.

Within two hours of taking the powder, I felt a sensation like something cool and settling washing over my scalp — and the itching dropped dramatically. My emotions leveled out. The intrusive thoughts that had been a near-constant background noise went quiet. It was, without exaggeration, a significant shift.

Over the next three to six months of taking it consistently, my body hair became noticeably finer. The wiry, coarse texture was gone. My scalp stayed calm.

Eventually I noticed what felt like a tolerance building — the itching started creeping back — so I cycled off it for a while. A year or two later, I added 5-MTHF (active folate) and vitamin D to the mix. My libido, which had been nearly nonexistent, came back slightly. The scalp inflammation improved even further. These days, my scalp only gets irritated if I drink more than four cups of coffee in a day — which honestly feels like a win.

What I'm Taking Now and Why

My current supplement stack has three additions.

Berberine — I started this for blood sugar management and its potential to improve insulin resistance, which is a core issue in PCOS. As a bonus, it's also helped with urgency incontinence, so I've kept it going.

Spearmint capsules — These have noticeably slowed down hair regrowth on my arms and legs. It hasn't stopped completely, but the difference is real. There's actually research backing spearmint's anti-androgenic effects, which I'll cover in a future post.

Plaout — This is a supplement designed to help eliminate microplastics from the body. It contains ginger and other ingredients traditionally known to support uterine health. Since starting it, I've noticed warmth in my lower abdomen, and — most notably — I recently had a natural period for the first time in a long time. Whether that continues, I don't know yet. But it felt worth mentioning.

Why I'm Writing This Blog

For years, I've been running my own quiet experiment. Reading studies, trying supplements, tracking how my body responds. These were things my gynecologist never told me — things I had to find on my own.

I'm not a doctor. But I am someone who has lived with PCOS and spent a long time figuring things out through trial, error, and research. I want to share what's worked for me, what hasn't, and what the science actually says — for anyone who's been just as confused as I was.

This blog is for women who are willing to try anything to take back control of their health.

Welcome to My PCOS Diary.

⚠️ Disclaimer

Everything on this blog is based on my personal experience and publicly available research. This is not medical advice. Please consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your treatment or lifestyle.

References

• None (introductory post)