Hi PCOS pals:

I need some advice or support or something.

I tried to stick with health eating/fitness in Feb but lost track of keeping track. I think I did well though, I saw the scale move downward for the first time in a long time and got to -7 or -8 lbs (it flip flops).

My problem is getting focus in March.

I'm on my 3rd pack of BCP, and still forgetting to take it sometimes but overall back in the groove. I'm not too worried about missing 2 pills in this pack.

The first period after going back on it was brutal because I hadn't had one in so long. It was dark, old blood, and clotty kinda. The second one wasn't so bad and felt more like a normal period, brighter red, not so much on the clotties.

But I'm mid cycle on this pack and experiencing these CRAZY headaches and cravings for steak and chocolate. Earlier tonight I started having some brown sort of spotting, which is normal for O time and given that I missed 2 pills I'm not surprised.

The cranky mood and headache are making it really hard to FOCUS on making good dinners and get the workout done. I'm also having these needley pokey feelings around the ovaries that seem to pop up midcycle too.

Any advice for how to weather it through til my body gets used regular periods again?

Seriously -- I feel really gross right now. What do I do about these headaches? I can just about deal with the cravings but the head -- yargh!

A.

You sound like you might be anemic. The cravings for red meat and chocolate are a bit of a give away. Both are Iron rich foods. Being anemic will also leave you tired all the time and head achy as well as random body aches. If it were me I'd concentrate on iron rich foods , b vitamins , and potassium. You need both b vitamins and potassium to properly use the iron.

Thanks -- the last time my endoc checked she told me I have "wimpy" red blood cells.

Like there's enough of them in number but they are really small.

So what other iron rich foods are there?

A.

I don't usually post here, but have PCOS, so I still lurk sometimes. When I was pg, I was anemic. I took SlowFE - an iron supplement. I've heard from some that it upsets their stomach, but I never had that problem. It might be worth asking your doctor about. It's over-the-counter, but I'd still ask first. Hope this helps!