Reducing PCOS Symptoms: Progress with Healing

In July, 2025, I decided to begin a strict Ketogenic way of eating. I literally had to weigh my food, avoid most dairy and most oxalate and lectin rich foods, and I was eating two times a day within a certain time window after an eighteen hour fast. Yes, it was very strict and restrictive, but it was the reset that I needed to get out of a major unhealthy slump. I can feel the beneficial difference in my weight and with every menstrual cycle that is less painful than before, I am inspired to keep going and stick to what is not just good for me, but what is best for me and healing.

Prior to beginning this way of eating, I'd been searching for months and listening to multiple points of views on various ways to eat in order to lose weight and heal. Eventually I stumbled on Mary Ruddick and began listening to her advice and guidance. After about a month, I purchased her Reigns Method: Advanced Nutritional Therapy for Weight Loss program with the goal of losing weight and healing the gut. For a solid 3 months I was extremely strict. I didn't take a bite of something not on the approved list and weighed all my food. Months 4 and 5 were more difficult for me. Though I still wasn't consuming foods I shouldn't, I wasn't being consistent weighing it and started feeling more hungry and experiencing afternoon fatigue again. So while the diet plan worked, and worked well, the restrictions were too much for me to sustain long term.

I was amazed that during my third cycle, I didn't take any pain relievers.

Here's the thing, with my first menstrual cycle during this strict way of eating, I only needed to take 3 ibuprofen one time on the first day, rather than 3 pills 2 times on the first day as I had been doing for multiple years leading up to this. Additionally, I also didn't need to take ibuprofen again on the 3rd or 4th day of my cycle I as I usually did. While there were still cramps on those days, they were mild. By my second cycle, I had considerably less severe menstrual cramps. I only had to take 1 ibuprofen pill on my first day. I then used a heating pad to help relieve additional pain (including while at work). I was amazed that during my third cycle, I didn't take any pain relievers. Mind you, my cramps were still present and quite uncomfortable, but the pain was manageable with a heating pad. So, as I progress with the clean eating, I get reminded during every new menstrual cycle the importance of continuing to be strict and to continue to care what goes in and on my body. I am experiencing the real benefits of symptoms lessening and the body healing. In all transparency though, I'm still healing and just took acetaminophen on the first day of my most recent menstrual cycle while at work. But the fact that a small dose of acetaminophen actually works to relieve my cramps, along with a heating pad, is amazing!

I'm still healing, and it can feel like a total struggle sometimes, but the symptoms are lessening, so I have to keep going and making impactful lifestyle changes.

Though I made significant changes to my diet, there may be other factors that impacted my symptoms as well, such as reducing environmental toxins, but given that the food was the most significant change beginning in July, I stand to reason that my diet was the main contributing factor to my body's healing and reducing my PCOS symptoms (PCOS = Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). I'm still healing, and it can feel like a total struggle sometimes, but the symptoms are lessening, so I have to keep going and making impactful lifestyle changes. After all, new living is what leads to new healing.