Overtraining, PCOS & No Period for 2 Years

In this episode of Below Her Surface, Lily sits down with Taao, a professional dancer who stopped getting her period for two years, gained 12kg in a matter of months, and was handed band-aid solutions like the pill and metformin “to make her feel sick so she’d eat less.” After spending thousands on specialists who couldn’t explain what was happening, she found her way to Metaphysical, and completely changed how she trains, eats and understands her body. We walk through her journey from PCOS chaos and hypothalamic amenorrhoea to regular cycles, strength, and a relationship with food that actually supports her life and career. This one is for the women who feel like they’ve “tried everything,” don’t fit the textbook version of PCOS, and are tired of being told to just “lose weight” or “go on the pill.” Together, Lily and Taao discuss: Taao’s first PCOS flare and the rapid 12kg weight gain no one could explain Why every practitioner was “stumped” by her bloodwork and symptoms The overlap of PCOS and hypothalamic amenorrhoea (HA) in dancers and high-achieving women How overtraining was pushing her further from a regular cycle Why low-carb, low-calorie protocols were making everything worse How increasing carbs and training less helped her lose fat and regain her period The wild medical advice she was given: metformin for nausea, ovarian drilling & random pill protocols The difference between evidence-based nutrition and disordered-eating-in-disguise How fixing her health opened up more energy, confidence and success in her dance career What Taao wants to see change in women’s health and how we talk about aesthetics vs health