What do you think?
Rate this book
PCOS Is My Power: Understanding PCOS, Fixing Your Hormones, and Resetting Your Health
The first complete guide to thriving with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), offering a science-backed, holistic path to managing symptoms, plus 68 recipes and 6 meal plans
Rapid weight gain at puberty, a dodgy period that you’d almost rather not show up, or cystic acne that you were told was just your hormones. Maybe you went on the Pill to “fix” your hormones, only to discover years later that there was more to the acne and irregular periods than you realized.
Sound familiar? You may be among the one in ten women who experience Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, an endocrine disorder that’s a leading cause of infertility, weight gain, and irregular periods. As a registered dietitian who also has PCOS, Cory Ruth is here to tell you that PCOS is a condition that you can thrive with.
Cory has helped thousands of women with PCOS regulate their periods, lose weight, have healthy babies, and heal their hormones. The medical community typically prescribes the birth control pill to reduce unwanted symptoms, but in order to see lasting changes you’ll need to get to the root of the condition. The path to true healing lies with making shifts in nutrition, stress management, and exercise. In PCOS Is My Power, Cory walks you through the science and stories before offering a treatment protocol that includes lifestyle and supplement recommendations, meal plans, and recipes like Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies, Sriracha Cauliflower Chickpea Sheet Bake, and Peanut Tofu Bowl.
It’s time for you to balance your hormones, feel more in control, and live your healthiest and happiest life.
Rapid weight gain at puberty, a dodgy period that you’d almost rather not show up, or cystic acne that you were told was just your hormones. Maybe you went on the Pill to “fix” your hormones, only to discover years later that there was more to the acne and irregular periods than you realized.
Sound familiar? You may be among the one in ten women who experience Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, an endocrine disorder that’s a leading cause of infertility, weight gain, and irregular periods. As a registered dietitian who also has PCOS, Cory Ruth is here to tell you that PCOS is a condition that you can thrive with.
Cory has helped thousands of women with PCOS regulate their periods, lose weight, have healthy babies, and heal their hormones. The medical community typically prescribes the birth control pill to reduce unwanted symptoms, but in order to see lasting changes you’ll need to get to the root of the condition. The path to true healing lies with making shifts in nutrition, stress management, and exercise. In PCOS Is My Power, Cory walks you through the science and stories before offering a treatment protocol that includes lifestyle and supplement recommendations, meal plans, and recipes like Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies, Sriracha Cauliflower Chickpea Sheet Bake, and Peanut Tofu Bowl.
It’s time for you to balance your hormones, feel more in control, and live your healthiest and happiest life.
240 pages, Paperback
Published January 6, 2026
83 people are currently reading
2379 people want to read
About the author
Cory Ruth
1 book4 followersCory Ruth, RDN is a registered dietitian nutritionist and women’s health expert who specializes in PCOS and nutrition therapy for infertility and assisted reproductive technology. She is the founder and principal of The Women’s Dietitian.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 21, 2026
Definitely the sort of book I wished I had when I first started my PCOS journey. I've had symptoms of PCOS since I was a teenager and never received a diagnosis until I was in my mid-20s. I get really frustrated and sad when I think about all the lost time.
What I liked:
Even though I've read a lot of info about PCOS over the years, it's really nice to have a registered dietitian cut through all the contradictory information available online. I learned new things about interpreting bloodwork, discovering deficiencies, and tips on how to advocate for myself with healthcare professionals when discussing PCOS.
I really liked the mantra Dr. Cory Ruth wrote on page 111. She stressed the importance of looking yourself in the mirror and "I love you. I deserve to be healthy. I am worthy of a long, lovely life. I love my body enough to learn about food. I love you enough to make life-style changes. I will love this body to help you avoid chronic illness. And I love you enough to have that spicy margarita every once in a while."
I appreciate Ruth briefly going over the history of medical misogyny and how it effects medicine and research to this very day! It was really eye-opening. I truly believe that if PCOS affected men, it would be so much more well-researched! Doctors wouldn't dole out birth control as the only treatment for PCOS.
What I didn't like so much:
As someone who's working with a dietitian to manage disordered eating, Ruth's heavy focus on weight loss left me feeling disheartened. Ruth touches on how bad diet culture is, but I felt like this book has a diet culture slant to it. The focus on weight loss was intense. Every single case study that opens a chapter focuses on weight.
I understand PCOS and weight are linked, but I also understand myself and the way I've put myself in the hospital focusing solely on weight loss instead of trying to be holistically well.
None of the recipes included have pictures! I don't think I've ever seen that before!
Final Thoughts:
Not exactly what I hoped for, but I still learned something and found it a valuable book to keep around.
What I liked:
Even though I've read a lot of info about PCOS over the years, it's really nice to have a registered dietitian cut through all the contradictory information available online. I learned new things about interpreting bloodwork, discovering deficiencies, and tips on how to advocate for myself with healthcare professionals when discussing PCOS.
I really liked the mantra Dr. Cory Ruth wrote on page 111. She stressed the importance of looking yourself in the mirror and "I love you. I deserve to be healthy. I am worthy of a long, lovely life. I love my body enough to learn about food. I love you enough to make life-style changes. I will love this body to help you avoid chronic illness. And I love you enough to have that spicy margarita every once in a while."
I appreciate Ruth briefly going over the history of medical misogyny and how it effects medicine and research to this very day! It was really eye-opening. I truly believe that if PCOS affected men, it would be so much more well-researched! Doctors wouldn't dole out birth control as the only treatment for PCOS.
What I didn't like so much:
As someone who's working with a dietitian to manage disordered eating, Ruth's heavy focus on weight loss left me feeling disheartened. Ruth touches on how bad diet culture is, but I felt like this book has a diet culture slant to it. The focus on weight loss was intense. Every single case study that opens a chapter focuses on weight.
I understand PCOS and weight are linked, but I also understand myself and the way I've put myself in the hospital focusing solely on weight loss instead of trying to be holistically well.
None of the recipes included have pictures! I don't think I've ever seen that before!
Final Thoughts:
Not exactly what I hoped for, but I still learned something and found it a valuable book to keep around.
February 28, 2026
As a recent PCOS diagnosee, most of my PCOS info has come from a scattering of various websites. While my doctor has been wonderful, I wanted to learn more about my diagnosis and what I could do to ease the symptoms (in addition to taking supplements).
Overall, I found Ruth’s book to be helpful. She presents the information in an engaging, easy-to-read way. However, it feels very much like I’m reading a blog. The casual “bff” language got a little excessive — yes, relatability is important, but it felt a little “Gilmore Girls” with the constant quips and side notes. I also found the text redundant, both in concepts and content, and some sections lacked information I felt was necessary (she referred to a chart at one point that wasn’t printed in the book, and some things aren’t explained to those of us who aren’t familiar with nutrition or diet fads like how to read a nutrition label or why people hate on soy). It also felt like a giant ad for her dietician services and supplement company.
I have thin/lean PCOS, so my case is a little weird. While a good chunk of the scientific portions applied to me, the book focused heavily on weight-loss, which is not relevant in my case. Regardless, managing balance in diet and blood sugar is still important — but that extends beyond PCOS. Likewise, the recipes look great (I saved quite a few to make later!), but they just feel like examples of healthy eating. I like that Ruth isn’t promoting some new fad diet to manage PCOS symptoms, though.
As a whole, I found it a worthwhile read for the first half.
Overall, I found Ruth’s book to be helpful. She presents the information in an engaging, easy-to-read way. However, it feels very much like I’m reading a blog. The casual “bff” language got a little excessive — yes, relatability is important, but it felt a little “Gilmore Girls” with the constant quips and side notes. I also found the text redundant, both in concepts and content, and some sections lacked information I felt was necessary (she referred to a chart at one point that wasn’t printed in the book, and some things aren’t explained to those of us who aren’t familiar with nutrition or diet fads like how to read a nutrition label or why people hate on soy). It also felt like a giant ad for her dietician services and supplement company.
I have thin/lean PCOS, so my case is a little weird. While a good chunk of the scientific portions applied to me, the book focused heavily on weight-loss, which is not relevant in my case. Regardless, managing balance in diet and blood sugar is still important — but that extends beyond PCOS. Likewise, the recipes look great (I saved quite a few to make later!), but they just feel like examples of healthy eating. I like that Ruth isn’t promoting some new fad diet to manage PCOS symptoms, though.
As a whole, I found it a worthwhile read for the first half.
March 3, 2026
PCOS Is My Power is a good beginner's guide to PCOS if you've recently been diagnosed, or have never been able to access providers who are knowledgeable about PCOS. Upon reflection, I think the vast majority of what Cory covers in this book are things that I've already learned about from having recurring appointments with my own dietician. This was also probably because I'm someone who has been diagnosed with PCOS for over a decade, and I've done so much research on my own online and with other providers. There were maybe 1-2 topics that I hadn't known about previously, which I did find valuable to learn about! Otherwise, here are the aspects I enjoyed and didn't enjoy from this book:
Things I liked:
- How Cory discussed GLP-1's. It's been a little alarming seeing so many weight-loss ads everywhere--in metro stations, bus stops, billboards, social media ads, and TV ads. I find that the way it's being advertised to society as some sort of miracle cure for weight loss is contributing to the fatphobia problem that we've already been experiencing. I appreciated how Cory explained that its intended for patients with diabetes (like metformin), the serious side effects that come with it, and how the weight loss is not permanent.
- The recipes included in the back of the book. The recipes included sound interesting and not bland like the typical recipes you see when discussing weight loss-focused diets. I also appreciated that she stressed that PCOS-friendly foods are not something you need to follow all of the time, and that you can still enjoy foods you love.
- Discussing how good sleep, managing stress levels, doing things that you enjoy are also good ways to treat PCOS. I wasn't aware that people with PCOS are more likely to get stressed easily and be more depressed, and I feel like this has explained a lot of my own moods as someone with PCOS.
Things I didn't like:
- Even with the inclusion of these PCOS-friendly recipes, I do feel like there was a strong emphasis on losing weight in this book. It is true that people with PCOS can gain weight out of nowhere. But stressing that everyone with PCOS must lose this weight in order to be considered "healthy" was leaning more towards fatphobia, in my eyes.
- The over-emphasis of PCOS being a "woman's issue." There were so many moments where Cory calls PCOS a "woman's issue" or something that only women will understand, but there are many trans and nonbinary people who also experience PCOS. This emphasis on gender seemed intentional because of how many times it was brought up throughout the book. And in 2026, I have to assume that you're being intentional with the way that you're excluding a whole group of people who also have PCOS.
- The overuse of AAVE. There were a lot of words and phrases (such as "Girl," "Boo thang," "b*tch you thought," etc.) that originate from AAVE included in this book. I feel like these phrases were pretty unnecessary--Cory could have easily gotten her message across without using phrases that are a part of the vernacular of a community that she is not a part of as a white woman.
- The section about birth control pills. This section seemed to bring up the argument that I've seen by so many people in the PCOS community: that birth control is not worth it at all, and that you should save yourself the headache of being prescribed to it, and just switch to "natural" treatment methods instead. In this section, Cory writes, "My issue with the Pill is that our medical community often provides birth control to PCOS warriors to mask our symptoms rather than deal with our root problem: hormone imbalances." My issue with a sentence like this is that the other methods she recommends readers look into aside from taking birth control (such as changing your diet, taking certain supplements, and working out) are also masking your hormone imbalance, just like birth control. Cory writes that the moment you stop taking birth control, your problems will come back with a vengeance. But the same will happen if you also stop your diet, supplements, and working out. At the end of the day, there is no cure for PCOS, so any treatment option you choose will be one that will address your PCOS symptoms without permanently reversing your hormone imbalance. I also feel like Cory fails to address the other reasons why people take birth control: to not get pregnant! Not everyone who has PCOS is hoping to get pregnant, and it's frustrating to assume that the only reason people with PCOS are on birth control is because they're attempting to regulate their periods.
Overall, as I mentioned, this book is a good beginner's guide to PCOS if you've recently been diagnosed or don't have a way to speak with a provider who is knowledgeable about PCOS. At the end of the day, I think it's important to personally reflect about what your goals are for treating PCOS (whether it's to relieve your side effects like acne or hirsutism, regulate your period, address your insulin resistance, become less stressed, etc.) and only review the treatment plans that will help with your goals. It can be overwhelming to figure out where to start, but books like these and providers who are knowledgeable about PCOS can definitely help you narrow it down!
Things I liked:
- How Cory discussed GLP-1's. It's been a little alarming seeing so many weight-loss ads everywhere--in metro stations, bus stops, billboards, social media ads, and TV ads. I find that the way it's being advertised to society as some sort of miracle cure for weight loss is contributing to the fatphobia problem that we've already been experiencing. I appreciated how Cory explained that its intended for patients with diabetes (like metformin), the serious side effects that come with it, and how the weight loss is not permanent.
- The recipes included in the back of the book. The recipes included sound interesting and not bland like the typical recipes you see when discussing weight loss-focused diets. I also appreciated that she stressed that PCOS-friendly foods are not something you need to follow all of the time, and that you can still enjoy foods you love.
- Discussing how good sleep, managing stress levels, doing things that you enjoy are also good ways to treat PCOS. I wasn't aware that people with PCOS are more likely to get stressed easily and be more depressed, and I feel like this has explained a lot of my own moods as someone with PCOS.
Things I didn't like:
- Even with the inclusion of these PCOS-friendly recipes, I do feel like there was a strong emphasis on losing weight in this book. It is true that people with PCOS can gain weight out of nowhere. But stressing that everyone with PCOS must lose this weight in order to be considered "healthy" was leaning more towards fatphobia, in my eyes.
- The over-emphasis of PCOS being a "woman's issue." There were so many moments where Cory calls PCOS a "woman's issue" or something that only women will understand, but there are many trans and nonbinary people who also experience PCOS. This emphasis on gender seemed intentional because of how many times it was brought up throughout the book. And in 2026, I have to assume that you're being intentional with the way that you're excluding a whole group of people who also have PCOS.
- The overuse of AAVE. There were a lot of words and phrases (such as "Girl," "Boo thang," "b*tch you thought," etc.) that originate from AAVE included in this book. I feel like these phrases were pretty unnecessary--Cory could have easily gotten her message across without using phrases that are a part of the vernacular of a community that she is not a part of as a white woman.
- The section about birth control pills. This section seemed to bring up the argument that I've seen by so many people in the PCOS community: that birth control is not worth it at all, and that you should save yourself the headache of being prescribed to it, and just switch to "natural" treatment methods instead. In this section, Cory writes, "My issue with the Pill is that our medical community often provides birth control to PCOS warriors to mask our symptoms rather than deal with our root problem: hormone imbalances." My issue with a sentence like this is that the other methods she recommends readers look into aside from taking birth control (such as changing your diet, taking certain supplements, and working out) are also masking your hormone imbalance, just like birth control. Cory writes that the moment you stop taking birth control, your problems will come back with a vengeance. But the same will happen if you also stop your diet, supplements, and working out. At the end of the day, there is no cure for PCOS, so any treatment option you choose will be one that will address your PCOS symptoms without permanently reversing your hormone imbalance. I also feel like Cory fails to address the other reasons why people take birth control: to not get pregnant! Not everyone who has PCOS is hoping to get pregnant, and it's frustrating to assume that the only reason people with PCOS are on birth control is because they're attempting to regulate their periods.
Overall, as I mentioned, this book is a good beginner's guide to PCOS if you've recently been diagnosed or don't have a way to speak with a provider who is knowledgeable about PCOS. At the end of the day, I think it's important to personally reflect about what your goals are for treating PCOS (whether it's to relieve your side effects like acne or hirsutism, regulate your period, address your insulin resistance, become less stressed, etc.) and only review the treatment plans that will help with your goals. It can be overwhelming to figure out where to start, but books like these and providers who are knowledgeable about PCOS can definitely help you narrow it down!
February 16, 2026
I read this book because the more I learn about women’s health, the more I’m amazed I didn’t know until I was in my early 30’s. And I am honestly outraged on behalf of my close friends with cycle / fertility issues and the lack of care for them available from western medicine. This book was approachable and informative to support women on their health journey, and I am excited to try some of the recipes. Though (to my knowledge), I don’t have PCOS, I want to be informed about this condition that impacts one out of ten women, so I can support other women in my life! Took off a star because the cursing was not necessary for the tone to be approachable, and it was a little bit selling the author’s personal supplements and one on one coaching (though expected and not pushed as much as I thought it would be).
February 10, 2026
Even if you don’t have PCOS this book offers excellent insight into women’s hormone health, nutrition, and cycle regulation. The second chapter “what I didn’t learn in school about the female body” is straight up a MUST read/listen for every woman. The book as a whole is easy to follow and understand, well laid out, and offers real, practical advice for using nutrition to help manage PCOS symptoms! I am an RD and work with clients who have PCOS, would 1000% recommend this book to any of my clients or friends who want to learn more.
March 2, 2026
This book is full of information that I think will help a lot of people, myself inscluded.
I will say that at this point in my PCOS journey that I already new a lot of this information (about 75%), that being said if you are just starting on your journey then this is the bookj for you. If I had access to thsi 4 years ago it would have dramaticallly strema lines my hours/ days of reasearch.
Why isn't it 5 stars, one reason: the book sells products ans serious. I am always scpetical of books written by someone who is selling me something in the form of self help. Could it all be corretc and help? Sure, I need to do more resrarch on my end, but I always say to proceed with caustion. That being said, this book has so much usefull informaiton that has been backuped by other auther and researchers in reguards to this chronic illeness.
Take aways: I learned about more sumplements that need to be taken or injested in order to help my body get everyhting it needs. I learned that the extreme diets I ahve been trying could be starving my body of what it needs and have the opposite desired effect. There are the comoon characteristics of PCOS and the lesser know ones, turns out I have almost every single one of them.
On a personal note, I started crying when hearing th estory of Jordan and everything that she went thorught at 25 years old. I was 25 when out of no where i started gaining weight, having trouble sleeping, and more. It woudl take 3 years for me to get a diagnosis of PCOS and all the while blamjing myself along the way. The chapter on setting boundries with doctors to get what you need was SO inpactful and could benefit so many peole wiht or withour PCOS.
i hope someone sees this and knows that they are not alone, i know that i feel a little lighter after reading.
I will say that at this point in my PCOS journey that I already new a lot of this information (about 75%), that being said if you are just starting on your journey then this is the bookj for you. If I had access to thsi 4 years ago it would have dramaticallly strema lines my hours/ days of reasearch.
Why isn't it 5 stars, one reason: the book sells products ans serious. I am always scpetical of books written by someone who is selling me something in the form of self help. Could it all be corretc and help? Sure, I need to do more resrarch on my end, but I always say to proceed with caustion. That being said, this book has so much usefull informaiton that has been backuped by other auther and researchers in reguards to this chronic illeness.
Take aways: I learned about more sumplements that need to be taken or injested in order to help my body get everyhting it needs. I learned that the extreme diets I ahve been trying could be starving my body of what it needs and have the opposite desired effect. There are the comoon characteristics of PCOS and the lesser know ones, turns out I have almost every single one of them.
On a personal note, I started crying when hearing th estory of Jordan and everything that she went thorught at 25 years old. I was 25 when out of no where i started gaining weight, having trouble sleeping, and more. It woudl take 3 years for me to get a diagnosis of PCOS and all the while blamjing myself along the way. The chapter on setting boundries with doctors to get what you need was SO inpactful and could benefit so many peole wiht or withour PCOS.
i hope someone sees this and knows that they are not alone, i know that i feel a little lighter after reading.
March 19, 2026
Technical Rating: 3.5
I appreciate the simplicity of this book and the literal meal plans and shopping lists included.
Some things were repeated as far as the information on the symptoms and solutions, but because of that, if you wanted to look at one certain section, you wouldn't necessarily be missing out on information. This is my first foray into learning about PCOS, so I can't compare it to anything else. However, I appreciate the supportive approach. While PCOS may not be a curable thing, it is a manageable thing.
Each section was easy to understand, informative, and given with positivity. I was glad for the general information on female anatomy and the lab work needed to get the answers to your questions. Even though it's simple information that we may already know and/or could look up easily, it was nice to just have it right in the book.
I appreciate the simplicity of this book and the literal meal plans and shopping lists included.
Some things were repeated as far as the information on the symptoms and solutions, but because of that, if you wanted to look at one certain section, you wouldn't necessarily be missing out on information. This is my first foray into learning about PCOS, so I can't compare it to anything else. However, I appreciate the supportive approach. While PCOS may not be a curable thing, it is a manageable thing.
Each section was easy to understand, informative, and given with positivity. I was glad for the general information on female anatomy and the lab work needed to get the answers to your questions. Even though it's simple information that we may already know and/or could look up easily, it was nice to just have it right in the book.
January 22, 2026
While this advice targets those with PCOS, it offers general nutritional guidance that anyone could benefit from. The information provided is fairly basic and readily available through online research.
If online research feels overwhelming, this book offers a consolidated resource, though a nutrition class might provide more personalized guidance.
The standard American diet tends to be heavily processed and can spike blood sugar levels, making it particularly problematic for those managing PCOS.
The emphasis on getting regular lab work done seems excessive, though it assumes ready access to healthcare that not everyone has.
Another self-help book that could have been a blog.
If online research feels overwhelming, this book offers a consolidated resource, though a nutrition class might provide more personalized guidance.
The standard American diet tends to be heavily processed and can spike blood sugar levels, making it particularly problematic for those managing PCOS.
The emphasis on getting regular lab work done seems excessive, though it assumes ready access to healthcare that not everyone has.
Another self-help book that could have been a blog.
January 13, 2026
I wish I’d had this book in my early twenties. It’s so important to understand how nutrition/lifestyle/supplements affect this syndrome. The tone is very “hey girl hey!” And I’m sure that works for some people, but it was a bit much for me. I do appreciate the way a lot of complicated data is presented in an absorbable way. Blood sugar blood sugar blood sugar! It was a good reminder to refocus on blood sugar balance.
March 23, 2026
Not a book I typically share on here but my goodness this book has changed my life! It’s opened my eyes and helped me see things simply! I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 13 and this has had an input on us struggling to a baby for over 10 years! But this book and Cory have given me hope! I know what I can do to help my body have the best chance possible! Maybe it’s not meant to be but I’m going to give it 100% of me
February 9, 2026
This book is excellent for those wanting help understanding their female biology, to help manage their PCOS symptoms and feel more in control of their narrative!! Love Cory’s style of writing and real life success stories.
February 26, 2026
This books was a lifesaver, it has really helped me on my PCOS journey and the writer makes you feel less alone!!
Thank you for this book, very knowledgeable, resourceful and most importantly reassuring.
Thank you for this book, very knowledgeable, resourceful and most importantly reassuring.
January 28, 2026
Very informative and actually not boring. 🫶🏻
February 18, 2026
There was some useful information in this book, and it finishes with a 6 Week Meal Plan.
March 1, 2026
3.75/5
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews