PCOS or Polycystic ovarian syndrome is an illness that affects a woman’s hormone levels. Women with PCOS contain a higher than normal amount of male hormones. This hormonal imbalance causes them to miss menstrual cycles, making it difficult for them to get pregnant.
As well as baldness, PCOS triggers hair growth on the face and body. And it can lead to long-term health issues such as diabetes and heart disease.
Birth control pills and diabetes drugs can help to fix the hormonal imbalance and improve the symptoms.
Read on to look at everything about PCOS and its effects on the body of a woman.
What’s the PCOS?
The short term of Polycystic ovarian syndrome is called PCOS. It is a hormonal disorder encountered by women during their childbearing years. It can impact your desire to have a child. Also, it may:
- Stop your cycles or make it hard to predict them
- Be the cause of acne and excessive body and facial hair
- Increase the risk of other health issues, including diabetes and high blood pressure
You can get treatment for the symptoms. And you will be able to get pregnant, but you will need to take medicines to enhance your fertility.
Some PCOS women have cysts on their ovaries. That’s why it’s called “polycystic.” But the term is misleading because many PCOS women don’t have cysts.
Who gets PCOS?
About 5% and 10% of women between 15 and 44 years of age have PCOS. Most women in their 20s and 30s figure out that they have PCOS. When they have trouble getting pregnant, see a doctor. But Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) can happen after puberty at any age.
Women of all ethnicities and races have the risk of getting PCOS. Your PCOS chance could be higher if you have obesity or have a mother, sister, or aunt with PCOS.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of PCOS frequently develop during puberty, about the time of the first menstrual cycle. Sometimes, for example, PCOS develops later in response to a substantial weight gain.
The signs and symptoms of Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are different. A diagnosis of PCOS is made when you have at least two of these signs:
- Irregular period. Infrequent, irregular, or prolonged menstrual periods are the most common symptoms of PCOS. For, e.g., you may have fewer than nine periods a year, more than 35 days between periods, and abnormally heavy periods.
- Excess androgen. Elevated male hormones can result in some physical symptoms. For, e.g., excess facial and body hair (hirsutism), Severe acne, and male-pattern baldness occasionally.
- Polycystic ovary. Your ovaries may be enlarged and produce follicles that cover the eggs. As a result, the ovaries could not function regularly.
If you are obese, the signs and symptoms of PCOS are typically more severe.
What Causes PCOS?
The exact causes are not clear at this point. But the higher than average androgen levels play a significant role. Excess weight and family history—which, in turn, are linked to insulin resistance—can also contribute.
- Weight: Is overweight causing PCOS? Is PCOS making you fat? The relationship is complex and not fully understood. Overweight is associated with PCOS. But many average-weight women have PCOS, and many overweight women do not have PCOS.
- Family History: PCOS is more likely to occur in women whose mother or sister has PCOS or type 2 diabetes.
- Insulin Resistance: Lifestyle can have a major impact on insulin resistance. For, e.g., if a woman is overweight due to an unhealthful diet and lack of physical activity. Insulin resistance also occurs in families. Losing weight can also help to improve symptoms, no matter what caused insulin resistance.
Associated Health Risk
There are a variety of health risks associated with PCOS. These may include:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Infertility
- High cholesterol
- Elevated lipids
- Sleep apnea
- Liver disease
- Abnormal uterine bleeding
- High blood pressure
- Obesity
- Metabolic syndrome
- Nonalcoholic fatty liver (steatohepatitis)
- Depression and anxiety
There is also a higher risk of endometrial cancer, pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, and miscarriage.
PCOS Treatment
You must treat all signs of PCOS and have long-term management to avoid health problems. PCOS is a long-term condition. So you must have long-term management.
Based on the symptoms you experience, PCOS treatment may include:
- Weight reduction if overweight. Research has proved that even 5% to 10% weight loss will significantly benefit health.
- Medical treatment. With hormones or medicines
- Lifestyle changes. Such as eating a healthy, nutritious diet and introducing daily physical exercise to your routine. These may positively affect your health in many ways. For women with PCOS, a healthier lifestyle may improve symptoms, especially if you’re overweight. And your new lifestyle helps you lose weight.
Medical treatments for PCOS
Medical treatments for PCOS include:
- Oral contraceptive pill. You can use it for contraception to control the menstrual cycle. You can also use it to reduce excess hair growth and acne and prevent excessive thickening of the womb’s lining.
- Medications to block hormones such as testosterone (e.g., spironolactone). You can use these to reduce excessive hair growth or scalp hair loss.
- Insulin. Sensitizing medications may benefit patients who have insulin resistance. It may also be useful for menstrual cycle control, improving ovulation (egg production) and fertility, avoiding diabetes development, and weight loss.
- Infertility medicines. if infertility is an issue, you can take clomiphene citrate (sold as Clomid) or aromatase inhibitors orally to cause ovulation (egg production)
- Psychological counseling.
Your GP and your doctors will discuss possible treatments with you to help you decide which medication is best suited to you.
Home remedies
There is no cure for PCOS. But some home and lifestyle treatments can make a difference and relieve some symptoms.
This includes the following:
- Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, with lots of fruit and vegetables
- Participation in daily physical exercise
- Keeping a healthy weight, reducing androgen levels, and reducing the risk of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease
- Not smoking, as this raises the number of androgens and the risk of heart disease
The Bottom Line
PCOS can interrupt the menstrual cycles of a woman and make it difficult to get pregnant. High levels of male hormones also lead to unwanted symptoms such as hair growth on the face and body.
Lifestyle changes are the first treatments that doctors prescribe for PCOS and often work well. Weight loss can treat signs of PCOS and increase the chance of getting pregnant. Diet and aerobic exercise are two effective ways of reducing weight.
Medicines are an option if lifestyle changes are not working. Birth control pills and metformin can both restore more natural menstrual cycles and relieve symptoms of PCOS.
