DO YOU HAVE INFREQUENT AND IRREGULAR PERIODS OR EXCESS FACIAL OR BODY HAIR? IF SO, YOU MAY BE SUFFERING FROM POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME (PCOS), WHICH IS A HORMONAL DISORDER COMMON AMONG WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE, ALTHOUGH IT CAN BEGIN IN PUBERTY AT THE TIME OF THE FIRST MENSTRUAL PERIOD.
A diagnosis of PCOS is made when you experience at least two of the following symptoms:
• Irregular periods. Infrequent, irregular or prolonged menstrual cycles are the most common sign of PCOS. For example, you might have fewer than nine periods a year, more than 35 days between periods and abnormally heavy periods.
• Excess androgen. Elevated levels of male hormones may result in physical signs, such as excess facial and body hair, and occasionally severe acne and male-pattern baldness.
• Polycystic ovaries. Your ovaries might be enlarged and contain follicles that surround the eggs. As a result, the ovaries might fail to function regularly.
Obesity is associated with PCOS and can worsen complications of the disorder.
See your doctor if you have concerns about your menstrual cycle, if you’re experiencing infertility, or excess facial hair. Take your daughter to the doctor if she is experiencing irregular periods followed by heavy ones, because PCOS is often overlooked in teens.
The exact cause of PCOS is not known. However, insulin resistance is a key feature of the disorder. Insulin is the hormone produced in the pancreas that allows cells to use sugar, your body’s primary energy supply. If your cells become resistant to the action of insulin, then your blood sugar levels can rise which can cause the body to produce more insulin. Excess insulin can increase androgen production, causing difficulty with ovulation.
Low grade inflammation also plays a part. This term is used to describe white blood cells’ production of substances to fight infection. Research has shown that women with PCOS have a type of low-grade inflammation that stimulates polycystic ovaries to produce androgens, which can lead to heart and blood vessel problems.
Complications
PCOS can cause several complications including infertility, gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, miscarriage or premature birth, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis—[a severe liver inflammation caused by fat accumulation in the liver.
Other complications high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels that significantly increase one’s risk of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, sleep apnea, depression, anxiety and eating disorder, abnormal or uterine bleeding, or cancer of the uterine lining (endometrial cancer).
Obesity is associated with PCOS and can worsen complications of the disorder.
To help decrease the effects of PCOS
• Maintain a healthy weight. Weight loss can reduce insulin and androgen levels and may restore ovulation.
• Be aware of carbohydrates. Low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets might increase insulin levels.
• Be active. Exercise helps lower blood sugar levels. Do aerobic exercise and weight training. Yoga can improve insulin sensitivity.
• Eat high-fiber vegetables with every meal. Broccoli, kale, and spinach, can help combat insulin resistance and reduce inflammation.
• Eat lean protein at each meal.
• Sleep eight hours a night.
• Learn to meditate.
• Limit dairy to 2 servings day.
The goal of treatment for PCOS is to decrease symptoms, improve fertility and prevent health risks. For some medication is needed to improve metabolic and reproductive parameters.
Early detection of PCOS and treatment is essential. It can prevent excess weight gain, prevent infertility and reduce risks of chronic disease. Weight loss or prevention of weight gain is a main concern in treatment
If you need help finding the right doctor, with nutrition or anything else, contact A-TIME. You can visit their website at www.atime.org.
