Unknown Facts about PCOS

Weight gain, anxiety, having abnormal growth of acne and other eruptions, irregular periods, bloating, infertility and brain fog, all these physical symptoms hint at PCOS, but without diagnosis, nothing can be ensured.

PCOS is a condition where there is an imbalance of the hormones in a woman. PCOS hinders normal natural working of organs forcing the body to produce varying adverse symptoms such as irregular periods, difficulty in getting pregnant, changing the way you look etc. In PCOS there is gradual enlargement of the size of the ovaries with development of cysts on them. If PCOS is not treated, then the patient’s overall health gets affected along with the potency to have children. In later days, PCOS may trigger diabetes, cancer or heart disease. However, PCOS is highly misunderstood and remains undiagnosed thus affecting a woman’s health grossly.

Knowing these facts about PCOS will give you a better understanding about this condition and help manage PCOS better and prevent other maladies.

• PCOS is simply a hormonal disorder, so over the counter drugs may not be helpful. PCOS is seen in women of child-bearing age. More and more women are falling victim to PCOS and nearly 4% to 8% of women all across the planet are undergoing this physical disturbance. Treating the hormone imbalance helps in getting rid of PCOS. When women are having PCOS, they are likely to experience depression and anxiety. Treating such anxiety with medicine will never be helpful, as it will keep on coming and going. It is important to treat the underlying cause, which is the PCOS.
• PCOS has become a common hormonal disorder for many, but little do they realize that if PCOS is not treated, then in future it will likely to be a bigger issue.
• It is found that only 30% women suffering from PCOS are diagnosed worldwide, leaving rest of the women undiagnosed, thus making the women lead an unsupported life. The rest of the women go on thinking that it is natural to have bloating and irregular periods, without even knowing what they are suffering from.
• Now majority of women are seen to be having elevated insulin or experiencing insulin resistance; however, insulin resistance is certainly not a major part of the PCOS diagnostic criteria.
• The diagnostic criteria of PCOS includes irregular period with much pain and bloating, increased facial hair, weight gain, mood swings and presence of increased male hormones. Detection of hormones is done through blood tests and ultrasound helps in diagnosing PCOS.
• Women often do not pay attention to the signs of hormonal imbalance; for example, the facial hair growth, frequent hair loss, fast weight gain, acne, irregular cycles, hot flashes, PMS, bloating and brain fog etc. So you need to pay attention to these signs and seek medical advice to tackle the problem of PCOS early.
• Women having PCOS are known to run through the risk of developing sleep apnea, and this is clearly is because of the influence of male hormones that directly affect the sleep receptors of the brain cells.
• Maximum women think that having irregular periods is a sign of PCOS, but the fact of the matter is, they may not be having cysts on their ovaries.
• Since women having PCOS usually have more testosterone in their body, so they tend to have more muscles when compared to those who are not having increased amount of testosterone.
• Researchers and popular surveys have proved that the existence of PCOS would trigger type-2 diabetes in women. Middle aged women will be at risk for varying health conditions.
• However, a number of studies have confirmed that when a woman is bent on losing her body weight and which is 8 to 15% times of her normal body weight, then it will improve metabolism along with improving physiological and psychological state of the body and thus helping with PCOS.
• As said above, women who have polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS are likely to have less potency to bear child, but they also run through the risk of miscarriages, gestational diabetes, preterm deliveries and also stillbirths.
• It is also reported that as many as 70 to 80% of women having PCOS are insulin resistant and 10 to 15% have type 2 diabetes.
• Maximum women, more than 50%, suffering from PCOS are likely to have diabetes or pre-diabetes right before reaching the age 40.
• PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) increases the risk of heart diseases and heart attack by four to eight times.
• PCOS also increases the risk of endometrial cancer.
• Although there is a prevalent myth, that PCOS can never be treated and symptoms would start and resolve on their own, however, the moment you start treating the symptoms and make some lifestyle changes, such as following a healthy diet and losing weight if you are overweight, then PCOS can be resolved.
• Medical science has developed so much today, there is a clean explanation and there are few elementary processes, which can be followed to heal the symptoms well. With a balanced diet, hormone balance can be maintained and blood sugar level can be maintained. Food often serves as medicine; you should eat food which supports your health and avoid food which may cause disturbances.
• Movement and exercising is one of the best ways to control cravings and fight PCOS. So little cardio and walking is actually good to deal with this health condition. Intense exercising, over stretching, dieting and counting calories everything can make PCOS symptoms worse. You need to do everything in moderation.
• It is seen that consuming healthy fats will not raise insulin, so women suffering from PCOS should consider having good food which includes good fat.

References:

Also Read:

• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment, Home Remedies
• PCOS Diet | Foods To Include & Foods To Avoid in PCOS Diet
• Yoga Asanas for PCOS