POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME(PCOS) Symptoms, causes, and Treatment

POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME(PCOS) details and their controls

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS produce higher-than-normal amounts of male hormones. This hormone imbalance causes them to skip menstrual periods and makes it harder for them to get pregnant.

What is PCOS?

PCOS is a problem with hormones that affects women during their childbearing years (ages 15 to 44). Between 2.2 and 26.7 percent of women in this age group have PCOS. PCOS affects a woman’s ovaries, the reproductive organs that produce estrogen and progesterone — hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle. The ovaries also produce a small amount of male hormones called androgens.

Hormones are substances your body makes to help different processes happen. Some are related to your ability to have a baby, and also affect your menstrual cycle. Those that are involved in PCOS include.

• Androgens: Often called “male” hormones, women have them, too. Those with PCOS tend to have higher levels, which can cause symptoms like hair loss, hair in places you don’t want it (such as on your face), and trouble getting pregnant.
• Insulin: This hormone manages your blood sugar. If you have PCOS, your body might not react to insulin the way that it should.
• Progesterone: With PCOS, your body may not have enough of this hormone. That can make you to miss your periods for a long time, or to have periods that are hard to predict.

Cause :

PCOS is a heterogeneous disorder of uncertain cause. There is some evidence that it is a genetic disease. Such evidence includes the familial clustering of cases, greater concordance in monozygotic compared with dizygotic twins and heritability of endocrine and metabolic features of PCOS.

The genetic component appears to be inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion with high genetic penetrance but variable expressivity in females; this means that each child has a 50% chance of inheriting the predisposing genetic variant(s) from a parent, and, if a daughter receives the variant(s), the daughter will have the disease to some extent. The genetic variant(s) can be inherited from either the father or the mother, and can be passed along to both sons (who may be asymptomatic carriers or may have symptoms such as early baldness and/or excessive hair) and daughters, who will show signs of PCOS.

Symptoms :

There are many symptoms

Irregular menses

Excess androgen levels

Sleep apnea

High stress levels

High blood pressure

Skin tags

Infertility

Acne, Oily skin, and Dandruff

High cholesterol and triglycerides acnthosis nigricans, or dark patches of skin

Fatigue

Male pattern balding

Insulin resistance

Type 2 diabetes

Pelvic pain

Depression and anxiety

Weight management difficulties including weight gain or difficulty losing weight

Excessive facial and body hair growth, known as hirsutism

Decreased libido

Diagnosis

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome can be easy to diagnose in some patients. The typical medical history is that of irregular menstrual cycles, which are unpredictable and can be very heavy ; and the need to take hormonal tablets (progestins) to induce a period. Patients suffering from PCOD are often obese and may have hirsutism , (excessive facial and body hair) as a result of the high androgen levels. However, remember that not all patients with PCOD will have all or any of these symptoms.

This diagnosis can be confirmed by vaginal ultrasound, which shows that both the ovaries are enlarged; the bright central stroma is increased ; and there are multiple small cysts in the ovaries. These cysts are usually arranged in the form of a necklace along the periphery of the ovary. Blood tests are also very useful for making the diagnosis.

Treatment

We believe good nutrition has a powerful impact on a person’s health and is the number one holistic medicine tool. Our nutritional therapy is based on a unique, scientific 4-step process that works with the natural body cycle and helps to improve disease outcome.

Our approach is an integrated and holistic one that combines the simple yet powerful benefits of eating natural, nutritious foods along with Ayurvedic treatment, Homeopathy and simple lifestyle modifications.

PCOD diet chart

Changing the way you eat can help you manage the symptoms much better. 

Best foods for PCOD

• Green leafy vegetables
• Fruits
• Healthy fats such as Omega-3 fatty acids, nuts, seeds, oily fish, avocado and olive oil
• Lean protein sources such as tofu, chicken and fish
• Tomatoes

Foods avoid in PCOD

• Refined carbohydrates such as white bread, muffins, pastries, sugary desserts
• High GI (Glycemic Index) foods such as white rice, mashed potatoes, rice cakes, muffins and cakes
• Dairy products
• Soy products