PCOS is a hormonal disorder and one of the most common causes of infertility among women of reproductive age. Affecting 6% to 12%(as many as 5 million) of US women.PCOS can raise the risk of other health problems such as Diabetes, Heart disease, gestational diabetes, stroke, Sleep apnea, and High Blood Pressure.
PCOS is also linked to Depression, Stress, and Anxiety but the connection is not fully understood.
Polycystic Ovaries contains a large number of follicles (sacs) that are up to 8mm in size. In PCOS these follicles are often unable to release an egg, which means ovulation does take place.
Also Read:
The release of an egg each month is called ovulation, which needs to be fertilized by men’s sperm.
The lack of ovulation can change levels of progesterone, estrogen, LH, and FSH in a woman's body.
Many women have PCOS but don’t know it. Research shows up to 70% of women with PCOS hadn’t been diagnosed.
There are three main features of PCOS:
- Irregular Periods
Women with PCOS may have infrequent or prolonged periods which means your ovaries don’t release eggs regularly.
PCOS can stop your periods and make them hard to predict.
2. Polycystic Ovaries
Your ovaries become enlarged and may develop numerous small collections of fluid-filled follicles (sacs) that surround the eggs.
Some women with PCOS have cysts on their ovaries that’s why it’s called Polycystic Ovaries syndrome.
Many women with PCOS don’t have cysts because the name is misleading.
3. Excess of Androgen (male hormone) levels:
A high level of Androgen in your body may cause physical signs such as acne and unwanted facial or body hair.
If you have at least 2 of these features, you may have developed PCOS.
Hormonal imbalance & PCOS
Your body releases hormones to make different things happen. Some of these hormones are associated with your menstrual cycle and are tied with your ability to have a baby.
The hormones that play the role in PCOS are:
This hormone regulates your blood sugar. If you have PCOS, your body will not interact with insulin the way it should.
With PCOS, you may not have enough amount of progesterone hormone. You might miss your periods for a long time and it will be hard to predict when they will come back.
Women with PCOS tend to have higher levels of Androgen hormone. Which is often called male hormone but women have them too.
Causes of PCOS:
The exact cause of PCOS isn’t known. Factors that might contribute to PCOS include:
- Heredity/Family history
Research shows that PCOS runs in families and certain genes might be linked with PCOS. You might be more likely to develop PCOS if your sister and mother also have it.
- Obesity/Inflammation:
Women with PCOS often have increased levels of low-grade inflammation in their bodies. Being overweight can also contribute to inflammation.
- Excess Insulin:
Obesity is a major cause of insulin resistance. Both obesity and insulin resistance can increase your risk for type 2 Diabetes.
A high level of insulin might increase androgen production, causing difficulty with ovulation.
- Excess Androgen:
The ovaries produce abnormally high levels of Androgen, resulting in acne and unwanted facial hair.
0 Comments