All About PCOS And How It Can Affect You

Women who are reaching childbearing age are more susceptible to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS. The percentage of women within this age group of getting this disease is about 10-20%. Problems such as hair growth in excessive amounts in odd places, gaining of weight around the middle and infertility issues are all symptoms you may have it.

No real known cause has been discovered yet but the best guess is that it may be genetic and passed down to the woman. Menstrual cycles may be very irregular or you may completely miss them altogether. With this polycystic disease a woman’s ovaries get cysts all in them which keeps eggs from developing as they should.

Gaining of weight in excessive amounts when you have not changed your lifestyle or eating habits is another problem caused by the imbalances within your hormones. Growth of hair in strange areas in excess such as the thumbs, feet and face are common side effects of these imbalances also. You may even notice acne occurring on a frequent basis.

Infertility problems are usually one of the main symptoms of this syndrome as are irregular cycles of your period or missed ones altogether. This usually occurs in women of childbearing age that are on the younger end of the spectrum. Some treatments of the issues this disease causes include therapies with drugs like diabetes and fertility medications, being put on the pill for hormone issues and sometimes surgery if all else fails.

You can only treat the symptoms of PCOS as there is no cure. Lifestyle changes to a healthier diet and moderate exercise to lose the weight gained can go a long way to helping your symptoms not be as bad. Watch out for processed types of food and limit them in your diet as well as additions of sugar.

The surgery option is called ovarian drilling and is done to increase your ovulation chances and to help with infertility. This disease can increase chances of other health issues such as developing pre-diabetes and full diabetes before reaching the age of forty, high blood pressure and high cholesterol as well as higher heart attack risk and sleep apnea. Depression or even anxiety can also present along with a higher risk of cancer called endometrial.

The name polycystic comes from the ovaries having scattered tiny follicles underneath their surfaces. Diagnosis consists of blood tests for glucose levels, female and male sex hormones and other hormone counts and function of the thyroid. An ultrasound may also be used for diagnostic purposes. Women who are younger seem to have the most issues with missed or irregular menstrual cycles and the older women tend to have more development of high blood pressure, cholesterol and often times diabetes onset.

The outlook of living with PCOS, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is different for each individual as each individual is not the same. Some may have lesser symptoms while others suffer more severe. The best thing you can do once diagnosed is to modify your life to be the healthiest it can be by eating right and getting some exercise every day.

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