Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Hey y'all, my sis NouNou and I have decided to share this information with all the women and men out there. This is for real and I just don't know how many women know about this. PCOS is a very common condition in women. If we go for health check-up more often, we can stop blaming "supernatural causes" for being barren. Unless of course your doctor has ruled out the symptoms below as the cause of your infertility problem. And as for men, please read this and show some support to all the sisters in the struggle.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (say "pah-lee-SIS-tik OH-vuh-ree SIN-drohm") is a condition in which there is an imbalance of a woman's female sex hormones. This hormone imbalance may cause infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods, excess hair growth, acne and obesity can all occur in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

In adolescents, infrequent or absent menstruation may signal the condition. In women past adolescence, difficulty becoming pregnant or unexplained weight gain may be the first sign.

The exact cause of polycystic ovary syndrome is unknown.

Early diagnosis and treatment may reduce the risk of long-term complications, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Polycystic ovary syndrome signs and symptoms often begin soon after a woman first begins having periods (menarche). In some cases, PCOS develops later on during the reproductive years, for instance, in response to substantial weight gain.

Signs and symptoms vary from person to person, in both type and severity. To be diagnosed with the condition, your doctor looks for at least two of the following: 

• Menstrual abnormality. This is the most common characteristic. Examples of menstrual abnormality include menstrual intervals longer than 35 days; fewer than eight menstrual cycles a year; failure to menstruate for four months or longer; and prolonged periods that may be scant or heavy.
  
  

  
• Excess androgen. Elevated levels of male hormones (androgens) may result in physical signs, such as excess facial and body hair (hirsutism), adult acne or severe adolescent acne, and male-pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia). However, the physical signs of androgen excess vary with ethnicity, so depending on your ethnic background you may or may not show signs of excess androgen. For instance, women of Northern European or Asian descent may not be affected.                                               

Polycystic ovaries. Enlarged ovaries containing numerous small cysts can be detected by ultrasound.

When to see a doctor
Talk with your doctor if you have menstrual irregularities — such as infrequent periods, prolonged periods or no menstrual periods — especially if you have excess hair on your face and body or acne.

 

What you can do
To prepare for your appointment: Please click on the link below to get more information.

 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/polycystic-ovary-syndrome/DS00423/DSECTION=preparing-for-your-appointment

Complications

Having polycystic ovary syndrome makes the following conditions more likely, especially if obesity also is a factor:

• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Cholesterol and lipid abnormalities, such as elevated triglycerides or low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol
• Elevated levels of C-reactive protein, a cardiovascular disease marker
• Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of signs and symptoms that indicate a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease
• Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, a severe liver inflammation caused by fat accumulation in the liver
• Sleep apnea
• Abnormal uterine bleeding
• Cancer of the uterine lining (endometrial cancer), caused by exposure to continuous high levels of estrogen
• Gestational diabetes or pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, if you do become pregnant

Tests and diagnosis

• Medical history. Your doctor may ask questions about your menstrual periods, weight changes and other symptoms.
• Physical examination.
• Pelvic examination.
• Blood tests.
• Pelvic ultrasound. A pelvic ultrasound can show the appearance of your ovaries and the thickness of the lining of your uterus.

For more information click below:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/polycystic-ovary-syndrome/DS00423/DSECTION=tests-and-diagnosis

Lifestyle and home remedies

Paying attention to the foods you eat and your activity levels may help you offset the effects of PCOS: 

• Keep your weight in check. Obesity makes insulin resistance worse. Weight loss can reduce both insulin and androgen levels, and may restore ovulation. No single specific dietary approach is best, but losing weight by reducing total calorie intake can benefit the overall health of women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Ask your doctor to recommend a weight-control program, and meet regularly with a dietitian for help in reaching weight-loss goals.                                                                                                                                                                                              
• Consider dietary changes. You may want to consider a low-carbohydrate diet if you have PCOS —and if your doctor recommends it
• Be active. Exercise helps lower blood sugar levels. If you have PCOS, increasing your daily activity and participating in a regular exercise program may treat or even prevent insulin resistance and help you keep your weight under control.                                                                                  

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/polycystic-ovary-syndrome/DS00423/DSECTION=lifestyle-and-home-remedies

Treatments and drugs

Polycystic ovary syndrome treatment generally focuses on management of your individual main concerns, such as infertility, hirsutism, acne or obesity.
  

   Medications
   Your doctor may prescribe a medication to:

• Regulate your menstrual cycle. If you're not trying to become pregnant, your doctor may recommend low-dose birth control pills that contain a combination of synthetic estrogen and progesterone. 
                                                                        
• Help you ovulate. If you're trying to become pregnant, you may need a medication to help you ovulate. Clomiphene citrate (Clomid, Serophene) is an oral anti-estrogen medication that you take in the first part of your menstrual cycle. If clomiphene citrate alone isn't effective, your doctor may add metformin to help induce ovulation.                                                                                         

If you don't become pregnant using clomiphene and metformin, your doctor may recommend using gonadotropins — follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) medications that are administered by injection.

• Reduce excessive hair growth. Your doctor may recommend birth control pills to decrease androgen production, or another medication called spironolactone (Aldactone) that blocks the effects of androgens on the skin. Because spironolactone can cause birth defects, effective contraception is required when using the drug, and it's not recommended if you're pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Eflornithine (Vaniqa) is another medication possibility; the cream slows facial hair growth in women.                                                                                                         

Surgery
If medications don't help you become pregnant, an outpatient surgery called laparoscopic ovarian drilling is an option for some women with PCOS. Your doctor can help you determine if you're a candidate for this type of surgery.

For more information:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/polycystic-ovary-syndrome/DS00423/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs

To learn more  and find out if you have PCOS visit;

https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos/how-pcos-treated

and 

https://www.endocrineweb.com/guides/pcos/do-have-pcos-pcos-symptoms-quiz