Possible health issues due to PCOS
What is PCOS?
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a health issue that affects every 1 in 10 women. Women with PCOS suffer from hormonal imbalance and metabolism problems that affect their overall health, affecting their appearance. PCOS can also cause infertility. PCOS affects 6-12% of women of reproductive age. It is a lifelong condition and is also considered a chronic illness.
What specifically causes PCOS and its full impact on a woman’s body is unclear. Women with PCOS have higher levels of androgens, i.e., the male hormones and ovulatory dysfunction, which means ovulation is irregular.
As a result, women don’t get regular menstrual cycles. Many women with PCOS have insulin resistance, meaning their bodies make insulin, but they are unable to use it efficiently.
Between 40 and 80 percent of women with PCOS are obese or overweight. The exact connection between weight and PCOS is not well understood. Though, being obese or overweight can increase the risk of some conditions connected with PCOS, such as diabetes or endometrial cancer.
Nearly 40-80% of women with PCOS are overweight or obese. The exact relationship between weight and PCOS is not well understood. However, being overweight or obese can increase the risk of some conditions associated with PCOS, such as diabetes or endometrial cancer.
There are also multiple studies that show that PCOS affects lung function from physical health to mental health as a whole. PCOS is also associated with infertility, and it increases the risk of some complications during pregnancy, and women having PCOS are at high risk for endometrial cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
Women suffering from PCOS don’t have common symptoms, as there is n number of symptoms that can occur in women with PCOS. As it affects each woman differently, it’s not clear how many symptoms a woman can have.
But there are some common symptoms:
- No periods or periods that are:
- irregular
- infrequent
- heavy
- Immature ovarian eggs that do not ovulate Infertility.
- Multiple cysts on the ovaries
- Excess facial and/or body hair (hirsutism)
- Acne on the face or body
- Scalp hair loss (alopecia)
- Darkened skin patches (acanthosis nigricans)
- Mood changes
- High BP
- Vitamin D deficiency
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Hot flashes
- Brain fog
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Sleep apnea (a sleeping disorder in which abnormal pauses of breathing occur during sleep) and many more.
Though PCOS is curable, there are a number of chances that PCOS can recur in women, so there are home remedies that will surely help you in the long run.
Exercise regularly
One of the major problems faced by PCOS patients is that they feel that they are not losing weight, so even if there is no change in the weight scale, exercise will help them long run. Especially focus on lower abdomen exercises; these will help shed belly fat.
You don’t need to stress your body much, you can run, walk, or go to a gym, but you need to keep in mind to do the exercise daily.
Maintain a Healthy Diet
A balanced and healthy diet is necessary for PCOS, and breakfast is the most important meal of the day for them. PCOS patients should avoid eating sweets and fried food completely. They should have food in short intervals and should avoid dairy products.
PCOS patients should follow a strict diet routine and should not skip any of their meals.
Maintain a Stable Ovulation Cycle
A stable ovulation cycle is very important for a PCOS patient, and PCOS affects the ovulation cycle and interferes with menstruation and fertility, making periods irregular and pregnancy difficult, so women suffering from PCOS should avoid unnatural ingestions. Many women take some pills to postpone their menstruation cycle, which should be minimized, if not completely avoided.
Eat Special Diets
A PCOS patient can also include a special diet like Ayurveda for PCOS patients. They can consist of bitter gourd, Amla, or Indian gooseberry or drink its juice to control blood sugar level. They can also add Fenugreek leaves and tulsi or basil that will help in maintaining insulin levels. A tablespoon full of honey mixed with lemon and water is also good to control sweet craving and weight.
Keep Your Body and Mind Stress-Free
The best thing that a PCOS patient can do is practice yoga. Do yoga and pranayamas. Surya Namaskar is an excellent exercise that will help burn stubborn and excess fat. Meditation also helps in anxiety and depression. Spend as much quality time you can spend with your family and friends and enjoy your life.
PCOS has become one of the common causes of infertility in women, and PCOS is not only limited to ovaries. It affects the overall health of a woman. 1 in 10 women globally is dealing with it still; there is less research to know the actual cause of it.
There is no proper medicine to cure it; however, it can be treated with lifestyle changes and supplants symptoms. There are many women that remain undiagnosed or misdiagnosed even after visiting a doctor. It sometimes leads women toward isolation. Therefore there are multiple forums, societies, and social media groups through which PCOS women connect to each other and try to understand each other’s symptoms and provide help.
