Furthermore, according to the best PCOD/PCOS doctors, Dr. Sukhamoy Barik, PCOS also endangers long-term health problems like diabetes and heart disease. Hence, you should not neglect the symptoms and keep the condition untreated. The most conventional remedies for PCOS are birth control pills and diabetes drugs.
What is PCOS?
PCOS is known to affect a woman’s ovaries, the organs that are responsible for producing estrogen and progesterone. Since these two hormones maintain the balance of the menstrual cycle, the imbalance of the hormonal configurations also causes an imbalance in the menstrual cycle. The ovaries produce a small amount of another hormone: the male hormone, Androgen. Under the effect of PCOS, the production of androgen skyrockets.
In medical terminology, PCOS is called a ‘Syndrome’, i.e. a complex of symptoms that considerably impairs the normal functions of ovaries and hampers ovulations. The three core features of PCOS are the followings:
1. Cysts in the ovaries
2. High Level of male hormones
3. Irregular menstrual cycles
In PCOS, many small, fluid-filled sacs take nests inside the ovaries. These sacs contain immature eggs, i.e. eggs that lack the capacity to trigger ovulation. The absence of regular ovulations substantially alters the levels of estrogen, progesterone, FSH and LH. With the production of estrogen and progesterone suffering a sharp downfall, the androgen levels rise by leaps and bounds.
The excess male hormones disrupt the menstrual cycle further, making it more difficult for women with PCOS to get periods.
The Causes of PCOS
The Symptoms of PCOS
1) Irregular Periods
The disruption of ovulation forestalls the uterine lining from shedding every month. A lot of women with PCOS undergo fewer than eight periods a year.
2) Heavy Bleeding
Since the uterine lining grows for a more extended period of time, menstruations are longer than usual and accompanied by heavy bleeding.
3) Hair Growth
Quite a lot of women experience abnormal hair growth on their faces and body- including their back, chest and belly. The condition of excess hair growth is called hirsutism.
4) Acne
Because of the excessive production of male hormones, the skin becomes oilier than usual, causing whiteheads and blackheads over several parts of the patient’s body. This condition is called acne.
5) Weight gain
Up to 80% of women with PCOS run the risk of becoming overweight and obese.
6) Male Patterned Baldness
PCOD/PCOS doctors believe that male-pattern baldness is one of the primary symptoms of PCOD. A lot of women with PCOD experience thinning of hair on the scalp.
7) Darkening of the Skin
Dark patches of skin transpire in body creases like on the neck, in the groin or under the breasts.
8) Headaches
Hormonal changes during PCOD can trigger severe stress disorder accompanied by headaches in some women.