The Sunday News
Ponama Munandi
Common symptoms of PCOS
Some women start seeing symptoms around the time of their first period, majority of women only start to see the symptoms after they’ve gained a lot of weight, they’ve had trouble getting pregnant, or are experiencing irregular periods.
The most common PCOS symptoms are:
Irregular periods — A lack of ovulation prevents the uterine lining from shedding every month. Some women with PCOS get fewer than eight periods a year (10Trusted Source).
Heavy bleeding — The uterine lining builds up for a longer period of time, so the periods you do get can be heavier than normal.
Hair growth — More than 70 percent of women with this condition grow hair on their face and body — including on their back, belly, and chest. Excess hair growth is called hirsutism.
Acne — Male hormones can make the skin oilier than usual and cause breakouts on areas like the face, chest, and upper back.
Weight gain — Up to 80 percent of women with PCOS are overweight or obese.
Male-pattern baldness — Hair on the scalp gets thinner and fall out.
Darkening of the skin — Dark patches of skin can form in body creases like those on the neck, in the groin, and under the breasts.
Headaches — Hormone changes can trigger headaches in some women.
How PCOS affects your body
Having higher-than-normal androgen levels can affect your fertility and other aspects of your health.
Infertility
To get pregnant, you have to ovulate. Women who don’t ovulate regularly don’t release as many eggs to be fertilised. PCOS is one of the leading causes of infertility in women.
Metabolic syndrome
Up to 80 percent of women with PCOS are overweight or obese. Both obesity and PCOS increase your risk for high blood sugar, high blood pressure, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.
Together, these factors are called metabolic syndrome, and they increase the risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Sleep apnea
This condition causes repeated pauses in breathing during the night, which interrupt sleep.
Sleep apnea is more common in women who are overweight — especially if they also have PCOS. The risk for sleep apnea is 5 to 10 times higher in obese women with PCOS than in those without PCOS.
Endometrial cancer
During ovulation, the uterine lining sheds. If you don’t ovulate every month, the lining can build up.
A thickened uterine lining can increase your risk for endometrial cancer.
Depression
Both hormonal changes and symptoms like unwanted hair growth can negatively affect your emotions. Many with PCOS end up experiencing depression and anxiety.
Hormone imbalances can affect a woman’s health in many ways. PCOS can increase the risk for infertility, metabolic syndrome, sleep apnea, endometrial cancer, and depression.
How PCOS is diagnosed
Doctors typically diagnose PCOS in women who have at least two of these three symptoms:
High androgen levels
Irregular menstrual cycles
Cysts in the ovaries
Your doctor should also ask whether you’ve had symptoms like acne, face and body hair growth, and weight gain.
A pelvic exam can look for any problems with your ovaries or other parts of your reproductive tract. During this test, your doctor inserts gloved fingers into your vagina and checks for any growths in your ovaries or uterus.
Blood tests check for higher-than-normal levels of male hormones. You might also have blood tests to check your cholesterol, insulin, and triglyceride levels to evaluate your risk for related conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
An ultrasound uses sound waves to look for abnormal follicles and other problems with your ovaries and uterus.
It is very important for women to consult with their doctor once they experience any abnormalities with their menstrual cycle. Doing some self-research is key as you educate yourself more on your diagnosis to help you understand what is going on with your body.
Sharing your research findings with your doctor is also encouraged so as to have a collaborative effort with management. In my journey, reading and research helped me understand my symptoms better and shed some light on how best I could manage the symptoms.
Working side by side with your doctor encourages you to come up with a treatment plan that works best for you.
Next week we discuss the different management options for PCOS.
Ponama S M Munandi. BA Social Work (Honours), University `of Namibia 2015. [email protected]/ 0778325215
