PCOS
Or polycystic ovarian syndrome is a complex condition that affects
woman's ovaries.
This is Mia.
An eighteen-year-old that identifies as female.
She has felt like she might have PCOS but is
not sure.
After some research,
she learns that the pathogenesis or development of the condition
is complex and includes
transgenerational genetic and environmental aspects.
There are two main causes of PCOS,
first is hyperandrogenism,
which is an overproduction of male hormones,
and the second is insulin resistance.
Glucose is a form of sugar that our body uses
for fuel and to uptake glucose,
the hormone insulin is needed,
kind of like a key that unlocks the door.
With insulin resistance
our bodies do not respond to this insulin and we
cannot take up glucose properly.
Mia
set's up an appointment with her doctor,
doctor Avari.
Doctor Avari let's Mia
know that for diagnosis,
there are three specific elements. To be diagnosed with PCOS,
you must show two of the three elements
in any combination.
First is oligo-anovulation where ovulation does not
occur on a regular basis and the menstrual cycle or
your period
Is irregular.
Second is either a clinical or biochemical androgen excess.
Androgens are hormones
that are responsible for male reproductive activity and traits.
PCOS can lead to too much androgen production in women and
can cause fat tissue to accumulate and dysfunction.
Lastly is the ultrasound assessment of ovarian morphology,
which essentially studies the structure of the ovaries. Ovaries have
ovarian follicles
that are small fluid-filled sacs where an egg develops to
be released during ovulation. With PCOS,
follicle development and the release of a mature egg
can be prevented due to abnormal hormone levels.
The ultrasound can show
if there are high number of immature follicles in
the ovaries,
which would be considered polycystic ovaries.
Mia feels a bit worried. In her family things
like menstration or not really talked about.
She doesn't know anyone with PCOS or showing any similar
symptoms. In fact,
no-one around her
really talks about this kind of stuff.
Doctor Avari
understands this. She explains that there can be a lot of
stigma surrounding PCOS,
especially due to infertility,
body hair and obesity.
However,
it is important to not let PCOS find you,
but embrace that it is part of you.
Remember that
all women are unique and come in all different sizes.
PCOS affects one in ten women in the reproductive age,
making it the most common endocrine condition.
This means that you are not alone. Women with PCOS,
including yourself, needs support, both emotional and social.
After all many women feel overwhelmed,
or distress,
due to their symptoms,
Finding a Social Circle that understands this and can support
you is rewarding.
There are also online support groups,
like www.pcoschallenge.org
or social media groups
that might help.
Now that you know the basics of PCOS and the
social stigma surrounding it,
let's take a further look into the treatment of PCOS
and the recent research for it.
Overall,
there has been a notable shift of focus from pharmaceutical
based interventions to lifestyle based therapies.
PCOS has no official complete cure.
There are variety of treatments
however,
for PCOS,
depending on
which symptom,
you may want to target and improve. Making healthy choices
and having a balance between the consumption of all types
of food and physical activity,
is a method to progressively improve the symptoms of PCOS.
As you've learned throughout this video,
PCOS is caused by the overproduction of male hormones and
resistance to insulin.
Insulin resistance itself
also is one of the reasons for the overproduction of
androgens.
So it's kind of like this vicious cycle.
Now, one way to potentially treat PCOS is to find
a way for our bodies to be less resistant to
insulin and respond correctly
when insulin is produced. One way is through medications.
The glucose and insulin response,
involves two types of glucose transporters. A potential treatment
that is currently being researched is to block these transporters
in order to have control over these effects.
These medications can decrease insulin levels, cause weight loss which
itself can lead to insulin
sensitivity and reduce hyperandrogenism.
However,
it is worth noting that weight loss is not always
necessary for patients with PCOS.
Therefore blocking these transporters can cause a reduction in insulin
production, which then will also lead to a reduction
in male hormones.
Weekend is one of the most common symptoms of PCOS.
The issue with this is that waking itself can lead
to furthering insulin resistance there for having a balanced diet,
which avoids insulin overproduction is important. Research shows that having
a protein-rich diet can reduce insulin production,
which will then lead to a reduction in androgens. Increased
consumption of nuts
and fish oil have also contributed to the reduction of
insulin resistance.
In addition to achieving a balanced diet, having daily
physical activity is also very important. As we have gone
over what PCOS is, social aspects of PCOS and treatment
options for the symptoms,
we now,
hope you have a better understanding of PCOS, just like
Mia.