I am not a PCOS sufferer but many of my friends are and that is why I am writing this post. There are so many women that suffer from PCOS without knowing and it is something I am continually learning more about.
1 in 10 women are impacted by PCOS and the most common symptoms are:
Anovulation (lack of ovulation)
High levels of androgens or male hormones
Irregular Cycles
Excessive Facial Hair
Excessive Body Hair
Acne
Hair Loss
Weight Gain
Infertility
Apart from these side effects, PCOS is associated with long-term risk for diabetes and heart disease. PCOS has to do with the issue around ovulation and this results in an overproduction of androgens (male hormones) such as testosterone in the female body.
Poly: Multiple
Cystic: Follicles
As our bodies lead up to ovulation there are several eggs developing; There are up to 12 eggs developing in the follicles in an adult and 25 eggs developing in the follicles for a teenager. Once you finally reach enough oestrogen and LH is triggered to release an egg, one of those follicles will burst and allow that egg to make its way into the Fallopian tube while those other follicles begin decreasing in size. However, those with PCOS never get to the ovulation part, when the egg is actually released. The eggs stay within those follicles and continue to grow just a little bit. Polystic ovaries are actually quite common when a healthy women is put on the pill or even in teenagers as they are still developing into their cycle.
According to the Androgen Excess and PCOS Society (AE-PCOS), to diagnose someone with PCOS they have to meet 3 rules:
1. Irregular periods or polycystic ovaries on utlrasound
2. High androgens on a blood test or symptoms of androgen such as body hair
3. All of means for high androgens have been dismissed
Other reasons for androgen excess could be high prolactin, hypothyroidism, rare pituitary, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, some types of psychiatric medications, and hormonal birth control with high androgen index.
The best way to test for androgen excess is through the free testosterone blood test but other tests could be total testosterone, androstenedione, and DHEAS. Saliva test should not be seen as adequate enough to diagnose PCOS.
Additionally, there are several different types of PCOS.
Insulin-Resistant PCOS
This has to do with with a hormonal condition and having too much insulin in the body which doesn't always mean that someones blood sugar will be high. This type of PCOS leaves women at a higher risk for weight gain, heart disease, osteoporosis, and eventually diabetes.
Post-Pill PCOS
This type of PCOS has to do with the fact that hormonal birth control can cause or worsen insulin resistance because it suppresses ovulation. Coming off of low androgen index pill like Yaz or Diane35 can cause a temporary surge in androgens leading to a PCOS diagnosis.
Inflammatory PCOS
This type happens due to inflammation and environmental toxins within the body.
Adrenal PCOS
This is possible when you have met all the criteria for PCOS but are not insulin resistant, were not impacted by coming off of the pill, no signs or symptoms of inflammation, and have normal ovarian androgens.
Most PCOS suffers are given hormonal birth control to deal with the symptoms however, it will not cure your PCOS. There are a range of diet changes, life style alterations, alternative medical treatments, and herbal supplements that can be beneficial for PCOS. Such as cutting down on sugary foods and carbohydrates, taking B complex, zinc, magnesium vitamin D, and even introducing acupuncture.
These are not all of the answers for PCOS but I did want to cover the different types of PCOS and explain it from the view of Dr. Lara Briden. If you have gone to the doctor and were only diagnosed under an ultrasound maybe this is something that can be beneficial for you! Or if you had all the necessary testing done but you were not given a specific area of PCOS, than possibly this is important for you to understand which type of PCOS you have!
I hope this information is hopefully and I promise, I will do a post soon on what more you can do PCOS!
Xoxo,
Moonli
Briden, L. (2018) Period Repair Manual. Sydney, Australia: Macmillan.
Comments