Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, which is usually referred to as PCOS, is an endocrine disorder and is considered the most common hormonal disorder among women of child-bearing age. It is also the leading cause of infertility and affects about 5% of all women.
The major aspects that characterize PCOS are obesity, anovulation (resulting in irregular menstruation), and excessive amounts of androgenic (which is the compound that stimulates the development of masculine characteristics) hormones.
While the causes of PCOS are still relatively unknown at this point, insulin resistance, diabetes, and obesity have all been strongly tied with this condition. However, we do know that the common symptoms of PCOS include:
- Oligomenorrhea (which refers to sporadic uterine bleeding with intervals of more than 35 days)
- Amenorrhea (or irregular, few, or absent menstrual periods)
- Infertility, which is generally a result of chronic anovulation (or a lack of ovulation)
- Hirsutism (where excessive and increased body hair starts to grow in a typically male pattern affecting the face, chest and legs)
- Hair loss, which also starts as thinning hair on the top of the head
- Acne, oily skin, seborrhea (a skin disorder which affects the face, scalp, face, and body, causing scaly, flaky, itchy, red skin)
- Obesity
- Depression
- Mild symptoms of hyperandrogenism (like acne or hyperseborrhea) which usually only happens to adolescent girls
The associated risks of PCOS include:
- Endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer (cancer of the uterine lining), because of an over-accumulation of uterine lining, and also lack of progesterone which results in a prolonged stimulation of uterine cells by estrogen.
- Insulin resistance and/or type II diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Dyslipidemia (a disruption of lipids in the blood)
- Strokes
- Cardiovascular disease
- Weight gain
- Miscarriage
- Acanthosis nigricans (areas of darkened skin under the arms, in the groin area, and on the back of the neck)
When it comes to diagnosing PCOS, it is important to differentiate the fact that not all women with PCOS have polycystic ovaries (PCO), nor do all women with ovarian cysts have PCOS. In order to make this distinction, a pelvic ultrasound can be used as a diagnostic tool.
