Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) also known as Stein-Leventhal syndrome or functional ovarian hyperandrogenism is an endocrine disorder that is seen occurring in 22 to 23 percent of the women's population. It is a fairly common disorder of the hormones that occurs in teenagers and young women. It was first recognized in the year 1935.
In polycystic ovarian syndrome the ovary starts to mature twice the follicles than normal every month. These follicles mature, enlarge but do not release an egg. Normally during every menstrual cycle 5 follicles mature and there is maturation of at least one egg at ovulation, however in PCOS there is no release of an egg. This disease is said to run in families and is more common among the Asian decent women.
The actually cause of PCOS is still unknown but it is said to be related to irregular menstrual period or heavy bleeding. Another cause could be related to the amount of insulin production in your body. More the level of insulin, more are the chances of the insulin regulating the levels of sugar in the body. If there is extra insulin, it causes an imbalance in the hormones, thus making your menstrual cycle run smoothly.
The most common symptoms of PCOS are irregular periods, very light or heavy bleeding, occurrence of acne, hirsutism a condition where girls have extra growth of hair on face, neck, chest and lower abdomen and obesity. For PCOS to be diagnosed properly, one must visit a gynaecologist or an endocrinologist. After finding out the medical history of the patient the doctor will further do a physical check up. This will include a blood test, weight, physical changes like skin darkening, hair growth and gynaecologic examination if you are sexually active person.
PCOS must be treated early or can cause infertility to the young women in the long run, thus refraining her from having any children. If one desires to have children they must get the PCOS treated at an early stage. Many women have children even after developing the syndrome and getting an early treatment. PCOS is a condition that cannot be cured completely but can be taken care of and treated.
The doctor will help you loose weight if you have gained excess of it, through certain exercises and diet plans. This balancing of weight may further help bring the hormone levels to normal. Medicines like birth control pills and progesterone may be prescribed by the doctor to treat PCOS. These medicines and other creams prescribed by the doctor also help the girl control the excessive growth of hair and the occurrence of acne. However the medication does not always help every woman.
Women PCOS who want to conceive and have failed to respond to fertility drugs can get treated through surgery. A procedure called Laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD) helps the women conceive. This technique destroys the tissues on the ovaries that produce testosterone and it thus helps in improving the hormone imbalance and ovulation cycle for long, helping women conceive. Treating infertility is one of the most prominent treatments that PCOS women desire for.
