Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Its Effects on Women
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, more commonly known as PCOS, is a highly complex hormonal condition where hormones are unbalanced. While it may be considered obvious that PCOS affects the ovaries, it affects many other parts of the female body too. Unlike its name, PCOS does not mean ovarian cysts, but rather small harmless follicles that sometimes prevent ovulation-- these follicles do not occur in all women who have PCOS. The condition is highly unpredictable and affects women diagnosed with it in different ways and many times, women with PCOS do not even know they have it.
Symptoms PCOS May Have on Women
It is important to note that these symptoms do not occur for all women and a majority of these symptoms are common for other illnesses and conditions, making PCOS a difficult condition to diagnose. It is diagnosed based on symptoms, there is no specific test, and ultrasounds cannot be used for diagnosis either. PCOS can sometimes be detected in blood tests by looking at increased androgens (male hormones), but there is no definite way to determine if a woman has the condition. These symptoms may seem somewhat random and unrelated to each other; this is because PCOS is highly unpredictable and not all women experience all symptoms.
Irregular or missed menstrual cycles
Heavy or abnormal bleeding during menstruation
Increased androgens (male hormones)
Hirsutism (excessive hair growth on the face or body)
Obesity, weight gain, difficulty losing weight
Severe acne
Oily Skin
Stress, anxiety, and depression
Acanthosis Nigricans (darkened patches of skin)
Infertility, sometimes; women with PCOS can still get pregnant
Fatigue
What Causes PCOS and How Can It Be Treated?
The exact cause of PCOS is unknown although there are many studies on what factors can link to it, which makes it difficult to treat. PCOS has no cure, but the symptoms can be controlled and the condition can be reversed in some cases. To treat PCOS chemically, women can use birth control to regulate their hormones, although it has many possible side effects. Some can also use diabetes medication as 60%-75% of those with PCOS also have insulin resistance. PCOS can also be treated holistically with a change in diet and exercise. A protein and fiber heavy diet as well as daily movement can reduce the symptoms that one might experience when dealing with this condition but it is often difficult for women to do as PCOS also affects mental health and strict consistency is necessary to see a change and improve lifestyle.
Mental Health and PCOS
When discussing a bodily condition it is common for scientists and doctors to overlook the mental aspect of the condition. Similar to how women experience mood swings when menstruating, women with PCOS experience harsh emotions and often cannot regulate them as they occur on a much larger scale and happen without any pattern or reason. Hormonal imbalances causing unexpected emotions at high levels like this can be difficult for those diagnosed with PCOS to process which is why symptoms of this condition include stress, anxiety, and depression. In fact, women with PCOS are 2.5 times more likely to develop depression compared to women who are not diagnosed with PCOS.
Furthermore, up to 80% of women with PCOS struggle with weight loss and are obese or overweight. These women may be actively working out and eating healthy but the insulin and hormonal imbalances in their body prevent them from losing weight. This leads to a low self esteem in many of these women as the beauty standard is to be slim and when their efforts continuously fail, it is easy to become discouraged and feel like they are not trying hard enough. Many of those who struggle with weight therefore have body dysmorphia and a low confidence level because they do not feel they look their best. A 2020 study found that “Many women with PCOS report lower self-esteem and a more negative self-image compared to healthy individuals, which is closely linked to higher rates of depression and psychological distress.”
Not only this, the physical symptoms of PCOS lead to further mental roadblocks such as fatigue. A 2018 review of research showed that “difficulty falling asleep and maintaining sleep were twice as common in people with PCOS. The review also notes that over a 10-year period, people with PCOS were 50% more likely to develop a sleep disorder” and another 2022 meta-analysis said that “people with the condition may experience more sleep disturbances, lower overall sleep quality, and more general sleepiness than those without PCOS.” The lack of sleep leads to tiredness, a loss in motivation, and a person may seem less passionate overall. It is often misunderstood that these women are being lazy, when truly the imbalances in their bodies are causing distress in their minds. This means that not only are many women dealing with the physical symptoms of PCOS, they also struggle tremendously with the mental and emotional aspects.
What Are Some Possible Causes for PCOS?
Although the exact cause for PCOS is unknown, there are some factors that can be considered. There are three primary ideas that this condition can stem from. The ovaries themselves change physically, there is an irregularity in a part of the brain that controls the production of the hormones, or it is caused by a resistance to insulin. PCOS can be caused by any of these as well as more than one of them.
While experts do not know what causes the change in the ovaries themselves, it is highly likely that it is genetic. The resistance to insulin is caused by genetics, a lack of physical activity, food choices, and other factors. The change in the pituitary gland, the part of the brain that controls and produces hormones, is the tricky one in terms of pinpointing a cause. In addition to genetic susceptibility and insulin resistance, abuse as a child has also been linked to the onset of PCOS whether physical, sexual, or emotional. A recent medical study said that “Emotional abuse (31.6 %) was the most frequent type of child maltreatment and was significantly associated with PCOS.” Depression, anxiety, and negative childhood experiences all have a connection to PCOS because years of forced codependency on young girls have caused an inability to regulate glucose and cortisol levels leading to hormonal imbalances in their adulthood years because as children they had to develop while in a constant “survival mode.” Girls trapped in a constant “fight or flight” as children have disrupted their hormones and this can lead to PCOS in their older years.
Work Cited -
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/polycystic-ovarian-syndrome-pcos