Polycystic Ovary Syndrome affects 1 in 5 women in the UK. But what is it and why does it happen?
PCOS is a common hormone disorder that affects one in five women in the UK. It can be devastating to a woman’s self-esteem and quality of life. Many cases are missed because the pill is often prescribed to young women for painful and/or irregular periods which can mask symptoms. It is often only when you are unable to get pregnant or experience miscarriages that explorations uncover the condition.
Common signs and symptoms include:
- Irregular periods
- Difficulty getting pregnant.
- Excessive hair growth where it shouldn’t be, e.g. face, chest and back
- Resistance to weight loss (although many sufferers are not overweight)
- Thinning hair on head
- Oily skin/acne
- Miscarriage
What’s happening inside?
A hormone called luteinising hormone (LH) stimulates your ovaries to make too much of the male hormone testosterone. Testosterone stops the follicles developing properly, which can stop ovulation (this affects your ability to get pregnant). Too much testosterone may mean you grow facial or body hair, start to loose hair or get thinner hair around the scalp (aka ‘male pattern baldness’). Your body might also have a problem with insulin, the hormone that controls your blood sugar and fat storage. Over time, receptors on the surface of cells become less sensitive to insulin, so your body has to produce more to take the sugar out of your blood and into the cells, where it can be used as energy. Too much insulin also causes your ovaries to produce testosterone and prevents the liver from producing another hormone called sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), which mops up any excess testosterone.
Who gets PCOS?
The exact cause is not known, but PCOS is thought to run in families. Researchers suspect PCOS is influenced by genes and possibly exposure to androgens (male hormones) and environmental toxins in the womb. But a genetic tendency to PCOS does not mean you have to suffer the symptoms – you can modify them through diet and lifestyle.
Getting tested
If you think you might have PCOS, make an appointment to see your GP and they can run some tests. The ideal way to get a diagnosis is to have an ultrasound scan and a blood test.
Making lifestyle changes
If this is something you have been diagnosed with, making some simple lifestyle changes can help, including a healthy balanced diet. If you still need some support, I warmly invite you to book a free hormone health discussion with me. During our call you can tell me about your experience, your diagnosis and we can work out the best steps for you.
