Polycystic Ovary Syndrome – Benign But Invasive

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder of endocrine that affects nearly 5% of all women.

It is the most common hormonal disorder among women from all nationalities and races who are at their reproductive age.

If a woman has irregular periods that come every few months, excess growing hair on face and other parts of the body (called hirsutism), acne, weight gain and patches of dark skin (called acanthuses nigricans), then it is time for alarm clock to ring.

Women who have PCOS are at risk for so many additional problems like endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer also named the cancer of uterine lining.

It can be the reason for insulin resistance and can cause type two diabetes. This problem comes with high blood pressure and frequent cardiovascular disease causing strokes.

Dyslipidemia, a disorder of lipid metabolism causing high cholesterol and increased triglycerides levels can turn into weight gain.

The worst consequence of these benign tumors is the miscarriage and the thyroid’s malfunction.

Maybe the most common fear of the women is that this disorder causes infertility. Women with PCOS have a normal uterus and healthy eggs, so the chance of getting pregnancy is high.

However, talking with a doctor and following the instructions carefully before and after treatment may maintain the high percentage of fertility.

Although the symptoms and severity of symptoms differ among women, the main features of this disorder are obesity, irregular ovulation, acne and excessive amounts of androgenic hormones.

The treatment of PCOS is related to the patient’s goals and can be categorized as four main parts. They are lowering of insulin levels, restoration of fertility, treatment of hirsutism or acne and restoration of regular menstruation, prevention of endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer.

Every area listed above has a considerable optimal treatment. Unfortunately, there are few clinical trials about this treatment. Thus, this situation makes the results more reliable.

There is medication treatment for this problem and an effective monitoring and treatment can prevent the escalation into a more severe condition and can even offer the chance to live a normal life and even become a mother.

The most common treatment of PCOS is taking a birth control pill. This pill corrects the hormone imbalance, lowers the level of testosterone, regulates menstrual periods, lowers the risk of endometrial cancer and prevents an unplanned pregnancy.

Knowing the risks of the syndrome, evaluating the dos and avoiding the don’ts will ease the treatment process as well as improve the health.