Irregular Menses/Periods:Irregular or absent periods are common.
Heavy Menses: sometimes the inner layer of the uterus becomes that much thick (endometrial hyperplasia), it leads to heavy menses.
Hirsutism: Excess male hair type of hair growth over the face, over the upper lip, chin, breast & thigh, due to increase level of androgen (male hormone).
Obesity: Central obesity more common where waist: hip ratio increases. Weight gain is mainly due to insulin resistance/unhealthy diet habits.
No Dysmenorrhea: In PCOS, ovulation doesn’t happen, so there’s no pain while menses.
Infertility: More common with PCOS due to anovulation, fertilization not possible.
Skin Pigmentation: Thick pigmented skin over the nape of the neck, inner thigh & armpit.
Acne/Pimple: Due to the excess level of androgen, the skin becomes oily & leads to Acne.
Male pattern baldness: Scalp hair becomes thinner & falls out more easily.
Disturbed Sleep: Breathing difficulty while sleeping more common in obese.
Depression/Anxiety: Due to the negative effects of PCOS symptoms like excess hair growth, acne, infertility, obesity, mental/emotional disturbance/breakdown occur, leads to depression/anxiety.
Endometrial Cancer: Normally in Menses, there’s the shredding of uterine linings. But in PCOS, anovulation common. So there’s thickening of uterine linings (endometrial hyperplasia). That can lead to endometrial cancer also.
X Syndrome: In PCOS, there’s diabetes, hypertension along with hyperlipidemia, & cardiovascular disease can be common. This cluster of disorders is called X syndrome.
How can we diagnose PCOS?
Normally PCOS goes undiagnosed till it causes an impact on the body like excess hair growth or excess weight gain or when women face infertility after marriage.
When you consult a Gynecologist, they ask your detailed medical history for clinical features & family history. Along with that
Blood tests-to rule out Diabetes, High cholesterol, insulin resistance.
Ultrasound-confirmatory test that finds polycystic ovary. Along with that ovarian size, abnormal follicles & their size can be found.
Hormonal Assay- to see disturbances of reproductive hormones like estrogen, progesterone & androgens & other hormones like Thyroid, prolactin level.
What are the consequences of PCOS on Pregnancy?
PCOS mainly leads to infertility. This is the main complication. You can overcome this with the help of a Gynecologist. After you manage to get pregnant, your problems can’t come to end here. PCOS women have a higher chance of
-Abortion/Miscarriage
-Gestational Diabetes
-Premature Delivery
-Hypertension(high BP) in Pregnancy
-Disturbance in Cholesterol/lipids
-PCOS in subsequent life
But you don’t worry, with the help of proper medical care & advice of Gynecologist, you can carry on your pregnancy smoothly.
for more details about food habits and Do and Don'ts in PCOS, read the next article.
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