What Are Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and Disorder (PCOS/PCOD) And How To Deal with Them?

One out of ten women has Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or Disorder (PCOS/PCOD). Let’s understand what it is. 

So, it is a hormonal disorder that causes enlarged ovaries with small cysts on the outer edges. 

However, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and Polycystic Ovarian Disorder (PCOD) are two different things but both medical conditions are associated with ovaries & hormonal imbalance in women during their reproductive age (between 12-51) and depicts the same symptoms. 

Difference between PCOS and PCOD

PCOD, is a common disorder, 10% of the world women affected by it. On the other hand PCOS is a serious medical condition around 0.2% to 2.5% of the world population affected by it. 

PCOD, a condition in which ovaries produce many immature or partially mature eggs, this happen due to poor lifestyle, obesity, stress and hormonal imbalances. PCOS is a metabolic disorder and more severe form of PCOS can lead to an ovulation where ovaries stop releasing eggs. 

PCOD doesn’t affect fertility in women, in this condition women still can ovulate and become pregnant with little help, following medications can complete pregnancy. Where PCOS seriously affects fertility in women. Due to PCOS women cannot ovulate regularly, making them hard to get pregnant. If become pregnant, there is a risk of miscarriage, premature birth or complications in their pregnancy. 

PCOD doesn’t have any serious complications. Where as PCOS have serious complications such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high- blood pressure and endometrial cancer in later stage. 

Hormonal Changes in PCOS May Lead to

● It can cause Infertility issues. 

● Type 2 diabetes can happen. 

● Heart diseases 

● Cholesterol abnormalities 

● Increased risk of endometrial cancer. 

What Are the Causes of PCOS? 

Exact cause is unknown. But contributing factors include: 

● Genetic factors 

● Excess androgen 

● Excess insulin

● Low- grade inflammation 

● Obesity 

What Are The Symptoms of PCOS ? 

● Irregular periods 

● Acne 

● Excess body hair growth 

● Female pattern baldness 

● Weight changes 

How is PCOS Treated? 

PCOS is treated with: 

● Medications 

● Lifestyle modifications 

● Surgery 

● Laparoscopic ovarian drilling 

Lifestyle modifications reduces the effects of PCOS, so 

If we choose a healthy diet then it will benefit us. Nowadays everything is full of preservatives, which are very bad for our body. Nothing is fresh anymore, the oil, the ingredients, the meat etc everything is mostly expired thus that results into harmful junk food. Consuming such junk foods at a higher rate are deadly for a patient of PCOS and PCOD. 

Weight loss is proven to be effective in cases of PCOS and PCOD. Balancing a healthy diet with a normal weight can be a boom to a healthy lifestyle.

Regular exercise can help a lot with fitness and muscle movements. PCOS and PCOD patients will gain a benefit in their life from this. 

It is a very complex condition, here our body is not doing what it is supposed to do.It is basically hormonal imbalance termed into one symptom where a lot of other aspects are included which one has to deal with. There is a lot of inflammation in the body. There’s insulin resistance and thyroid imbalance. Thus because of our hormones every other aspect in our body gets affected. 

In cases of external symptoms acne growth in jaw line, excess hair growth at wrong part, one can also find hair fall and internal symptoms like irregular periods ( periods comes once in two months, once in three months), with ultrasound our body gets detected with cysts in our ovaries etc then one should get help from the doctor. 

Cysts are basically immature and undeveloped follicles which have got stalled because our estrogen and progesterone are not working properly. 

PCOS and PCOD patients are advised to stay in control of their diet and have proper medications. It is a lifestyle disorder mainly thus changing our lifestyle can help cure this disease. 

Nothing tastes good as feeling good feels, so healthy food can turn our life around. We need to throw that processed food out of our house. We have to look at the food and question ourselves if that food is going to harm us or is this food going to nourish us. 

Nutritionists advise us to eat a lot of vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruits, sprouts, pulses, and whole grains; these are the foods we need to surround ourselves. This is the only way we can heal our PCOS. 

If we don’t take care of ourselves then our skin will not feel right, our moods will not feel right, and energy levels will be at their lowest. 

Listening to our body, and connecting with our body is the key. The healing process of PCOS is a journey so don’t self-hate. Just love yourself the way you’re. Then everything in life will turn out great.

Written by - Rumela Gupta

Edited by - Kritika Sharma