October - December 2016 •
The Lion King
• 49
Health
By Uyi Ebohon
What You May not
knowabout PCOS
T
he name in itself confuses anyone
hearing it for the first time since it
has been inadequately and mis-
leadingly described as a physiologi-
cal “female problem”. Even medical
professionals don’t understand what it
is and when mentioned some just nod
mistakenly assuming it to be same as
“ovarian cyst” a common but unre-
lated gynaecological problem.
What most do not know is that PCOS
(Polycystic ovarian syndrome) is a
serious endocrine condition affect-
ing many hormones throughout a
woman’s body and impacting mul-
tiple organ system and metabolic pro-
cesses. It manifests itself in different
cycles can only be determined
through anecdotal evidence by
you, the patient.
2. Excess androgens, male hor-
mones present in small amount in
females. This hormones are natu-
rally present in women’s bodies:
however, with PCOS many expe-
rience excess male hormones
which result in difficult symptoms
such as acne, male pattern hair
growth on legs, chin and chest,
and male patterned baldness
(hair loss}. The level of androgen
can be determined by a blood
test.
3. Lack of other reasons for the
above two symptoms: there are
many reasons women get irregu-
lar cycle and hormonal imbal-
ance it could be tumours to hypo-
thyroidism (a condition that slows
down the protein that binds estro-
gen and testosterone) to hyper-
prolactinemia (excess hormone
that produces breast milk and
suppresses ovulation.
There are many more frustrating
symptoms which vary from woman to
woman. Ironically, the symptom that
is not on the list and that is generally
not only the least annoying but also
unconnected to most health prob-
lems is the very symptom the disease
gets its name from; multiple cyst on
ovaries. The polycystic ovaries are
determined via ultrasound.
Other Serious Risk factors
There are other several risk factors
associated with polycystic ovarian syn-
drome and its symptoms mentioned
above and these include diabetes,
coronary artery disease, high blood
pressure and risk endometrial cancer.
What to do?
First, get a correct and confirmed
PCOS diagnosis. PCOS is a multifacet-
ed process. Focusing on exercise and
diet combined with your doctors pre-
scribed regimen of drugs and therapy
is the path to dealing with PCOS. It is
a lot of work requiring major life style
changes.
While PCOS diagnosis may seem like
the end of the world for any woman of
child bearing age, it really isn’t. PCOS
patient can live a normal and uncom-
plicated life as long as it is managed
properly.
kinds of symptoms that are seemingly
unrelated. Yet all symptoms are part
of the same condition. A condition
that many women do not even know
they suffer from, a condition that must
be treated.
PCOS can actually be the early warn-
ing signs to more serious life threaten-
ing problems and must not be ignored.
To begin to consider a diagnosis of
PCOS a woman must exhibit three sets
of criteria to be considered a PCOS
patient. They are:
1. Irregular or absence of menstru-
ation: young women and their
Source:
/
Photo:
doctors often dis-
miss irregular peri-
ods as a common
occurrence, as a
girl’s body adjusts
to onset of men-
ses. The irregulari-
ties of a woman’s
cycle are often
not considered a
medical issue until
she is at a stage
of starting a fam-
ily. The regularity
or irregularities in
PCOS Affects
1-IN-10 Women
10%
Women of
childbearing age
estimated to have
Polycystic ovary
syndrome (PCOS)
Women with
PCOS going
undiagnosed
50%
Women with PCOS
who will develop
diabetes before
age 40
50%
The increased risk
of women with
PCOS developing
endometrial cancer
3X
