Healthcare

EVERYTHING you should know Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome:

Dr Lamees Kuvakkattayil, BHMS, is a medical practitioner, experiencedfamily physicianand seasoned family counsellor. She brings abundant experience in managing lifestyle diseases through medicines and lifestyle modifications. She has worked in senior consultant roles in many hospitals and clinics in India and abroad.

One of the main causes of many health conditions including infertility among women is PCOS. But what is PCOS? Read on and find out

By Dr Lamees Kuvakkattayil

To tell in one-word, PCOS is a hormonal mess. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is being very common among women of reproductive age. It can affect all our system which will make women mentally and physically unhealthy. It involves neuro endocrine, metabolic and ovarian dysfunction. PCOS is an example of biological system with multiple interconnected signaling symptoms. ly ovulatory type with unexpected pregnancy. Bet we don’t want both of them.

H ow do we know it is PCOS? Some of the signaling symptoms will begin even before adolescence or in adolescent age. It’s normal to have physical changes during adolescence. But in the case PCOS, these changes could be terrific. Hormonal imbalance may show up in many ways.

There are two types in PCOS. Ovulatory and anovulatory PCOS. Anovulatory PCOS gift you with infertility and obviousThe first visible symptom could be pimples. As you are more conscious about beauty at this time, you will be shocked to see your first pimple. Soon you will come to know that it’s only a beginning, there will be more and more painful pimples. In medical terms we call it as inflammatory acne, which is one of the main symptoms of PCOS. Acne can be seen on chest, on back and on upper arms as well. Theses acne leaves black spots on healing and they are irresponsive to all topical treatments.

Th en comes the next hit on your face. The hair on your upper lip and beard become darker and thick and more and more visible. It’s called hirsutism in medi-

cal terms which is another important sign of PCOS. You start feeling embarrassed to appear in front of your friends and public.

Another important change at the age of puberty is the appearance of periods. In PCOS, the appearance of first periods may be delayed or come early. Delayed first periods is known as primary amenorrhoea. So primary amenorrhoea or early puberty could be another sign of PCOS.

Starting from the commencement there will be different types of menstrual irregularities. More or less slight variation in menses is quite common and that is normal at this age. If it persists beyond two years of menarche then it is considered as an important sign of hormonal dis turbance. Few of menstrual irregularities associated with PCOS could be:

1 Absence of periods. If menses is absent for three consecutive months then it is called amenorrhoea.

2 Prolonged bleeding. If left untreated you will keep on bleeding even for a month. It’s called menorrhagia

3. Some of you will menstruate in every 15 days or less and that is called metrorrhagia.

4. There will be very painful menstrual cramps that one cannot withstand, often leading to throwing up . These menstrual irregularities are related to your ovulation in one or the other way.

Hair fall. Yes, your thick beautiful dark hair begins to fall off in bunches. You can hear knock of baldness on your door, another sign of PCOS. Severe mood swings and anxiety, even leading to depression.

Y our eating habits become disordered and you will find yourself fatty and unfit for your young age. That means you are obese, yet another symptom of PCOD. The exhausting thing here is this obesity is caused by hormonal disturbance in you and it in turn adds on to this hormonal mess, a double-edged sword. Another devastating feature of this is unexplained miscarriages or abortions. Most of the time, PCOS are diagnosed late, in investigations following an abortion.

What exactly causes all these disturbances in normal flow of your life is yet to be known for which studies are going on. One of the probable causes is high level of male hormones, androgens, which prevents ovaries from producing female hormones. It is also known that PCOS run in families. This may mean that, many genes not just one contribute to this disorder. Genes, insulin resistance and inflammation have all been said to cause more androgen production.

Insulin resistance which is one of the main consequences of this hormonal disturbance by itself can causes hormones to be more and worse. That is why we call it as inter-connected, as mentioned in the beginning of this article, all these causes and symptoms are interconnected. If not correctly managed, this hormonal imbalance may cause complications like, diabetes, infertility, hypertension or cardiovascular diseases.

How to get rid of this? It is purely a lifestyle disease. A life-long condition which can be reversed by changing our lifestyle. Lifestyle changes should mainly concentrate on diet plan and physical activity. It is said that “repair your metabolism and improve your fertility”

Coming first to diet plan; No, don’t be struck on hearing about diet plan. You can make it easy. Just relax and make your own diet plan. But keep in mind that you should reduce the intake of carbohydrates that means you should cut-off starchy foods from your menu. Create a plan to make it easy for you to follow.

Always note that in PCOS, BMI should be two points below than normal range. Try to maintain that body weight to match with the BMI

Cutting-off starchy food could be a difficult deal, but you will have to. Because th e carbohydrates that we consume are partly used by our body to produce energy and the excess carbohydrate is stored in body in the form of fat, which makes us obese. So, let it be our first step towards losing weight, by reducing carbohydrate intake.

When you start losing weight, hormones will automatically begin to flow in right direction. Drink more water and eat raw or partially cooked fruits and vegetables. Water will help to fill your stomach easily and thus reducing the quantity of food you eat. Moreover drinking more water has many other health benefits too.

Raw vegetables and fruits contain plenty of natural antioxidants which help to reverse hormone imbalance. Bring down the amount of food that you take each time. This is to be done slowly and gradually. You know that our stomach is elastic in nature. It can take whatever we give to it, like a balloon. If we slowly reduce our intake its capacity will gradually come down. One day we will be surprised that our stomach is filled even from a small quantity of food. Always note that in PCOS, BMI should be two points below than normal range. Try to maintain that body weight to match with the BMI.

This will help us to be active and increase the energy level, keep us confident, motivated, reduce anxiety and depression. Thus, it solves your anxiety and mood swings also, you will become pleasant and happy.

Regular exercise will mobilise and redistribute the deposited fat in your body and thus helping to lose weight.

Don’t take it as a burden, plan it according to your time and preference. It could be outdoor activities or indoor. It could be jogging, skipping, swimming, walking, or even dancing and such physical activity that help to burn body fat. Mere 20 minutes a day will do its job. It is important to keep our mind always calm and relaxed. People with PCOS will always be anxious as it is one of its symptoms and this anxiety adds on to hormonal imbalance. Do things that help us to relax. Try to practice yoga as this exercise will help to reduce anxiety. When you lose weight that will also help to reduce anxiety. Some common food and beverages with starch content that you should try to reduce. • Sweetened juice, canned fruit, and carbonated drinks • Starchy vegetables such as potato, peas and corn • Refined grains and things made with grain flour such as white bread, pasta, etc. • Snacks such as potato chips, French fries, etc. • All processed foods • Su gary foods such as cookies, cakes, and candy

Instead, the food we can choose from • Frui ts and fresh juices without added sugar or frozen fruits • Wh ole grain such as whole wheat pasta, whole grain bread, oats, brown rice • Non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, carrot, spinach • High fibre containing snacks such as popcorn, oat and biscuits • Hi gh fibre cereals such as shredded wheat, and all bran • F ood which have low glycaemic index and high fibre content

Look for cereals that have at least 5 gram of fibre per serving. We can have from all-natural unprocessed food. The only target you should have in next six months should be to overcome this hormonal mess and bring back the rhythm and beauty of your life. You should push yourself in this battle for your life.

The happy thing about PCOS is that it’s self-manageable and you can defeat by yourself through some discipline and planning in your routine.

Some of home remedies that you can try easily by yourself include: • Apple cider vinegar: Mix 2 teaspoon with water and have in empty stomach. This will improve your insulin r esistance. This is a home remedy for diabetics as well. • Green tea: Drink regularly with one teaspoon of honey. • Gooseberry juice: Mix half cup gooseberry juice with one cup of water and have it at least one time daily. • Cumin water • Fenugreek seeds • Chia seeds • Cinnamon and honey or try cinnamon tea

It is important to try the home remedies regularly at least for period of 3 months to start showing improvements in the body.