With the resistance and overproduction of insulin common with PCOS, blood sugar levels can fluctuate, with the body not getting enough sugar and then reacting by flooding the system with insulin just to get a small amount. This has tangible, visible effects: feeling shaky, mood swings and fatigue.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormone imbalance that causes infertility, obesity, and excessive facial hair in women, can also lead to severe mental health issues including anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.
PCOS can cause missed or irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth, acne, infertility, and weight gain. Women with PCOS may be at higher risk for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems, and endometrial cancer.
Fatigue, or excessive tiredness, affects many women with PCOS. It currently is not clear what exactly causes it, and research about the connection between fatigue and PCOS is still going on. If you are affected by fatigue, make sure to mention it to your doctor or PCOS care team, as they can help you best.
If polycystic ovary syndrome is left untreated, the syndrome may lead to serious, life-threatening illnesses such as cardiovascular and heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and uterine and endometrial cancers. Therefore, PCOS treatment is critical and one cannot afford to ignore!
The hormonal imbalances that are linked to PCOS can cause you to feel sluggish and lethargic, which can be linked to insulin resistance – a condition found in the majority of women with PCOS. Sometimes women with PCOS experience heavier bleeding during their menstrual cycle.
Previous studies have found that women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have some degree of brain function change as well as cognitive function and emotions, such as poor executive functioning and memory, anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Other related symptoms may include mood swings, breast pain, abdominal pain, aching joints, dizziness and chronic fatigue-like symptoms.
How is PCOS related to mental health? Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex condition which impacts many aspects of a person's health, including mental health. People who have been diagnosed with PCOS are about 3 times more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety and depression than people without PCOS (1-3).
Since glucose (main energy source) is not able to enter the body's cells to be converted into energy, many women with PCOS have low energy levels and experience fatigue.
PCOS women are at higher risks to develop fibrocystic breast changes. Thus, for women with this syndrome, the necessary screening and counseling should be provided as regards the incidence of fibrocystic breast changes.
In a study on psychological disorders in women with PCOS, higher risks for depression disorder (2.79% higher), anxiety disorder (2.75% higher), bipolar disorder (1.78% higher), and major depression disorder (1.37% higher) were reported for women with this syndrome than the general population.
Women with PCOS have also been found to produce more cortisol at baseline than women without PCOS. This means that women with PCOS may have more sensitive stress response systems.
PCOS: A Neuroendocrine Disorder. Although PCOS is defined by ovarian dysfunction, a growing body of clinical and preclinical evidence suggests that PCOS may arise from alterations in the brain circuits that regulate fertility (3–8, 10, 11). Fertility is ultimately dependent upon the GnRH neuronal network.
While all women make a little bit of testosterone, women with PCOS make too much. Acne and unwanted hair may result from too much testosterone. Dark patches of skin may develop from high insulin levels associated with extra weight gain.
Adrenal PCOS: The most likely symptom is weight gain, but you may also experience acne, hair growth/loss, and irregular periods. If stress, mood swings, fatigue and sleep problems are recurring for you, this could be a sign of Adrenal PCOS.
Women with PCOS have higher levels of male hormones and many tend to be overweight or obese. Lots of women with PCOS have excess body hair, acne, irregular periods, and weight gain specifically in the abdomen. Instead of the traditional female pear shape, those with PCOS tend to have an apple shape.
Most women find out they have PCOS in their 20s and 30s, when they have problems getting pregnant and see their doctor. But PCOS can happen at any age after puberty. Women of all races and ethnicities are at risk of PCOS.
Excess insulin causes polycystic ovaries because it impairs ovulation and stimulates the ovaries to make testosterone instead of estrogen. We have an epidemic of insulin resistance, so it makes sense that we also have an epidemic of PCOS.
The hormones involved are progesterone, androgens and insulin. 1 in every 10-15 people suffers from PCOS, so it is pretty common, but it still remains to largely be undiagnosed/misdiagnosed. It is a chronic and an invisible illness.
As the problem of PCOS is a life-long problem it will continue, removing the ovaries will not cure the problem. There have been circumstances where some women have had regular menstrual cycles in the months following surgery and even some pregnancies.
Lea Michele
The Glee star has opened up about being diagnosed with PCOS after experiencing severe acne and fluctuating weight. “The side effects [of PCOS] can be brutal — like weight gain and bad skin,” Lea shared with Health. “I went to a great doctor, and the minute she looked at me, she was like, 'Oh, you have PCOS.