Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can affect your physical health and emotional wellbeing. It may also impact your relationships and sexual desire.
A number of research studies have found that women with PCOS are less satisfied when it comes to their sex lives. It was shown that hirsutism and being overweight, in particular, cause women to feel less sexual. Other researchers suggest this also has an impact on relationships.
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.
Symptoms include: Body hair growing on the chest, belly, face, and around the nipples. Decreased breast size.
PCOS patients are at high risk of developing depression as well as excess body weight [24]. According to our research, the prevalence of moderate and severe depressive symptoms increases in overweight and obese PCOS women. However, obese patients are at greater risk than overweight women.
The scientific literature now shows clearly that anxiety levels, psychological distress, depressive feelings, and social fears are much higher in the women with PCOS.
With all of these factors in play, PCOS puts you at an increased risk of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, and eating disorders. The disparate biological parameters of PCOS are interlinked with mental conditions like anger, anxiety, and depression in females during their reproductive period.
An important feature of PCOS is the alteration in sex steroid hormones. In PCOS androgen levels are often elevated, leading to biochemical and/or clinical hyperandrogenism. However, women with PCOS do not report a higher level of sexual desire compared to women without PCOS.
Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are at higher risk for certain problems or complications during pregnancy. In addition, infants born to mothers with PCOS are at higher risk of spending time in the neonatal intensive care unit or dying before, during, or right after birth.
Many women with PCOS find that their menstrual cycles become more regular as they get closer to menopause. However, their PCOS hormonal imbalance does not change with age, so they may continue to have symptoms of PCOS.
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 is neither a fatal nor inherently dangerous disease and the vast majority of women with the condition do just fine. That said, there are challenges in living with a woman who has PCOS. PCOS can cause annoying symptoms and management can be tedious.
Upon assessment, many women with PCOS describe little or no breast changes during the pregnancy, and examination reveals breasts that are tubular in shape, widely spaced, or asymmetrical.
As previously stated, the shape of a PCOS belly differs from other types of weight gain. It often appears large and bloated but can also be small and round, depending on genetics and other factors. The PCOS belly involves the accumulation of visceral fat in the lower abdomen and typically feels firm to the touch.
Rarely symptoms of PCOS include decreased breast size, deeper voice and thinning hair.
A medicine called clomifene may be the first treatment recommended for women with PCOS who are trying to get pregnant. Clomifene encourages the monthly release of an egg from the ovaries (ovulation). If clomifene is unsuccessful in encouraging ovulation, another medicine called metformin may be recommended.
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!
If you have PCOS and enjoy drinking alcohol, do so in moderation. A moderate amount of alcohol is one alcoholic drink or less for women and two or less for men. An alcoholic drink is 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor.
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.
PCOS can be difficult to diagnose because some of its symptoms have a variety of potential causes. For example, heavy menstrual bleeding could be caused by a range of conditions, such as uterine fibroids, polyps, bleeding disorders, certain medications, or pelvic inflammatory disease, in addition to PCOS.