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.
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.
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.
Mood swings: Because of the hormonal imbalance, women with PCOS also have a higher risk for depression, anxiety and extreme or rapid changes in mood. Heavy, painful periods: PCOS can cause painful periods with heavy bleeding. This can cause additional issues, such as anemia, and is often unpleasant and even scary.
Other related symptoms may include mood swings, breast pain, abdominal pain, aching joints, dizziness and chronic fatigue-like symptoms.
A few uncommon symptoms of PCOS are heavy menstrual bleeding, dark and thick skin, and high blood sugar symptoms.
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.
In women with polycystic ovaries the LH to FSH ratio is often higher – for example 2:1, or even 3:1. With PCOS we often see the FSH in the range of about 4-8 as well – but often the LH levels are 10-20.
Will SSA Approve My Claim If I Have PCOS? As mentioned, PCOS syndrome alone is not a qualifying condition for disability claims.
In some cases, prescription and over-the-counter medications are used to treat PCOS fatigue and its symptoms. One such medication is metformin, which can reduce insulin resistance, and this in turn can reduce fatigue.
Practice positive affirmations
When you're dealing with PCOS, being told to be positive might come across as a little annoying. However, there is an effective way to challenge and overcome pessimistic thought patterns. This is by practicing positive affirmations, which can reinforce feelings of self-love and belief.
With PCOS, it's thought that increased levels of insulin in the body causes the ovaries to work differently, which produces high levels of androgens (male-type hormones). These hormones cause various symptoms, such as irregular periods and hair and skin conditions.
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.
Until recently little was known about hypoglycaemia in PCOS. However today we know that women with PCOS are roughly five times more likely to suffer from this condition than other women (Altuntas, Bilir, Ucak, & Gundogdu, 2005; Kasim-Karakas, Cunningham, & Tsodikov, 2007; Sorensen & Johansen, 2010).
Women with severe PCOS have greater menstrual irregularity, androgen excess, more total and abdominal fat and resistance to insulin; and also have more severe risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease than women with less severe forms of PCOS.
PCOS was misnamed. Despite the fact that it's called poly "cystic" ovary syndrome, women with PCOS don't have cysts. Instead, they have tiny immature follicles that surround their ovaries. Having a misleading name has contributed to confusion regarding its diagnosis.
The exact cause of PCOS is unknown. There's evidence that genetics play a role. Several other factors, most importantly obesity, also play a role in causing PCOS: Higher levels of male hormones called androgens: High androgen levels prevent your ovaries from releasing eggs, which causes irregular menstrual cycles.
Clinic-based studies indicate that sleep disturbances and disorders including obstructive sleep apnea and excessive daytime sleepiness occur more frequently among women with PCOS compared to comparison groups without the syndrome.