Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) affects, approximately, 1 in every 10 women. Since there is nothing that can definitively say that a woman has PCOS it makes it difficult to come up with exact statistics. The only thing medical professionals can do to give as accurate of a diagnosis as possible is to essentially do testing to rule out other possibilities. Once those possibilities are ruled out they can give a more accurate diagnosis.
There are studies that are currently going on to try and find out a way to accurately diagnose PCOS. It does not affect a specific race, it can affect women of all races. The women that do have PCOS are not born with it. PCOS only begins to affect women during and after puberty. This is because PCOS revolves around hormones, and ovulation.
Because of the hormone imbalance found in women with PCOS they have the access body hair. The hormones imbalance also leads to issues with ovulation, irregular periods, cysts on the ovaries, insulin resistance, etc. For those of you interested in why this is please take the time to look up how hormones are used in your body and what they affect. In particular testosterone, estrogen, and insulin. They are all intertwined and can cause a number of issues.

Mayo Clinic. (2017). Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Retrieved from             http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pcos/home/ovc-20342146

When it comes to Polyscysitic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) there is no test that can accurately provide a diagnosis. This is why, it is important to provide doctors with an accurate medical history, that includes weight changes and menstrual periods. Excessive weight gain in women can lead to the development of PCOS and irregular periods are a common symptom in women with PCOS. If a woman is experiencing these two symptoms it does not automatically mean that they have PCOS. These symptoms are common with many conditions and are sometimes not caused by any underlying condition.

If a medical professional suspects that a woman may have PCOS a physical exam will be performed. During this exam women are checked for excess facial growth, insulin resistance, and acne. After the physical exam, if the medical professional still feels as though the woman may have PCOS other tests can be done. These tests do not 100% determine if a woman has PCOS it can only change the odds of her actually having it. The medical professional may recommend a pelvic exam, which is when the reproductive organs are inspected for masses, growths or other abnormalities. Other tests that my be performed are a blood test to measure hormone levels, and the woman's glucose tolerance, fasting cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. As well as, an ultrasound to check the appearance of the woman's ovaries and the thickness of the lining of the uterus.

Once a woman is diagnose with PCOS her doctor may recommend other tests to check for complications of this condition. These tests include regular blood pressure checks, glucose tolerance, cholesterol and triglyceride level checks. As well as screenings for depression, anxiety, and obstructive sleep apnea. The doctor may, also, recommend life styles changes to prevent against complications of PCOS. Lifestyle changes often recommended by medical professionals are low calorie diets combines with moderate exercise activities. By doing this women often lose weight thereby increasing the effectiveness of their medications and improving their condition.

There are treatments for PCOS, but there is no cure. Often these treatments are based on managing a womans individual concerns such as access body hair, infertility, acne, and obesity. Treatments for excess body hair include birth control pills, Spironolactone, Eflornithine, and Electrolysis. Women concerned about infertility may be put on Clomiphene, Letrozole, Metformin, and Gonadotropins to help her ovulate. Typically these medications, also, help to clear acne. When it comes to obesity, as previously stated, a low calorie diet, along with moderate exercise is recommended.

Mayo Clinic. (2017). Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Retrieved from             http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pcos/home/ovc-20342146

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder that can cause women to have irregular or prolonged menstrual cycles or excess androgen (male hormone) levels. Because of the excess male hormone with this disease women are known to have excess facial and body hair, along with severe acne and male pattern baldness. Stereotypically speaking, the women we see that tend to be overweight and who have moustaches or dark, thick side burns are the women with PCOS. There are, also, cases where the ovaries enlarge and develop follicles so they do not release eggs regularly, these are called polycystic ovaries. PCOS tends to develop around the first time a woman has her menstrual cycle, however, there are cases where women develop it later in life due to weight gain.

With all of that said most people are probably wondering why this happens. The answer to that is that there isn’t an exact cause. However, there are factors that medical professionals have identified that might play a role in women developing PCOS. Excess insulin is one of the many factors. If you don’t know what insulin is, it is the hormone that allows cells to use the sugar you ingest to then provide your body with energy. Excess insulin can lead to an increase in androgen production, which makes it difficult for the body to ovulate. When a woman is ovulating, it means that an egg is being released from an ovary. This is a woman’s most fertile time of the month, so with the excess insulin causing this process not to happen it can make it very difficult or impossible for the woman to conceive unless she seeks further medical help.

Another factor that may play into a woman developing PCOS is low grade inflammation. Low grade inflammation is when white blood cells produce substances to fight infection. In women with PCOS there may not be an infection and it is just an immune response. When this happens to a woman’s body her ovaries begin producing androgens. Which, again, causes difficulty with ovulation but this can, also, lead to heart and blood vessel problems. What these all have in common is excess androgen, every woman has male hormones but in this case it is an amount that the woman’s body can’t handle without side effects such as acne, male pattern baldness, excess facial and body hair, as well difficulties with ovulating.

Last, but not least, a woman’s heredity can affect if she develops PCOS. Research has been done that suggests certain genes may be linked to PCOS. That does not automatically mean that a mother will give it to her daughter, but the daughter is at risk for developing it during puberty. There are cases where there is not a family history of PCOS or other hormone imbalances to make medical professionals believe this is something particularly from genetics.

Reference

Mayo Clinic. (2017). Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Retrieved from             http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pcos/home/ovc-20342146

Hello classmates! This is Taylor Black's blog about Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).  I chose this topic because I have always found women's health very interesting and I was, also, misdiagnosed with PCOS when I was 16 years old. Since then, I have read a lot about it, and find it to be a very interesting condition. In this blog I hope to educate everyone on how truly complex this condition is, and to answer any questions you might already have or may have in the future.