What is PCOS? Understanding Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and its Symptoms

For those who may not know, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a very common hormonal disorder that affects around 1 in 10 women in the UK, although half of these women may not show any symptoms, those that do are often not aware that the symptoms they experience are caused by PCOS, and there is often a lot of stigma surrounding conversations about these symptoms and women’s health in general.

 Despite the name, women with PCOS don’t actually have ‘cysts’, rather the ovaries become enlarged and contain fluid-filled sacs (the underdeveloped follicles in which eggs develop). These sacs are often not able to release an egg meaning ovulation does not occur every month, resulting in the most common PCOS symptom – irregular periods (some women can have no periods at all). As this condition prevents ovulation from occurring regularly, many women wanting to have children have issues conceiving as a result.

 On top of this, the hormonal imbalance in the body often leads to irregularly high levels of androgens (typically “male” associated hormones like testosterone). This can cause a wide range of symptoms, most commonly excess facial and body hair growth (hirsutism), head hair loss, acne, and weight gain / rapid weight fluctuations.

 While the root cause of PCOS is unknow, it is thought to stem from numerous different factors, including genetics (it often runs in families), chronic stress, inflammation, insulin resistance (cells in the body don’t respond normally to insulin, which transports glucose from the bloodstream into cells, causing blood sugar and insulin levels to continuously rise, having a knock-on impact with other hormones in the body), and obesity. For this reason, PCOS is also related to increased risk of developing conditions like Type 2 Diabetes. While not directly related, since PCOS is a hormonal disorder it can have quite an impact on mood, amplifying some women’s struggles with mental health issues like anxiety and depression.

 Despite these all being common symptoms, PCOS can present itself very differently from woman to woman, and it is still widely misunderstood. Many women struggle with PCOS for year without getting a diagnosis, which is why spreading awareness is so important to me.

 I hope this has helped provide an insight to those who were not already familiar with PCOS, but I still highly recommend doing some of your own research to gain a better understanding of the condition from different perspectives.

 Thanks again for reading and stay posted for my next update where I’ll be sharing my experience with getting a diagnosis. <3

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