PCOS Awareness Month 2022: Causes and symptoms of PCOS, tips to get pregnant

As September is PCOS Awareness Month 2022, here's all you need to know about the causes and symptoms of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and tips for women with PCOS to get pregnant

As we all know September is World PCOS Awareness Month as it is one of the most common causes of infertility in women since Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a hormonal imbalance that interferes with a woman’s reproductive system. When you have PCOS, your ovaries are larger than normal and can have many tiny cysts that contain immature eggs which create hindrances in conceiving.

Causes:

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Shobha Gupta, Medical Director, Gynecologist and IVF Specialist at Mother’s Lap IVF Centre in New Delhi's Pitampura, shared, “High levels of insulin have also been linked to PCOS. Insulin is a hormone that controls the change of sugar, starches and other food into energy for the body to use or store. Many women with PCOS have too much insulin in their bodies because they have problems using it. Excess insulin appears to increase the production of androgen.”

She added, “Being overweight or obese is another major and contributory cause of PCOS. However, if you are overweight or obese, excess fat can make insulin resistance worse. This may then cause the level of insulin to rise even further. High levels of insulin can contribute to further weight gain. Since obesity, central obesity and insulin resistance are strongly implicated in its etiology, reduction of these risk factors should be a central treatment focus.”

Symptoms:

According to Dr Shobha Gupta, PCOS is a common condition and being overweight worsens all the clinical features. Watch out if you see these clinical features:

• Irregular periods

• Unwanted hair growth on face, chest, abdomen, thighs

• Oily skin and acne

• Type 2 diabetes

• Obesity

• Increased cholesterol

Getting pregnant with PCOS:

Dr Shobha Gupta highlighted, “PCOS is one of the most common causes of infertility in women and can have a number of symptoms including irregular periods and excess facial hair. Women who are unable to conceive due to irregular ovulation are often given fertility drugs to stimulate the ovaries and treat infertility.”

She explained, “The first-line treatment is to educate the patient about weight loss. Weight loss has been consistently successful in reducing insulin resistance and restoring ovulation and fertility. Current conservative treatment should emphasize sustainable weight loss through dietary modification and exercise. Modifying additional lifestyle factors, including alcohol consumption, psycho-social stress, and smoking, are also crucial in the long-term treatment of PCOS.”

Asserting that some women report complete relief of PCOS symptoms after changing their diet and exercise habits, Dr Shobha Gupta insisted that weight loss can help to regulate your cycle, improve the frequency of ovulation, lower androgen levels and thereby improve your fertility. Can women with PCOS conceive? This is often the most asked question and as per Dr Shobha Gupta, the short answer is yes.

She pointed out, “Having PCOS does not mean you can’t get pregnant because even though it is one of the most common causes of infertility in women, PCOS is treatable. The good news is that fertility treatment is available for PCOS. There are some treatments that can help women with PCOS have healthy pregnancies. If you have PCOS and you want to get pregnant, you should work with a competent fertility specialist. The specialist will help make sure you get the right dose of medicines, help with any problems you have, and schedule regular checkups and ultrasounds to see how you’re doing. In vitro fertilization or IVF is a great option for getting pregnant with PCOS and many women have had great success with IVF, getting pregnant and bringing home healthy babies.”