Dr. Mahesh

Here are cause,symptoms and treatments of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Hello, I am Dr.Smita Vats and I am a practicing gynecologist at Gurgaon. My areas of specific interest are laparoscopic surgery and dealing with various gynae disorders like Uterine fibroids, Ovarian cysts, Endometriosis, Infertility and high rest pregnancy. So today we will be dealing with a very important disorder which is commonly found in urban population that is the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). It is a complex disorder which is characterized by the presence of tiny fluid filled cysts in the ovaries which may be present in the one or both the ovaries and is also associated with irregularity of the periods or disturbance in the periods and also the presence of hypergonadism that is the presence of excess of man hormones in the body leading to more of male characters like excess of facial hair , more chest hair, hair on abdomen, thighs, buttocks etc. along with the presence of acne and may be scalp hair loss and this may be associated weight gain also and in the long term later on it may cause also pregnancy complications.

It may cause difficulty in conceiving a pregnancy, it may lead to loss of pregnancies, early abortions and development of diabetes and hyper blood pressure etc., and other complications in the pregnancy, so that it brings to the question that what causes Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Well the exact cause of PCOS is not really well known. There is a genetic predisposition for it and the genetic inheritance has been proven. But that does not mean that anybody who does not have genetic predispositions cannot have this disease. So it is a primarily a lifestyle disorder wherein even if you have genetic predispositions the disease usually manifests the signs and symptoms usually appear only when your lifestyle become sedentary. So it is primarily a problem seen in the urban population now-a-days because their lifestyle is sedentary and there is minimal physical activity involved. Now-a-days you spend 8-10 hours sitting in the office on the desk.

Apart from that there is hardly any physical activity. So in order to deal with that, obviously then we have to address the lifestyles also which is the most important factor and sometimes in a few patients a part from lifestyle modifications a few medications may be required which may be decided upon depending on if at all there is a hormonal imbalance or if at all there is any other disorder associated with it which needs to be treated medically. So in the lifestyle modification what you can do is you can include at least half an hour or 45min of rigorous physical activity every day in your routine and if not every day then you can include at least 4-5 days in a week. So include at least 45min of may be walking, jogging or dance, swimming, yoga, or whatever kind of exercise you enjoy. Include at least half an hour or 45min of that kind of physical activity in your daily routine.

Apart from that control your diet, avoid junk food that is avoid chips, burgers, fries, pizzas, high calorie diets and primarily refined foods, white breads and rice and all these things which give you a sudden burst of high calories and which may lead to hormonal imbalance also. Focus more on fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, curds, rice, and milk products whatever low fat milk products. Eat a healthy well balanced diet. A part from that PCOS patients mostly are obese and even a fight person of weight loss whatever their body weight is may lead to improvement of symptoms and help them deal with the disorder and if at all nothing else works then physical managements is required.

If you need any further information or further guidance regarding treatment of PCOS you can contact me on my clinic or online through Lybrate.