Polycystic ovary disease or PCOD is a variant of hormonal disorder which is known to affect 1 out of 10 women. PCOD is a condition in which a woman has numerous small cysts in the ovaries. It can lead to unregulated hormonal cycle and may also trigger high blood pressure, diabetes, acne, infertility and growth of hair on the cheek, chin and chest.

How may PCOD be helped with diet?
Though there is no way to reverse the effects of PCOD, it can be managed with adequate exercise and well-regulated diet. So, if you are disturbed by the effects of PCOD, you can try these tips to help your situation.
Eat more fruits and vegetables: Many health experts are of the opinion that fruits and vegetables can eliminate toxins from the body. You should also avoid dairy-based products as they can trigger insulin levels aggravating acne and other skin problems.

Eat lean meat but stay away from red meat: In 2013, a study reported that consuming red meat can increase the risk of infertility and therefore, you must try to avoid it. You must also limit the consumption of sugary foods and drinks.
Stay away from saturated and hydrogenated fats: Saturated fats are available naturally in some foods such as pork, lamb, beef, cheese etc. and they can cause a hike in your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. It is therefore suggested to check the labels of food products to make sure that the baked foods you are consuming are free from saturated and hydrogenated fats.
Pick a food with low glycemic index: Women who are suffering from PCOD suffer from insulin resistance and as a result, should consume the foods that are meant for diabetics. So your foods should be rich in fibre content with a limited amount of carbohydrates and processed foods. Foods made of whole wheat and whole grain should be avoided. You can eat brown rice, wheat pasta and poha made of brown rice.
Drink lots of water: Women suffering from PCOD can experience water retention. So, you should eat small and frequent meals along with a lot of water all through the day.
Besides following all these tips, it is crucial to workout for about 30 to 60 minutes in a day for reducing your insulin resistance, which may make you overweight and even obese. This, in turn, would cause irregularity of hormonal levels and host a lot of other problems.

Suffering from PCOD? What Diet Should You Follow?

What is the ovary and what are ovarian cysts?  

Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs or pockets within or on the surface of an ovary. Women have two ovaries - each about the size and shape of an almond - located on each side of the uterus. Eggs (ova) develop and mature in the ovaries and are released in monthly cycles during your childbearing years.

Many women have ovarian cysts at some time during their lives. Most ovarian cysts present little or no discomfort and are harmless. The majority of ovarian cysts disappear without treatment within a few months.

However, ovarian cysts - especially those that have ruptured - sometimes produce serious symptoms. The best ways to protect your health are to know the symptoms that may signal a more significant problem, and to schedule regular pelvic examinations.

What causes ovarian cysts?
Most ovarian cysts start during the normal function of your menstrual cycle. These are known as functional cysts. Other types of cysts are much less common.

Functional cysts

Your ovaries normally grow cyst-like structures called follicles each month. Follicles produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone and release an egg when you ovulate. Sometimes a normal monthly follicle just keeps growing. When that happens, it becomes known as a functional cyst. There are two types of functional cysts:

Follicular cyst. Around the midpoint of your menstrual cycle, an egg bursts out of its follicle and begins its journey down the fallopian tube in search of sperm and fertilization. A follicular cyst begins when something goes wrong and the follicle doesn't rupture or release its egg. Instead it grows and turns into a cyst.
Corpus luteum cyst. When a follicle does release its egg, the ruptured follicle begins producing large quantities of estrogen and progesterone in preparation for conception. This changed follicle is now called the corpus luteum. Sometimes, however, the escape opening of the egg seals off and fluid accumulates inside the follicle, causing the corpus luteum to expand into a cyst.
The fertility drug clomiphene (Clomid, Serophene), which is used to induce ovulation, increases the risk of a corpus luteum cyst developing after ovulation. These cysts don't prevent or threaten a resulting pregnancy.

Functional cysts are usually harmless, rarely cause pain, and often disappear on their own within two or three menstrual cycles.

Other cysts

Some types of cysts are not related to the normal function of your menstrual cycle. These cysts include:

Dermoid cysts. These cysts may contain tissue such as hair, skin or teeth because they form from cells that produce human eggs. They are rarely cancerous.
Cystadenomas. These cysts develop from ovarian tissue and may be filled with a watery liquid or a mucous material.
Endometriomas. These cysts develop as a result of endometriosis, a condition in which uterine endometrial cells grow outside your uterus. Some of that tissue may attach to your ovary and form a growth.
Dermoid cysts and cystadenomas can become large, causing the ovary to move out of its usual position in the pelvis. This increases the chance of painful twisting of your ovary, called ovarian torsion.

 SYMPTOMS:

Menstrual irregularities
Pelvic pain - a constant or intermittent dull ache that may radiate to your lower back and thighs
Pelvic pain shortly before your period begins or just before it ends
Pelvic pain during intercourse (dyspareunia)
Pain during bowel movements or pressure on your bowels
Nausea, vomiting or breast tenderness similar to that experienced during pregnancy
Fullness or heaviness in your abdomen
Pressure on your rectum or bladder that causes a need to urinate more frequently or difficulty emptying your bladder completely.

Ovarian Cysts - Knowing The Types & Symptoms!

Ovarian cancer takes place when the cells in either of your ovaries have an abnormal growth. The ovaries are two small organs, situated on either side of your uterus. They deliver female sex hormones and store and discharge eggs (ova) that help a woman reproduce. Ovarian cancer is a serious disease that emerges from various sorts of cells and growths inside the ovary.

Specialists do not know precisely what causes ovarian cancer. Hereditary qualities, for example and other DNA changes, are a danger element for few ladies. Around 10 out of 100 ovarian cancers are thought to be brought about by quality transformations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. Women who go through changes due to these carrier genes are more at risk of contracting ovarian cancer.

The earliest symptoms of ovarian cancer are as follows

    Frequent bloating in the uterus or stomach area.
    Pain in your pelvis or belly.
    Inconvenience while eating, or feeling full quickly.
    Urinary issues, for example, a critical need to urinate or urinating more frequently than expected.


Treatment options for ovarian cancer

The decision of treatment and the long-term result for ladies who have ovarian cancer relies upon the sort and phase of cancer they are in. Your age, general wellbeing, personal satisfaction, and wish to get pregnant should be considered. The primary treatment methods for ovarian cancer are:

    Surgery to see whether you have cancer or not and to treat it. This may include taking an ultrasound and biopsies to check for the spread of cancer.
    Chemotherapy, which uses medications to kill the cancerous cells. It is suggested after surgery for most phases of ovarian cancer.
    Women who are in a more progressive stage of ovarian cancer may have a portion of their chemotherapy before surgery and whatever is left of it after surgery. This can make the surgery more secure for these women.
    Radiation treatment might be utilized to pulverize the cancer cells with the help of high-measurement X-ray beams or other high-vitality beams.

Side Effects of Treatment Methods:

Most medications for ovarian cancer cause reactions. They may vary, depending upon the kind of treatment, your age and general well-being. Reactions of surgery rely on the degree of your surgery and spread of the disease. In case your specialist removes your ovaries, you lose the capacity to bear children or get pregnant. Furthermore, in case you were all the while bleeding before your surgery, you will begin with your menopause.

Symptoms of chemotherapy may incorporate loss of appetite and weight, queasiness, fatigue, vomiting, nausea and hair loss. There is also a possibility of getting a very serious infection. One should get regular or annual check-ups done to see if there are anomalies in either parts of the bodies since natural symptoms of cancer are only visible after a certain stage. 

Ovarian Cancer - 4 Highly Effective Treatment Options Available

Why you must opt for a homeopathic treatment for PCOS

PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome is a hormonal disorder that is very common among women, in their reproductive age. It is the condition in which cysts are formed in the ovary of the affected woman and/or the levels of the male hormone called androgen increases in her body.

As a result of these, she faces a variety of symptoms like late or no periods, heavy menstrual bleeding, the growth of facial hair, unintended weight gain, acne and pain in the pelvic region. It is also associated with problems related to conception and pregnancy in more complex conditions.

While the complete cure of PCOS is a time-consuming process since it demands thorough observation regarding the change of symptoms in the patient over a period of time; and the course of treatment follows these observations.

Although PCOS and its symptoms can be treated using conventional drugs, use of homeopathic medications is better to treat this condition for the following reasons.

Treatment addressing the root-cause

Using homeopathy for PCOS is a good idea because it offers permanent treatment for the condition. Homeopathy treats and cures the root cause of the condition rather than focussing on the external factors that cause the disease. Therefore, the treatment offered by homeopathy is more reliable. For example, the medicines prescribed for an interrupted period is different from the medicines prescribed for profuse bleeding.

No side effects

Homeopathic treatment is based on the belief that the human body was meant to remain disease free always. So it never tries to make use of drugs that can disturb the body's ability to function naturally. All that homeopathic medications do is to restore the vitality of the body so that it can find its way out of the disease all by itself. This kind of a treatment ensures that there are no side-effects whatsoever of homeopathic medicines.

If you would like to consult with me privately, please click on 'consult'.
Related Tip: How to Ensure a Normal Period When You're Suffering from PCOS?

Does Homeopathy Offer a Permanent Solution for PCOS?

Ovarian cysts and fertility: Is there a connection?

Having a child is one of the most profound experiences in a woman s life. The joy of being a mother and welcoming a new life is unparalleled. In the midst of such expectation, an inability to conceive can take a serious toll on any woman s health. The mental scars from such an event can never be obliterated.

This does not mean you should give up. Consult a doctor to find the cause and rectify it. With advances in medical science and technologies like IVF in the market, no fertility challenge is insurmountable.

One of the most common cause of infertility is ovarian cysts. According to research conducted by the American Society For Reproductive Medicine, ovarian cysts resulting in ovulation abnormality and infertility has been recorded among 25% of women.

There are two types of cysts that are produced as byproducts of ovulation-

1. Follicular Cysts which does not break open to release the eggs. Rather the follicle stays as a whole while the cyst continues to grow.

2. Corpus Cysts or luteal cysts is a condition when after the egg has bronek free, the follicles seal itself rather than shrinking and the fluid builds up inside.

Causes-

Ovarian cysts are mainly caused due to hormonal imbalance, abnormal cell growth where the cells overgrow and develop into cysts, pelvic infections that spread to the ovaries and fallopian tubes and causes severe harm to them, and endometriosis when the tissue attaches to an ovary and forms cell growth.

Which ovarian cyst affects fertility?

Ovarian cysts that generate complications during pregnancy include-

1. Endometriomas - This is the condition when the tissues lining your uterus or endometrium grows outside the uterus or the fallopian tubes and is largely associated with fertility problems. Endometriomas can differ in sizes from the range of less than an inch to over 6 inches. They are filled with dark coloured blood.

Some studies have demonstrated that women suffering from mild endometriosis develop a lower (2%-4%) chance of getting pregnant each month when compared to women who are healthy and have a 15%-20% chance. Another research states that 40% of unexplained infertility results from endometriosis through anatomical distortion or inflammation.

2. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome - PCOS is the condition where small cysts form inside your ovaries which prompts irregular periods, excessive stomach cramps and large hormonal imbalance. Connected to immature ovaries, they do not assist in ovulation and thus produces complications infertility. The immature follicles with an immature egg cause the ovary to be politic.

This chronic lack of ovulation also alters the hormonal levels in your body that assists in ovulation. Women with PCOS develop high levels of androgen or male hormones in your body, which gets converted to estrogen. As a result, they do not ovulate.

Does the treatment of ovarian cysts also affect fertility?

This usually depends on the kind of treatment you receive. Hormonal birth control doesn t have a long-term effect on fertility. Although surgeries can invariably damage some healthy eggs inside your body, the doctors recommend that the ovaries be removed before you have more complications. However, in both the situations, the egg count in your body decreases significantly.

Ovarian Cysts & Fertility - Is There A Connection?

Polycystic ovary disease or PCOD is a kind of hormonal disorder in which a woman produces a surplus of male hormones like testosterone.
High levels of male hormones produce symptoms like irregular ovulation or no ovulation at all. In simple words, women with PCOD or PCOS don t release a mature egg from their ovaries every month resulting in infertility. PCOD affects one in 10 women worldwide.

Women suffering from PCOD suffer from symptoms like heavy vaginal bleeding. This is because, as they don t ovulate and produce the hormone Progesterone like normal women do and have normal periods, the lining of their uteri becomes thick leading to heavy bleeding and sometimes uterine cancer.

The other common symptoms of PCOS are:

Acne
Weight gain
Oily skin
Heart problems
Irregular periods
Migraines
Hirsuitism
Infertility
Mood swings and depression
There is a propensity for developing diabetes as well in PCOS affected, as a number of women with PCOD are resistant to the action of the hormone insulin used for sugar metabolism. This means that it takes larger than normal amounts of insulin to maintain normal blood sugar levels. Though fairly common, PCOD has no surefire cure in mainstream allopathic medicine but Ayurveda can help alleviate PCOD symptoms in a big way.

PCOD - How Ayurveda Can Help?

In Ayurveda, PCOD is caused due to an imbalance of any of the two doshas - Pitta (Fire) and Kapha (Water). Aggravated Pitta causes contamination of the dhatus or tissues like blood and plasma. This causes a buildup of toxins or ama in the body.
In PCOS patients, these toxins get accumulated in the channels of the mind, leading to an imbalance of hormones secreted by the pituitary gland. This results in an imbalance of female hormones and causes the formation of ovarian cysts which is nothing but a collection of fluids within the ovary, anovulatory periods or periods with no ovulation etc.

Ayurvedic herbal remedies for PCOD

Ayurveda works on these problems:
-Correcting hormonal imbalance
-Reducing obesity
- Reducing high cholesterol levels
-Treatment for insulin resistance
Herbs like Ashoka (saraca asoca), Dashamoola are amongst a group of herbs which are used to prepare Sukumara Kashaya like Ashwagandha, Eranda, Shatavari etc for correcting hormonal imbalance.
Other drugs for curing PCOS are-
1. Shatavari or Asparagus racemosus
This helps mainly in promoting normal development of ovarian follicles. It also regulates periods and aids in revitalizing the female reproductive system. Shatavari also helps in controlling high levels of insulin due to PCOS, due to its phytoestrogen or natural plant based estrogen levels.
2. Guduchi
Guduchi is a powerful anti- inflammatory herb. We know that chronic inflammation in body tissues is the root cause for insulin imbalance and ovarian cysts in women. This herb helps in revitalizing body tissues and lowering insulin resistance.
3. Shatapushpa or fennel
Fennel seeds are used as a supplement as the phytoestrogens in them bring down inflammation and control insulin resistance.
4.Triphala
Triphala is rich in vitamin C- a powerful natural antioxidant that helps in reducing inflammation by reducing free radicals. Hence this remedy is excellent for cleansing and detoxifying systems and is therefore best taken prior to taking any other Ayurvedic medicines to improve outcome.
5. Aloe Vera- Kumari (Aloe barbadensis)
Aloe Vera is yet another Ayurvedic herb that is extremely beneficial in treating PCOS as it helps in regularizing menstrual cycles and promote normal menstruation. It also normalizes hormonal imbalance.

PCOD - How Ayurveda Medicines & Treatment Is Beneficial For You?

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