PCOD - What All Should You Know About It?

PCOD is a hormonal disorder that results due to elevated androgen levels in the female body. It is the most common endocrine disorder amongst women of reproductive age. PCOD is estimated to affect 12 to 20 percent of all women. Symptoms may begin shortly after the girl reaches puberty, but it may also develop in teenage or early adulthood.

Most of the women with PCOD are reported with the presence of ovarian cysts. But it is also possible to diagnose a woman with PCOD without the presence of an ovarian cyst. These cysts are actually the immature follicles whose development gets arrested at an early stage due to improper functioning of the ovary. These follicles may get lined up along the periphery of the ovary, giving the appearance of a pearl string in an ultrasound investigation.

A woman with the polycystic ovarian disease may face difficulty in becoming pregnant. Infrequent ovulation or anovulation is one of the common causes of infertility in these females. Other factors which may be responsible for infertility due to PCOD include a change in the gonadotropin levels, hyperandrogenemia, and hyperinsulinemia. In some cases of women with PCOD, the actual cause of infertility is same as those of women without PCOD. It may include tubal blockages due to a history of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Primary amenorrhea is common at the time of puberty due to ovulatory dysfunction. Therefore, it becomes difficult to diagnose PCOD if regular menses are present for a particular period after menarche.