Everything You Need to Know About PCOS

Puberty starts in your early teens, when production of estrogen and progesterone leads to the changes that help you develop into a woman. Your ovaries, two almond-shaped organs located on both sides of your body that release estrogen, play a crucial role in this process.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, can compromise the function of your ovaries. This can not only endanger your body’s hormone production, but also pose a risk to fertility if you want to have children. 

Drs. Michele Hakimian, Kate D. Nash, Alganesh Assefa, Matthew King, and their medical staff at Progressive Care For Women, S.C. help women in the Chicago area manage and treat problems related to PCOS.

Let’s look at the facts surrounding this illness, including risk factors and its potential impact on your health.

What is PCOS?

As many as 15% of women struggle with PCOS in their reproductive years. This condition causes the excessive release of androgen, a male hormone that women typically produce in small quantities. This results in a hormonal imbalance, which can lead to irregular menstrual cycles. Sometimes — although not always — small follicle cysts can form on one or both ovaries. 

PCOS can occur anytime after puberty and frequently leads to infertility issues in women. If cysts form, they may not be painful, so you may not realize what’s happening when it starts.

What are the causes and symptoms of PCOS?

Often, disruptions of your menstrual cycle, whether your periods occur too frequently or not at all, occur most in women struggling with PCOS. They can also happen for longer or shorter periods than usual. PCOS has many other signs as well, including darkening of the skin, skin tags, weight gain, facial hair growth, hair thinning, and acne.

While research is still trying to determine the primary cause of this illness, several factors present a higher risk, such as insulin resistance, high androgen levels, obesity, family history of diabetes, inactivity, and inflammation of the ovaries.

How is PCOS treated?

PCOS can be managed with both lifestyle changes and various medical treatments. Doing things at home, such as losing weight, changing your diet, and getting more exercise, can help improve sensitivity to insulin, reduce cholesterol, lower testosterone levels, and increase the amount of globulin, which binds sex hormones.

Medical options for treating PCOS include birth control drugs containing progestin (in pills, vaginal rings, or patches), metformin for managing insulin levels, fertility drugs like clomiphene, or hair removal meds for unwanted facial hair. If these methods don’t help, surgery to restore ovulation is also an option.

PCOS presents problems for your ovaries, but it can be treated, and we’re here to help. Contact Drs. Hakimian, Nash, Assefer, King, and the Progressive Care For Women, S.C. team today to find the treatment that works to help your issues with PCOS.