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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) condition in women

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Health experts describe Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a problem with hormones that affects women during their childbearing years, usually between the ages 15 to 44.

As high as 26.7 percent of women in this age group experience PCOS, according Health Line.

Not many women know they have PCOS with majority of women with the condition not even diagnosed.

PCOS isn’t a new condition. Italian physician Antonio Vallisneri first described its symptoms in 1721.

PCOS affects a woman’s ovaries, the reproductive organs that produce estrogen and progesterone — hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle. The ovaries also produce a small amount of male hormones called androgens.

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The ovaries release eggs to be fertilized by a man’s sperm. The release of an egg each month is called ovulation.

PCOS is a “syndrome,” or group of symptoms that affects the ovaries and ovulation. Its three main features are:

  • cysts in the ovaries
  • high levels of male hormones
  • irregular or skipped periods

In PCOS, many small, fluid-filled sacs grow inside the ovaries. The word “polycystic” means “many cysts.”

These sacs are actually follicles, each one containing an immature egg. The eggs never mature enough to trigger ovulation.

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Extra male hormones disrupt the menstrual cycle, so women with PCOS get fewer periods than usual.

Women share their stories on the condition:

Doctors don’t know exactly what causes PCOS. They believe that high levels of male hormones prevent the ovaries from producing hormones and making eggs normally.

Genes, insulin resistance, and inflammation have all been linked to excess androgen production.

The most common PCOS symptoms are:

  • Irregular periods
  • Heavy bleeding
  • Hair growth
  • Weight gain
  • Darkening of the skin
  • Headaches

Having higher-than-normal androgen levels can affect your fertility and other aspects of your health.

Treatment for PCOS usually starts with lifestyle changes like weight loss, diet, and exercise.

Birth control pills and other medicines can help regulate the menstrual cycle and treat PCOS symptoms like hair growth and acne.

Why you will find light patches in female underwear

Source: Health Line with additional material from Africafeeds.com

Sourced from Africa Feeds

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