Pregnancy and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

Hormones play a major role in a woman’s life. Life of women revolves around hormones. Almost every woman have normal periods but not many of us know about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is mainly the result of an imbalanced hormonal system wherein, your ovaries produce too much androgen. This has a negative effect on other reproductive hormones like luteinizing hormone and estrogen by disrupting their balance in the body.

What causes PCOS?

PCOS is not really common so knowing its cause is hard. There are chances that it runs in families, so your chance of having it is higher if other women in your family have it or have irregular periods or diabetes. 

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms can be few or more depending upon your hormones. The most common symptoms are:

• Acne.
• Weight gain and trouble losing weight.
• Getting Extra hair on the face and body. In some cases, women have thick and dark facial hair and more hair on the chest, belly, and back.
• Thinning hair on the scalp.
• Irregular periods. Often women with PCOS have fewer than nine periods a year. Some women have no periods. Others have very heavy bleeding.
• Fertility problems. Many women who have PCOS have trouble getting pregnant (infertility).
• Depression.

How is PCOS diagnosed?

To diagnose PCOS, the doctor will:

• Ask questions about your past health, symptoms, and menstrual cycles.
• Basic physical exam to look for signs of PCOS, such as extra body hair and high blood pressure. The doctor will also check your height and weight to see if you have a healthy body mass index (BMI).
• To check blood sugar, insulin and other hormone levels, doctor will do number of lab tests. Hormone tests can help rule out thyroid or other gland problems that could cause similar symptoms.

You may also have a pelvic ultrasound to look for cysts on your ovaries. Doctor can tell whether you have PCOS or not without doing ultrasound but doing this might help them find out other problems.

How is it treated?

Apart from the treatment provided by the doctor, there are few treatments that you can do yourself.

Diet

• PCOS and pregnancy are strongly related to your diet as well and making the wrong dietary choices can easily affect your chances of conceiving.
• This means you cannot take the liberty of indulging that sweet tooth or devouring unprocessed junk food.
• Since your body is struggling because of its resistance to insulin, adopting a healthy diet that has a low glycemic index would be beneficial.
• This would help you stabilise your blood glucose levels while also helping you lose weight.
• Cut down on refined carbohydrates like sugar and white bread as these could spike your blood glucose levels.
• Experts have confirmed the benefits of a low glycemic index diet in improving regular ovulation.
• Include whole grains, fresh fruits, nuts and vegetables while at the same time staying away from items like cheese, milk, or sugar.

 Exercise

• The advantages of exercise are manifold and those with PCOS could as well benefit from it.
• Engaging in some form of exercise could help your body cope with its resistance to insulin and also regulate hormone levels in your body.
• If you’ve conceived, consult your doctor about the different forms of exercise you could try out to ensure your body is at its healthiest till you deliver the baby.

Even after conception, you need to pay close attention to your health since polycystic ovaries and pregnancy make you susceptible to develop conditions like preeclampsia, high blood pressure, or even gestational diabetes. There is also risk of miscarriage that pregnant women with PCOS might face. Therefore, consult your doctor about your medication and diet if you are trying to conceive or are already pregnant.

In some cases, doctor also may prescribe birth control pills to reduce symptoms, metformin to help you have regular menstrual cycles, or fertility medicines if you are having trouble getting pregnant.

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