If your body was a movie, your ovaries would be the dramatic co-star, always doing something, but never quite following the script. Welcome to the world of PCOS, also known as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, a hormonal rollercoaster that affects about 1 in 10 people with ovaries. But if you are south asian unfortunately your struck with bad luck, as 5 in 10 women of this ethnicity have PCOS.
Although your ovaries are going haywire you’re not alone, and when you’re not alone it means more support, more interest, more research and more knowledge on how to overcome the challenges it may bring. Let’s dive in.
So… What Is PCOS?
Scientifically speaking, PCOS is a hormonal disorder where your body produces too many androgens (a.k.a. “male” hormones like testosterone). This can mess with ovulation, leading to a variety of symptoms, including:
- Periods that are as unpredictable as your teenagers mood
- Acne
- Hair where you didn’t ask for it (hello, chin whiskers 👋)
- Hair loss where you did want it (scalp betrayal!)
- Weight gain that ignores your diet hacks
- Difficulty conceiving
- Mood swings that are as temperamental as a woman going through menopause
To fit the diagnostic criteria for PCOS you need 2 out of the 3 below criteria:
- Polycystic ovaries (either 12 or more peripheral follicles or increased ovarian volume (greater than 10 cm3) or increased anti-Müllerian hormone.
- Oligo-ovulation (fewer than 8 cycles a year or >36 days between periods) or anovulation.
- Clinical and/or biochemical signs of hyperandrogenism.
The Science-y Bit (in Plain English)
Your ovaries are supposed to release one egg a month. With PCOS, the process gets stuck in buffering mode due to hormonal imbalances, and the resulting underdeveloped follicles on the ovaries prevent eggs from being released, which leads to the characteristic irregular or absent periods and difficulty with conception. While it can make getting pregnant harder, it is often possible with medical intervention or lifestyle changes.
Managing PCOS Without Losing Your Mind
The good news? PCOS is manageable, even if it’s not curable (yet). You just have to take charge and tell your hormones how to act, it’s possible… don’t question me strangely.
Here are a few tips for your PCOS survival kit:
🥗 1. Food: Your Secret Weapon
Focus on foods that balance blood sugar, think veggies, lean proteins, healthy fats, and fewer refined carbs. Basically, eat like you’re trying to impress your pancreas. And eat in moderation, not excess.
🏃 2. Move That Body
Exercise helps regulate insulin and hormones. You don’t have to become a marathoner, but regularly partaking in cardiovascular exercise will help no bounds.
💤 3. Stress Less
Easier said than done, but stress increases cortisol, which worsens insulin resistance. Try yoga, meditation, or yelling into a pillow (all valid).
N.B. All of the above focuses on weight loss, the less you weigh the better control you’ll have of PCOS and those pesky unruly hormones.
Medical Management: When You and Your Doctor Become Hormone Detectives
So you’ve tried the salads, the yoga, the instagram smoothies, and maybe even yelled at your ovaries in the mirror but PCOS still has you on the struggle bus.
Time to call in the professionals! 🩺✨
Here’s the inside scoop on how doctors help you outsmart your ovaries (and maybe get your hormones to behave like responsible adults).
1. The combined pill and its hormonal brethren
Ah, the birth control pill (COCP)… not just for contraception anymore!
For many with PCOS, it’s like pressing the “reset” button on hormonal chaos.
How it helps:
- Regulates your menstrual cycle (bye-bye, period roulette)
- Lowers androgen levels (good riddance, chin hair!)
- Reduces acne (hello, glowing skin!)
- Reduces endometrial cancer risks by promoting womb shedding (“anti-oxidant” for the womb)
You’ve also got options like medroxyprogesterone 10mg daily for 14 days every 1-3 months or IUS (eg. Mirena) to help reduce endometrial cancer risks.
2. Metformin: The Blood Sugar Whisperer
Metformin is technically a diabetes medication, but in PCOS, it’s the quiet hero working behind the scenes to fix insulin resistance.
Think of insulin as a key that opens the door for sugar to enter your cells from your bloodstream.
In PCOS, that key is kind of rusty and doesn’t work quite as well, so sugar builds up in your bloodstream, and your body overcompensates by making even more insulin.
Enter Metformin: it shines that key, reduces insulin resistance, and sometimes helps restore ovulation.
Side effects?
Let’s just say… you’ll want to be near a bathroom. 💨
3. Ovulation Medications: The Fertility Coaches
If baby-making is on your agenda, PCOS can make ovulation feel like playing hide-and-seek. Luckily, science has your back.
Common fertility helpers:
- Clomifene: The classic option — stimulates ovulation by tricking your body into producing more FSH (the “let’s mature follicles” hormone) and LH (the “let’s release” these bad boys…or bad girls).
- Letrozole: Helps trigger ovulation by lowering oestrogen levels just enough to get your ovaries in gear and produce more FSH.
These meds turn your ovaries from “on strike” to “back in business.”
But be warned, twins (or more) are a slightly higher possibility. 👶👶
Two for one I say.
4. Inositol Supplements: The Gentle Overachievers
Inositols (like myo-inositol) are vitamin-like compounds that can help with insulin sensitivity and menstrual regularity.
They’re often sold over-the-counter and work like a “natural” Metformin
Are they magic? No.
But they can help your hormones remember how to act civilised.
A Final Note: You’re Not Broken
PCOS sometimes feels like your body signed up for a mutiny without consulting you first. But hey, you’re not the villain here. You didn’t cause it, and you definitely don’t deserve the chaos. But you can outsmart it. Even small, steady weight loss can be like hitting the “reboot” button on your hormones, less drama, less hairs on that chin, more ovulation, and a better shot at turning those “maybe baby” dreams into reality.