PCOS: The Condition That Never Sleeps
Story by Emma CrowE | Photos & Design by Katie Jo Stewart
“The prevalence of PCOS is about 10-15%, which is an epidemic,” says Dr. Katherine Sherif, professor of medicine at Thomas Jefferson University.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a condition that affects a large portion of people with ovaries; however, there is a lack of information available regarding PCOS.
What is PCOS?:
So what exactly is PCOS? According to Dr. Sherif and Sasha Ottey, founder and executive director of PCOS Challenge, the definition of PCOS requires two out of the three following indicators:
Irregular periods
High androgens
Polycystic ovaries
Getting Diagnosed:
For some people, getting diagnosed with PCOS is its own struggle. It’s not always as easy as sharing symptoms and getting diagnosed. Some doctors don’t connect the dots from one symptom of PCOS to another. According to Dr. Sherif, up to 50% of people with PCOS have not been diagnosed.
“When doctors don’t look for it in their patients, they don’t see it,” says Dr. Sherif. “For example, a dermatologist treating cystic acne may not think of PCOS. The primary care doctor may see cystic acne and think, well the dermatologist is treating that.” In other words, it’s vital for patients to advocate for themselves.
There are a few different ways to test for PCOS, and one of them is a transvaginal ultrasound. The transvaginal ultrasound is used to check for polycystic ovaries. Polycystic ovaries are when, “The ovaries are enlarged, and have lots of little immature follicles that are enlarged that are called cysts,” says Ottey. Transvaginal ultrasounds are not used to diagnose minors with PCOS.
The other official way to diagnose PCOS is with a blood test. With the blood test, your doctor will look for an elevated level of male hormones like testosterone. A blood test is how Hannah Maslow, junior child development major, was officially diagnosed with PCOS.
Maslow was about 14-15 years old when her doctor began to consider that Maslow had PCOS. It was the list of symptoms that shed light on Maslow’s medical situation. One blood test later and her doctor’s suspicions were confirmed.
Symptoms of PCOS:
The indicators of PCOS can manifest as a variety of different things. Maslow had, and continues to have, several different symptoms including weight gain, acne and irregular menstrual cycles.
Other symptoms of PCOS can include excessive hair growth and hair loss or male pattern baldness. These symptoms stem from the hormone imbalance that defines PCOS.
PCOS can also take a toll on a patient’s mental health. Maslow has been dealing with her PCOS for six years, and she only recently got to a good place with her treatment. Those six years of difficult symptoms and fluctuating hormone levels affected her teenage years.
“You’re supposed to be having a great time [in high school], but instead you’re dealing with this other health aspect,” Maslow says.
It’s not just the stress of PCOS treatment that patients have to deal with. According to Ottey, PCOS patients have higher rates of mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety and eating disorders.
Conditions it Can Lead to:
Dr. Sherif studied, “The effect of insulin resistance and high insulin levels on the heart of African American women,” in the 1990s. It was during this time that she connected an underlying issue of insulin resistance to PCOS. That underlying issue can lead to Type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes.
Other conditions PCOS can lead to include fatty liver disease, pre-eclampsia, pregnancy induced hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. These are all extremely serious conditions that can be life-threatening. If PCOS isn’t treated properly, it can be deadly.
Treatment Options:
There are two different types of treatment options for PCOS: lifestyle and medicinal.
As PCOS is a lifelong condition, patients have to make changes to their everyday lifestyle. However, each patient is different, and that needs to be taken into account when making any changes.
“I wish they got to know your lifestyle and what you eat,” says Masow when talking about doctors and how they treat PCOS.
Everyone’s body is different, and that means their healthcare requires different plans. A learning plan that works for your neighbor might not work for you, and the same is true for nutrition and exercise plans.
The general idea is that people with PCOS need to ensure they balance their diet and watch out for foods that will cause their glucose to spike. Meeting with a nutritionist or dietician with knowledge of PCOS can be beneficial in creating your diet plan.
According to Ottey and Dr. Sherif, building muscle can help your body become insulin-sensitive. However, high impact workouts are not feasible for every patient. Some patients will do better with stress-reducing workouts like yoga.
Find the form of exercise that works for you, and don’t become discouraged if it takes some time. Dr. Sherif also recommends 7-9 hours of sleep every night.
On the medicinal side of things, birth control is one of the most common medications prescribed to treat PCOS. It helps to regulate the patient’s menstrual cycle. Maslow has gone through different birth controls since she was diagnosed with PCOS six years ago. Once again, it’s all about finding the right treatment for you.
Doctors may also prescribe Spironolactone, a drug that reduces the male hormones in the body. The other common drug prescribed to people with PCOS is Metformin, a drug used to treat diabetes. It is important to note that these medications have their own side effects.
The Future:
As previously mentioned, PCOS is a lifelong condition. However, there aren’t many resources available for people with the syndrome.
Organizations such as PCOS Challenge hope to create change and provide more evidence based education for patients and the health care community alike. Until that change is made, and long after, be your strongest advocate.
Don’t forget to be kind to yourself in the process. Your hormone levels and symptoms will fluctuate, but that doesn’t mean you’re failing in your treatment.
Maslow wants to tell all PCOS patients, “Be gentle on yourself, even if your levels go up.”
If you were born female and answer yes to at least two of these questions, consider making an appointment with your doctor to test for PCOS.
Do you have irregular periods?
Do you have problems with hair loss?
Do you have problems with excessive hair growth?
Do you have difficulty losing weight (particularly in the stomach area)?
Do you have severe acne?
