Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): How to correct your hormonal imbalance?

Polycystic ovary syndrome is something quite different to suffering from ovarian cysts. Polycystic ovaries are ovaries covered with very small follicles in which the egg develops. In each menstrual cycle, follicles grow on the ovaries. Within those follicles eggs develop, one of which will reach maturity faster than the others and be released into the fallopian tubes, which happens during process called ovulation. The remaining follicles will degenerate, but in the case of polycystic ovaries, they are much larger than normal. There are also series of undeveloped follicles that appear in clumps. Polycystic ovaries are not particularly troublesome and in many cases, they will not even affect fertility. Where the problem starts is when the cysts cause a hormonal imbalance, leading to a series of other symptoms. These symptoms are the difference between suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome and from polycystic ovaries. Therefore, a woman can have polycystic ovaries without having PCOS but all women with PCOS will have polycystic ovaries. 

PCOS is a common condition, yet many doctors are not sufficiently enlightened about it to be able to make a diagnosis readily. It seems that women are failing to describe all their symptoms at the consultation. It is easy to understand why given that they are likely to experience such seemingly unrelated problems as facial hair, acne and irregular periods. The symptoms of this complex condition are there because of the hormonal imbalance. There are varieties of approaches to treatment, which may differ over time depending on the needs of the individual patient. Practitioners of orthodox medicine frequently advise taking the contraceptive pill and perhaps other hormone preparations. These preparations can work to great effect and are discussed by many doctors. However, these therapies do not provide a cure of PCOS. In fact, PCOS is a common problem among young women, where almost one out of 10 women has PCOS. Polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS is a hormone imbalance that can cause irregular periods, unwanted hair growth, and acne that begins during the teenage years and can be mild or severe.

Young women with PCOS commonly have one or more signs, such as irregular periods that come every few months, not at all, or too frequently. They could also have extra hair on your face or other parts of your body, called hirsutism, acne, and weight gain or trouble losing weight. Patient could also experience patches of dark skin on the back of neck and other areas, called acanthosis nigricans. With the extreme form of PCOS, you would tend to be overweight, have no or very few periods, be prone to acne, grow unusually heavy body hair, and be susceptible to mood swings. These symptoms are commonly associated with problems with fertility and recurrent miscarriages. Women with PCOS may be seven times more likely to develop diabetes because of problems with blood sugar balance they will have. If you have some or all of the above signs, you might have PCOS diagnosis. There can be other reasons why you might have one or more of these signs but only your health care provider can tell for sure.

PCOS is caused by an imbalance in the hormones that are chemical messengers in your brain and your ovaries. Many girls also have higher than normal levels of insulin from the pancreas and PCOS usually happens when the LH levels or the insulin levels are too high. This results in extra testosterone production by the ovary. The pituitary gland in your brain makes the hormones such as luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone, called LH and FSH. After getting the signal from the hormones, LH and FSH, the ovaries make estrogen and progesterone, which are the female sex hormones. All normal ovaries also make a little bit of the androgen testosterone that is a male sex hormone. The pancreas is an organ that makes the hormone insulin. High levels of insulin can cause the ovaries to make more of the testosterone hormone as well. Having PCOS means that ovaries are not getting the right hormonal signals from your pituitary gland. Without these signals, you will not ovulate or making eggs and your period may be irregular or you may not have a period at all. With PCOS, LH levels are often high when the menstrual cycle starts and the levels of LH are higher than FSH levels. Because the LH levels are already quite high, the surge that sets off the chain reaction causing ovulation does not happen at all. Without this LH surge, ovulation does not occur and periods are irregular as one of polycystic ovary syndrome symptom.

Your health care provider will ask you many questions about your menstrual cycle and your general health. Then he or she will probably do a complete physical examination. You most likely will need to have a blood test to check your hormone levels, blood sugar, and cholesterol. Your health care provider may also want you to have an ultrasound of your uterus and ovaries. The term polycystic ovaries mean that there are lots of tiny cysts, or bumps, inside of the ovaries. Some young women with PCOS have these cysts but many others do not. Even if you do have them, they are not harmful and do not need to be removed in most cases. Acne and extra hair on your face and body can happen if your body is making too much testosterone, and since skin-cells and hair follicles are extremely sensitive to the slight increases in testosterone, it is common problem in young women with PCOS. Many adolescents with PCOS have higher levels of the hormone, insulin, in their blood, which cause patches of darkened skin on the back of your neck, under your arms, and in your groin area.

Women with PCOS have a normal uterus and healthy eggs, but still many women with PCOS have trouble getting pregnant. However, some women have no trouble at all. If you are concerned about your fertility in the future, you could talk to your doctor about all the new options available. You have option to include medications to lower your insulin levels and help you ovulate each month. While you cannot cure PCOS, you can treat it instead. A healthy lifestyle is very important, including a healthy eating and daily exercise for each woman diagnosed with PCOS. There are excellent long-term medications to help you manage irregular periods, hair growth, and acne as common symptoms for PCOS. You could ask your doctor about the various options, including hormone treatment and insulin-sensitizing medications.

Over the last few years, research into the nutritional approach to PCOS has revolutionized the treatment of this problem. As women with PCOS lose weight, hormone levels start to return to normal, testosterone levels fall, serum insulin levels go down, SHBG levels go up and the symptoms of PCOS diminish. Therapy improves its condition with significant improvements in the growth of excess hair as the women lose weight. Along with the weight-loss comes a remarkable change in ovarian function. In several studies, results were so dramatic that it now doctors suggest changing a woman’s diet should be the first move if she is overweight and failing to conceive. One study found that 11 out of 12 women who had been overweight and not ovulating conceived naturally after reducing their weight due to PCOS. In general, women with high levels of luteinising hormone in the first half of their menstrual cycle seem to have a greater risk of miscarriage, so miscarriages are more likely to occur in women with PCOS because of the high levels of LH. The most common form of treatment and correcting hormonal imbalance for PCOS is the birth control pill. Birth control pills contain hormone medicine, so even if you are not sexually active, your doctor might prescribe you birth control pills. It is great solution because they contain the hormones that your body needs to treat your PCOS and correct your hormonal imbalance. By taking the birth control pill either continuously or in cycles, you can successfully correct the hormone imbalance, lower the level of testosterone, which will improve acne and lessen hair growth, regulate your menstrual periods, lower the risk of endometrial cancer, and prevent an unplanned pregnancy, if you are sexually active. There is also one new medicine, which helps the body lower the insulin level. This medicine is metformin and is particularly helpful in girls who have high levels of insulin or have pre-diabetes or diabetes. You will need to have your kidney and liver function checked before taking this medication to treat hormonal imbalance due to PCOS. It is important to discuss with your doctor whether this medicine is right for you because you may ovulate while on this medication. Therefore, you will also need to use birth control if you are sexually active. You should not drink alcohol if you are taking metformin, which is important info your doctors should give to you. Sometimes girls need to receive treatment with both metformin and birth control pills at the same time. Multivitamins and mineral could also help to make sure that you are getting a little bit of everything. Chromium is an extremely important mineral if you have PCOS that helps to encourage the formation of glucose tolerance factor. This is a substance released by the liver and required to make insulin more efficient. However, it would be the best to talk to your doctor about your problem, he will recommend you the best treatment and the best way how to correct your hormonal imbalance of PCOS according to your symptoms.