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Is a Single Syndrome Secretly Killing Women?
Although there is a syndrome that affects up to 10 % of women worldwide and puts them at seven times greater risk than the average woman for major health concerns, less than half know what PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) is and even worse less than half know they have it.
(PRWEB) June 7, 2006 -- What PCOS is, and what it does to women who have it, is complicated to explain as symptoms and severity of the syndrome can vary from person to person. While Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common hormonal problem in women. It is also a metabolic disorder that affects several body systems and can cause significant long-term health consequences.
PCOS is often characterized by enlarged ovaries, with multiple small painless cysts or follicles that form in the ovary. Two other key features of PCOS are production of excess androgens (male sex hormones) and anovulation (the failure to ovulate properly), which makes PCOS the leading cause of infertility. Some of the other classic symptoms are drastic weight gain, hair loss, depression, fatigue, thyroid problems, high cholesterol, panic attacks, headaches, excess facial and body hair, dark skin patches, sudden weight gain, obesity, dizzy spells, skin tags, poor memory or muddled mind, sleeping disorders, constant thirst, extreme cravings, insulin resistance, cystic acne, cystic ovaries, anovulatory menstrual cycles (cycles without ovulation), irregular cycles, severe mood swings, high testosterone levels, infertility problems and excess facial and body hair.
One of the most common risks associated with PCOS is Diabetes. Many women with PCOS are insulin resistant, a condition which raises the level of insulin circulating in the body contributing to a serious pre-diabetic condition. In can also affect the glucose levels in the body, increasing the risk of diabetes even more.
In many cases the insulin resistance causes women with PCOS to become overweight or obese, which in turn raises cholesterol and blood pressure putting a woman with PCOS at seven times the greater risk as a normal woman to have hypertension, a heart attack or a stroke.
There is also an increased risk for endometrial cancer, as women with PCOS can go months without having a menstrual cycle and when women do not ovulate on a regular basis, the lining of their uterine wall becomes very thick and vulnerable. This increases the chance for endometrial cancer and hysterectomy of the uterus and ovaries.
Infertility is yet another condition many women with PCOS face.
PCOS is the number one cause of infertility in American women today. However, less than half of the women and girls with PCOS know they have it. A woman with PCOS may have irregular cycles, non-exsistant cycles or in many cases cycles without ovulation. These factors make achieving pregnancy a daunting task for many and may lead to conditions such as miscarriage, endometriosis and early ovarian failure.
Part of the problem, then and now, is that the PCOS symptoms manifest themselves in different ways. In fact, not all affected women have polycystic ovaries. Women with PCOS can have any combination of symptoms of varying severity. As a result, researchers, doctors and women themselves looked at the symptoms individually rather than collectively.
Now the medical community is realizing it is more than menstrual irregularities, it's a lifelong condition that can take years off of your life. The PCOS Community is now asking for this condition to be more widely recognize to ensure better diagnosis and treatment are available for women with PCOS to live healthier lives.
To learn more about how you can help make change, log on to the PCOS Online Petition…
http://www.petitiononline.com/pcosweb1/petition.html
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