Stunned By Sudden Changes In Your Body- Watch Out Ladies As These Can Be Symptoms Of PCOS

Sudden changes in a woman’s body may be attributed to various causes, and it’s quite frustrating when it happens. The changes usually seen are weight gain excess facial hair growth, hair fall, mood variations, and some medical disorders.

Weight gain can also be attributed to unhealthy food habits, lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle and is also attributed to thyroid dysfunction, insulin resistance as seen in PCOS type 2 diabetes and adrenal hormone variations.

Thyroid disorders particularly hypothyroidism commonly seen in women are known to cause changes in the body like hair loss,  weight gain, foggy brain, constipation, micronutrient deficiency and indigestion. 

The body’s response to stress is self-limiting as long as the stress lasts and the adrenal gland releases cortisol to help one go through this phase , but when the stress persists for a long time and there’s a constant release of cortisol it can put one into high risk for many diseases like depression heart diseases, weight gain, diabetes etc.

PCOS -polycystic ovarian syndrome is the most common endocrine metabolic disorder in women from puberty to premenopause. There is clear evidence as stated in some studies that there is an underlying genetic cause for PCOS. During pregnancy, a person’s environment and behaviour as whether they eat healthy food, can change the baby’s epigenetics. Some of these changes can remain for decades and might make the child more likely to get certain diseases and PCO is one of them.

Hyperandrogenism is a primary feature in PCO and is associated with an array of physiologic dysfunction, a state of chronic inflammation in the body, fat cell proliferation, aberrant glucose and fatty acid metabolism, insulin resistance, irregular menstrual cycles, excessive facial hair, hair loss and infertility. 

Extra reproductive manifestations of PCO  related to the cardiovascular system, specifically hypertension ., Cholesterol level abnormalities, Obesity, mood variations, anxiety, and sleep apnoea . Obesity is considered a risk factor for cancer of the breast and uterus.

Higher the BMI higher the chances of complications in pregnancy in women with PCOS-for example Gestational diabetes, Pregnancy-induced hypertension, premature delivery making the pregnancy a high-risk one. 

Mindful eating ,managing stress, developing a hobby, adopting a healthy and disciplined lifestyle , keeping one’s weight in check ,yoga , meditation started early in life will definitely help in the long run and help in deferring certain diseases associated with PCOS thereby improving the quality of life.

Dr. Jayashree Nagaraj Bhasgi

Guest Author Senior Gynaecologist & Obstetrician, Fortis Hospital, Richmond Road, Bangalore