GynoFiles

PCOS: The Syndrome of Hormones, Hair and Havoc of menstrual cycles Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) The doctors Stein and Leventhatal in 1935 discovered why some women had big cysts on their ovaries, extra hair growth and troubles getting pregnant. Their original series of patients had 7 cases, ,they performed their now abandoned practice of ovarian wedge resection (their thought was to help eggs ovulate by allowing them to get to the surface of the ovary) on all 7. Out of these 7 women, all began to have regular cycles and 2 did become pregnant from the treatment. And though we recognize their work as the beginning, their name long left the condition of Polycystic Ovaries. After it was called Stein and Leventhal's disease this has been called a disease, a condition and now a syndrome. The definition has been changed so that almost 1/10 women can meet the definition and in fact many women with perfectly regular menstrual periods are surprised to learn upon visiting their g...

Polycystic ovaries have many effects on the rest of our boidies. For some women they lead to the medical conditions of diabetes, hypertension and gall bladder disease. For some they lead to unwanted acne or hair growth. They may make weight increase and polycystic ovaries may make it more difficult to loose weight. But when it comes to menopause: There is actually improvement! There are fewer eggs surviving in our ovaries as we get older, so as a women gets older the contribution of each little cyst begins to diminish!Polycystic patients who may have never had regular cycles, unlike their friends who are reportting more period problems, may actually see their cycles normalize for the first time. Of course a bit of weight loss, adherence to nutritional recommendations overall, and more exercise may also be the reason some women are 'cured' of their polycystic ovaries as they age, so there is much we need to know about!

We've suspected for a long time that there are physiological factors working against our best efforts to help our PCOS patients effectively loose weight and studies have been confirming that this is true. PCOS patients have been known to have diabetic tendencies. they screen too much insulin, both on a chronic basis and in response to even normal blood sugar levels. Over time this derangement in physiology can both lead to overt diabetes as well as weight gain. But the type of fat cells these patients have and the way the local fat-hormone metabolism works may be most of the reason that weight gain is a problem. The fat hormone adiponectin helps control how fat is released from fatty tissue and metabolized. Women with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) seem to have a deficiency of this important hormone. And now they are found to have larger fat cells as well. These big cells just want to contain more fat, and hold on to that fat more  tightly. But if you have PCOS, don't ...