Health
International Women’s Day: Working women and their fight against the causes of PCOS
May
While trying to keep a balance between career and home, working women have developed a trend of bad lifestyle that has been affecting them a lot.
In the race of building their careers, they have been ignoring their health to a great extent.
This ignorance has been found to bring various deficiencies and diseases but there is one issue that emerges out to be the common one: PCOS. Almost 1 out of every 10 women in India is diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary (Ovarian) Syndrome.
Table of Contents:
- Why are working women majorly affected?
- 4 Common causes of PCOS
- Effect of PCOS on Fertility
- Diagnose of polycystic ovary syndrome
- Can polycystic ovary syndrome be treated?
- 5 Treatments for irregular periods
- How to Combat Stress?
The main causes of PCOS is a hormonal imbalance in a woman’s body that leads to many different conditions.
Women having this syndrome are found to be at an increased risk of
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- High cholesterol.
- Anxiety and depression.
- Sleep apnea (when a person stops breathing periodically during sleep)
- Endometrial cancer (cancer caused by thickening of the lining of the uterus)
- Heart attack.
- Diabetes.
- Breast cancer.
“ For women with PCOS, overweight and obesity can be another alarming factor. This definitely calls for a weight check at the earliest.”
To know about the best ways to lose weight for women with PCOS, drop by into any of the Possible Centres and ask our Nutrition experts themselves. All for FREE! Just click and get started!
Why are working women majorly affected?
One word answer: Stress!
While high-stress levels are something that every woman is biologically programmed to have but balancing work and family just adds on to this stockpile.
The stress factor, which my friend, is a significant one among the various causes of PCOS. Let me illustrate this point in brief.
PCOS is a condition primarily diagnosed with higher levels of androgen or the male sex hormone.
This is the reason why women with PCOS are found to show certain male characteristics like unwanted hair growth, male pattern baldness, an absence of menstruation etc.
Stress results in the secretion of the hormone adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).
During stress, ACTH stimulates the adrenal glands for the production of stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline.
But what we overlook here is that the ACTH also stimulates the production of the hormones DHEA, DHEA-S and androstenedione.
These hormones are activities related to the increase of androgens, which is, by the way, a major cause of PCOS.
So the bottom line is, stress happens to be a prevalent factor in working women. And stress can cause PCOS. So ladies, keep calm and go stress-free!
4 Common causes of PCOS
- Unhealthy lifestyle
- Eating disorders
- Genetics
- Dysregulation of the ovarian function
If you want to know more, then here are some more symptoms and causes of PCOS you should know.
Working women often happen to be in the prime reproductive age group but stress-related PCOS can seriously affect their chances of being a mother too.
Effect of PCOS on Fertility
“ PCOS is the number 1 cause of female infertility or reduced fertility.”
PCOS is found to affect 8-10 % women of reproductive age, which is also a peak time dedicated towards the career.
That is why working women are highly affected by fertility issues. In PCOS, the androgen (male hormone) level rises up resulting in irregular menstruation.
In some, there might be no menstruation at all. This causes irregular or no ovulation, thus leading to infertility symptoms.
Diagnose of polycystic ovary syndrome
Once you know that you are showing certain or all of the symptoms of PCOS, you shouldn’t wait anymore to confirm it.
But the sad part is, there isn’t a direct test for detecting PCOS. However, doctors usually go for the ruling out option, where you will be asked to take a few tests.
1) Blood tests:
These tests are done to check the levels of different hormones in your body. Basically, the following hormones play a role in PCOS diagnosis.
- Follicle Stimulating Hormone
- Luteinizing Hormone
- Androstenedione
- Testosterone
- Estrogen
- Thyroid Stimulating Hormone
- Cortisol
- DHEA
- Prolactin
2) Pelvic Exam:
Here your reproductive organs are analyzed to see if there is any abnormal mass or growth in your reproductive organs.
The doctor examines the ovaries to detect cyst formations.
3) Ultrasound:
This test is done in order to check the situation in the ovaries and the thickness of the lining of the uterus.
This can reveal the presence of any cyst formation which is always a direct cause of PCOS.
Considering all the tests results, the doctor rules out other diseases with similar symptoms and finally gives a verdict.
Did you know?
Although the name Polycystic Ovary Syndrome comes from the small cysts that are formed in the ovaries of women with the syndrome, PCOS is also found in women without any such cyst condition. ”
Can polycystic ovary syndrome be treated?
The basic way to treat PCOS is to keep a check on the other factors that lead to PCOS. You can adopt a healthy lifestyle and maintain a checklist to fight the syndrome.
The two basic causes of PCOS are ignorance and inability to sustain a healthy lifestyle. It can surely be eliminated by following an apt diet plan and a few regular workouts.
PCOS doesn’t have a cure as such. But the hormone levels can be surely lowered and maintained. A basic treatment or maintenance plan for PCOS involves the following.
5 Treatments for irregular periods
1. Fertility treatments.
2. Maintaining weight.
3. Adopting a healthy diet.
4. Working out on a regular basis.
5. Cholesterol-lowering medications.
The most important drawback about PCOS is that it goes unnoticed. Working women are always with packed schedules for which they try to ignore the symptoms that they have been showing.
This results in the persistence of the syndrome without any treatment.
Have a chat with our nutritionists to discuss and understand the different facets of PCOS Management Through Possible Program
How to Combat Stress?
The battle against PCOS can be won once you know how to combat stress. Here are a few tips to fight stress:
1] Have a proper diet:
First and foremost, you have to follow a diet that is suitable for you. PCOS women show a deficiency in vitamin D. So try having vitamin D supplements like fatty fish, tuna, egg yolks etc. which also improves menstruation and insulin resistance.
Again, most working women ignore eating right, which may result in chronic calorie deficiency. This deficiency can increase the level of stress hormones in your body. So, make sure you are eating as per your calorie requirement.
2] Physical exercises:
We all know the importance of physical exercises. Stress can be tackled well if you are physically fit and active.
So go for some strength training 2-3 times every week, natural exercises like walking or jogging 2-3 time every week, and go for shorter cardio sessions. Interval training is found to work better for PCOS.
3] Sleeping right:
Early to bed and early to rise is definitely something you should follow. Getting proper sleep is undeniably the best thing to stay healthy and stress-free. And this helps to fight PCOS in a great way.
4] Meditation:
One of the most common ways to manage stress is to meditate. Since you don’t really have control over your stress, at least try balancing it with some meditation or yoga. Meditating regularly can give you better results.
Did you know?
PCOS genes are also carried by the male members. And they have the ability to pass on these genes to their offsprings.
PCOS is a problem, which although has always been there in our gene pool, is now rearing its ugly head in a big way.
The reasons are obviously our difficult lifestyles, poor food choices and lack of time for being physically active.
These all sum up and causes hormonal disparities in women and that makes them develop not only PCOS but a hell lot of other issues along with it.
So the catch here would be to understand your body and to be alert to the symptoms that it could be showing. And if there is PCOS, you can always go for the controlling factors.
Remember you are not just a woman but a Superwoman and you got to find time for your own well being.
Let this International Women’s Day be all about fighting the odds and make ourselves survive better and healthier!
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