The experts of the blog “Health and Prevention” analyze in a new post the polycystic ovarian syndrome, a frequent problem due to alterations in the menstrual cycle but which has effective treatments.
A woman of childbearing age experiences a series of changes in her body every month that prepare her for a possible pregnancy. It is the menstrual cycle. During this period ovulation occurs, when one of the ovaries releases an egg to be fertilized.
At the same time, the hormonal changes that occur prepare the uterus for a possible pregnancy. If the egg is not fertilized, the tissue that lines the uterus is expelled; is the menstrual period.
With some frequency, young women and adolescents can suffer an imbalance in the ovaries characterized by menstrual irregularities, lack of ovulation and excess of male hormones (androgens) and estrogens, a clinical picture known as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
This syndrome is related to changes in the levels of estrogens, progesterone, the female hormones that help release eggs, and androgens, such as testosterone, the male hormone found in small amounts in women.
When this happens, the mature eggs are not released and remain in the ovaries creating small cysts.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome can cause, in addition to the development of ovarian cysts, acne, increased hair on the face, chest or suprapubic part, areas more common in men, as well as alopecia, overweight and obesity. However, not all women experience these characteristic symptoms.
He Dr. Gonzalo Martín Peña, specialist in Endocrinology and Nutrition at Hospital Ruber Internacional, explains that “the presence of hirsutism, acne or alopecia occurs in only two thirds of women, as do ovulation disorders, and only one third present obesity; therefore, only a third of the women with this clinical picture present all the symptoms”.
In addition, the increase in male hormones and the presence of ovarian cysts in some patients resolve spontaneously.
However, “in the long term it can cause infertility, gestational diabetes, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, elevated triglycerides or increased cardiovascular risk and endometrial cancer, although in these last two cases the association is not evident,” adds the specialist.
The exact cause of this syndrome is unknown, but there are factors that can influence it, such as excess insulin.
This hormone is produced in the pancreas and allows cells to use sugar, the body’s main source of energy. If the cells become resistant to this hormone, the blood glucose level can increase and the pancreas produces more insulin, an excess that increases the production of male hormones by the ovaries, which causes problems with ovulation.
“Insulin elevation contributes to the lack of ovulation, enhances the production of male hormones by the ovary and promotes weight gain and obesity which, in turn, enhances insulin resistance and all the disorders of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome” , points out Dr. Martín Peña.
Also, he adds, it is more common in daughters of women with PCOS or polycystic ovaries and in daughters of parents with obesity, diabetes or hypertension.
It is important to see a doctor when, a couple of years after the first period, you have constant menstrual irregularities, increased hair, persistent acne, obesity, or darkening and thickening of the skin in the armpits or upper back.
Diagnosis requires, in some cases, ovarian ultrasound and certain analytical tests to assess ovarian and adrenal hormone secretion, and thus rule out other endocrine diseases that can reproduce the same symptoms as PCOS.
How to treat polycystic ovary syndrome
The treatment, once the problem is diagnosed, is oral anovulatory or contraceptive pills, which prevent ovulation and pregnancy.
This treatment improves symptoms, regulates menstrual cycles, acne and excess body hair, and the result can be effective in about three months of treatment.
In obese patients, the doctor will advise weight loss with a low-calorie diet and moderate physical activity.
Regarding drug treatment, the endocrinologist may also recommend metformin, an oral medication for type 2 diabetes that improves insulin resistance and reduces its levels in the body.
In addition, “it improves the regularity of the cycles, ovulation and is an important aid for weight loss, but it has little effect on acne or hirsutism,” says Dr. Gonzalo Martín Peña.