Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS is a common hormonal system disorder occurring in women of reproductive age. It is actually the most commo hormonal disorder in women between the ages of 18 and 44. An estimated 5-10% of women of this age group are affected by this problem.

What is Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS

It is also referred to as Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease or PCOD. Another name for the disorder is Stein-Leventhal syndrome.  This name comes from the two American gynaecologists Irvin F Stein and Michael L Leventhal, who first described this condition way back in 1935. PCOS means a particual set of symptoms that occur when there is a hormonal imbalance in a woman. This set of symptoms include late or no periods, heavy bleeding during periods, growth of facial hair, acne, weight gain, pain in the pelvic region and difficulty in conception or getting pregnant.

Most of the patients having PCOS are seen to have cysts in their ovaries. These cysts cause some hormonal disturbances. The hormonal system of human beings is so designed by nature that one hormone triggers the release of another hormone and so on. Therefore deficiency or excess of a particular hormone can cause imbalance in many other hormones too.

In PCOS, the levels of androgen are raised more than the normal limits. Androgens are the male hormones. They are present in small quantities in normal females. When the levels increase, these can cause disturbance in menstrual periods and cause delayed menses. The normal ovulation cycle also gets disturbed and ovulation gets delayed or does not happen at all. Facial hair and hair on other parts of the body start appearing in females which are otherwise not present.

Causes of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS causes

The exact cause of PCOS is not known. It has been observed that it tends to run in families. This does not mean that you will necessarily have it if your mother or sister or grandmother had it. But this means that the chances of you having it increase if someone in your family had it. Obesity or being overweight is also another predisposing factor in the presence of PCOS. This means that if you are obese or overweight, your chances of developing PCOS are higher than those with normal weight. It has also been observed that the situation improves when you lose weight. The condition tends to reverse with loss of weight. Therefore all patients who have PCOS are advised to lose weight and exercise regularly. Presence of diabetes or insulin resistance is also known to induce PCOS.

Symptoms of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS symptoms

The symptoms associated with PCOS often start early after menarche. They may not be immediately noticeable to the full extent. Most of the time, the symptoms get noticed after a spurt of weight gain. In other cases, the symptoms start later in life or may again be noticed after substantial weight gain. The common symptoms associated with PCOS are as follows-

• Irregular menses – The menstrual cycle gets disturbed. There is the possibility of periods being delayed or no periods at all for months. There may be pain during menses and also periods are likely to be heavy and erratic.
• Excess of male hormones – The increase in androgens or male hormones lead to other physcial signs like growth of facial hair and other parts of the body like arms, legs, chest, abdomen and fingers. At the same time there may be loss of hair from the scalp. The skin becomes a little rougher or thicker. Acne on the face, shoulders and back is also commonly seen.
• Cysts in the ovaries – On ultrasound examination, ovaries are often found to be having multiple cysts.
• Obesity- There is tendency towards central obesity, which means that one tends to gain weight around the abdomen.
• Fertility issues – At times PCOS also interferes with your ability to get pregnant and carry the pregnancy normally.
• Skin discolorations – At times there is discoloration of the skin

Complications of Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease or PCOS

Those suffering from this condition are also at higher risk of developing some conditions. Some of the conditions that are likely to develop in untreated PCOS, more so in obese patients are as follows-

• Type 2 Diabetes – Patients with untreated PCOS are quite likely to develop diabetes. As one knows it well, diabetes has its own complications and can adversely affect the quality of life of an individual. A diabetic patient is always at risk of developing cardiac problems, chronic renal failure, hypertension, eye problems and so many other infections.
• Raised cholesterol levels – The lipids are likely to be on the higher side. This includes HDL, LDL, VLDL and triglycerides. Increased lipids expose one to cardiac as well as other vascular disorders like stroke.
• Metabolic Syndrome- Central obesity, increased insulin levels or insulin resistance are seen.
• Infertility – A common complication is the inability to conceive. In some cases, patients do manage to conceive but are unable to carry the pregnancy. This results in miscarriages.
• Depression – Psychological problems like feeling of sadness and depression are also common problems that occur with PCOS.
• Cancer- Uterine cancer may also occur in some patients and PCOS patients are at an increased risk for the same.
• Sleep Apnoea – Disturbance in respiration or breathing during sleep is also seen in some patients.

Homeopathy for PCOS is the best alternative PCOS treatment

The conventional system of medicine hardly has any cure for PCOS. Their focus remains on treating the visible and most troublesome signs and symptoms. The cause is left untreated. When it comes to alternative systems or complementary treatments for PCOS, Homeopathy offers the best alternative. This is because Homeopathy focuses on treating and curing the root cause of the problem. The Homeopathic philosophy of disease is not based on the external causes of diseases. Homeopathy believes that the human body has been perfectly enabled by nature to keep itself disease free. It is only when the immunity or its own internal vitality is deranged that the body becomes incapable of keeping itself disease free. Therefore Homeopathy tries to restore the balance of that vitality. Once the vitality regains its original balance, it is able to nurse itself back to health without any external aid. That is why homeopathic medicines are given in very minute doses. Homeopathic medicines like Apis, Pulsatilla, Sepia, Lachesis and Graphites are often used in the treatment of PCOS

 Get in touch with our homeopathic doctors to know how homeopathy can cure your problem.

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