The Definite Guide to PCOD/PCOS- Every Woman Should Know

Last updated on September 26th, 2023 at 01:05 pm

PCOD/PCOS means Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a very common condition in women.

Around 5% to 10% of women of 12-45 years age group.

This problem happens when women’s hormones are out of balance.

Which further causes issues with the menstrual period.

Conceiving becomes difficult.

Problems like irregular periods, acne, and hirsutism happen when PCOD occurs.

This condition needs to be treated or it can lead to insulin resistance, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, and heart disease.

The ovaries make female sex hormones and some amount of male sex hormones.

These regulate the normal development of eggs in female ovaries during each menstrual cycle.

Why it Happens:

The reason for PCOD is still unknown.

PCOD has associations with low-grade inflammation, excess insulin, the male hormone production.

Genetic connection, unhealthy lifestyle, early age of menarche, pollution contribute to rising causes of PCOD.

Let us focus more on the fact.

Even a lean person with clear skin can have PCOD.

This is because an endocrine disorder affecting several body systems.

Though the main pathology behind the disease is hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance.

Insulin regulates sugar in the human body.

The cells become unable to respond to the action of insulin in transporting glucose from the bloodstream into muscle and other tissues.

The pancreas produces more amount of insulin to combat the high sugars.

Diet for PCOD/PCOS:

Processed, refined foods like white flour, bread, sugar, pasta are some of the foods that are to be avoided.

Whole gluten-free grains like oatmeal, millet, brown rice are recommended for people having PCOD/PCOS.

Foods that are high in fiber are good for these people.

Fiber slows down digestion.

It is effective in combating insulin resistance.

Drink more water.

You should drink at least 2 liters of water every day.

Citrus fruits mint, cucumber, berries are good to eat.

But foods made with refined sugar, corn syrup, artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, trans-fats, and high saturated fat are not recommended.

You can eat packaged food with natural ingredients.

Products with long ingredients are usually highly processed.

If you have PCOD/PCOS, try to limit your alcohol consumption.

It must not be done daily.

A glass of red wine is fine once in a while, but not more than that.

Try to have meals every 3-4 hours so that you can avoid spikes in blood sugar.

Try balancing carbs and proteins in the food items you intake daily.

Combine lean protein and complex carb at meals.

For example, a slice of turkey and some handful of nuts, a banana, yogurt, and some cheese.

A healthy choice of snacks and food brings improvement to your health condition. 

Caution:

We must understand that PCOS is a disease that has to be treated with delicate steps. 

At times the problem can fade away.

Researchers are yet to discover particular medicine.

Many of our PCOS patients can manage the symptoms.

Lifestyle, diet style controls many things like fertility, energy level, mental health.

Symptoms of PCOD/PCOS:

It may take months and years for women to find that they have PCOD/PCOS.

Sometimes symptoms are clear and sometimes they are not.

Sometimes having oily skin more than usual is a sign of PCOD.

Signs are prominent if oily skin develops acne.

Hair growth in unusual areas like face, neck, thumbs, toes (doctors call it hirsutism), women with PCOD might face thinning hair on the head.

And if they are in their middle age, it happens more.

If you spot thick, dark patches under the arms, back, neck, and groin area,  it can be a sign of PCOD.

This condition is called acanthosis nigricans.

PCOD gives us the problem of drowsiness.

It feels tired and sleepy all the time.

Also, people struggle to fall asleep.

You do not feel fresh even after a long sleep.

The surging hormones that cause PCOS, may give headaches.

Heavy swing in the menstrual cycle happens due to PCOD.

It includes heavy bleeding and frequent periods.

The irregular period may cause trouble in pregnancy.

Half of the women gain extra weight due to PCOD.

They struggle with gained weight.

Coming back in shape is not easy for a woman who is having PCOD.

PCOD symptoms do more harm for people with overweight.

What Causes PCOD/PCOS:

Overweight women and women whose mothers also have the same problem or type 2 diabetes are tend to get PCOS.

Hence she can get it from her heredity.

One’s lifestyle may have a big impact on this matter.

The insulin resistance of a person depends on her lifestyle and also in families.

Losing weight can help to prevent PCOD no matter what causes insulin resistance.

• High level of androgens:

Androgens are basically the male hormones present in the female body.

Androgens control male trait development (like male pattern baldness).

Women with PCOD get more androgens than normal.

Higher than normal androgen levels in women can prevent women’s ovaries from releasing eggs (ovulation) during every menstrual cycle.

It can cause more hair growth and acne.

• High level of insulin:

Insulin is the hormone that controls converting food into energy.

Insulin resistance is when the body’s cells do not respond normally to insulin.

Because of this, our insulin blood levels become higher than usual.

There are many women with PCOS who have insulin resistance.

It can lead to type 2 diabetes over time especially in women with overweight.

How to Prevent Problems of PCOD During Pregnancy:

PCOD makes it difficult to have issues for a woman.

If she gets pregnant, she needs to be extra careful during the vital 10 months.

It is always better to reach a healthy weight before planning for a baby.

Women’s blood sugar level is another matter that needs to be checked.

Reaching healthy blood sugar levels is so crucial before getting pregnant.

A combination of healthy food habits, regular exercise, the weight-loss activity would do a great job.

Consult doctors regarding your need for folic acid. 

Solutions:

Metformin is often used to treat type 2 diabetes.

Metformin may help with PCOS symptoms.

It improves insulin’s ability to lower blood sugar.

It can lower both insulin and androgen levels.

After a few months of usage, this helps restart ovulation.

Though it usually has some effects on facial hair and pimples.

If you have obesity, a planned diet and daily workout can help you to lose weight.

Keep yourself active may improve a clear and regular period and improve your fertility.

For those who want to have kids, IVF can be an option if the medicine does not work.

In this process, a woman’s egg and a man’s sperm are fertilized in a laboratory.

Then it is placed in the uterus.

IVF has a higher pregnancy rate than medicine alone.

Surgery is an option when no other option works.

The cortex of the ovaries is thickened in women due to PCOS.

It is thought to play role in preventing spontaneous ovulation.

In ovarian drilling surgery, doctors make a few holes in the ovaries’ surface using a fine electrical needle.

Surgery restores ovulation for 6-8 months.

Difference Between PCOD and PCOS:

There is some difference between PCOD and PCOS.

PCOS is the syndrome and PCOD is the disease.

This causes the formation of follicle cysts in the ovaries.

It makes excessive secretion of androgen, which causes several changes in the female’s body.

PCOD is the condition where the ovaries contain many immature and partially mature eggs.

The eggs turn into cysts.

Overweight body, stressfulness, hormonal imbalance, junk food give birth to this condition. 

The ovaries usually get enlarged and secrete large amounts of androgens that cause havoc with the woman’s fertility and her body.  

PCOS is a kind of metabolic disorder more severe than PCOD.

In this case, a bigger quantity of male hormones is produced in the ovaries.

This leads to forming more than 10 follicular cysts every month in a woman’s ovary.

Thus it stops the release of eggs leading to anovulation.

In PCOS several cysts start growing on both the ovaries of a female body.

They are made out of immature eggs and usually large.

This cause problem to girls while having periods.

Periods are either irregular or get stopped.

This can be identified in the girl’s first period itself.

PCOD has similar implications on a woman’s ovary.

They are minor in nature.

In PCOD periods happens normally, just gets delayed sometimes.

It can be identified when women of childbearing age are not able to conceive.

Deal With the Problem Positively:

What to take:

A well-balanced diet is to be followed for hormonal balance.

You can add whole-grain foods, leafy green vegetables, healthy fats, fresh fruits to your regular diet.

Sugar and caffeine intake should be nominal for PCOD/PCOS patients.

PCOS increases the insulin level in human blood.

It leaves dark patches ( acanthosis nigricans) on the skin.

It is advised to take fenugreek soaked water daily in the morning to stabilize the insulin level. 

Bloating is one of the health hazards PCOS comes with.

Drinking a lot of water to keep yourself hydrated.

Foods that are rich in sodium, tend to increase water retention.

Avoid them.

Especially at night. 

An iron riched diet is good.

Women with the mentioned problem get excessive bleeding during periods.

This may cause anemia or iron deficiency.

So iron-enriched foods like broccoli, eggs, spinach are recommended to take.

Flushing out your toxin regularly is crucial.

An increased level of insulin creates higher levels of androgen hormone in the body.

Androgen hormones cause irregular periods.

Detox drinks like green tea, basil tea, ashwagandha tea, etc.

These will help you to maintain estrogen levels and keeps the menstrual cycle regular.

So detox your body regularly.

Do not take much stress.

Over-stressing contributes to hormonal imbalance.

It influences PCOS symptoms.

Try to practice yoga, aerobic dance, meditation, etc to manage your stress level.

Having sound sleep of 7-8 hours daily at night is required.

It will soothe the nerves and restore energy. 

There is no such permanent or instant solution for PCOS.

However, adopting a healthy lifestyle is beneficial.

Consult your doctors.

Keep a regular blood test.

Conclusion:

So these are some researched guides to PCOD/PCOS.

Here in this article, we tried to find some cure to the mentioned problem.

So that it may become useful to the people struggling with PCOD/PCOS.

If the article enriches your understanding of the above topic, the purpose of writing would be fulfilled.

We hope you have enjoyed reading.

Finally, let us know what do you think about this article on The Definite Guide to PCOD/PCOS.

by a quick comment below in the comment box.

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