PCOS is often thought of as a reproductive health issue. While that’s true, it reaches well beyond reproduction to affect your whole-person health and wellness.
Daniel Rostein, MD, FACOG, understands PCOS and the problems it causes. As a leading OB/GYN with extensive experience in the diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of PCOS, he can help you understand your condition better. Here’s what you need to know about the different ways it can affect your body.
PCOS causes disruptive whole-body symptoms for as many as 5-6 million women today: that’s up to 10% of all childbearing-aged women in the country. The three main areas that PCOS impacts include:
Women with PCOS have high androgen levels. Although often referred to as male hormones, women produce androgens, too.
In PCOS, the high androgen levels produce symptoms like male pattern hair growth (on the chin, beard, and other areas), weight gain, acne breakouts, and thinning hair on the head.
Just as high androgens cause disruptive physical issues, they can lead to serious reproductive problems. High androgen levels can inhibit the normal development and release of eggs during your menstrual cycle.
Without normal ovulation, you’re not able to get pregnant. PCOS is the most common cause of ovulation issues and among the leading causes of female infertility today.
PCOS can also cause insulin resistance, in which your pancreas makes insulin but your body doesn’t respond like it should. The pancreas starts making more and more insulin in response.
This excess insulin can lead to Type 2 diabetes and associated issues like heart disease, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea. About 4 in 10 women with PCOS develop diabetes by the age of 40, and if you become pregnant with PCOS you need close monitoring because you have a higher risk of gestational diabetes.
PCOS affects your whole body, so it usually requires a multipart treatment plan. Core practices to help manage PCOS symptoms include regular exercise, limiting dietary sugars, avoiding processed foods, and taking additional steps to manage your blood sugar.
You might need androgen-lowering medications or fertility medications if you’re trying to conceive. If you struggle with infertility, Dr. Daniel Rostein, can help.
As a renowned infertility specialist with three decades of experience in PCOS treatment, Dr. Rostein can help you restore your ovulation cycles and, where necessary, become a parent through advanced methods like in vitro fertilization.
Dr. Rostein and our team of compassionate experts can work hand-in-hand with you to develop a treatment plan that can shift and change as your stage of life does. To learn more about how to manage your PCOS, call our office or contact us online today.
