Polycystic ovary syndrome is one of the most common hormonal disorders among women in reproductive age. We are talking about multitude of small cysts that can usually be found on the edges of the ovary. It is still unknown how and why polycystic ovaries appear but it is considered that the hormonal changes are one of the main reasons for that.
One of the causes of development of polycystic ovary syndrome is the excessive amount of androgen hormones produced by adrenal glands and ovaries. These androgen hormones are closely related with estrogen. Many women during their adolescence period are suffering from polycystic ovaries which is manifested with prolonged and irregular menstrual cycles, overweight, acnes, unusual bodily hair growth etc. However it is good to know that there are many women who never or rarely experience periods of troubles with polycystic ovaries. There are also women who never had problems with such ovaries when they were young, but started to develop this syndrome later.
There are two most noticeable symptoms of this syndrome. The first symptom is a disrupted menstrual cycle. Polycystic ovaries can cause menstrual cycle to last longer than 30 days but it can also make it disappear. Another symptom is hair growth on unusual places for women – their chin for example and overall excessive body hair growth. The reason for this is the higher amount of androgen hormones like testosterone.
No matter what symptoms you might notice you should definitely perform a gynecological examination. Early diagnosis of this syndrome means that you will be able to deal with it more easily. If you start treating this syndrome later you might suffer from some permanent damages.
So what exactly causes these polycystic ovaries? There are many causes and some of them include: taking excessive amounts of insulin (it can increase the level of androgen hormones), abnormal fetal development, hereditary characteristics (there is a high possibility to develop polycystic ovary syndrome if your mother or grandmother had it too), smoldering inflammation (bad diet and bad lifestyle can trigger inflammations and protection from white cells which deplete the body) and more.
Besides these causes, polycystic ovary syndrome is linked with few medical issues such as: diabetes, high level of cholesterol and lipids, high blood pressure, insomnia, excessive amount of C-reactive protein, excessive bleeding during the menstrual period, endometrial cancer caused by exposure to large amounts of estrogen, gestational diabetes etc.
All these medical problems should be taken seriously no matter if they are directly or indirectly linked with polycystic ovary syndrome. Make sure you consult your doctor and certain specialists. Gynecologist will certainly know how to advise you about polycystic ovary syndrome. They can give you several treatment options like – regulation of menstrual cycle with birth control pills, help with ovulation with anti-estrogen medications or hormonal injections, help with hair growth problem with certain contraceptive pills etc. In most serious cases, a surgery is the most helpful solution. The procedure is called laparoscopic surgery of ovaries that will help women to ovulate and conceive.