Women are very delicate individuals. From their personalities, moods, skills, and down to their body. Women are beautiful creations in this world, they are the epitome of beauty. Most women are concerned with their faces especially their body figures. Most women wanted to stay young and sexy, however, some are doubled in size.

Though as what the generation today said that, “Chubby is the new Sexy”, it doesn't mean that you should not care about your health. I do not mean anything to offend anyone, but there are some reasons why other women are big. And you should never judge if you don't understand.

And as a woman, I am as concerned about my fellow ladies too. Let me share with you this experience with my cousin and me, two years ago. This gives me an idea of why some ladies became can't lose some pounds and get their desired body shape.

I have this cousin of mine, I'll just hide her name for her privacy. She complained about her cramps on her abdomen and she told me that her period hasn't come for months. I first suspected that she was probably pregnant. I bought her two pregnancy test kits and the results were negative. I asked her if how does she feel. She said she's suffering from mild abdominal cramps for how many days and she told me that she has irregular periods since before. I was worried about her, she's like a sister to me. I also noticed that she gained too much weight, and she already weighs 90 kilograms which is not good and normal.

I said and insisted that she should get herself checked by a doctor. She was hesitant. first. due to the money needed for her check-up. That's why I asked my “sis” or co-mommies in a Facebook group.

I asked my co-mommies if they know how much will be the cost of the check-ups for PCOS. I just put there that I'm helping a friend to hide my cousin's identity.

I accompanied her to our family's ob-gyn and she was told by the doctor that she was obese, and aside from being obese, she might have a PCOS. We're both in a state of shock and ran questions in our minds. The doctor explained it to us, PCOS is caused by hormonal imbalance. She was advised to have a healthy diet and avoid eating too many carbs and sodas. The doctor asked her to have an ultrasound to check if there are unusual going on in her body.

I still accompanied her to her ultrasound, and the sonologist did the pelvic ultrasound (common ultrasound especially in pregnant women). The sonologist asked some questions about her and she said everything that she's experiencing. After hearing her concerns, the sonologist insisted to do a transvaginal ultrasound (an ultrasound performed inserting a scope into the vaginal canal). The sonologist said that transvaginal is more accurate and he can easily identify certain health issues. But something terrible happened, the trans-v ultrasound wasn't successful. She felt uncomfortable and can't endure the pain during the process.

After that incident, I told her to start a healthy lifestyle as soon as possible. But it's just sad that we didn't know if she has a PCOS, her pelvic ultrasound was fine, however, she's still worried about her unsuccessful trans-v. Now she is trying her best to reduce her caffeine and sugar intake, and lessen the foods she consumes. But it is easy said than done. It was two years ago when she started her lifestyle changes, yet she's still chubby today. And I suspect that she does have a PCOS as what her OB told her.

But have you ever heard of this word?

Some women didn't know or notice that they might have a PCOS.

What is PCOS

PCOS or Polycystic ovary syndrome is a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age. The hormonal imbalance creates problems in the ovaries. The ovaries make the egg that is released each month as part of a healthy menstrual cycle. Women with PCOS generate higher-than-normal quantities of male hormones. This hormone imbalance causes them to miss menstrual periods and makes it difficult for them to get pregnant.

PCOS is a “syndrome,” or group of symptoms that affects the ovaries and ovulation.

Its three main features are:

cysts in the ovaries

high levels of male hormones

irregular or skipped periods

What causes it?

Upon my research before, I found out that even the doctors don’t know specifically what results in PCOS. They believe that high levels of male hormones prohibit the ovaries from generating hormones and making eggs naturally. However, the genes, insulin resistance, and inflammation have all been correlated to extra androgen production.

Symptoms of PCOS

Some women start noticing symptoms around the time of their first period. Others only find out that they have PCOS after they’ve increased a lot of weight or they’ve had difficulty getting pregnant. In my cousin's case, she was already huge when we were still young, and when she got her first period it was already irregular.

Irregular Periods. This was the first and foremost symptom of PCOS. Some women with PCOS get fewer than eight periods a year. In my cousin's case, she only got her periods thrice or four times in the whole year of 2018. This happens when a lack of ovulation prevents the uterine lining from shedding every month.

Heavy Bleeding. The uterine lining grows for a longer period, so the periods you do get can be heavier than normal.

And I saw some women diagnosed with PCOS experienced some blood clumps on their periods. The clumps look like a small fetus, and sometimes it was big as a chicken liver. My cousin experienced it too.

Hair Growth. Though it may look weird for a woman to have hair on her legs and have a mustache, this is one of the symptoms of having PCOS. More than 70 percent of women with this disorder grow hair on their face and body including on their back, belly, and chest.

Acne. Some acnes are completely normal, nevertheless, this is one of the indications of PCOS in women. Male hormones can make the skin oilier than usual and affect breakouts on areas like the face, chest, and upper back.

Weight Gain. This is one of the most noticeable symptoms of PCOS. Women with this condition have a hard time losing their weight. And about 80 percent of women with PCOS are overweight or obese.

Male-pattern Baldness. Some women with PCOS experience this, their hair on the scalp gets thinner and fall out just like in males.

Darkening of the Skin. This one is noticeable too. Dark patches of skin can form in body creases like those on the neck, in the groin, and under the breasts.

Headaches. It can trigger headaches in some women due to changes in hormones.

How it affects your Body

Having higher androgen than normal levels can impact your fertility and other aspects of your health.

Infertility

Women who don’t ovulate regularly don’t release as many eggs to be fertilized. PCOS is one of the leading causes of infertility in women.

However, some women still bear a child even they have PCOS, but most cases have difficulties in having one.

Metabolic syndrome

Most women with PCOS are fat, not just fat but some are obese, and both obesity and PCOS heighten your risk for high blood sugar, high blood pressure, low HDL “good” cholesterol, and high LDL “bad” cholesterol. These circumstances are called metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Sleep apnea

This is a sleeping disorder and I have mentioned this in my previous article “What's Your Sleep Problem?”. This disorder causes repeated pauses in breathing during the night, which interrupts sleep. And this is more common in women who are overweight especially if they have PCOS.

Endometrial cancer

As PCOS can affect your monthly period, and you don’t ovulate every month, the lining can build up. As a result, the lining will be thickened and it has a higher risk for endometrial cancer.

Depression

Overall, the symptoms can negatively impact your emotions. From hormonal changes and unwanted hair growth. I saw many with PCOS end up encountering depression and anxiety.

Diagnosis

Doctors diagnose PCOS if women have at least two of three main symptoms — high androgen levels, irregular periods, and cysts in the ovaries.

Confirming the diagnosis needs either pelvic exam, blood tests, and ultrasound.

In my cousin's case, she undergoes a pelvic ultrasound and had her results completely fine. However, she was asked to do another ultrasound but this time it was a transvaginal ultrasound.

Do PCOS have a Cure?

Unfortunately, there is no cure for PCOS yet, but overweight and obese women can help stabilize their hormone levels by losing weight. Polycystic ovary syndrome is a lifelong condition, but it can be treated in different ways.

My cousin's OB offered her pills. With the help of this birth control, taking estrogen and progestin daily can refurbish a normal hormone balance regulate ovulation, reduce symptoms like excess hair growth, and retain against endometrial cancer. However, the best way to treat this condition starts with lifestyle changes like weight loss, diet, and exercise. There are some foods to avoid if you decided to start your healthy diet against PCOS. Avoid foods high in refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and muffins, sugary snacks, and drinks. Also inflammatory foods, such as processed and red meats. Exercise is even more beneficial when combined with a healthy diet.

Having PCOS doesn't mean that your life is over. There are a lot of things you can do to maintain yourself healthy and minimize your risk of acquiring complications later in life. This can be a challenging condition and having good support from someone or somebody is essential. That's why I never left my cousin alone in facing this possibility. It is best to take care of yourself, with PCOS or not.

Now, if you see a big lady on the road and she's looking very fine, you may never know that she's suffering from PCOS. For women sufferers from infertility and other symptoms, we can never know their battles. That's why we should never judge if we don't understand.

🥀 @eommaZel ✍🏻☕

Source:

https://www.healthline.com/health/polycystic-ovary-disease#pregnancy-and-pcos

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