Tag: PCOS

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PCOS Affects 60% of Women in the 25-34 Age Group

Irregular periods with scanty flow were experienced by 76% of women. Nearly half of women resort to using fewer than 5 pads throughout their entire period cycle; whereas a healthy menstrual flow requires the use of a minimum of 10 to 12 pads per cycle…reports Asian Lite News

In a recent groundbreaking endeavour, Gynoveda.com, the World’s first Ayurveda FemTech brand, conducted India’s largest Period Health Study. The survey saw responses from over 3 lakh women across the country in the age bracket of 18 to 45 years, who were categorised into 3 groups based on prevalence, severity and bodily changes. The first group included  women with Menstrual Disorders, which constituted a staggering 70% of total respondents. The second group noted women with Vaginal Disorders (26%) who had challenges concerning their vaginal well-being, which encompassed discomfort, infections, or irregularities affecting their overall vaginal health and quality of life. The third group included a total of 4% of the respondents who face no disorders.

The Pan India survey highlights findings based on age and incidence of PCOS, its prevalence, other disorders including irregular periods, pain severity during periods, and the observed bodily changes faced among the respondents.

Deep Diving into the key findings from the report:

Age Group and Incidences of PCOS

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) isn’t bound by age — it’s a disorder that affects women across their journey. As per the survey, 60% of women in the age group of 25 to 34 have PCOS. What came out very glaringly was that 51% of women in the less than 24 yrs age group have PCOS. However, what makes this more worrisome is the fact that PCOS affects women’s fertility to a great extent. As per detailed research by the National Institute of Health (Government of India), the prevalence of infertility in women with PCOS varies between 70% to 80%.

Prevalence of PCOS and Other Hormonal Disorders

PCOS is not the only gynaecological disorder wreaking havoc on the women of our country; the data suggests that whilst 54% of women suffered from PCOS, the second leading menstrual disorder is PID, affecting 17% of the female population. Furthermore, 9% suffered from Candidiasis, 5% from Fibroid & 1% from Endometrial Hyperplasia.

Irregularity and Pain Severity During Periods

When surveyed regarding pain during the menstrual cycle, over 83% of Indian women have periods that are painful, which compels them to consume painkillers every month. 58% complained about mild and bearable pain, 25% complained about severe pain and only 17% reported no pain during the course of their periods.

Irregular periods with scanty flow were experienced by 76% of women. Nearly half of women resort to using fewer than 5 pads throughout their entire period cycle; whereas a healthy menstrual flow requires the use of a minimum of 10 to 12 pads per cycle.

Major Body Changes Faced by Women with PCOS

While dealing with PCOS, women also go through major body issues. Excessive weight gain was observed in 60% of women, closely followed by facial hair growth (Hirsutism) noted to be in 59% of women. Skin issues like Acne were observed in 55% of the women whereas pigmentation and other hormonal skin issues were seen in 51% of respondents. Due to certain defined health and beauty standards in society, these issues become a cause of mental and emotional distress in them.

Rachana Gupta, Co-founder at Gynoveda, who led the research opines, “The strategically designed period test complemented by the insights from doctors, customers, and respondents ensures accuracy and efficacy. By utilising the insights from this test and combining with Ayurvedic formulations and doctor support, Gynoveda has remarkably impacted over 200,000 lives in just 3 years since its inception and aims to continue the exceptional community work.”

Dr Aarati Patil, Chief Ayurveda Gynecologist at Gynoveda, shares that, “Ayurveda considers PCOS as Kapha disorder. Faulty diet and lifestyle habits like lack of exercise, day sleeping, including more sugar, fast food, junk food, and packaged food in the diet lead to excessive Kapha production. Excessive kapha affects digestion and poor digestion gives rise to AMA which can be considered as sticky toxins that block the channels in the ovary. These blockages affect the egg growth and that is how PCOS pathology starts as per Ayurveda.”

At the heart of Gynoveda’s mission lies the empowerment of women, embarking on a transformative journey to combat PCOS. This pivotal mission embarks with an intricate exploration into the multifaceted challenges these women encounter, illuminating a path toward comprehensive well-being. Guided by symptom mapping, Gynoveda ushers in a paradigm shift, steering away from conventional norms towards sustainable, nature-inspired period health.

ALSO READ-How PCOS affects your glowing skin?

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How PCOS affects your glowing skin?

Females with persistent acne since teens or with acne presenting for the first time after 25 must be evaluated for PCOS…writes Puja Gupta.

PCOS is a common very among women in the modern period. It is a complex disorder or rather a spectral disorder with no uniform clinic or laboratory diagnostic criteria. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common hormonal disturbances affecting women all over the world.

Dr. Vidushi Jain, Dermatologist Trichologist, Medical head of Dermalinks says: “It has an unknown etiology and is recognized as a heterogeneous disorder that results in overproduction of male hormone primarily from the ovary, and is associated with insulin resistance.”

The journey, the struggles and the treatment approach to each patient is different. As contrary to the popular belief, the manifestations are more severe in obese individuals with pcos but there is another phenotype known as lean PCOS.

Also Read-‘Period education is must for girls

“PCOS women can be sub grouped based on clinical features suggestive of endocrinological malfunctions and can be investigated accordingly for selection of appropriate treatment modalities,” the doctor points out.

“The cornerstone to PCOS pathology is insulin resistance meaning that the body doesn’t respond normally to insulin and thereby increasing insulin secretion from pancreas, which triggers inflammation and weight gain. High insulin level is both diagnostic criteria and also the underlying physiological driver. High insulin causes anovulation and also promotes testosterone secretion from ovaries (hyper androgenism).”

Dr Jain adds: “The skin features in PCOS sometimes present earlier as compared to irregular periods or investigations for infertility and a high degree of suspicion can help in early detection and prevention of disease progression.”

She further explains:

1. Acanthosis nigricans is a skin disorder characterised by darkening and thickening of the skin, occurring mainly in the folds of the skin in the armpit (axilla), groin and back of the neck. Often treated as dirt, this condition is synonymous with insulin resistance and obesity. Sometimes it can be drug and malignancy induced too. The treatment approach is weight reduction and decreasing the insulin resistance with low glycemic diet and regular workouts. Skin lightening agents like retinoids, glycolic acid and treatments like TCA peels also play a role in cosmetic improvement.

2. Hirsutism or unwanted facial hair is a result of hyperandrogenism or excess male hormone secretion. Mostly affects chin, sidelocks, chest, thighs and even the nipple area . Treatment needs weight reduction to control the serum sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) which in turn controls the free testosterone levels, androgen lowering medication like spironolactone, OCPs and laser hair reduction.

3. Acne or pimples: Females with persistent acne since teens or with acne presenting for the first time after 25 must be evaluated for PCOS. Acne in PCOS is generally resistant to standard acne treatments, affects mainly the lower one third of face , is associated with extremely tender eruptions suggesting more inflammation and shows premenstrual flare. Treatment results take longer to respond at least 3 months and best approach is to add combined oral contraceptives with anti androgen progesterone like drospirenone and cyproterone acetate as well as spironolactone to control the hyperandrogenic state. The role of supplements like inositol, magnesium, zinc and Vitamin D play an important role in controlling the inflammatory state.

4. Seborrhoeic dermatitis often presenting as oily scalp and dandruff, when severe can affect the oily areas of the skin like around nose, between eyebrows and behind ears. Associated with more androgens and hence more oil secretion promoting the growth of a fungus named malaseezia needs treatment and daily cleansing of the scalp with a salicylic acid or ketoconazole shampoo.

5. Female patterned hair loss or hair thinning presenting mainly in the crown and frontal area is often ignored until a major portion of the scalp becomes visible. Frequent changing of hairstyles to cover it up without seeking medical treatments leads to progression and greater damage. Starting minoxidil as a preventive therapy and doing platelet rich plasma sessions may be helpful. PCOS is a disorder which affects the body not only at a hormonal level thereby affecting metabolism and fertility but also it has far reaching effects on a person’s confidence when it has negative influence on appearance.

Also Read-Tips to lose weight on a PCOS diet

Read More-How To Combat PCOS

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Tips to lose weight on a PCOS diet

Exercise daily. Exercise plays a huge role by keeping weight in check, this helps regulate the hormones and increases chances of ovulation…writes Siddhi Jain.

Are you dealing with the stressful symptoms of PCOS? Be it missed periods, excessive hair growth on the face or body, weight gain, acne and fertility issues. The pandemic made it all the more difficult to consult our doctor face-to-face to deal with these problems, but digital healthcare platforms have made it easier for women dealing with such queries to consult the right doctor.

The Covid-19 pandemic may have accelerated the shift towards digital healthcare practices in India, but its adoption among women in 2020 — especially in non-metro cities — has been significant. Registering an overall growth of more than 212 per cent from the previous year, online consultations emerged as one of the preferred modes of consulting doctors by women in India, according to data from Practo.

According to Practo, more women in non-metro cities opted for online consultations in 2020 — growing at an average rate of 550 per cent, compared with 400 per cent recorded among women in metro cities. This means that even as the majority (65 per cent) of the total number of online consultations done by women in 2020 were from metro cities, there has been a steady increase in the percentage of women from non-metro cities adopting telemedicine. In fact, this trend has been developing over the past three years.

PCOS, skin allergy, weight loss, thyroid, depression, hairfall, and UTI were some of the most discussed queries by women from non-metro cities last year, says the health platform.

Women with PCOS have numerous cysts in their ovaries, caused by an overproduction of hormones called androgens. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that prevents the ovaries from functioning properly. PCOS is also a red flag for the inception of type 2 diabetes, explains Prabha Acharya, Homeopath, who also consults on Practo.

For few women, gaining weight can influence their hormones. If you’re obese or overweight, this might help get your hormones back to normal. Losing 10 per cent of your body weight may help your menstrual cycle become more predictable. This should help you get pregnant.

Therefore, weight loss prior to conception helps improve live birth rate in obese women with or without PCOS. In simple words, living a healthy lifestyle and following diet, with regular exercise, no smoking, less stress, and control of diabetes and other medical conditions prescribed by your doctor should improve your fertility odds. To lose weight on a PCOS diet, re-frame your thinking to eating to live, not living to eat.

Quick tips from the doctor:

1. Drink a lot of water and keep yourself well hydrated.

2. Eat foods low on the glycemic index. Low glycemic index foods are carbohydrates that break down slowly in the body, not causing a dramatic spike and then drop in insulin levels. Eat oats, brans, whole grains, broccoli, apples, etc. Avoid foods that are sugary and starchy such as: syrups, sugar, jams, scones, white bread products etc.

3. Eat more fruits and vegetables for good fiber intake. Fiber helps promote healthy estrogen metabolism which aids in the reduction of elevated levels of androgens. E.g. whole grains, apples (with skin), green leafy vegetables, etc.

Eat small frequent meals in a day and avoid skipping any meal and especially the first meal of the day i.e. breakfast.

4. Include lean protein in your diet. E.g. lean chicken, fish, egg, nuts, legumes, pulses, low fat dairy products, skimmed milk, etc.

5. Eat healthy Omega-3 fats in diet. Sources: fatty fish, olive oil, walnuts, flax seeds, etc. And avoid foods that are high in saturated fat, such as meats, cheeses, and fried foods.

6. Get some sun rays for 10-15 mins for your Vitamin D requirement. Great food sources of vitamin D are cod liver oil, eggs, salmon, etc.

Exercise daily. Exercise plays a huge role by keeping weight in check, this helps regulate the hormones and increases chances of ovulation.

Distress yourself. Try yoga.

7. Avoid drinking aerated drinks. Avoid processed, junk food..Quit smoking and alcohol. Regular visit to doctor for follow up.

Follow your plan and most importantly believe in yourself, because only you have the potential to change your circumstances!

Also Read-How to Lose Kilos?

Read More-Undiagnosed thyroid, cause for infertility