A Look Into PCOS
- Hannah Eblen
- May 1
- 3 min read
It’s no secret that many women in the world live with PCOS. For some, it’s easy to live with, to go about their day as anybody else would. For others, though, it could be impossible to live with, or their experience with it is right in the middle of the two. Even the women close to you could be living with this condition, and you’d probably be none the wiser! I had the honor of asking my very own sister about her experiences with PCOS, though I myself also have it. But first, what exactly is PCOS?
PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and, according to the World Health Organization, is a pretty common hormonal disorder in women. It’s estimated that 10-13% of women all around the world are thought to have PCOS, though unfortunately 70% of those women remain undiagnosed. It’s also hereditary, so if your mother or grandmother or so on has it, then you are more likely to have it too. You’re also at risk of developing type 2 diabetes if you have PCOS. Obesity is also a common complication, as well as endometrial cancer.
I’ve already told you what PCOS stands for, but that’s not enough to tell you what exactly it is. Yes, PCOS is a hormonal disorder, but what kind? That’s a good question! With this particular disorder, your ovaries create an excess of androgens, which are used to start up puberty. Just by reading the word ‘puberty’, I’m sure you’re picturing all kinds of things: excessive acne that won’t go away no matter what or sudden weight gain that came out of nowhere. If you were picturing those, well, you’re in luck! Those two are some of the most common side effects of PCOS.
Some other symptoms of PCOS are long and/or painful periods, thinning hair (otherwise known as female pattern baldness), excessive hair on the body or face, and, as mentioned before, acne. My sister mentioned how she has excessive hair on her arms, “Almost like a man,” she described it. She also went on to say that her PCOS has caused her to form pimples “literally everywhere” on her arms, effectively stopping her from shaving it off.
Let’s talk about periods. In my interview with my sister, she told me about her struggles with her period, but I’m not going to share that (because she asked me not to). I have no qualms with sharing my own experiences with PCOS, so I’ll tell you mine. When I said painful periods in the symptoms list, I meant it. Every month without fail, I have a three day period where I can’t move or even eat without it hurting so bad it makes me feel dizzy and sickly. Medicine doesn’t help except in very large quantities; I have to take six pills of ibuprofen (1200mg) for it to even do anything. Even though I’m taking that much, it only lasts for three hours, and after that I can’t take any more without feeling nauseous. I’m very lucky that my period only ever lasts for three days, I don’t think I could ever handle any longer!
Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to get diagnosed PCOS. All you need to do is go to your doctor and express your concerns. What they’ll do is do a blood test to to see if your hormones are higher than normal, but if you have excess body hair, acne or oily skin, or even irregular (or completely absent!) periods, you’ll probably get diagnosed. Some other tests they do, as listed by Mayo Clinic, are pelvic exams as well as an ultrasound
"How does anyone even treat this?!" You must be thinking. There’s many ways PCOS can be treated. Some treatments can include taking birth control, or even hormone replacement therapy in some (usually extreme) cases. It’s also reported that eating healthy and regular physical activity can help, even if it doesn’t lead to weight loss. Unfortunately, there is no cure. Since it’s not just a disorder that affects the ovaries, getting a hysterectomy doesn’t help, though it will help with the painful periods (because you won't have any). A hysterectomy is usually a last resort, though.
So, not too bad, right? Life with PCOS may be a little harder or infuriating than a normal woman, but it’s nothing too bad. It’s my hope that one day we can research this topic more and find even more treatments for PCOS. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Want to read more about this? Check out these sites:
Comments