(8) PCOS in Women : Need to Understand and Act
1 billion (1,00,00,00,000) ie. 100 crore people are obese worldwide today. Next time you feel obese people are an inferior minority, remember this. Thanks to the sedentary lifestyle and the highest intake of fatty and sugary foods, one of the biggest price of urbanisation is our health and we are paying it. Well, we all know the various medical and mental problems that accompany obesity. But today, let’s talk about the double oppressed condition, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
One in every ten women in India have PCOS. I realised this reality only when I interacted with girls in my college. But still, there is a significant lack of awareness or support regarding PCOS. Why?
PCOS is a condition where the ovaries produce abnormal amounts of androgens (male sex hormones) against the usual smaller amounts present in women. What do such amounts of androgens do? Increased levels of androgens lead to rise in abdominal fat. The accumulation of abdominal fat increases the risk of insulin resistance than any other body fat. The visceral fat inturn increases the androgen levels. Thereby resulting in a vicious cycle. This is how breaking the cycle of obesity becomes highly challenging with PCOS.
The diagnosis of PCOS is the tricky part because of its myriad of symptoms. These symptoms range from irregular periods, hirsutism (excess hair growth in different body parts), acne, thinning of hair to severe mood swings, anxiety and depression. Women tend to attribute these symptoms to various commonly assumed reasons such as their eating habits and lack of exercise. Thereby they neglect the symptoms without finding the actual source until they face unavoidable health concerns such as infertility. This delay worsens the condition. Since the symptoms vary in number and intensity across different women, self-reporting is challenging. But with the right awareness of the range of symptoms, women can identify the need to get a PCOS check-up.
What is the treatment then? PCOS is a lifestyle disorder that can be managed but not cured. If not treated, PCOS could lead to issues with fertility, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases and uterine cancer. So, achieving the optimum weight (as per BMI) through lifestyle changes is the efficient way to deal with PCOS. But the road to PCOS reversal is actually that of healthy life. When I was diagnosed with PCOS and started revamping my lifestyle, I was simply supposed to make healthier and sustainable choices. It gave me an opportunity to understand my body and its functions so much better. If not for PCOS, I would have never fully understood the scale of impact stress, sleep, exercise and food can have on my health.
As the PCOS nutritionists say, food constitutes 80% and physical activity does 20% of reaching the optimum weight and reversing PCOS. A balanced diet with the right proportions of healthy carbohydrates, protein, fibre, probiotics, prebiotics, vitamins and minerals is all it takes. Each diet needs to be customised to address the specific symptoms of the individual. This is paired with at least 30 to 45 minutes of consistent cardio and strength training of any kind. The more sustainable the workout is, the more efficient it will be as PCOS doesn't need one time weight reduction, instead a lifelong sustainable healthy routine. Stress and sleep play key roles in managing PCOS.
Sustainability of healthy practices is overlooked in the face of instant and intermittent options. PCOS, born out of the urban lifestyle we have built, also serves as a reminder of the need to choose sustainable health amidst capitalist urbanisation.
One in every ten women in India have PCOS. I realised this reality only when I interacted with girls in my college. But still, there is a significant lack of awareness or support regarding PCOS. Why?
PCOS is a condition where the ovaries produce abnormal amounts of androgens (male sex hormones) against the usual smaller amounts present in women. What do such amounts of androgens do? Increased levels of androgens lead to rise in abdominal fat. The accumulation of abdominal fat increases the risk of insulin resistance than any other body fat. The visceral fat inturn increases the androgen levels. Thereby resulting in a vicious cycle. This is how breaking the cycle of obesity becomes highly challenging with PCOS.
The diagnosis of PCOS is the tricky part because of its myriad of symptoms. These symptoms range from irregular periods, hirsutism (excess hair growth in different body parts), acne, thinning of hair to severe mood swings, anxiety and depression. Women tend to attribute these symptoms to various commonly assumed reasons such as their eating habits and lack of exercise. Thereby they neglect the symptoms without finding the actual source until they face unavoidable health concerns such as infertility. This delay worsens the condition. Since the symptoms vary in number and intensity across different women, self-reporting is challenging. But with the right awareness of the range of symptoms, women can identify the need to get a PCOS check-up.
What is the treatment then? PCOS is a lifestyle disorder that can be managed but not cured. If not treated, PCOS could lead to issues with fertility, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases and uterine cancer. So, achieving the optimum weight (as per BMI) through lifestyle changes is the efficient way to deal with PCOS. But the road to PCOS reversal is actually that of healthy life. When I was diagnosed with PCOS and started revamping my lifestyle, I was simply supposed to make healthier and sustainable choices. It gave me an opportunity to understand my body and its functions so much better. If not for PCOS, I would have never fully understood the scale of impact stress, sleep, exercise and food can have on my health.
As the PCOS nutritionists say, food constitutes 80% and physical activity does 20% of reaching the optimum weight and reversing PCOS. A balanced diet with the right proportions of healthy carbohydrates, protein, fibre, probiotics, prebiotics, vitamins and minerals is all it takes. Each diet needs to be customised to address the specific symptoms of the individual. This is paired with at least 30 to 45 minutes of consistent cardio and strength training of any kind. The more sustainable the workout is, the more efficient it will be as PCOS doesn't need one time weight reduction, instead a lifelong sustainable healthy routine. Stress and sleep play key roles in managing PCOS.
Sustainability of healthy practices is overlooked in the face of instant and intermittent options. PCOS, born out of the urban lifestyle we have built, also serves as a reminder of the need to choose sustainable health amidst capitalist urbanisation.
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